Apples to Zucchini

Fast-casual foodservice thrives on speed, flavor, and versatility, making proteins like chicken, beef, and pork mainstays across most menus. But with so many operators offering these staples, the real challenge lies in making them feel fresh, exciting, and worth coming back for...

Meat snacks—such as jerky, meat sticks, and meat bites—are no longer just a convenience. They’re a fast-growing category reshaping how consumers think about protein. Historically, meat snacks served a practical purpose: they were designed for preservation and portability, ideal for long hikes, road trips, or emergency kits...

Not long ago, value in food and beverage was a straightforward equation: full carts, low prices, and a few clipped coupons. A good deal meant more for less, and that was enough. But today’s consumers are playing by a different set of rules. Value has evolved into something far more nuanced...

As consumer preferences evolve, so does the food industry — driven by a growing appetite for bold flavors, clean labels, and functional nutrition. Today’s consumers are more adventurous and health-conscious than ever before, seeking foods that align with their values and lifestyles. Few categories reflect this transformation more vividly than pizza, where time-honored tradition is being reimagined ...

There’s hardly a better time than the new year for product developers to take a step back and reflect.

In 2024, the global food and beverage industry was significantly influenced by various current events, including economic constraints, federal elections, and international conflicts, which shaped consumer behavior in distinct ways. With Gen Z gaining more buying power ...

Today’s consumers are busier than ever. While personal priorities vary, hectic schedules and fast-paced lifestyles often push cooking to the bottom of the list of daily tasks.

As a result, convenience has become essential. Quick, easy, and portable snacks provide an effective solution for those on the go. This trend doesn’t indicate that families are unconcerned ...

Pumpkin is more than a seasonal favorite; it’s become a national icon.

Year after year, America’s favorite gourd sparks the cozy vibes of fall, and even as some might argue that pumpkin season starts too late, it remains an autumn staple throughout North America.

Even despite its saturation in the fall lineup, pumpkin’s popularity isn’t fading...

For many of us, the term “baked” invokes imagery of some of the most appetizing finished goods – pies, cakes, muffins, cookies, breads, pastries, etc.

With the popularity of nostalgic foods like these, today’s consumers are looking for flavors and formats that bring back the warmth and comfort of simpler times...

Think back to simpler times when life moved at a slower pace. Saturday mornings were filled with the joy of crunchy cereal or fluffy waffles, followed by Saturday morning cartoons, neighborhood games, and frosty treats.

These memories, rooted in the comfort of home, hold timeless allure. In today’s fast-paced world, filled with constant change and uncertainty, consumers ...

Whether you’re ready to tackle the new year or still recovering from the year before (maybe it’s both!), you can be sure of one thing – you’ll need to find ways to excite and delight your customers in 2024.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way. Exciting and delighting consumers isn’t always as easy ...

With 2022 in our rearview mirror, it’s time to shift our gaze ahead to the new opportunities 2023 has to offer. But while the fresh start of a new year is often exciting, sometimes the opportunities to innovate seem endless and overwhelming.

Using the top 2023 trends as your innovation guide is a way to overcome ...

Consumers’ attitudes towards health are shifting. Likely triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen consumers take a more proactive approach to health – hoping to reap the benefits of a longer-term, comprehensive self-care strategy. Consequently, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the effects of gut health on overall wellbeing...

It’s no secret our friends in foodservice have faced some ups and downs in the last few years.

Add a global pandemic and economic concerns to what is already a demanding industry, and the list of foodservice challenges gets long: food shortages, cost increases, labor shortages, rising demand for plant-based menu items, quality concerns, spoilage, changing ...

The new year is here, and for many people, that means new year’s resolutions are here too! From addressing their habits, relationships, health, and more, millions of consumers are resolving to make changes that improve their lives.

Often, consumers turn to products and technology to help achieve their well-being improvement goals. This means market trends quickly ...

The coronavirus pandemic shaped the food and beverage industry substantially. But now that vaccination rates are increasing, restaurants are reopening, and social distancing measures are lessening, where do we go from here?

“To break the daily monotony of pandemic/post-pandemic life…offering new flavor, texture, and format experiences is a promising development area.” — Mintel, “A Year of Innovation ...

When the pandemic began, the ways that we shopped, prepared food, and engaged with food trends quickly evolved for our safety. Since then, new technologies have made it much easier to enjoy restaurant-quality meals and gourmet snacks while dining in. Accelerated technological developments exposed consumers to new channels, choices, and ultra-convenience, which will influence ...

You probably aren’t surprised to hear that consumers struggle to eat enough fruits and vegetables. On-the-go lifestyles and a lack of convenient, tasty options make it challenging for consumers to get the whole food, fruit and vegetable nutrition they need.

You might be surprised to learn, though, that the problem is so widespread. In fact, the ...

Apples to zucchini – it’s no exaggeration.

The freeze-drying process offers the flexibility to remove moisture content and preserve almost any fruit or vegetable. Take a look at our products, and you can see the variety – everything from apples to zucchini.

But apart from sheer variety, the major advantage of freeze-drying lies ...

Where does my food come from? If you can answer this increasingly popular consumer question, you’re well on your way to establishing trust with your customers and reaping the associated benefits.

Providing that level of transparency requires an intimate knowledge of where food originates and how it’s handled. This is why the farmer has become ...

Taste. Texture. Smell. Think about all of the things vital to a positive consumer experience – things that would likely encourage a repeat purchase.

Now consider baby food. What leads to a positive consumer experience? Generally, parents make purchasing decisions based on how they perceive a product to impact their child’s health.

Baby food sales don’t ...

Where else in the world do locals save their vacation time to engage in hard labor?

In Maine and neighboring regions of Canada, thousands of acres of wild blueberries grow naturally. In some towns, local supporters actually take time off work to help harvest them.

Why do they do it? The industry’s economic impact alone has left an ...

Imagine you’re looking for dried apples that still look and taste like real fruit. You would have two options: freeze-dried apples or air-dried apples. These two drying methods can retain the look and shape of fresh product in a way that other processes cannot.

Because they have this in common, these products tend to be ...

What do you think of when you hear the word “organic”? Maybe overpriced produce at the grocery store? Or a more idealistic picture of a sprawling green field under a wide open blue sky?

Many embrace organic wholeheartedly, while others just don’t get it – maybe due in part to a lack of tangible characteristics. But ...