Good food is the foundation for good health, but according to the US Department of Agriculture 10% of Americans, or approximately 33.8 million people, don’t have reliable access to healthy nutrition – a sobering statistic that online grocery technology and delivery company Instacart is tackling head-on through a wide range of programs, partnerships and policy advocacy.

As grocery shoppers shift back to brick-and-mortar stores after relying heavily on ecommerce during the pandemic, food and beverage brands also are shifting their advertising from social media to in-store with many turning to retail media networks to target consumers closer to the point of purchase.

Startups with little more than an idea and a compelling founder’s story may no longer be able to secure wild valuations or enough funding to blow millions a month proving a concept, but companies that have product-market fit in competitive categories and can prove they are on the path to profitability still have options – such as from the recently launched growth equity firm Humble Growth.

More than fat or calories, the nutritional information consumers are most likely to look for on food and beverage packages is sugar, with a survey conducted by Cargill finding nearly two out of three consumers aiming to avoid it and the majority also reportedly bypassing artificial sweeteners.

The 2023 holiday season is around the corner and this year promises more good cheer – or at last more spending – than last year, but the higher inflation that will buoy sales is a double edged sword that simultaneously threatens volume and must be considered when crafting marketing campaigns for the next four months.

Inflation may finally be cooling, but prices at the shelf remain significantly higher for most products than a year ago, and certainly since pre-pandemic – leading to widespread food insecurity in the US and prompting consumers, retailers and brands to make difficult decisions about purchasing, merchandising and marketing.

The grocery industry is at an inflection point as retailers and manufacturers grapple with dramatic changes in how food is produced and sold and an increasingly diverse consumer base that is no longer willing to settle for the one-size-fits-all, supply-driven business model that has dominated the segment for decades.

Even though plant-based protein sales continued to slide in July, prompting retailers to slim down and shift offerings from the more premium placement in the refrigerated section to the freezer aisle, startup TiNDLE Foods still sees significant opportunity in the segment that it plans to seize with a full line-up of cross-category launches.

With roughly 2 billion people overweight, nearly a billion people suffering from hunger and a third of all food produced lost or waste – the current food system is “too unbalanced, too wasteful and too vulnerable,” according to Unilever, which is why the CPG giant’s nutrition division is on a mission to be “Boldly Healthier” for people and the planet.

Offering an abundant selection of fresh, high-quality, diverse fruits and vegetables is a top priority for most grocers given the produce section is often a key driver for overall store foot traffic – but according to a recent survey staying stocked is also a top pain point for many retailers.