When it comes to food ingredient labels, consumers are savvier than ever, and those shelf-smarts have, over the last few years, begun extending to ingredient lists for our pets’ food, but all is not yet perfectly clear, even for the shrewdest of label readers. As with human nutrition, pet ingredient lists, due to terminology, don’t… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
From the samples to the demonstrations to the entertainment factor (yes, even the tchotchkes), trade shows make us happy. We especially love trade shows that combine the subject matter and disciplines that hit our collective sweet spot. Perhaps no show does that better than SupplySide West. If you’re reading this, you’re probably aware that we… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
For businesses whose clients are other businesses, branding – or rebranding – isn’t often a top priority. There are always other tasks to tackle, other fires to put out. Who has time for branding with sales to make, supply issues to resolve, new products to launch, and marketing initiatives to fulfill? The way we see… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
I’ve been thinking about insects. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about eating them (or, so far, not eating them). Meat isn’t usually considered a luxury item in western culture, but prices are predicted to rise substantially in the next decade. If meat consumption grows concurrently in developing parts of the world, the strain that meat puts… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
One of the biggest opportunities to make an impression with current and potential food industry partners is the Institute of Food Technologists Expo. A symposium of 1,191 exhibitors, thousands of attendees, and a million split-second opportunities to get the attention of your audience, companies rely on the IFT Expo to build brands, introduce new ingredients,… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Did you know that sriracha is a style of hot sauce, not a brand of sauce? Just like ketchup, sriracha can be manufactured by anyone. However, in the U.S. at least, when someone says sriracha (or rooster sauce for that matter), they’re talking about Huy Fong Food’s spicy elixir with the iconic green cap and… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
When’s the last time you clicked on a banner ad? Or felt anything but annoyed by one? After years of increasingly aggressive banners – flashing, expanding, even sneaking onscreen – we’ve started to train ourselves, when not actively despising them, to ignore them. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be worth the investment. So why… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Initiate dinner plans with friends through Facebook, seek out Yelp reviews before choosing a restaurant, arrive at the location and check in on Foursquare, crowdsource menu recommendations through Twitter, photograph and post an image of your meal with Instagram – all before taking your first bite. Welcome to dining in a social media society. With… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
The twitterverse and tech blogs are abuzz: as of today, one million apps have been launched via Apple’s App Store. While gaming apps tend to have the highest number of downloads (shout out to Angry Birds), there are a number of food, photo, news, and music apps worth checking out. To commemorate this million-app milestone,… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
One of the best lunches I had in recent months was with Carmen Popescu, Senior Project Coordinator of Pharmaceutical Applications at Roquette America. Our conversation ranged from linguistics to Ceaușescu to tabbouleh to the state of higher education in America to hair care products. Carmen is energetic, witty, and warm, the kind of person you… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
In 2008, flax was all the rage among health-conscious consumers. Declarations of its near-magical powers significantly boosted consumer recognition of this cancer-preventing, menopause-easing superfood. Cooking shows made classic baked goods healthier with the incorporation of flaxseed. Magazines urged consumers to sprinkle it on their cereal and yogurt for an added health boost. Boasting high fiber… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
From day one, MarketPlace has championed an undisputed fact of food marketing: a successful product sells into the unique desires and ever-changing tastes of the end-consumer. If droves of consumers start tweeting about their love for earthworm flavor or gym-sock aroma, food and beverage R&D teams will be working hard to capture the essence of… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
There are probably only two places where you can find a DJ spinning tunes for a baby food brand, a grown man dressed as the Lorax, and a yogurt container the size of a condo. The first is New York’s hottest nightclub, where I’ve never been, and the second, from which I just returned, is… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Typically, I pay more notice to my VHS collection of MacGyver episodes than to political conventions, but in 2004, even I cared about politics, as a handful of bloggers was issued press credentials for the Democratic and Republican conventions. This small act of validation signaled a large-scale shift in the way that Americans consume media.… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Store brands, over the last two years, have protected or increased their market share in 75% of the top 100 consumer packaged goods categories* For over a decade, private label brands have outpaced national brand favorites in several categories. The economy, to a significant degree, has driven consumers to explore private labels. But the economy… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>