Food, shelter and clothing are the top 3 basic necessities of life. In fact, food is more than a commodity to be bought and sold. We can’t live without food and it plays a significant role in our culture and daily lives. When you combine retail and foodservice together, Canadians spent close to $200B dollars […]
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New brand entrants into the grocery sector face an uphill battle to generate brand awareness and stimulate trial purchase. This is especially true given retailers provide new food entrants a short probationary period (6-9 months) to prove themselves and brand icons dominate most if not all of the categories. Yet, most new brand entrants neglect […]
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Growing up it was common practice in our household to regularly consume milk, eggs, and meat. In fact, when we went out for dinner, the main course was my favourite part of the meal. The word vegan – vegetarian was not part of our vocabulary. Yet, it was in 1944 when Donald Watson co-founded the Vegan […]
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Plastic is material consisting of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic compounds that are malleable and so can be molded into solid objects. The world’s first fully synthetic plastic was bakelite, invented in New York in 1907 by Leo Baekeland who coined the term plastics. Plastic today is enemy # 1. The United Nations’ environmental agency says every year 8 million metric tons of plastic […]
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Cauliflower used to be a boring vegetable that was typically only bought when there was nothing else on the grocery shelf. Typically perceived as the less colourful, less delicious cousin of broccoli, it was usually boiled and served plain, as an uninspiring side dish. Those perceptions have changed. Driven by consumers’ desire for a healthier […]
Read More ›Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. He stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others. For business, a successful grocery store listing caps off their dreams. Like […]
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When organic products were first introduced into the Canadian market, shopping for such foods required a special trip to a natural foods store or farmers market. As interest in organics grew, organic foods became widely available in conventional supermarkets, but premium prices usually meant only affluent shoppers could afford them. Today, the Canadian organic food […]
Read More ›Insects have six legs and most have wings. They were also the first animal capable of flight. In our sights at home most consumers get the raid out and go for the kill. Yet this small arthropod animal may become the next emerging food group phenomenon. For instance, crickets are often trumpeted as the future of […]
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The talk of the town for food marketers today is how to connect and engage with the Millennial and Generation Z consumer. Rightly so given how they have shaped today’s food trends and how they represent the emerging sectors for food manufacturers. Yet, many CPG manufacturers seem to ignore the Baby Boomer as this generation […]
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Times have changed in the food sector.In the past, the common practice was to create a food list and go grocery shopping. No longer can you just slap a label on a product and expect it to fly off the shelves. Consumers’ health is front and centre. Today they wish to know your products ingredients, their source […]
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