Research

Our Voice of The Food Industry blog offers commentary from FMI subject matter experts on timely and important topics to the food industry.
  • How Gen Z is Grocery Shopping

    Apr 25, 2023
    As a young Millennial, I find myself wondering how similar, or dissimilar, I am to Gen Z. While only a few years separate us, we are in different stages in life. I am a few years into my career, married, and a homeowner. On the other side, much of ...
  • The State of Meat Remains Strong

    Mar 17, 2023
    Despite rumors of its demise, the state of the meat category in grocery retail remains strong. As shared with the almost 2,000 attendees at the Annual Meat Conference last week in Dallas, the Power of Meat report, conducted by FMI and the Meat ...
  • Drumroll Please: Introducing the 2023 Class of FMI Store Manager Awards Nominees

    Feb 22, 2023
    In addition to celebrating the hardworking people who make up our industry, we want to pay special attention to the store managers who are the heartbeat of local supermarkets across the globe. These devoted leaders embody their company’s vision and ...
  • Where Food and Technology Meet

    Jan 31, 2023
    While the competition and presentations at FMITech at Midwinter enlightened attendees to the latest and greatest our industry has to offer in technological advancements, the Lunch and Insights presentation by Laurie Demeritt of The Hartman Group ...
  • 3 Easy Ways to Jumpstart Your Plans for Supermarket Employee Day 2.22.23

    Jan 9, 2023
    There are more than 40,000 stores that sell food and grocery items in the U.S. alone. Millions of supermarket employees come to work daily to keep shelves stocked and to provide communities with essential services that help them survive and ...
  • Holiday Meal Planning Made Easy

    Dec 22, 2022
    Amidst the holiday hustle and bustle, foodservice at retail can serve as a critical value-add for shoppers with long to-do lists and a desire to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with their loved ...
  • A Holiday Game Plan

    Dec 6, 2022
    In July, I started asking my daughter what she wanted for Christmas. I must not be alone in this because stores are moving up Black Friday, offering deals earlier and my neighbor took down their Halloween decorations and replaced them with holiday ...
  • Thanksgiving, the Consummate Family Meal and Beyond

    Nov 23, 2022
    Thanksgiving is the consummate family meal. It bears all the nutritional, emotional, mental, and social merits that are accrued when we gather at table sharing a common need of physiological substance, and surprisingly discover that our minds and ...
  • A New Opportunity to Put Retail Foodservice on Consumers’ Radar

    Nov 14, 2022
    There is good news on the retail foodservice front, along with a new opportunity to overcome a longtime growth hurdle. First the good news. Foodservice/prepared foods, hit hard during the pandemic, has solidly rebounded in dollars and units and is ...
  • Illustrating the Evolving Grocery Experience

    Nov 8, 2022
    We used to debate whether our industry was going through an evolution or a revolution. Depending on your viewpoint regarding the pace of change and the catalysts for it, there has been one constant: Our industry continues to invest heavily in ...
  • Halloween is Back, Witches

    Oct 31, 2022
    Yes, you guess right. I’ve been watching a lot of Hocus Pocus lately—movie one and two. But I’m not alone! The second movie in the series has been a big hit and in more ways that one. It turns out, Halloween is back in a big way this ...
  • How Retailers Can Help Grocery Shoppers Navigate This Holiday Season

    Oct 20, 2022
    Our recent U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends: Holiday Season report finds when it comes to holiday plans, many shoppers are concerned about the price of holiday meals (45%) more than travel or gifts. Still, most shoppers feel they are in control of their ...
  • Where Do Shoppers Look for Plant-based Foods and Beverages In-Store?

    Oct 3, 2022
    A few years ago, several meat alternative companies made headlines with one small change—placing their products alongside traditional meat counterparts in the meat section. A debate ensued that continues today—where should plant-based foods and ...
  • Navigating an Extreme Obstacle Course

    Sep 16, 2022
    As I look at the results of The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2022 report, I see many of my professional role models throughout the food industry navigating a different type of obstacle course than my childhood idols. The food industry has had to ...
  • The Power of Health and Well-being: New Perspectives and Progress

    Sep 14, 2022
    This year’s The Power of Health and Well-being in the Food Industry report is released during a compelling time to be involved in issues around hunger, nutrition and health, as organizations across the country are banding together to work on ...