Sweet Sustainability: How 3D-printed Cookies Are Made From Waste
Researchers have created a way to make 3D-printed food, including cookies, out of plastic waste. It could be the answer to multiple global issues.
Focus Archive
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Opinion: Automation Serving up Invaluable Efficiency for Restaurants
Restaurant automation reduces service time, increases consistency, and eliminates labor from the restaurants that use it.
Sweetgreen Positions New Steak Offering as Sustainable, Rooted in Regenerative Grazing Practices
Sweetgreen is leveraging regenerative agriculture to position its new grass-fed steak offering as climate-friendly. Can expanding these agricultural practices offset beef’s massive carbon footprint?
Choc Full of Benefits: Functional Chocolate Has Arrived
Functional chocolate is becoming a staple of health-conscious diets. Manufacturing the healthier-for-you chocolate often requires much trial and error, however.
Gen Z’s ‘Little Treat Culture’ Especially Apparent in Coffee Category
Young adults are turning to drinks like cold brews and ube lattes as they seek self-care while partaking in “little treat culture.”
Weather and War are Threatening Wheat Supplies
Soggy fields in western Europe and drought in Australia, Ukraine and Russia, coupled with Russia’s continued war on Ukraine, are curbing wheat production and shrinking global stocks to their lowest level in decades.
Protein and Smaller Portions: Weight-loss Drugs Redefining Consumer Food Demands
New research, conducted by food innovation firm Mattson, revealed that GLP-1 users have reported specific food preferences, including more protein and smaller portions.
Food Meets Fashion in NYC
On Thursday, May 16, The Food Institute is taking over the headquarters of Hugo Boss in downtown Manhattan to discuss food, finance, and fashion.
C-Stores Draw Market Share From Grocery, Retail
Casey’s and Maverik are highlighting breakfast while Buc-ee’s and Rutter’s are leveraging increased square footage and store footprints to drive sales and steal market share away from grocers and retailers.
The Next Big Thing in CPG? Shelf-Stable Products
With grocery refrigeration space tight, manufacturers are looking at producing shelf-stable products to cut waste and improve profits.
States Are Banning Cultivated Meat; Do Consumers Want Novel Proteins?
Novel proteins including cultivated meat, mycelium, and dairy bioidenticals are advancing further into the market, and some state governments are pushing back. A new survey by McKinsey & Company explores how consumers perceive these ingredients—and their willingness to trial them.
The Surprising Strength in WK Kellogg Stock
What WK Kellogg has done in its first three quarters as a standalone business is both an important step in the right direction and a validation of a spin-off strategy, wrote FI’s resident stock analyst.
Ten Vegan Food and Beverage Stocks to Watch
Despite persistent challenges, vegan food market revenue is poised to reach $49.6 billion globally by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period.
Research Shows Americans Now Seek Snacks ‘Day and Night’
According to retail insights company 84.51°, 27% of shoppers said they’re snacking multiple times per day, up 15% from 2023. Cheese is America’s favorite snack in 2024.
Next-level Insight: Using AI to Fuel Food Business Strategies
belVita – The Next Billion-Dollar Food Brand?
One thing that food industry consultants learn quickly is that public holding companies focus most of their resources on their Power Brands – the $1 billion+ revenue-generating giants whose slightest change in profit or topline …
Why Hormel Foods Employs a Cultural Anthropologist
Dr. Rodriguez is thrilled to live in a time when underrepresented voices, cultures, and cuisines can easily take the world by viral storm. She’s quick to point out that for many cuisines, blanket terms like “Mexican” or “Asian” just don’t do it anymore – the people, and the food, deserve more.
The Evolution of Ecuadorian Cuisine
When the Spanish colonized a large swath of Central and South America, they introduced new forms of foods, like pigs and goats. At the time, the indigenous land was fertile with crops like beans, avocados, and papayas, but the Spanish felt deprived of nutrients that they were accustomed to. Thus, by the 17th century, the Spanish had imported countless herds of cows, pigs, sheep and goats to Ecuador.
Brand Magnetism: The Driving Force Behind Gen Z’s Relationship with CPGs
A new report from Gen Z research and strategy firm dcdx noted the importance of brand magnetism for the CPG industry to attract young consumers.
Momentum Building for Grass-Fed Beef
Per the 2024 Power of Meat report, 83% of consumers seek a “better-for-you” option when they purchase protein, such as grass-fed beef, and many brands are eager to accommodate.
KEY: The Startup with Zero Sugar and $4 Million in Funding
Could a zero-sugar energy drink be the future of the heavily saturated beverage market? Possibly. KEY, an energy drink start-up, recently emerged with $4 million in funding, according to an article by AFN. The start-up, …
What’s Playing? The Role of Music in Retail
“The power of audio in retail goes beyond just music,” Elsley said. “Incorporating carefully crafted messaging and advertisements into the auditory experience can further enhance customer engagement and drive sales.”
‘Heatflation’ Threatening Olive Oil Production
Olive oil is being threatened by climate change, high interest rates and inflation that has sent prices soaring. Searing heat in Spain, Greece and Italy has been especially problematic.
Don’t Call It ‘New Sprite’ – Coca-Cola Debuts Sprite Chill
In the wild world of beverages, any edge on the competition may be enough to resurrect an LTO from the past or push it into full-time production.
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Frozen Plant-Based Meals Gaining Loyalty
Shoppers seeking convenience are in the market for readymade plant-based meals — and the frozen food aisle is a prime target for innovation.
The Future of Food Delivery: Are Uber, DoorDash, and Instacart Destined to Win the Delivery War?
For now, third-party delivery companies are operating full speed ahead. But how much are consumers willing to pay for convenience?
How Much Does Sustainability Influence Consumer Shopping Habits?
Consumers in the U.S. and Canada say that they are willing to pay more for products that practice eco-friendly sustainability and ethics in their development, packaging, and sale of products, particularly around animal cruelty and ocean pollution.
Opinion: Why Casual-Dining Restaurant Chains are in Crisis
Casual dining is about to implode. It has already started. Full-service restaurants that were popular in the 1980s and ‘90s – old brands – I think they’re going to be cut in half. TGI Friday’s …
The Summer of Swicy
Asian cuisines like Thai, Korean, and Chinese have long used swicy foods as an enticing way to attract new and long-time patrons, and many mainstream and fusion restaurants are combining classic American fare with these staple flavors from across the world.
HPAI in the Dairy Industry and Implications for Human Health
Recent updates from the FDA indicate that ongoing national testing of retail dairy products demonstrates the efficacy of the pasteurization process in inactivating the HPAI virus.
Kombucha: An Ancient Elixir Finds Modern Appeal
The origins of kombucha are shrouded in legend, and the drink’s murky beginnings remained in relative obscurity—at least to western palates—until its rediscovery in the 20th century in something of a cultural phenomenon.
Tequila is Sweet, Smoky, and Everywhere
For many, what began as a collegiate shot has now transformed into an at-home staple, a favorite party mixer, and a ready-to-drink refrigerated option. Tequila continues to capture consumers wherever and however they drink as …
Crumbl-ing Facade: Cookie Chain Experiencing the High Costs of Rapid Growth
Crumbl keeps making its new locations bigger, but is it a facade? The Utah-based bakery chain originally had small, humble retail footprints.
Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Increasing Sharply Among Women
“Was it the six-pack of wine called ‘Mommy’s Little Helper?’ Or ‘Mommy’s Time Out’ wine? Was it the funny phrase, ‘The most expensive part of having kids is all the wine you have to drink?’ The clothes and other goodies branded with, ‘Who is moderation?’ or ‘This is how you adult?’ Our society thinks it’s funny when women drink heavily,” Pengov said.
Is the Future of Retail Bionic?
As more work is being published (and more health-focused products manufactured) to improve health and happiness, we may be entering an era in which the average human life can not only be improved, but extended. Are store managers ready for what that means?
Report: Coffee Consumption Surging Globally
Total global coffee consumption is surging, as servings increased 5% year-over-year in 2023, signaling a promising opportunity for brands.