There are 50 million consumers who often snack between meals and agree that “salted snacks are my favorite snack.” Packaged Facts reveals who they are and how to market to them in our report Salty Snacks in the U.S. It’s National Junk Food Day, and with Americans nationwide indulging in junk foods ranging from the traditional to the weird and wacky, it’s a perfect time to pay homage to the granddaddy of all junk foods-the salty snack. Whether it be the crunchy potato chip, the versatile corn...
July 21, 2015Interested in learning more about health and wellness food drivers, including consumer demand for grains? Be sure to purchase your copy of the upcoming Packaged Facts report, Food Formulation Trends: Ancient Grains and Sprouted Grains (August 2015). Packaged Facts research director David Sprinkle will be among the expert presenters at the “Innovation with Healthier Oils & Grains: Solutions to Meet Changing Policies and Demands” course hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) on July...
July 7, 2015Will local foods overtake organic foods in popularity? Some members of the industry think so based in part on consumer demand now at an all-time high. Data from a November 2014 proprietary Packaged Facts National Consumer Survey published in Shopping for Local Foods in the U.S. found that 53% of the 2,271 adult respondents specially seek out locally grown or locally produced foods. Among the primary reasons for purchasing locally grown or locally produced foods, 60% of consumers who purchase loc...
March 3, 2015That sound you (virtually) heard on January 26, when Pizza Hut debuted its Udi’s-crusted gluten-free pizza to 2,400 locations nationwide, was a collective cheer from the GF blogosphere. “The beautiful partnership of Pizza Hut and Udi’s,” said one blogger, is a celiac’s dream come true. “Excited” was the word du jour. Gluten free-ers are excited that the world’s largest pizza company is catering to their dietary needs. Excited that the move will spur other restaurants into GF action, and excited ...
February 9, 2015The last few years have not been kind to frozen foods. Overall sales have for the most part been flat or shrinking. Any increases have been minimal and short-lived. The recent damage to this once essential grocery segment can largely be traced to a growing consumer taste for fresh, natural, and organic foods. Like most food trends, the strength of this trend may be overstated but it is real and it is growing as can be seen from the double-digit sales increases for organic foods reported by the...
February 2, 2015It wasn’t that long ago when street foods would too often bring to mind, for many American, ambivalent associations with foreign and “underdeveloped” countries, along with trepidations about cooking hygiene and food safety. Sure, nothing could be more American than street, fair, and festival foods such as pizza, hot dogs and corn dogs, soft pretzels, ice cream and snow cones and cotton candy. And there was even occasion for more pronouncedly ethnic or regional options. Ordinarily speaking, non...
December 5, 2014Packaged salad’s a commodity? Foodies may not think so. And that’s a lot of us. More than one-third of consumers explicitly identify themselves as foodies, according to Packaged Facts’ January/February 2014 consumer survey. In addition 60% enjoy trying new foods and beverages, a hallmark of foodie-ism. King Kale - Who’d a thunk it? “Consumers are being more adventurous in produce choices,” says Melissa Hehmann, a Registered Dietitian with Meijer, the Michigan-based grocery chain, where sales o...
June 25, 2014The market for bottled water has a promising future. As consumers continue to reject carbonated soft drinks and embrace bottled water, many beverage industry analysts and marketers are convinced that the category will soon become the dominant non-alcoholic beverage. Health and wellness concerns, the fitness fad and the perennial struggle of many consumers with overweight and obesity have combined to make bottled water the zero-calorie/ultra-low calorie beverage of choice for growing millions of ...
May 20, 2014In recent years, the beverages industry has been transformed by the innovation of once routine thirst-appeasing liquids into exciting, energizing, sometimes better-for-you products. Consumers are looking for beverages that satisfy a number of needs in their daily lives beyond satiating thirst, and these include energy, weight loss, illness mitigation, nutrient replacement, sugar and caffeine cravings and protein intake. Beverages are taking cues from exotic flavors, fruits and even ancient foods...
April 8, 2014In the world of snacks, crackers are fast becoming the next big thing for snackers and the final frontier for food marketers. As harried, on-the-go Americans increasingly turn to snacks to satisfy their cravings and replace sit-down meals, they are discovering that crackers can offer an exciting and healthy alternative to traditional salty snacks such as chips, popcorn and pretzels. In a virtuous circle that promises to provide a significant boost to the market for crackers, major marketers in t...
January 28, 2014