- by dgranderson@marketresearch.com
- October 11 2013
- food and beverage
- food
- health food
- healthy snacks
- consumer trends
- superfoods
- ingredients
- snacks
- snack foods
The minnows may outswim the whales in the healthy-ingredient snacks market
American consumers have permanently changed their eating habits. The era of three square meals a day has gone the way of the typewriter and vacuum tube. More and more Americans eat smaller portions of food more frequently throughout the day, and there is universal agreement in the food industry that this megatrend is here to stay. Another cultural shift fueling the healthy-ingredient snacks market is the high priority placed by many consumers on making sure that the food they-and their kids-eat ...
- by dgranderson@marketresearch.com
- October 8 2013
- retail
- lawn and garden
- gardening
- consumer trends
- internet
- ecommerce
- e-shopping
- home and garden
E-shopping and lawn and garden equipment
Nearly a third (31%) of U.S. adult have gardened in the last 12 months. Gardening has fallen off slightly since 2005, with participation rates dropping by a couple of percentage points. Despite this longer-term slight decline, the percentage of people gardening held firm during the recession--as way to reduce stress, grow food, gain more sense of control over one’s life, or simply because consumers were at home more or more practical-minded in their leisure spending.
Gardeners tend to be 35 an...
- by dgranderson@marketresearch.com
- October 3 2013
- coffee
- food and beverage
- beverage
- K-cups
- retail
The K-cups avalanche in the coffee aisle
After getting its foothold in the office segment of the market, single-serve beverage brewing has experienced tremendous growth with widespread and continued adoption in the retail market. Research conducted by the National Coffee Association (NCA) in 2012 found that 36% of respondents who had a single-serve brewing system obtained it within the last six months, indicating just how fast this segment of the beverage market has been growing.
As a result, the packaged coffee category at retail is...
- by dgranderson@marketresearch.com
- October 3 2013
- sustainability
- seafood
- fish
- food and beverage
- food
Seafood sustainability consciousness and the price of a can of tuna
Why are many retail groceries stressing that the fresh fish on display in their seafood departments is from sustainable sources? After all, according to Packaged Facts’ June 2013 National Consumer Survey, less than 20% of consumers make a seafood purchasing decision factoring in the sustainability of the catch.
Partly it goes to show the power of the interplay between leading edge shoppers, seafood suppliers, and retailers. The issue is already reaching critical mass in consumer consciousness,...
- by dgranderson@marketresearch.com
- October 3 2013
- dogs
- social media
- pets
- pet owners
- dog owners
- marketing
Dogs, do-gooding, and social media
Facebook has become a promotional venue for many pet industry marketers, letting them keep connected with current customers as well as recruit new customers. In the pet food market, Facebook can really help put a “face” on animal welfare efforts, letting companies post images and videos of the animals helped by their causes. The ability to personalize content to suit specific needs, and almost instantly reach thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of consumers, makes social media perfect fo...
- by admin1
- August 15 2013
- sports drinks
- sports bars
- sports nutritional products
- nutrition bars
- health
- sports supplements
- health and wellness
Sports drinks are from Mars, nutrition bars are from Venus
The market for sports nutritionals-which includes sports drinks and nutrition bars as well as product categories such as protein and weight gain powders, and pre- and post-workout supplements and energy gels-has experienced encouraging growth in recent years. Factors contributing to future growth in the sports drink and nutrition bar categories include a rapid increase in the number of dedicated fitness enthusiasts and the bullish growth plans of specialized retailers of sports nutritionals, whi...
- by admin1
- August 15 2013
- gluten free
- FDA
- health
- food and beverage
- celiac disease
- food labeling
- gluten free label
A final rule from the FDA on gluten-free
The FDA’s ruling on the use of “gluten-free” labeling is a triumph for consumers who suffer from Celiac disease, wheat allergies, or other grain-based food intolerances. When the regulation goes into effect a year from now, consumers who follow a gluten-free lifestyle out of necessity or choice will be able to shop for groceries with more confidence. The FDA’s final rule is setting a gluten limit of less than 20 ppm (parts per million) in foods that carry this label. The FDA explains that is the...
- by admin1
- August 15 2013
- credit cards
- store cards
- money
- finance
- retail
- private label credit cards
- consumer spending
Carrots for store credit card holders
Once home to consumers with higher risk profiles and higher chargeoff rates, store credit card volume and active accounts took a nosedive during the recession, as issuer portfolios groaned under the strain of bad debt and reduced customer engagement. But signs point to a private label turnaround. Deal-making activity suggests that private label card programs have become a more viable and stable income source for issuers; the payment card segment has been buoyed by a spate of deals that has invig...
- by admin1
- August 15 2013
- Brazilian brigadeiros
- food and beverage
- food trends
- international cuisine
- wordly snacks
- snack food
- snacking
Worldly snack tracking: Brazilian brigadeiros
Move over Parisian macarons and Pennsylvania Amish whoppie pies: Brazil’s beloved brigadeiro (pronounced bree-gah-day-ro) may be next in line as America’s latest sweet snack trend. A traditional treat at Brazilian social events, this humble confection is made with chocolate, condensed milk and butter that are slowly cooked down to a smooth, creamy consistency. Once cool, the chocolate is scooped into rounds and rolled in toppings such as chocolate or multi-colored sprinkles, nuts or coconut. Bri...
