Trends: Food and Beverage

Articles on food and beverage trends.

  1. Shopper & Customer

The Grocerant Guru®: Jollibee, Chickenjoy, and the Global Family Meal Migration

  In today’s foodservice economy, consumer behavior is undergoing a structural shift. Traffic is no longer dictated solely by proximity or price—it is increasingly driven by flavor discovery, cultural relevance, and occasion-based meal bundling. At the center of that migration is Jollibee, a brand that has translated Filipino flavor profiles into a scalable, high-frequency, takeout-driven […]
5 min read
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  1. Owned Brands (Private Label)

Walmart Launches “Comprehensive Redesign” Of Great Value Private Label

Walmart yesterday announced “a comprehensive redesign of its flagship private brand, Great Value, reinforcing its commitment to delivering high-quality products customers need, want and love – at an affordable price … The redesign will span almost 10,000 food and consumables items, making it the most extensive private brand update in Walmart’s history. To ensure a […]
4 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Clearspring launches new ad campaign 

Clearspring, the organic and plant-based foods company has launched the largest advertising campaign in its 33-year history. Set to run across billboards, Tube advertising, and outdoor posters in London, Bristol, Brighton, and Birmingham, alongside extensive digital and social media advertising, the campaign will reach millions of consumers and deliver well over 60 million impressions.… This story continues at Clearspring launches new ad campaign  Or just read more coverage […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

The VETO Vote Wins: What Amy’s Drive Thru Closure Signals About Organic & Vegan Foodservice

  The closure of Amy’s Drive Thru—including its final unit at San Francisco International Airport—is not an indictment of organic or vegan food. It is a case study in consumer relevance, price elasticity, day-part fit, and the ultimate authority of the “consumer-facing VETO vote.” From the perspective of the Grocerant Guru®, the takeaway is clear: […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Why Foodservice Retailers Must Embrace the Grocerant Era

  The latest NielsenIQ report confirms what  Steven Johnson the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® has been signaling for years: the convenience channel is losing trips because it is still merchandising for yesterday’s consumer. The data is unambiguous—33% of shoppers say they’re visiting less often, and trips per buyer are down 2.2% […]
4 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Eat Real launches Multiseed Tortilla Chips

Eat Real has entered the tortilla category with the launch of Multiseed Tortillas Chips. Made from a blend of corn, flaxseed, sunflower seeds and quinoa, the new range is HFSS compliant, plant-based, gluten-free and free from artificial ingredients. Sandie Dilger, chief marketing officer at Proper… This story continues at Eat Real launches Multiseed Tortilla Chips […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Gen Z Eats on the Move: Why Value, Convenience, and Brand Trust Are Reshaping Every Meal Occasion

  Gen Z isn’t abandoning brands—they’re recalibrating how, when, and where they spend. New data from First Insight reveals a nuanced shift: while national brands still dominate preference across food and beverage categories, Gen Z is actively reallocating spending, prioritizing value in everyday consumables while trading up in lifestyle-driven categories. For food marketers, operators, and […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Plant power | In focus: Plant-based

Consumer concerns around ‘ultra-processed foods’ over the past year have led to a resurgence of interest in the plant-based category, as well as a change of emphasis. “The natural segment delivered consistent growth throughout 2025, with a marked acceleration in recent months, while ‘meat mimics’… This story continues at Plant power | In focus: Plant-based […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

You Heard It Here First: 7 Mintel Predictions Realized at Expo West 2026 

Expo West 2026 offered a clear reflection of several long-running shifts Mintel has been tracking across health, nutrition, and consumer expectations. What stood out most this year was less about flavor innovation and more about a reorientation toward how the body feels—physically, emotionally, and even metabolically. Many of the dominant themes at the show mapped […]
8 min read
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  1. Department & Category

The Grocerant Guru® on Everytable: Why “Better-for-You” Food Is Better for Everyone

  The U.S. food industry is undergoing a structural shift. Consumers want food that is convenient, affordable, flavorful, and nutritionally responsible—all at the same time. That convergence sits directly at the heart of the Grocerant Guru® thesis: the future belongs to food retailers and restaurants that blur traditional lines and deliver ready-to-eat meals with retail […]
5 min read
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  1. Department & Category

How the Grocerant Niche Is Reshaping the $1.5 Trillion U.S. Foodservice Industry

Portability, Fresh Prepared Foods, and the Power of the 5 P’s Fresh prepared foods, Ready-2-Eat meals, and Heat-N-Eat solutions have quietly become one of the most disruptive forces in the modern food industry. What once lived inside the supermarket deli department has evolved into a cross-channel foodservice ecosystem that spans grocery stores, warehouse clubs, convenience […]
6 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

7-Eleven’s Big Bite in the Age of Time-Starved Consumers: Legacy Icon or Launchpad for Fresh Fast?

  No brand in the convenience ecosystem has historically leveraged a proprietary food item like the 7-Eleven with its Big Bite. The roller grill once symbolized immediacy, affordability, and accessibility. It was hot, ready, and under $2—an edible billboard for frictionless consumption. From the Grocerant Guru® perspective, the question is no longer whether the Big […]
4 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

AI Is the New Line Cook, Category Manager, and CMO: A Grocerant Guru® Perspective on the Future of Food Sales

  Circana recently reported in The Evolving Ecosystem that 86% of U.S. adults are aware of AI in their devices, yet 35% are not interested in AI features. Nearly two-thirds of detractors say their devices already do what they need. 59% cite privacy concerns. 43% don’t want to pay more. Only 15% think AI sounds […]
6 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

White Castle Is Flying High

  White Castle has never been just another fast‑food chain. It’s an American original — the nation’s first fast‑food hamburger restaurant, the pioneer of the Slider, and the rare legacy brand that continues to reinvent itself without losing the charm that made it iconic. Today, with more than 340 restaurants across 14 states, a booming […]
4 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Why Grocery Stores Still Stumble With Fresh Prepared Food — And What 2026 Trends Reveal

  Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared foods have been the single strongest growth driver across retail foodservice for nearly a decade. Yet many grocery stores still struggle to unlock its full traffic and profitability potential. The disconnect isn’t lack of demand — it’s execution. Today’s consumer behavior is rapidly reshaping where, how, and why people […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Love Beyond the 14th: How to Turn One Perfect Valentine’s Meal into a Week of Profitable Romance

Valentine’s Day may be circled on the calendar, but the consumer mindset it unlocks does not shut off at midnight. When a dinner, dessert, or drink delivers connection, indulgence, and memory-making, shoppers want the feeling again — just with less pressure, less formality, and often at a better value according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® […]
4 min read
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  1. Department: Food

Fiber Takes Center Stage Across Food Channels in 2026

  In 2026, “fiber-focused innovation” has emerged as one of the most consequential food trends shaping consumer choices and product development across sectors — from restaurant menus to C-store grab-and-go offerings, and from CPG brands to grocery store aisles according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA base Foodservice Solutions®. Once a background nutrient […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

The Next Internet Food Trend:  Boy Kibble

The New York Times has a story about “boy kibble,” which is described as “a ruthlessly efficient, male-coded rejoinder to the extemporaneous charms of ‘girl dinner.’ The latter is a TikTok term for the assemblage of light bites that women sometimes cobble together and eat as a meal, with little care for gastronomic coherence. Boy […]
3 min read
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  1. Channel: Grocery

Is It Time to Keep a Bad Idea From the Public? Albertsons vs. Kroger

When Kroger and Albertsons agreed to a $24.6 billion merger in 2022, the companies framed it as a scale-driven solution to inflation, competition from Walmart and Amazon, and a rapidly changing food retail landscape. Two years later, the deal collapsed under Federal Trade Commission scrutiny—and now, in 2026, both companies are asking a federal court […]
4 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Metabolic Health Moves to Center Store: Why the Next Grocery Power Shift Is Already Underway

  At FMI Midwinter in Chula Vista, California, one message cut through the noise: metabolic health is no longer a fringe wellness concept—it is rapidly becoming a core grocery growth platform. According to Kevin Ryan, CEO of Malachite Strategy and Research, metabolic health—accelerated by GLP-1 usage, AI agents, and personalized nutrition—is poised to rival protein, […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Feeding Readiness: How AAFES’ BE FIT 360 Program Advances Global Military Wellness in 2026

  As wellness, nutrition, and performance continue to shape how Americans think about food in 2026, few organizations operate at the scale—or with the mission-critical responsibility—of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). Through its BE FIT 360 program, AAFES is not simply responding to New Year’s resolutions; it is embedding nutrition-forward food access […]
4 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Protein Is No Longer a Niche: Why Founders Table’s Bet on Protein Bar Signals the Next Phase of “Better-for-You” Food

  The acquisition of Chicago-based Protein Bar & Kitchen by Founders Table—the parent company of Chopt Creative Salad Company and Dos Toros Taqueria—is not simply a portfolio expansion. It is a strategic acknowledgment that protein-forward, better-for-you food has moved from trend to structural demand in U.S. foodservice. Protein has become the defining macronutrient of early […]
4 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Growth-Oriented Category Disruption with Chobani’s John Frost

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by John frost, Chief Customer Officer at Chobani,  Find John Frost on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-frost-20963155/Find Chobani on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chobani/Find Chobani online at: https://www.chobani.com/ Here’s what we asked John: John, let’s start with your journey. What path led you to Chobani, and how has your experience at […]
2 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Gosh! partners with Urban Eat. to launch two new plant-based options

Plant-based food brand Gosh!, has teamed up with food-to-go brand, Urban Eat., to launch two falafel-fuelled on-the-go options. Designed for busy consumers on the go, the new Gosh! Falafel & Houmous Wrap and the Falafel, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich (F.L.T), combine bold flavours, quality ingredients… This story continues at Gosh! partners with Urban Eat. to […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Department: Food

2026 trends in dairy, deli, bakery – From homemade comfort to new adventures

Grocery food innovation is not just about new products or recipes—it is about creating experiences that engage the senses and support the values of today’s consumers.
< 1 min read
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  1. Department: Food

FDA’s New Recommendations:  Divergent Perspectives

Last week, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)released the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030,” setting out the following priorities:  “Prioritize protein at every meal … Consume full-fat dairy with no added sugars … Eat vegetables and fruits throughout the day, focusing on whole forms … Incorporate healthy fats from whole foods such as meats, seafood, […]
9 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

USDA Turns Food Pyramid Upside Down With New Recommendations

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week released the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030,” saying that it was “the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades.” The new guidelines sets out the following priorities:  “Prioritize protein at every meal … Consume full-fat dairy with no added sugars … Eat vegetables and fruits […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces
  2. Shopper & Customer
  3. Technology & Innovation
  4. Trends & External Forces
  5. Associates & Employees
  6. Merchandising
  7. Stores & Formats

Walmart to Expand Digital Shelf Labels Chainwide

Walmart will deploy digital shelf labels (DSLs) chainwide this year, doubling the approximately 2,300 U.S. locations currently using the technology (Walmart U.S. operates more than 4,600 stores). With more than 120,000 items in a typical Walmart store, managing price changes manually requires significant associate hours. Additionally, these DSLs are equipped with LED lights that make […]
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