The Insatiable Appetite

This week we’re joined by Steve Markenson from FMI, The Food Industry Association, to discuss FMI’s ongoing work monitoring shopper attitudes and behaviors, plus a sneak peek of key findings from its latest wave of tracking: 

• How have shopper concerns with food inflation evolved as of the end of 2023? 
• How do shoppers feel about the year ahead, and what are their personal ambitions? 
• What exposure have American adults had to AI-enabled tools like ChatGPT, and how do they want to incorporate new tools for personalization into their food lives?

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

In this episode, our lead researchers discuss key topics from our latest study on Gen Z and Gen Alpha: 

Gen Alpha (ages 0-12):

• How parents are shaping food habits and personal values
• Exposure to diverse tastes and textures 
• Proactive approaches to social media and technology

Gen Z (ages 13-26):

• Digital connection and food “hacking” culture
• How food and lifestyle choices are intrinsically linked to over-arching values 
• Where there’s opportunity for brands to connect

Listen now

The Taste of Tomorrow report is now available for purchase, providing deep insights and actionable implications for companies seeking to foster long-term relevancy as these two generations mature.

Get the study overview

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

As GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic gain attention and popularity, some suggest that it could impact everything from the alcohol sector to health and wellness products.

Listen in as our analysts discuss the genesis of these drugs, dispel some myths, and hypothesize how your business may need to adapt.

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

Consumers are just beginning to make the connection between healthy soil and healthy humans, leaving many food and beverage companies wondering how to start incorporating regenerative practices.   

If you can relate, this week’s podcast is for you!  

Elizabeth Whitlow, Executive Director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, demystifies the who, what, why, and how behind regenerative agriculture and the Regenerative Organic Certification in our latest episode.  

Spoiler alert: it’s much less daunting than you think. 

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

With all the buzz around Gen Z and Gen Alpha lately, it’s understandable if your team is eager to answer the question: “How do we reach them?” 

In this week’s podcast, our lead researchers challenge you to consider a different question first: “WHY it is so critical for food and beverage companies to understand these consumers?” 

From our POV, companies that can answer this question correctly will have a competitive advantage on: 

• Crafting products that resonate on multiple levels — from flavor to values
• Leveraging technology the right way
• Preparing to evolve with consumers  

Once you’re grounded in the “why,” insights and data on these generational cohorts become even more valuable. Our Q4 report, Taste of Tomorrow: Navigating Food through the Eyes of Gen Z and Alpha will uncover strategic implications for your business so you can ultimately answer the question: “How do we reach them?” 

Preview the Gen Z/Alpha study

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

There are 340 million people in the U.S., and those people engage in a whopping 500 billion eating occasions each year. The tricky thing about eating occasions? They’re pretty much invisible…

Unless you know how to illuminate them.

We sat down with David Feit, our VP of Strategic Insights and resident occasion-based sampling expert, to make sense of this mysterious sampling method in our latest podcast episode. Listen in to learn: 

• What makes occasion-based samples so complex, and how to harness those complexities
• The science and art of defining an occasion to reveal the “why” behind it
• Why this method helps illuminate strategic implications

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

Our latest sustainability study found that 78% of consumers are concerned about single-use plastics, and 84% want companies to take the lead in developing more sustainable packaging solutions.  

Manufacturers— especially those that primarily use plastic packaging — have both an opportunity and responsibility to build consumer trust by making both their production and packaging more sustainable.  

Learn how the established beverage brand, Talking Rain, is aligning its sustainability efforts with current consumer concerns in our latest episode of The Insatiable Appetite. 

For more sustainability insights… 

Consumer expectations of corporate sustainability initiatives are growing increasingly complex. Learn how to authentically tailor your efforts to these expectations in our newly released study: Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal. 

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

“Sustainability” has become an increasingly nuanced and complex topic over the years, leaving many food and beverage companies searching for answers. We’re addressing some of the hottest topics from our newly-released report, Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal, in this week’s podcast:  

• Who consumers view as responsible for specific concerns, from climate change to food waste; pollution to labor practices 
• How to alleviate consumers’ frustrations around sustainable packaging and recycling 
• Specific animal welfare considerations and consumers’ meat/dairy consumption habits 
• How consumers are navigating sustainable purchasing priorities in inflationary times   

About the report 

Is your company concerned with greenwashing accusations? Wondering what will help increase consumer buy-in on your sustainability efforts? Curious how issues like climate change, worker welfare, and third-party certifications are playing out at shelf? Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal answers these questions and much more.   

Read the study overview  

To learn more about the report and how it can inform your strategy, contact Melissa Abbott: [email protected] 

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more. 

How to authentically market sustainability efforts 

When it comes to your ESG efforts, the old adage rings true: honesty is the best policy. 

The good news is that you don’t have to have it all figured out — but you do have to show and tell.   

Rather than getting caught up on all the challenges food and beverage companies are facing with sustainability right now, we’re highlighting some practical paths forward in this week’s podcast.   

Learn how to harness consumers’ evolving relationship with sustainability and develop authentic communication strategies for your brand in our new episode of The Insatiable Appetite.   

Your complete guide to sustainability in 2023

This podcast only scratches the surface: we’re making sense of all the headlines, trends, and consumers’ conflicting feedback so you can confidently take action. Find your path forward to sustainability success with our new report, Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal.   

Learn more 

If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.