Fresh Foods

Our Voice of The Food Industry blog offers commentary from FMI subject matter experts on timely and important topics to the food industry.
  • Transparency and Social Alignment: Two Top Trends in Fresh That Are Paying Off

    Jun 14, 2018
    As I walk around the perimeter of the grocery store today, two big trends are paying off. One is transparency—the shopper’s desire to know more about where their food comes from and how it was made. The second is social and cultural alignment, or a ...
  • Serving Up Health and Wellness in the Fresh Department

    Jun 12, 2018
    Like cheese and wine, peanut butter and jelly, and fish and chips, consumers pair health and wellness with fresh ...
  • What Do We Know About The Meal Kit Consumer?

    Jun 11, 2018
    According to the Power of Foodservice at Retail 2018 report, awareness of meal kits is high (86 percent), but only 22 percent of shoppers have actually used meal kits. According to Nielsen, the opportunity for meal kids is large with more than 30 ...
  • Why Are Established Brands Creating Investment Vehicles and Incubators?

    Jun 6, 2018
    The well-established companies know why they need to be on constant lookout for the next winning product: Consumer tastes and interests are quickly shifting towards higher quality, more unique and in some cases artisanal food solutions; new ...
  • It’s BBQ Season! Light Up the Grill!

    May 24, 2018
    Grilling displays are popping up in stores all across the country, and for good reason. The grocery industry is positioned to win the grilling basket throughout the entire year. Barbecue cuts of meat are growing 10 times faster than the total fresh ...
  • How To Make An Impression In Eight Seconds Or Less

    May 1, 2018
    In a digital age, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to engage a consumer and influence his or her behavior – certainly in attracting a customer to a food retail store and ultimately creating loyalty....
  • What Millennials Want in Foodservice at Retail

    Mar 28, 2018
    Millennials. Every business is focused on how to tap into their emerging buying power and identify their needs and wants. In many ways, millennials are driving the trend of foodservice at retail, so understanding this shopper segment is ...
  • Delivering Transparency in Seafood Supply Chains

    Mar 27, 2018
    The US seafood market is becoming increasingly transparent as seafood-buying companies make use of the tools available to describe where their seafood comes from. Such tools include ecolabels, QR codes, online supplier maps and fishery source lists, ...
  • Meat Matters in More Ways Now Than Ever

    Mar 8, 2018
    Last week while attending the Annual Meat Conference, my colleagues told me that I should be ready to be impressed by the industry and its people. And, I was! Every session provided insights and opened my eyes to the breadth and depth of meat in ...
  • 7 Strategies for Foodservice at Retail Success

    Mar 5, 2018
    The home-cooked meal has been the heart of food retail for generations. Yet for many busy families, such meals are not always realistic. A recent FMI study, Power of Foodservice at Retail, finds the average household foregoes a home-cooked dinner ...
  • The New Meat Opportunities

    Mar 1, 2018
    For the past three days, we’ve been surrounded by meat at the annual Meat Conference hosted by FMI and North American Meat Institute in Nashville. As we talked to retail and supplier attendees, we heard a lot of discussion about the direction the ...
  • Store Managers Are All Heart

    Feb 20, 2018
    In a world where social media, digital ads and the latest apps are all accessible, it becomes a point of differentiation to have quality, meaningful connections with people. That’s where store managers come in....
  • Your Health: Paying for It Now or Later

    Feb 8, 2018
    You pay for it now or you pay for it later – that is, when it comes to your health. These are the words from a consumer recently interviewed by IRI for our 2018 Top Trends in Fresh, which point to a struggle that is playing out every day in the food ...
  • Coming Clean About Clean Labeling

    Feb 6, 2018
    Our FMI Private Brand Council singled out the trend in clean eating due to consumer’s yearning for transparency, trust, authenticity and integrity in the food system. Still, we recognize that there are numerous inconsistencies relevant to the clean ...
  • The Power of Foodservice At Retail: What Comes After Rotisserie Chickens?

    Jan 12, 2018
    Retail foodservice has experienced robust growth in recent years that many retailers hope to build upon. FMI’s Power of Foodservice at Retail, sponsored by Hussman and The Shelby Report, strives to provide insights as to how to capitalize on this ...