Research

Our Voice of The Food Industry blog offers commentary from FMI subject matter experts on timely and important topics to the food industry.
  • Moving from Weariness to Well-being

    Jul 23, 2020
    For five months now, requirements in addressing COVID-19 have touched, affected, or changed most every aspect of our lives. Not the least of these is the fact it has reversed a significant food trend; it has driven us from being an eating culture, ...
  • The Pandemic Has Not Stopped Me from Grocery Shopping In Person

    Jul 17, 2020
    The ongoing pandemic has certainly put a crimp in my style. But I never stopped going to the grocery store. While COVID-19 fears shifted online grocery shopping spending from 14.5% to an astounding 27.9%, according to U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends ...
  • Variety to Rationalization to Pantry Loading – Are SKUs Poised to Recover Post-Pandemic?

    Jul 9, 2020
    The food supply chain disruption has brought up, once again, the question of just how many products do we really need on grocery ...
  • A New Look at Shopper Transparency Expectations

    Jul 1, 2020
    The growing power of ecommerce is underscored in FMI’s U.S. Grocery Shopping Trends 2020 (Trends) report. Weekly online grocery spend reported by shoppers soared to 27.9% of all grocery spending in the March/April period of this year, from 14.5% in ...
  • COVID-19 Has Made Me Lose the Joy of Cooking

    Jun 24, 2020
    Cooking brings me joy! At least that was the case until the pandemic struck. One would think that the absence of an hour-long commute at the end of the workday would make me even more excited to cook dinner. Nope. At the end of the day, I am ...
  • Grocery’s Ecommerce Evolution during COVID-19

    Jun 23, 2020
    The pandemic has accelerated ecommerce demand, pressuring capabilities and providing invaluable lessons for the future. I am not usually one to make dramatic statements about industry developments, but I have mostly put that aside during this ...
  • What’s In Your Kitchen?

    Jun 22, 2020
    My freezer, refrigerator and kitchen cabinets have never been this full. And, as I look at the results of our most recent U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends COVID-19 Tracker survey of consumers, it appears that my household is not unique. This food anxiety ...
  • Understanding the Food Retailing Industry During COVID-19

    Jun 1, 2020
    We are surveying our industry during a particularly challenge-riddled time, where COVID-19 has caused our day-to-day store operations and business plans to change dramatically in a very short period. That is why participation in this year’s Speaks ...
  • Food Waste During COVID-19

    May 28, 2020
    We are both single shopper households, and during the COVID-19 pandemic have been lucky to be able to work from home while experimenting with new ways of food shopping and “cooking.” Right in line with a finding in the U.S. Grocery Trends COVID 19 ...
  • Unprecedented Times

    May 21, 2020
    Throughout this pandemic, FMI has been tracking consumer trends and charting how shopping behaviors are changing to accommodate the unique situation that COVID-19 has foisted upon us in our U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends COVID-19 Tracker. Honestly, the ...
  • If We Had a Crystal Ball … What Could Grocery Shopping Look Like in the Future?

    May 15, 2020
    Even in the best of times, most of us would like the ability to take a peek into the future. However, during these unprecedented times, the desire to know what is going to happen next increases dramatically. Since March 21, 2020, FMI has been ...
  • We’re All In This Together

    Apr 30, 2020
    Since the early days of the pandemic, FMI staff have been tracking news stories recording the food industry’s responses to their communities. Our tracking is a growing spreadsheet updated daily with nearly 200 rows documenting stories of food, ...
  • COVID-19’s Impact on Grocery Shopping in Just Five Weeks

    Apr 24, 2020
    As Americans continue to cope with new realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not alone as grocery shopping has shifted dramatically. As I look each week at the results of our U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends COVID-19 tracking surveys of ...
  • Latinx and Black Consumer Adjustments to Grocery Shopping During COVID-19

    Apr 17, 2020
    Over the last few weeks, FMI and The Hartman Group have been tracking how shoppers are finding new ways of grocery shopping during this pandemic. This week, we want to take a closer look at Latinx and Black grocery shoppers compared to all shoppers ...
  • What Value-Added Really Means for Fresh Categories

    Apr 14, 2020
    We’re living in a new era, but some things still hold true. Grocery stores are open, and shoppers are still seeking ways to put a meal on the table nightly—maybe now more than ever before. There is a rebirth of cooking going on in America and as ...