Consumer Insights
What’s ahead in health and wellness in 2023?
It took a pandemic to upend life as we know it, prompting Americans to rethink their notions around health and wellness aspirations and behaviors.
Food
CPG
Bubble tea has hit the sweet spot
Boba tea shops have become practically mainstream, and bubble tea products are now beginning to enter the CPG market, indicating consumers’ desire to replicate the experience at home.
Food
Restaurants craft proprietary plant-based proteins that go beyond off-the-shelf products
In the quest to offer more meatless options, some restaurants are producing proprietary plant-based proteins, which allows them to tweak recipes to suit customers’ palates and values, and can offer more control when it comes to costs and product availability.
Consumer Insights
Plant-based meat trends go beyond the burger
The plant-based meat category is growing beyond burgers to feed consumers' cravings for more exotic fare.
Food
Food retailers fight inflation with creative solutions
Find out how grocers are overcoming inflation-related obstacles and boosting customer relations via innovation to meet shifting behaviors.
CPG
Functional fungi: Mushroom-based drinks deliver health benefits
Functional mushrooms are trending, especially in the beverage category, due to increased interest in natural health and wellness products.
Food
What do restaurant menu trends look like post-pandemic? Omelets, nachos hold clues
A Datassential analysis of restaurant menu trends reveals that the industry is on its way to normalcy.
Food
How chefs can reclaim the past, craft the future of Black foodways
Chefs discussed how to shape a culinary future that celebrates Black foodways at the Culinary Institute of America's Worlds of Flavor conference.
Consumer Insights
Consumer trends in food shopping today
From inflation to COVID-19, various factors are shaping food shopping preferences and behaviors, presenting both challenges and opportunities for food retailers and foodservice operators alike.
Food
2022 Innovation Awards for Foodservice winners announced
Sign up for Restaurant SmartBrief today, free. SmartBrief and The National Restaurant Association are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Innovation Awards for...
Food
Emerging brands shine at pop-up food retailers
Pop Up Grocer features food brands from under-represented groups with a focus on dietary needs and responsible ingredients.
Food
Craft brewers cheer the return of in-person drinking, festivals
Craft beer sales rebounded in 2021 and 2022 saw the return of Oktoberfest and the Great American Beer Festival.
CPG
Smart labels, sustainability and food safety: What’s new, now and next in food packaging innovations
From improving food safety and offering sustainable material alternatives to helping retailers glean more customer data, food packaging innovations are revolutionizing the food and beverage retail industries.
Food
Pet-friendly restaurants must consider both rules and rewards
The restaurant industry is facing increasing calls to make their establishments pet-friendly. But how does a restaurant grow more pet-friendly without alienating customers that want to dine with humans only?
Food
Datassential: The next big trend in BBQ is forgetting the “rules”
Restaurants have a new audience of BBQ enthusiasts, and restaurants and pitmasters are stepping up their game.
Food
Restaurants reallocate some tasks to robots to deal with staffing shortages
As restaurants adjust to changing business conditions some operators are using robots and other automation technologies to reallocate some tasks and maximize efficiency.
Consumer Insights
Consumer vs. restaurant: Hartman research on the challenges of eating out
Americans love to eat out, yet research from The Hartman Group shows how restaurant offerings often present challenges to individual eating approaches.
Technology
Exploring the next generation of plant-based innovation
Exhibitors at this year's Plant Based World Expo showed off the growing array of options designed to feed the cravings of all types of eaters.
Technology
Delivery services set their sights on autonomous tech
Restaurants and retailers are tapping into driverless vehicles and drones to deliver food via quicker, more affordable methods.
Consumer Insights
What’s ahead in grocery shopping and food procurement?
As macro forces impact consumer behavior, shoppers traverse a hybrid world of in-person and online grocery shopping and seek inspiration from an ever-growing number of sources.
Technology
SmartSummit: The role of vertical farming in efficient and sustainable food systems
AeroFarms, Frieght Farms and S2G Ventures discuss the state of the indoor growing industry during SmartBrief’s SmartSummit, “The role of vertical farming in efficient and sustainable food systems."
Technology
The changing face of plant-based dining in the digital age
Author and researcher Eve Turow-Paul shared insights into the way digital technology has influenced the way millennials and Gen Z experience food.
Technology
Growing up: The catalysts, benefits and challenges of indoor farming
Indoor vertical farms can create a near-perfect environment to grow plants without the use of pesticides and without the traditional weather-related issues traditional farmers face.
Restaurant and Foodservice
Q&A: MFHA’s president on the 2022 DEI Survey Report’s most surprising findings
We asked Gerry Fernandez, president of MFHA, a few questions about the survey, the state of DEI in the industry today and what’s next.
Consumer Insights
Plant-based foods that emphasize plants appeal to consumers seeking less-processed foods
As the plant-based category evolves, food manufacturers and foodservice operators would do well to keep in mind their customers who are craving plant-based foods that emphasize plants, rather than attempt to replicate the experience of eating meat.
Consumer Insights
How inflation is affecting decisions in the produce aisle
Demand for organic produce surged after the start of the pandemic and sales are still strong overall even as inflation drives belt-tightening.
Food
Checking in on 2021 Foodservice Innovation Awards winners
Last year’s Foodservice Innovation Awards winners ran the gamut from an automated cooking robot to biodegradable drinking straws, and in the past year many of the winning companies have seen their products adopted by new foodservice clients and expanded their product lines to build on their original offerings.
Consumer Insights
Trends in modern approaches to eating: Plant-focused vs. plant-based
With a proliferation of plant-based products in the marketplace today, consumer interpretations and pursuits of “plant-based eating” are just as expansive.
Food Retail
Retailers address employee mental health in response to mass shootings
Mass violence incidents have prompted retailers to reassess not only their crisis response preparedness plans but also take a closer look at how they address their employees' mental health and emotional stress related to these events.
CPG
Sugar reduction trend makes way for alternative sweeteners
Sweeteners such as stevia are trending as consumers are still attracted to sweet foods and beverages while cutting down on sugar consumption.
Food
The ingredients for a winning limited-time offer
Restaurant operators don’t have to create a new item from scratch to reap the rewards of increased sales and traffic from an LTO.
Technology
SmartSummit: The role of technology in restaurant recruitment and retention
Three experts from the restaurant industry spoke about the role technology tools can play in recruiting and retaining employees during SmartBrief’s SmartSummit, “The role of technology in restaurant recruitment and retention."
Sponsored
SIAL Paris 2022 to help global food industry respond to change
The SIAL Paris show will reconvene in person this October for the first time since 2018, bringing together food industry professionals from around the globe to discuss how they can prepare for the industry’s future. In this interview, SIAL Network CEO Nicolas Trentesaux discusses the “Own the Change” theme of this year’s show and what attendees can expect.
CPG
Consumers seek out the heat in unexpected spicy foods
Spicy foods are trending, and brands are offering innovative products to keep the flavor profile new and exciting.
Consumer Insights
Closing the gap in sustainability: Opportunities to connect with consumers
The Hartman Group looks at how consumer familiarity with “sustainability” has grown steadily, but their confidence in identifying specific sustainable products and companies continues to lag behind.
CPG
Fancy food brands find growth potential in the pandemic
Fancy food startups found their way during the pandemic with mission-driven models.
Food
SmartBrief’s Foodservice Innovation Awards 2022 to celebrate smart solutions
This year’s SmartBrief Foodservice Innovation Awards, now open for nominations, aims to celebrate exceptional products that help foodservice operators and professionals work smarter, safer and more sustainably.
Sponsored
Q&A: How Chicken of the Sea is catering to customers’ evolving seafood needs
Bryan Rosenberg, president and CEO of Thai Union North America, parent company to Chicken of the Sea International and Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, discusses the findings of a survey of food executives and buyers, how Chicken of the Sea has adjusted amid the volatility of the last two years and how the brand stays connected to its customers.
Food
Personal, planetary health drive appetite for plant-based foods
Concerns about personal health and climate change are key drivers for consumers to choose plant-based food and beverage options, according to Datassential's “2022 Plant-Forward Opportunity” report.
CPG
How fancy food brands are faring amid the shifting supply chain
(Image credit: Angel Planet Foods) Sign up for Restaurant SmartBrief today, free. The specialty food industry is still growing and winning new startups,...
Consumer Insights
What defines the American meal? Protein, paper towels and TV
Datassential’s “The American Meal” report surveyed thousands of consumers about their eating habits both at and away from home.
Consumer Insights
Lessons from the pandemic: What’s next in diet and eating behavior?
How pandemic-influenced shifts in consumers’ lives have altered needs and notions around diet and nutrition.