July 14, 2019 — Who needs candy bars anymore? Boomers are too old for them. Millennials and Gen Z are woke to the poison that is sugar. So “functional” snacks are a thing. No wonder the folks who make M&Ms, Snickers, and Twix are buying into a functional food business called Foodspring. They’re ready to sell you yummy protein […]
June 21, 2018 — Everywhere we turn, marketers are selling health and wellness. Today, our hotel is telling us, “Eat Well. Enhance Your Well-Being.” Who knew they cared so much? Yesterday, some of the sharpest minds in consumer health gathered to consider the future of consumer self-care. These people are seeking innovation for consumer health. And of course, they […]
June 10, 2018 — People won’t eat what they don’t like. So if we want them to eat healthy food, it must taste good. Of course, nothing is simple about making the healthiest food taste good to most people people. We are driven by evolution to eat sugar, salt, and fat – as well as protein. Our inherited tastes tell […]
November 6, 2017 — The food industry is busy. The fight about added sugar is over. Consumers want food with clean labels and none of the bad stuff. So industry is ready to sell a whole new wave of products with no added sugar. The food industry’s clean label movement is hitting its stride. If all goes according to […]
August 4, 2017 — Weight Watchers seems to be finding life for its brand despite the demise of dieting in popular culture. Business results for the company, released yesterday, show remarkable new vitality. Profits for the company are up by 48% for the second quarter of this year. Memberships are up by 20%, now totaling 3.5 million. CEO Mindy […]
June 29, 2017 — Yogurt fashion is shifting again. Several years ago, people got the hint that all that low-fat yogurt was loaded with sugar. Greek yogurt became a thing. Chobani was hot. Yoplait started tanking. Now low-fat Greek yogurt seems stale. Too tart. Yoplait is seizing the opportunity by going back to its roots in France and launching […]
June 5, 2017 — Many meal and food delivery services are going belly up. But Blue Apron is ready to take its meal kit business through a public offering to raise a hundred million dollars or more. After only five years, sales have grown explosively, reaching $795 million in 2016. Losses – $44 million in 2016 – are growing, too. And […]
March 13, 2017 — For some time, we’ve known that people are thinking about weight differently. Last week, JAMA made it official. In a research letter, Kassandra Snook and colleagues describe a trend of fewer adults with excess weight and obesity trying to lose weight. A 17% Drop People Trying to Lose Weight The value of this new research is that […]
December 14, 2016 — Not a day too soon, 2016 is fading into history. So the time has come to look back at the food and nutrition trends that captured our attention and some of our money. Here’s our view of ten that rose to the top. Do you have other ideas? Leave a reply below or a tweet or […]
November 24, 2016 — Bounty and blessings are two distinct aspects of this Thanksgiving day in America. Many images of the holiday evoke a bountiful feast. In a classic study, Melanie Wallendorf and Eric Arnould described Thanksgiving as a consumption ritual. Thanksgiving Day is a collective ritual that celebrates material abundance enacted through feasting. Thanksgiving Day both marks and proves […]
