Walmart Exec: Shoppable Content a Retail Game-Changer

The future of marketing was examined by executives during this week’s Possible Conference. A key takeaway: shoppable content.

Gen Z Teens Reducing Spend, Supporting Smaller Brands

Among CPG energy drink brands, Celsius over-indexes with teens, with 17% citing it as their favorite energy drink brand (vs. ~12% market share) while Monster and Red Bull under-index. Among snack brands, Campbell’s Goldfish are still most preferred. Teens report highest intentions to eat more or the same amount of Mondelez’s Clif Bar and Hershey’s products.

Rise & Grind: Decaf Coffee Gathers Major Momentum

While the rest of us were getting our morning jolt from a decent cuppa, decaf drinkers quietly (and deliciously) infiltrated the greater consumer market. Skyquest Technology recently predicted that the decaf coffee market will continue to grow to a $28.86 billion industry by the end of the decade.

Mac and Cheese Gets a Plant-Based Makeover

CPG producers are veganizing macaroni and cheese by removing dairy ingredients, adding gluten-free pasta and, in some cases, boosting the nutritional value of the popular comfort food.

Premium, Ethical, and On-Demand: The New Age of Snacking Unwrapped

For starters, the global demographic landscape is undergoing a noteworthy transformation, with “second lifers” – those embarking on new chapters post-retirement – emerging as a powerful group of consumers. By 2050, the over-60 demographic is expected to double. This shift is pushing the market towards balanced nutrition.

5 Functional Food Trends to Watch

The statistics send a clear message: consumers the world over are searching for functional foods and beverages in 2024

Korean Food is Ascendant

Zooming out, Korean cuisine has found a niche in today’s restaurant, retail, and grocery foodscape, whether standing alone as a global cultural beacon of cuisine or being reimagined with some of today’s food trends.

Novel Proteins Earn Landmark Regulatory Backing

The approvals signal a potential disruption to traditional animal- and plant-based ingredients that have long dominated consumer packaged goods (CPG).

Top 3 Spring/Summer Trends in Retail

In a few short years, retail will be a totally immersive and data-driven experience highlighted by personalized AI recommendations for health and home, smart carts to increase efficiency (and solve the traveling salesman’s dilemma in-store), and much more.

The Endless Promise of Pizza

Served as an LTO, in a restaurant, or at a ball game, fired in a brick oven at 800 degrees or reheated Sunday morning in a battered collegiate microwave after a late night, pizza is a tough business that can yield great rewards, revenue, and satisfaction.

Market Signals: Unpacking Bezos Earth Fund’s Alt-Protein Allocation

Bezos Earth Fund is allocating $60 million to build research centers that focus on improving the taste, cost and nutritional value of alternative meats. What does this financial traction signal for the future of alt-meat investments?

From Panic to Plate: How Xolair is Changing the Menu for Allergy Sufferers

The treatment represents an impressive scientific achievement, however, borne from human perseverance to solve major quality-of-life issues. Xolair transcends mere new medical knowledge—it’s a step towards allowing food allergy sufferers to live more freely.

The Future of Retail, Part 2- Tomorrow’s Tech

To further understand how inventory and supply chain will change, Jarvis said the end of data silos must be achieved “to create a holistic understanding of each shopper, their interactions, and the stream of information being shared with them.

Scottish Cuisine Has Burst onto the American Scene

Not only is Scotland home to world-famous cattle breeds and celebrated wild-caught game, but the neighboring North Sea and Atlantic Ocean ensure that the country of roughly 5.5 million residents boasts stellar oysters and mussels. 

Expo West Speakers Plot Plant-Based’s Path Forward

Last Friday at Expo West, industry leaders unpacked the plant-based category’s path forward. “Progress is not linear,” one CEO reminded the crowd, adding that getting consumers to try plant-based items “has to be a stepwise process.”

8 Truly Innovative Products at Expo West 2024

Expo West 2024 in Anaheim featured no shortage of creative and innovative products, like mycelium bacon, caffeinated breath spray, and more.

America is Poised to Embrace Tofu

In today’s alternative protein space, the possibilities tofu offers are turning heads. More flavorful than most plant-based products, more rewarding than a perfect burger alternative, and much more affordable than a meat-based option, tofu checks a lot of boxes as a middle-of-the-road protein alternative that doesn’t necessarily have to market itself as a one-size-fits-all plant-based option.

3 Key Takeaways from Expo West 2024

With consumers as focused as ever on improving their health and wellness, clean diets including foods like whole fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins have gained momentum. The show floor at Expo West illustrated that movement.

What the Jal? Jalapenos Aren’t Hot Anymore

Why aren’t many store-bought jalapenos hot anymore? The answer lies in changing palates and products bred for consistency, not flavor.

The Future of Retail – The 10,000-ft. View

“By 2030, visiting a Target, Walmart, or Costco won’t just be about shopping,” said Diana Zheng, head of marketing at Stallion Express, a leading e-commerce shipping company from Canada, “It will be an experience. An immersive experience. A personalized experience, even a social experience.”

Chinese E-commerce Upstart Temu Gunning for Amazon

E-commerce company Temu is currently playing David to the Goliath of Amazon, but U.S. shoppers have taken notice of the inexpensive offerings.

Can Oscar Mayer Revitalize the Plant-Based Sausage Market?

Last week, The Kraft Heinz Company unveiled plant-based hot dogs and sausages under the Oscar Mayer brand. Could this launch be a bellwether for the struggling alt-meat sector?

Column: Loyalty Apps Becoming a Boon for Fast-Food Restaurants 

One great benefit of loyalty programs is that they help businesses, like restaurant chains, build a relationship with a customer. To inspire consumers to join your program you can use price or other incentives.

Rated C for Candy – AMC Theatres Launches Private-Label Brand

The current line of Cinema Sweets launched in December and sales have been brisk. “We’re quite pleased,” he said, brandishing an R2-D2 popcorn holder from a Star Wars release years ago, “and it’s definitely been a good launch for us across more than 550 domestic theaters.”

IFMA COEX 2024: Key Themes and Industry Trends

Josh Linkner issued the opening keynote for the COEX 2024 and noted that creativity and innovation was critical for continued growth and success. He also noted that research had found all humans are naturally drawn to creativity, but that it manifested in different ways.

How Hormel and JM Smucker Are Beating the Market

It’s not hard to understand why these companies have found success in a challenging environment. These are comfort food manufacturers (among other things!) whose identities, infrastructure, and revenue are built upon foods people reach for when they’re feeling down, feeling squeezed, or both.

As Aquaculture Gains Global Momentum, American Segment Snagged

“There’s no question that aquaculture needs to grow, and I think it’s just a matter of time before it takes off in the U.S.,” Austin Caperton, the CEO of Appalachian Salmon in West Virginia, told FI.

3D-Printed Food Innovations Push Closer to Market

Steakholder Foods is leading the charge in additive manufacturing for the food industry. Over the past year, the food tech innovator has unveiled the “world’s first” 3D-printed cuts of grouper, steak, eel, and plant-based shrimp.

Cloud Bread to Burn-away Cakes: Tomorrow’s TikTok Trends in Restaurant & Retail

From chefs to retailers to restaurant operators, catching fire with a dish that went viral on TikTok can ignite a fan base (and bolster quarterly revenue).

Beef Rice & Dairy Plants—Frankenfood or Food Science Breakthrough?

Such a fusion of different species opens new possibilities for sustainable food production, addressing issues such as food scarcity, environmental impact, and ethical concerns associated with traditional agriculture practices.

CPGs Need Fresh Strategies Beyond Price Increases in 2024

“Tomorrow’s winners will vary how they generate demand across their portfolios, with mass activation for their biggest brands and more targeted treatment for niche and insurgent brands,” Kyle Weza, global co-lead and brand accelerator for Bain & Company, said in the report.

Feel This Moment – Walmart Teams Up with Pitbull, Again

The Pitbull-launched intra-store restaurant is part of a larger, $9 billion plan to make “upscale changes” to stores and bring in more recognizable and coveted brands and influencers. For Walmart, pairing with the king of collaborations is a natural choice.

Line Between Food and Supplement Industries Continues to Blur

Through its new “super greens” partnership with BEAM, Dole joins the growing list of major food producers pivoting into the supplement category. How far will this industry convergence go?

Cereal Manufacturers Desperate to Boost Sales

Americans are turning away from breakfast cereal, and that’s got cereal manufacturers seeking fresh innovation to bring consumers back to their bowls and the breakfast table.

Report Reveals Scarcity of Retail Innovation

From number-crunching untold volumes of data to helping streamline inventory, supply chain, and predictive market trends, there is no digital limit to what AI can help operators achieve.

Beyond Meat Unveils “Beyond IV” Beef Boasting Clean Label Certification

Beyond Meat has announced its latest innovation, Beyond IV, the fourth generation of the company’s core beef platform. The new recipes are the result of a multi-year research effort to improve the taste and nutritional quality of Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef.