Trends

The commodity organization, Colorado Corn, recently created a communication strategy to tell their sustainable story to the public. Their messages will help consumers understand some “a-maizing” sustainability facts about corn.

It may be hard to imagine that before 1970, a factory could spew black clouds of toxic smoke into the air or dump tons of toxic waste into a nearby stream, and that was perfectly legal. They could not be taken to court to stop it. How was that possible? Because there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. There were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment.

A recent report from IRI and FMI indicates that the fresh food business of 2025 will be much different than that of 2015. The report also suggests that retailers must be forward-looking, data-driven and break from tradition to keep pace with the rate of change. Here are some report highlights:

Recent trends have revealed what dietitians in food retail have known all along – health and wellness are defined by the consumer and will continue to be a key purchase driver as consumers lead the charge of food and health trends.

For Millennial moms and dads, one mission prevails over all others when food-shopping: keep it healthy.

The current coronavirus pandemic has impacted every individual’s life in some way. With the recommendations around social isolation and given the key role retailers play in the food supply chain, the industry is in overdrive ensuring shopper safety and availability of food.

With plant-based food alternatives gaining market share, there is also increased scrutiny regarding how these products are identified and promoted. Conventional agricultural groups such as beef and dairy, for example, have been very focused on how plant-based alternatives to their products are being labeled and in 2019 there was significant state legislative activity and law suits on labeling. While the regulatory issues surrounding plant-based products remains largely unsettled here are some current and future considerations:

Millennial Parents food-shop with high anxiety. Their time constraints, financial stresses, healthful eating desires, and large physical distance from supportive relatives create openings for retail dietitians to connect and bond these big food spenders to specific supermarkets.

Whether it's through interactive games or sharing tools and resources, educating your shoppers on caffeine consumption from all sources can help them make more informed decisions on caffeine intake.

Dry January, Sober Spring, Dry July Sober September – these seasonal holidays are gaining popularity with younger generations that now abstain from alcohol on a short-term or longer term basis as reported here in Phil Lempert’s review of key trends for 2020.