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.
  • A Conversation with Oscar Gonzalez, Northgate Gonzalez Market

    Jan 23, 2020
    Oscar Gonzalez, co-president and COO of Northgate Gonzalez Market, is chairman of FMI's 2020 Midwinter Executive Conference and a true leader when it comes to creating genuine experiences that hold true to his company’s personality. Under Oscar’s ...
  • What’s In A Brand?

    Jan 21, 2020
    Life is full of circumstances and situations that prompt us to evaluate our personal brand and make necessary changes, adapting to a new position or setting by shifting our brand. Sometimes these involve small adjustments and sometimes we must ...
  • 5 Insights for 2020 Fresh Foods Success

    Jan 10, 2020
    It’s helpful to enter a new year armed with lessons learned in the prior year. This is especially the case for fresh foods, given the wide range of categories and the complexities of the business. In this spirit, I want to raise the profile of a few ...
  • FMI’s 2019 Year in Review

    Dec 20, 2019
    There is something particularly noble about accomplishments that have so many ups and downs and surprise developments that they require a special brand of perseverance. Finishing the fight requires overcoming the nagging drag of self-doubt when the ...
  • What is the Certified Plant Based Seal?

    Dec 3, 2019
    Plant-based food products are no longer just a trend – they are here to stay in an industry that is growing incrementally each day. FMI’s Power of Meat 2019 report finds that plant-based meat alternatives sales increased 19.2% last year and account ...
  • Sustainability Initiatives in Today’s Meat Industry

    Nov 20, 2019
    According to the 2019 Power of Meat Report, eating meat is still the norm with 86% of shoppers classifying themselves as meat eaters, 5% following a vegetarian or vegan diet and 10% describing their eating style as flexitarian (mostly vegetarian ...
  • Smart Approaches to Sustainability in Fresh

    Oct 29, 2019
    Sustainability is a complex subject that includes aspects such as packaging, food waste, recycling and the future of plastics. The fresh industry recognizes the importance and is identifying meaningful strategies to make progress. This was clear ...
  • How the Rise of “Flexitarians” is Powering Plant-Based Sales

    Oct 22, 2019
    Today in the food industry, there are thousands of companies riding the wave of the plant-based protein trend. Grocery stores, restaurants and even convenience stores are on the road to wide-spread plant-based offerings. Five years ago, a plant-...
  • Proactive Strategies to Boost Fresh Foods' Safety

    Oct 18, 2019
    Achieving fresh foods safety can sometimes feel like a game of whack-a-mole. That’s because retailers and suppliers are often forced to react to food safety ongoing outbreaks and ...
  • Helping Families Be Healthier and Happier with Quick, Easy Seafood Meals

    Oct 2, 2019
    The FMI Foundation partnered with the Seafood Nurtrition Partnership™ to emphasize the importance of family meals, expanding National Family Meals Month™ throughout the year and into a true movement - the Family Meals Movement....
  • Technology’s Opportunity to Accelerate Fresh Foods

    Oct 1, 2019
    Technology can be a game changer in fresh foods because it brings new solutions to longstanding problems. These include challenges related to inventory, waste, freshness, and food safety. However, the technology story will play out differently in ...
  • Kroger and Target Offer Insights on Advancing the Power of Fresh

    Sep 17, 2019
    I emphasized another reason for being at FreshForward, which was held in late August in Minneapolis. The entire industry needs to come together to boost the success of fresh foods strategies. Senior leaders need to engage with each other to help ...
  • Three Lessons Grocers Can Learn from Starbucks About Foodservice

    Sep 16, 2019
    According to the 2019 Power of Foodservice at Retail report, in a typical week, an average of 4.5 dinners are prepared at home, whether cooked from scratch or using semi/fully prepared items. When preparing dinner, 63% of consumers incorporate time-...
  • Where Do Plant-Based Proteins Fit in The Grocery Store?

    Sep 4, 2019
    FMI’s Power of Meat 2019 report finds, plant-based meat alternatives sales increased 19.2% last year and account for $878 million in annual ...
  • When Technology and The Fresh Department Meet at Groceryshop

    Aug 8, 2019
    Rapidly evolving technologies and consumer preferences are having profound effects on the grocery industry. This is evident throughout the store, but some of the biggest obstacles and opportunities lie within the fresh category. Fresh presents ...