Consumer Insights
Health and wellness space is a world of opportunities
How have consumers' attitudes and behaviors about health and wellness changed after 3 years of living in a pandemic?
Food
Food
Off-premises dining will continue to help restaurants grow in 2023
The takeout and delivery sales that helped many restaurants weather pandemic shutdowns will continue to play an important role in post-pandemic recovery, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2023 State of the Industry report.
CPG
How consumers are keeping their furry friends fed
Global sales of pet food grew to an estimated $120.9 billion last year and are on track to hit $177.1 billion by 2030, according...
Food
What’s the big deal with small-format retail?
Whether it’s to fill a niche in suburban towns, plug into urban markets or meet the needs of college communities, many retailers – from traditional “big-box” to grocers and more – are adjusting their store models by shifting to smaller-format stores that occupy a fraction of the square footage of their traditional store models.
Food
Beverage pros weigh in on the alcohol-free beverage trend
The growing appetite for alcohol-free beverages is creating challenges and opportunities for beverage directors, sommeliers and other hospitality professionals when it comes to making sure bars and restaurants offer something for everyone.
Technology
Food tech trends: Tensions along the path to trust
As consumers encounter new food tech, they will evaluate those foods based on familiarity, risk, benefits and consequences, according to the Hartman Group.
Sponsored
Q&A: How to pair vegetables with turkey for nutritious meals students will gobble up
Familiar flavors can entice students to try new foods and eat more vegetables, and turkey is an especially appealing and versatile option for school foodservice operators, chef and nutritionist Brenda Wattles says in this interview.
Consumer Insights
Legacy CPG brands infiltrate the alcohol category
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo initially identified their forays into alcohol as experimenting, but the two are committed to expanding their presence in the alcohol category.
Technology
Wading into the world of plant-based seafood
Plant-based seafood alternatives aim for realism to court chefs, consumers.
Technology
SmartSummit: Transformative technology trends and innovations in grocery retail
How grocery retailers are using new technology to glean shopper data, streamline operations and improve customer satisfaction.
Technology
Automation elevates on-demand foodservice options
Automation is paving the way for appetizing on-demand food options that are miles ahead of traditional vending machines.
Food
Q&A: Poly Cal expert, FMI execs talk responses to food inflation
Cal Poly's Ricky Volpe and FMI's Andy Harig and Heather Garlich meet with SmartBrief for an exclusive discussion on food inflation, consumer behavioral changes and grocery retailers’ adoption of new technology.
Food
How will the grocery industry weather 2023? Together
Throughout FMI’s Midwinter Executive Conference earlier this month, retailers and executives across the industry had the opportunity to attend educational sessions with one common theme running through them all: togetherness.
Sponsored
Great American Plant Company wants to help restaurants, retailers offer delicious, affordable plant-based proteins under their own brands
To help its retail and restaurant customers succeed, private-label brand Great American Plant Company brought on Chief Sales Officer Armetha Pihlstrom, who discusses how the company empowers its customers to make their brands household names in the plant-based category.
Technology
6 startups transforming the grocery technology industry
From automation to food waste, customer engagement to digital value creation, these six startups are making a name for themselves in the grocery industry.
Technology
What’s ahead in food technology?
The Hartman Group outlines how consumers feel about food technology and where the industry is headed.
CPG
Upcycled food helps brands, consumers combat waste
As food waste becomes a significant issue for consumers, the upcycled food market is set to grow by 15% over the next decade.
Consumer Insights
Seaweed wave: Health, sustainability spur algae’s popularity
Seaweed has been gaining popularity on menus and store shelves over the past few years, but this year could bring a tidal wave of new products and culinary applications as food companies look to cash in on algae’s health and sustainability benefits.
Consumer Insights
Datassential forecasts 2023 macro trends for the food industry
The market researcher unveils the tentpole themes that will impact the food industry in the coming year.
CPG
CPG brands take customer loyalty into their own hands
Loyalty programs are a key way for CPG manufacturers to connect with consumers and gain valuable insights.
Consumer Insights
5 food and beverage trends to watch for 2023
Five of the top food and beverage trends to watch for 2023 include a beverage category that will continue to gain popularity and the social media platform that experts think will most influence where and what consumers want to eat.
Consumer Insights
“Plant-based” has not peaked, but rather grown into a lifestyle
Will demand for plant-based food fall as fast as it grew? Far from it, according to Datassential.
Food
National Restaurant Association’s tech and innovation policy lead looks back at 2022, ahead to 2023
Brennan Duckett, director of technology and innovation policy at the National Restaurant Association, discusses the major legislative policies that affected the industry in 2022 and what policy issues restaurants should have on their radar for 2023.
Food
Q&A: CIA faculty discuss challenges, opportunities facing the culinary industry in 2023
Many of the issues that mattered most to chefs and other culinary professionals this past year will continue to shape the culinary industry in 2023, according to faculty members at the Culinary Institute of America.
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.
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.