Weekly Roundup – Week of 3.4.24
March 8, 2024
Find trending stories surrounding leading food brands, foodservice operators, and retailers in this week’s roundup – all curated by our team of strategists and food enthusiasts:
Key Themes Emerge As COEX 2024 Concludes
This year’s COEX 2024 event, hosted by IFMA, spanned three days of networking, interactive meetings, and data-driven discussions, showcasing a vibrant array of food trends and statistics. Notably, over half of the attending foodservice operators were first-time visitors, indicating a fresh perspective and enthusiasm within the community. Key themes from the conference highlight the importance of thinking creatively and embracing smaller-scale innovations, prioritizing labor management strategies, and actively listening to team feedback. Additionally, there’s a growing emphasis on streamlining menus while amplifying LTOs to captivate consumer interest. Read More.
Food Kiosks Back In Demand
New data from Qu’s 5th Annual State of Digital report indicates that 44% of brands are gearing up to integrate kiosks as a new or supplemental ordering channel in 2024. In an era where flexibility and self-service reign supreme, these innovative solutions are becoming the new standard for restaurants striving to enhance their operations. From cost control to heightened guest satisfaction, kiosks offer myriad of benefits, including larger check sizes, streamlined labor management, increased upsell revenue, and reduced operating expenses. Learn More.
How Close Is The Food Industry To Commercialized 3D Printing?
The food industry is on the brink of embracing commercialized 3D printing, with startups like Revo Foods leading the charge. Revo Foods recently made waves by introducing 3D-printed salmon fillets in supermarkets, signaling a potential shift in how food is produced and distributed. Despite its promise, scalability remains a key hurdle for 3D-printed food alternatives. However, the technology holds great potential for crafting intricate shapes and customizing production processes, particularly for premium meat cuts and specialized fish fillets. By leveraging 3D printing, food producers can revolutionize their manufacturing practices, creating modular platforms that bring production closer to consumers. Read Article.
Capitalizing On Upcoming Holidays
This month, top brands are seizing the opportunity to capitalize on upcoming holidays. According to EMARKETER, 32% of US consumers are gearing up to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, as revealed in Numerator’s 2024 US Annual Holiday Preview report. Among them, 91% plan to make purchases for their celebrations, with food and alcohol topping the list. Notable brands tapping into this festive spirit include Jameson Irish Whiskey, Lucky Charms, and Applebee’s. Meanwhile and just in time for Easter, retail giants Walmart and Target are enticing shoppers with unbeatable value propositions, offering complete celebratory meal packages for under $10 per person. Additionally, both retailers are rolling out enticing deals on Easter-themed accessories to further sweeten the shopping experience. Read On.
Iconic Brands Make Strategic, Innovative Launches
Global brands, Campbell’s and Kraft Heinz, are making news with their latest innovative launches. Campbell’s is tapping into a timeless pairing by introducing Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup for a limited time, capitalizing on enduring trends highlighted by data from sources like the New York Times, Technomic, and the National Restaurant Association. Meanwhile, Kraft Heinz, in collaboration with NotCo, is adding to its plant-based food offerings with new Oscar Mayer NotHotDogs and NotSausages. These new products, available in Bratwurst and Italian flavors, boast plant-based ingredients like bamboo fiber, mushroom, pea protein, and acerola cherry. These iconic brands are responding to consumer demands and aiming to fill gaps in the market with these ingenious offerings.
Looking for more snapshots of the week’s most trending food and beverage news? Make sure to visit our blog every week!
