August 12, 2019
The past few years have seen an enormous rise in consumer consciousness when it comes to sustainability, whether it be learning about waste from production or realizing the detriment caused by plastic packaging, because of the wide-spread rise of environmental concern. The packaging industry is under more pressure than ever to become as environmentally friendly […]
May 10, 2019
Plant based products are on the rise, but is there a place for the produce industry in the trend? Produce Retailer breaks down who is buying plant-protein products and how the digital discussion around plant-based compares to other food movements. According to The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Power of Produce report, 73% of buyers sometimes […]
December 28, 2018
By Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, Food Marketing Institute
One of life’s most fundamental lessons in strategy probably came when we learned the traps and tricks of the childhood game tic-tac-toe. Who doesn’t remember a mournful defeat suffered because we were so eagerly aligning “X’s” in a winning posture that we forgot to protect ourselves from those pesky “O’s?” The lesson of giving balanced attention to both offense and defense likely had to be adapted and re-learned as our games grew in complexity – from tic-tac-toe to checkers to chess and beyond. And even now as we face the intrigues of succeeding in business, we find we still must contend with monitoring our desire to move forward with our need to defend what we’ve achieved. We still are learning how to juggle offense and defense, ensuring that the zeal of winning and the fear of losing does not blind us, resulting in an over-focus on one, to the detriment of the other.
November 29, 2018
Thank you to FMI Mentor, Patrick N from New Point Marketing for sharing this excellent Workshop Q &A on
Co-Packer Start-Up Costs & Lead Times
Dive into the Q & A and you will gain insights great questions:
September 11, 2018
How many stores, shelves, doors, are you in or on? In some form, that is the most frequently asked question of a founder of an emerging brand. In my opinion, that question perpetuates the wrong strategic focus. I will admit, I have a strong opinion on this issue. Chasing ACV, getting sucked in by the allure of store count, can kill a brand before it ever really gets started.
August 31, 2018
FMI Emerge Mentor, Meg Barnhart marries up FMI Digitally Engaged Food Shopper insights and her company’s ecommerce strategy.
In a news story published August 31, 2018, The zen of slow cooking Expands Distribution Through Kroger Ship, the story shares that as demand for the convenience of online grocery shopping grows, the largest grocery chains are turning to their customer’s favorite food brands to stock their digital shelves. As of August 1, 2018, throughout the U.S., Kroger shoppers can now order from, and have their groceries delivered to their home. In their grocery orders, now Kroger shoppers can add the zen of slow cooking spice blends to their online orders through Kroger Ship, helping to make their home cooked meals even better.