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.

While regulators, legislators and industry stakeholders debate whether whole, 2% and flavored milks should be offered alongside plain, low-fat and fat-free options as a required component of school meals, a growing number of students are raising concerns – and their voices – about a lack of plant-based options.

Between climate change’s negative impact on food production and ongoing supply chain challenges that threaten access to high quality nutrition, ensuring the growing population has enough to eat without further compromising the planet’s health will require significant innovation, technological advancements and funding – all of which investment and mentoring firm Techstars says its sixth Farm to Fork Accelerator program brings together.

At the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City late last month emerging and established brands were going back to basics with simplified ingredients, streamlined packaging, clear cut benefits and natural – if not always familiar – flavor profiles.

Under a new CEO and with peak-pandemic receding farther into the background, the Consumer Brands Association is “going back to the future” to focus on core values that, while still priorities in recent years, took a backseat during the chaos of COVID and rising geo-political tensions.