Research

Feeding Families in the Time of COVID-19

Americans coping with new realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic are experiencing increased uncertainty and anxiety about their food procurement. These worries are driven by a combination of a growing concern about the spread of the virus and ...

Grocery Shopping in the Time of COVID-19

As consumers experience the unprecedented realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and confront the frustrating truths of supply and demand, once ingrained grocery shopping habits have shifted to some new behaviors. As one would expect, shoppers ...

What will Help Consumers Accept Gene Edited Food Products?

The FMI Foundation, in collaboration with American Seed Trade Association, Farm Bureau and the Farm Foundation, recently commissioned Dr. Vincenzina Caputo at Michigan State University to conduct research gauging consumer acceptance of gene edited ...

Food Industry Leaders Must Learn, Unlearn and Relearn

The trick to navigating this new landscape is being smart about what you need to learn, what you must unlearn and then what you need to relearn. And the key to effective leadership during this era of evolution is first, knowing the degree to which ...

Numbers Don’t Lie: Grocery Remains A Steady Hand in Developing the Workforce of Tomorrow

Numbers don’t lie. The food retail industry knows where its strength lies and is making the investment in upgrading skills and technology to develop the workforce of the future. When it comes to our business model, nothing could be more fundamental. ...

Omnishopper Size of the Prize

For the past few years, FMI has partnered with Nielsen on important research that does just that—pauses and looks at the state of the omnichannel marketplace for grocery shoppers and reflects on what is happening. In the beginning we focused on ...

Connecting the Wellness Dots in The Grocery Store

We live in an age of personalization. A shopper looking for Keto meal options and a shopper seeking blood pressure medicine both have the same end goal—a personalized grocery shopping experience that gets them the products they need and want. For ...

Guess What? Gen Z and Millennials Like To Grocery Shop At The Store

FMI recently teamed up with the USC Marshall School of Business on The Grocery Shopping Habits of Gen Z and Millennials. We started our research by asking the source with focus group interviews of Gen Z and millennial grocery shoppers. These ...

6 Product Labels Shoppers Want and Retailers Are Providing

Shoppers want to eat well, but the idea of eating well is unique to each person and each household. Eating well could mean following a specific diet, trying the latest food trend or meeting medical needs through food. Often, in order to eat well, ...

What’s In A Brand?

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 ...

FMI’s 2019 Year in Review

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?

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 ...

Grocery Productivity Numbers to Watch

We’ve been tracking operational benchmarks for more than seven decades, but we’ve now witnessed significant shifts in business investments in the last several years. The number of SKUs might ebb and flow, but we find certainty in how retailers will ...

Mark Your Calendars: Special Days During the Holidays

In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, I encourage you to donate to the FMI Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization that supports research and education in the areas of food safety, nutrition, and health. Here are some of our 2019 successes that ...

Health and Well-Being: The Best Trend for Grocery Store Sales

No matter the food trend consumers desire, food retailers responding to The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2019 report see consumers’ focus on health and well-being as having a positive impact on their business strategy....