Category: Operations

March 14, 2020

Grocery Stores and Their Supplier Partners Share a Commitment During COVID 19

Grocery stores and their supplier partners share a commitment to the communities they serve. Our supply chain will adjust to this national emergency.

February 6, 2020

FMI reports address future of food, consumers

See the full story by Andy Nelson on  Supermarketperimeter.com The recently rebranded FMI – The Food Industry Association has partnered with Accenture and Ernst & Young  on two studies aimed at predicting future food industry and consumer trends. Accenture focused on the new marketplace and how best to prepare for future consumer needs. The report, Tomorrow’s Food Marketplace […]

February 4, 2020

Plant-Based Food Trend Insights

In a highly innovative, yet continuously developing market, comes the need for direction in how to follow changing consumer behaviors and best capture buyer dollars seeking plant-based alternatives. To achieve that goal, FMI produced a three-part webinar series on the plant-based topic that offers an in-depth analysis of the booming plant-based industry.

January 6, 2020

New Year Food Safety Resolutions with SQF Fundamentals Program

Has your company set food safety resolutions for the new year? 

Well, it all starts with building and nurturing a culture of food safety. Food safety doesn’t begin or end at your food industry site. Food safety is critical at every step in the supply chain. Therefore, in a perfect world, every food industry site should have a food safety management system in place. For SQF stakeholders, our solution is the SQF Fundamentals Program. 

December 17, 2019

Emerging Brands Meet Shoppers’ Desires

I work with emerging brands and have found that many of these newer brands focus on health and well-being, sustainable food production and sourcing ethical ingredients. These traits are revealed in the 2019 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report, which finds the meaning of “eating well” continues to encompass health, enjoyment and social benefits as well as mindful connection with where food comes from. In order to “eat well,” shoppers connect health with eating nutritious food and beverages that are perceived as high-quality. Enjoyment is just as central to eating well ideals, exemplified by having tasty foods and beverages that are hearty and filling with family or friends.

December 14, 2019

2019 Emerge Smarter Available Content

As we finish out 2019, we are pleased with the valuable education content we hosted and have available for subscribers.

You can dive into recorded thought leadership on fiancing, e-commerce, co-manufacturing/production, packaging, distribution and more. 

2019 Emerge Smarter Available Recordings for Emerge Subscribers
e-Commerce Insights – What are Upcoming Changes with Selling on Amazon
What Retailers Desire in Emerging Brands
Finding Finance for Growth
Packaging & Design Strategy
Working with Distributors
Exploring Food Service as a Channel
Retail Strategy for Growth

December 1, 2019

Getting to Know National Co-Op Grocers

Join a free online seminar: Getting to Know National Co-Op Grocers 
Designed for new brands or new brand representatives unfamiliar with NCG.  Join this session to gain an overview of NCG and how NCG is different from other retailers. Attendees will learn about NCG programs and will learn how to present items to NCG category managers.

November 20, 2019

The Surge of Plant-Based Foods

FMI’s 2019 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report finds a rising number of households (33%) have at least one member following a non-medically prescribed diet such as vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or flexitarian. Increased demand for personalization is challenging the food shopping experience, and a growing number of shoppers are turning to plant-based proteins to help meet their unique household needs. The Power of Meat 2019 report finds plant-based meat alternative sales increased 19.2% last year and account for $878 million in annual sales.

So what does this all mean for retailers and CPG manufacturers? It’s clear that consumers across the board have a growing interest in plant-based foods, including plant-based protein – and they are buying more of these items.

October 4, 2019

Shoppers are Hungry for Stories

David Taylor shares his key takeaways from the recent Food Marketing Institute Private Brand Summit 2019. Read more in the  latest  SR4B blog post.   by David Taylor David Fikes, US-based Food Marketing Institute Communications VP, opened the FMI Private Brand summit with a bold declaration: “We need to understand that we are no longer solely in […]

August 12, 2019

Packaging Trends to Consider for 2020

The past few years have seen an enormous rise in consumer consciousness when it comes to sustainability, whether it be learning about waste from production or realizing the detriment caused by plastic packaging, because of the wide-spread rise of environmental concern. The packaging industry is under more pressure than ever to become as environmentally friendly […]