Viewpoints

The thing about produce departments is, they kind of all look the same. “And not even from an assortment standpoint. Even just a merchandising strategy,” said Jonna Parker, director, Nielsen Perishables Group. “It’s an important department...

The story line about Millennials is different now. Until recently food retailers were a bit tentative about Generation Y, focused more on questions such as, “When will they get married, have families, and start spending more?” There was no ...

It’s only 2015 but we can already see 10 years out. That’s the conclusion of Technomic in a new and convincing report on where things are headed. Here’s a sampling of findings in the report, called “Food Industry Transformation: The Next Decade.”...

Supermarket News conducted its first ever Fresh Foods survey this year to gauge readers’ opinions on the perishables categories. One of the questions asked retailers to choose their top two greatest fears in the perimeter. At the top of the li...

While the craft soda market is a small one, it's poised for growth. That's because both large and small manufacturers — as well as retailers themselves — are jumping on the craft soda bandwagon. I’ve written numerous stories on the craft be...

SN just released the findings of its perishables state-of-the-industry survey, and the data will open some eyes. The fresh food segment is on a growth curve, but respondents told us not all categories are sharing equally in the excitement. Sec...

In the wake of Gov. Jerry Brown’s order to impose mandatory cuts to water usage for the first time in the California’s history, much has been made about the state’s use of water for agriculture. While the almond is the most cited example of th...

Consumers want more protein in their diets because of its role in satiety, weight loss and health. While they want most of it in the form of animal protein, they are increasingly seeking it out in packaged goods. About half of U.S. consumer...

Expo West, held the first week in March, was a terrific and positive kick-off to the 2015 food shows. Record attendance of over 70,000 and enough exhibitors to swell the walls of the over 800,000 square foot of exhibit space to include outdoor fo...

Fear. That’s an emotion that fills the room when retailers — especially smaller ones — discuss online shopping. You can feel it in their questions: Should we enter the online space? Can we get up to speed and make it profitable? How can we ...