Sysco Offers New and Innovative Products For Fall 2021 Through Cutting Edge Solutions Platform

Sysco Corporation, the leading global foodservice distribution company, announced today the nationwide launch of eight innovative concepts exclusively for Sysco customers through the company’s Cutting Edge Solutions platform. These chef-tested and exclusive products provide foodservice operators with on-trend menu options such as plant-based ingredients as well as innovative to-go solutions that will help them stand out in the ever-evolving foodservice environment.

“Our Cutting Edge Solutions platform helps our customers stay on-trend and ahead of the competition with new and..."

Jennie-O Turkey Store Shares 2021 Thanksgiving Trends And Predictions

Jennie-O Turkey Store, one of the most beloved turkey brands in the world, today announced its Thanksgiving survey results. The surprising answers revealed how people across the country feel about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, how they plan to celebrate, the dishes they find most intimidating and even how many pounds of food a single person plans to eat during the meal. The survey of 2,000 consumers was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Jennie-O.

CELEBRATION: To Be or Not To Be (In Person)
- The majority of those polled...

Better-for-You Snacks Market Rises to $39 Billion

The U.S. food and beverage industry has been impacted heavily by COVID-19. In 2020 especially, more people looked to improve their health to prevent or lessen the severity of illness. Consumers are buying more better-for-you snacks that have health claims or label claims perceived to be healthier to improve health and hopefully ward off illness. Snacks with claims that are better-for-you feature good taste, indulgence, and convenience while being healthier than standard snacks by virtue of nutrition or portion sizes.

In 2020, sales reached $39 billion on the strength of pandemic trends as reported by Packaged Facts' new report Better-for-You Snacks: Market Trends and Opportunities. Snack products in the scope of this report include...

US Foods Fall Scoop Designed to Help Operators Appeal to Gen Z and Millennial Diners

US Foods Holding Corp. announced the launch of Fall Scoop, the company’s 10th annual edition of Scoop. Themed, “Next-Gen Ideas for Next-Gen Diners,” Fall Scoop features 23 products that cater to the next generation of diners, Gen Z and Millennials. More than half of the nation’s total population are now members of the millennial generation or younger, making them the largest age group of diners who can drive important revenue opportunities for operators. This generation of diners is different than their predecessors – they want familiar menu items with a twist, sustainable and meatless items, and social media-worthy presentations. Fall Scoop products deliver on these demands to entice, attract, and delight this younger generation of dining enthusiasts and help operators “Make It.”

“We’re bringing fresh ideas to our operators that provide the labor savings and versatility they need today with the innovation they’ll need moving forward as they cater to the next generation of diners,” said Stacey Kinkaid, vice president, product development and innovation, US Foods. “To support our Fall Scoop theme...

The Pandemic Lifted Average Retail Spending Per Shopping Occasion, Reports NPD

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the average amount U.S. consumers spend on each shopping occasion, whether it is a trip to a physical store or a visit to an online shopping site. Since reaching $34 in March of 2020, average shopping occasion spending has remained elevated at or above that amount through July 2021, according to The NPD Group. This increase is partially due to a general shift toward online purchasing, where average selling prices (ASPs) and the amount spent on each transaction...

The Factors Propelling Retail Food Sales Forward

Sales spiked significantly in 2020 (+14% from 2019 levels) due to the impact of the coronavirus, according to the update of Packaged Facts' benchmark coverage of retail food sales in Food Market Outlook 2021: Grocery Shopping, Home Cooking, & Food Preferences in the Waning Pandemic Period.

Consumers sharply curtailed dining out or using school cafeterias and instead did more grocery shopping to prepare and eat most meals and snacks at home. Going forward, retail grocery sales are projected to increase at a significantly lower rate in 2021 from this high base as...

Campbell's® Chunky® Debuts New Campaign: Lunchtime Is Your Halftime

Since 1997, Campbell's® Chunky®, the Official Soup Sponsor of the NFL, has partnered with numerous, high-profile NFL players and their moms. To kick off the 2021 NFL season tonight, Chunky will officially launch its latest nationwide advertising campaign, "Lunchtime Is Your Halftime," featuring Head Coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams. This marks the first time a coach has starred in a Chunky spot, as the brand has also featured Chunky Mama's Boys and the regular everyday Champions of Chunky.

In an effort to continue...

Walmart and Meredith Corporation Partner To Help Answer the Question: ‘What’s for Dinner?’

Walmart Inc., the No. 1 U.S. retailer and world’s largest grocer, today announced a cross-platform partnership with Meredith Corporation, the leading multi-platform media company reaching nearly 95% of women in the U.S., to help millions of busy families plan and prepare meals faster and more easily through AI-powered meal planning, shoppable recipes, visual search, chatbots, and more. The partnership pairs Meredith’s expertise in food content, hyper-local consumer insights and proprietary technology platform with Walmart’s wide customer reach, omnichannel presence, deep product assortment, convenient...

Aeros: The Backbone of the Back Office for Egg & Poultry Companies

As we move out of the pandemic, companies can put their priorities back on track. But how have priorities changed? What advancements are being considered as we return to normal? Urner Barry spoke with Aeros, a leader in technological solutions for the egg & poultry industry, to understand more about the changing industry.

Given your knowledge of the industry, what can you identify as being the major changes in trends?

We’ve seen the rise of specialty eggs. Feeding programs initially designed to produce eggs with unique nutritional characteristics have now grown and are driving a major transition from conventional eggs. This change required operations to have a deeper engagement with contract growers. Over time producers built new housing and devised growing programs for cage free flocks. These changes brought additional revenue, but a higher cost in housing...

White Castle's 'Crave Clutch™' Comes in Clutch for Smaller Gatherings with Friends and Family

A year after its launch, White Castle's Crave Clutch has proven to be a popular addition to the brand's lineup of iconic packaging. Customers have embraced the colorful carryout box, which holds 20 Sliders, because it's an ideal size for family meals and smaller friend gatherings that have been so common during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In honor of the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Crave Clutch, White Castle is giving customers $4 off of White Castle's Share-A-Meal #9...

The Majority of Meals Will be Consumed at Home For the Foreseeable Future

Most analyses during the pandemic have focused on discerning its impact on consumer behavior and forecasting how this might change going forward. However, before the pandemic structural changes in the workforce and the aging population already contributed to a home-centric lifestyle, and COVID accelerated it, reports The NPD Group. These long-term trends will continue to influence consumer eating patterns and how they use their homes well into the future, according to NPD’s recently released 36th edition of Eating Patterns in America.

“Our life stage and workplace behavior has a lot to do with how, where, and when we consume foods and beverages, and what we buy to help us...

Foodservice Industry 1.1% Larger in July 2021 than July 2019

Technomic’s TIndex, the index on total foodservice industry reported monthly, was down slightly in July from June. However, this number still represents strong industry results versus 2019. The foodservice industry was 1.1% larger in July 2021 compared to 2019 and 31% larger compared to 2020.

“Softening in some noncommercial segments is the reason for the drop in the TIndex, but restaurant sales remain strong,” explains Joe Pawlak, managing principal at Technomic. “As of the end of July, there has been...

New Acosta Report Details the Evolving Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behavior

Acosta, a global integrated sales and marketing services provider in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, today released its latest COVID-19 Shopper Insights report, COVID-19 Shopper Insights: Which Habits Are Sticking? The report examines pandemic-related shopping behaviors that are continuing to impact the CPG industry as COVID-19 evolves. According to Acosta's research, about 45% of consumers have increased their online grocery shopping and reduced trips to traditional CPG channels since pre-pandemic, indicating convenience and safety remain important considerations for consumers.

"COVID-19 has significantly impacted consumer behavior and accelerated trends we were seeing prior to March 2020," said Colin Stewart, Executive Vice President, Business Intelligence at Acosta. "While many believe we're headed towards normalcy, it is highly likely that...

Surging Delta Variant Continues to Impact the Way Consumers Shop

Just as normalcy appeared to be on the horizon, surges of COVID-19 cases brought by the Delta variant are once again leaving many Americans in fear of what’s to come. Thirty percent of shoppers are more worried about COVID as Delta cases continue to rise, and 40 percent report feeling the same level of discomfort as they did one month ago. Of those concerned Americans, 43 percent report that the Delta variant is impacting the way they shop, and nearly half (47 percent) are more worried about shopping...

Consumers Are Accessorizing Amplified Grilling and Outdoor Cooking Needs in 2021

After taking grilling to new levels last year, consumers now seem to be adapting to the growing needs of accessorizing their outdoor cooking activities. Between January and June 2021, consumer spending on grilling accessories consistently outperformed last year’s numbers, delivering a 28% increase in sales revenue, according to The NPD Group.

“The pandemic compelled consumers to spend on grilling and outdoor cooking, as a way to gather safely, create new experiences with family, and even learn new skills, during...

Plant-based Foods Market to Hit $162 Billion in Next Decade, Projects Bloomberg Intelligence

The plant-based foods market could make up to 7.7% of the global protein market by 2030, with a value of over $162 billion, up from $29.4 billion in 2020, according to a new report by Bloomberg Intelligence (BI). The report Plant-Based Foods Poised for Explosive Growth identifies growth expectations for the plant-based foods market through 2030, as global animal and dairy protein demand is poised to reach $1.2 trillion by then.

According to the new report...

Broadline Shipments of Plant Proteins to U.S. Pizza Operators Jump in Q2 2021 

Pizza has repeatedly ranked in the top foods ordered at U.S. restaurants. According to The NPD Group, in the quarter ending June 2021, there were 1.2 billion servings of pizza ordered, up +4% from the same quarter last year. An aspect of pizza’s popularity is that it can be customized to serve many different tastes and needs, like the growing interest in plant-based proteins. Units of plant-based protein meat analogues and ingredients shipped from broadline foodservice distributors to pizza operators increased by +56% in the second quarter compared to a year ago, reports NPD.

There is a lot of attention in the marketplace and media about plant-based foods, but there is also interest in these foods from consumers, chefs, and restaurant operators. Based on NPD research, about 20% of consumers say...

Canada’s Foodservice Industry Shows Promising Recovery in the Second Quarter Compared to Last Year

Through lockdowns, COVID-19 restrictions, and eventual reopening, Canadians released their pent-up demand and ordered from or visited restaurants and other foodservice outlets in the April-May-June quarter reports The NPD Group. Consumer spending at restaurants and other foodservice outlets increased by +43% in the second quarter of the year compared to the same quarter last year when spending declined by -41% from the year before. Visits, dining in and off-premises orders, improved by +31% compared to the second quarter year ago when traffic declined by -36%, according to NPD’s continual tracking of the foodservice industry.

Each area of the commercial foodservice market is recovering at a different pace. Quick service restaurants (QSR), many of which had well-developed off-premises services like carry-out and...

The U.S. Restaurant Industry Recovery Through Second Quarter has Been Slow and Steady

The second quarter of this year reflects a period during which state and local governments lifted pandemic restrictions, restaurants reopened, people got vaccinated, and consumers used restaurants more than they did throughout the pandemic, reports The NPD Group. Consumer spending at restaurants was up +32% in the April-May-June 2021 quarter compared to the same quarter last year, and for a pre-pandemic view, flat compared to the same quarter in 2019. Restaurant visits, dining in or off-premises, increased by +22% in the quarter compared to the same quarter last year and were down -7% compared to the second quarter of 2019, according to NPD’s daily tracking of the U.S. foodservice industry.

Quick service restaurants (QSRs), representing 81% of restaurant visits in the U.S., realized a gain of +15% in visits in the second quarter compared to a year ago and a -5% decline compared to the second quarter of 2019. Throughout the pandemic, QSR restaurants, particularly...

Online Grocery Start-ups Could be One Of the Enduring Legacies Of the COVID-19 Era 

Alongside the trends too much greater digitalisation, reduced contact through more self-checkouts, automation and a more cashless society, the ultra-fast start-ups could be one of the enduring legacies of the Covid-19 era impacting retail in a future post-pandemic.

The sector will develop strongly on the back of the Covid push and all these players will benefit from a rising tide lifting all boats.

Rather this report deals with the ultra-fast delivery startups, attracting record levels of investment, shoppers and interest. The pandemic has boosted a new dynamic in online grocery, reflected in the rise of GoPuff and its various clones. These players are first and foremost about...

Chicken Marketers Urged to Meet Needs Emerging from the Pandemic

With an estimated 20% of the workforce working at home beyond 2021, there will be 30 million meal occasions daily that used to be lunches consumed away from home. According to research presented today at the 2021 Chicken Marketing Summit, this presents an unprecedented opportunity for innovation for the poultry industry.

The National Chicken Council (NCC) and WATT Global Media presented the results of a study that focused on anticipated US consumer behavior post-pandemic to identify opportunities for chicken to gain market share in home food preparation and the upcoming...

Consumer Confidence Relatively Unchanged in July

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index was relatively unchanged in July, following gains in each of the prior five months. The Index now stands at 129.1 (1985=100), up from 128.9 in June. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—rose from 159.6 to 160.3. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—was virtually unchanged at 108.4, compared to 108.5 last month.

Consumer confidence was flat in July but remains at its highest level since February 2020 (132.6),” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ appraisal of present-day conditions held steady, suggesting...

Technomic Reveals How the Global Chicken Menu Category is Poised for Growth

Technomic released a deep dive into the chicken menu category uncovering global foodservice sales, COVID-19’s impact on the category, consumer consumption insights and preferences, menu trends, and the top global and leading local chains, with the 2021 Chicken Global Menu Category Report. This report is a deliverable of the Global Foodservice Navigator program, which offers the tools and guidance to remain ahead of consumer, menu and operator trends across 25 countries.

“Chicken chains have been resilient amid the pandemic and the menu category remains primed for future growth,” explains Aaron Jourden, senior research manager of global at Technomic. “With accelerating competition among...

Canada’s Restaurant Count Declined by 5,000 Units in 2020

Before the pandemic, Canada’s restaurant count held steady at 66,000 units since 2016, but then 2020 happened, and the industry lost 5,000 units, a decline of -8%, reports The NPD Group. Independent restaurants lost 3,000 units, representing the bulk of the slide, according to NPD’s ReCount®2020 restaurant census, which tracked Canadian restaurants opened as of December 2020.

The restaurant categories hardest hit by closures are those that relied heavily on customers’ regular day-to-day routines, such as shopping, working, or schooling... 

Packaged Facts: The Future of Grocery 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of consumer behavior and daily life. In 2020, many consumers were suddenly faced with more time at home.

• Office workers and those with jobs that can be done from home began to work from home full-time.
• Many schools and daycares closed, meaning that students and children were now spending their days at home.
• Restaurants, cafeterias, and other foodservice operations closed to dine-in service in many areas.
• With these changes, families across the U.S. were eating at home more often, cooking more, and sometimes feeding more people than usual throughout the day. As a result...

The Online Grocery Market Nearly Tripled in 2020

The U.S. food and beverage industry has been impacted heavily by COVID-19. In 2020, more consumers than ever before were deciding to order food and beverage items online to avoid grocery shopping in crowded stores, where they might be exposed to the COVID-19 virus. As reported by Packaged Facts' new report The Future of Grocery: Online Grocery, Meal Kits, & Direct-to-Consumer Food, the online grocery market nearly tripled in 2020.

Packaged Facts projects that online sales of food and beverages will...

U.S. Restaurant Industry Recovery Will Depend on Strength of Key Dayparts

The U.S. restaurant industry has shown remarkable resiliency, having lost as much as 35% of visits at the beginning of the pandemic, but still has a ways to go to get back to pre-pandemic levels, reports The NPD Group. Total restaurant visits were down -6 percent in May 2021 compared to May 2019 but were up +23% from a year ago, recovering from a -23% decline in May 2020. The key to the industry’s recovery will be the strength of each daypart. Each daypart — morning meal, lunch, dinner, and P.M. Snack — will recover differently depending on the new rhythms of home, school, and work-life, according to NPD’s continual tracking of the U.S. foodservice industry.

Visits, online or physical, at morning meal, which includes the breakfast and A.M. Snack periods, were down -5% in May 2021 compared to May 2020, and for a pre-pandemic view, down...

US Food Retail: Where Did Consumers Go During Covid-19? 

While the fact that food retailers have benefited enormously from stay-at-home orders and restaurant closures is hardly news, a deeper look into credit/debit card transactions reveals their different impacts across food retail categories in both brick-and-mortar and online environments. We translated these data points into six learnings from the most eventful year in the food industry in generations, as well as into insights as to how players can sustain the momentum in a post-Covid economy.

- Online is the big winner, but summer may bring a temporary halt. Recent data indicates a likely temporary halt to this expansion in Q2 2021, as cases...

Awareness and Retention Rate for Plant-Based Protein on the Rise in China

According to China Plant-based Protein Topical Report from The NPD Group, plant-based proteins are gaining acceptance in China as Chinese consumers seek more protein in their diets, and plant-based foods become more available and appealing. Although plant-based protein currently has a small serving share compared to meat proteins in China, awareness has reached 90%; and the retention rate for plant-based proteins is on the rise, increasing from 53% in October 2020, to 68% in January 2021.

“There is no doubt that consumers in China view plant-based proteins as healthier alternatives to traditional meat protein,” said Gimantha Jayasinghe, Senior Vice President of APAC Foodservice at The NPD Group. “Though these products have a long way to go in terms of...

Grubhub Releases Third Annual State of the Plate Report

As we approach a new normal and restaurants reopen, there's a lot to look forward to for the rest of the year. Before looking ahead, let's rewind to see how diners ate their way through the last six months. Grubhub, part of leading global online food delivery marketplace Just Eat Takeaway.com, launched the third annual "State of the Plate" report. Looking at trends from hundreds of thousands average daily orders, Grubhub's mid-year report checks in on what has shaped 2021 thus far, including the top trending foods, popular restaurants across the country, and what we can expect to see more of in the second half of the year.

Unlike 2020, diners opted for the plant-based versions of delivery classics so far in 2021. And while last year's top food, the wildly popular...

Consumer Confidence Improved Further in June 

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® improved further in June, following gains in each of the previous four months. The Index now stands at 127.3 (1985=100), up from 120.0 (an upward revision) in May. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—rose from 148.7 to 157.7. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—improved to 107.0, up from 100.9 last month.

“Consumer confidence increased in June and is currently at its highest level since the onset of the pandemic’s first surge in March 2020,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ assessment of current conditions...

Fourth of July Cookout Cost Stable Compared to Year Ago

U.S. consumers will pay just a few cents more for their favorite Independence Day cookout foods compared to last year, including cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, homemade potato salad, pork & beans, strawberries, potato chips, fresh-squeezed lemonade and vanilla ice cream with chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Farm Bureau analysis reveals the average cost of a summer cookout for 10 people remains affordable at $59.50, or less than $6 per person. The cost is up just 16 cents (less than 1%) from last year, but...

DoorDash and Beyond Meat Introduce Limited Edition Summer Grilling Kits for On-Demand Delivery

DoorDash announced a partnership with Beyond Meat, a leader in plant-based meat, to offer limited-edition, July 4th grilling kits to help customers host the ultimate BBQ featuring the new Beyond Burger®. The kits are available exclusively on DoorDash for on-demand delivery from DashMart, a new type of convenience store owned, operated, and curated by DoorDash.

As many people prepare for a summer of grilling and gathering, the kit also provides a seamless way for consumers to get their grilling essentials without taking a last-minute trip to the grocery store. According to a national consumer survey that polled 1,000 U.S. adults...

Technomic's Take: Roadblock to Recovery for Restaurants

By all accounts, the restaurant industry is roaring back to life as vaccination distribution spreads, dine-in restrictions are lifted and improved weather throughout most of the country sends consumers flocking to restaurants to dine with friends and family. Operators are reporting same-store sales approaching, and in some cases exceeding, pre-pandemic levels as pent-up demand drives the dine-in surge and off-premise orders remain strong.

For restaurant operators eager to return to full capacity, however, significant headwinds remain as the restaurant industry struggles to fill jobs to meet this booming demand. The biggest challenge facing operators in this current recovery period is finding staff willing to work. There are numerous other factors that are impacting...

Nearly Half of Canadians Plan to Dine On-Premises Now that Pandemic Restrictions are Relaxed

Canadians were anxiously awaiting COVID lockdowns and restrictions to be eased and lifted, and so were restaurant operators. It’s been a long 15 months and 46% of Canadians told The NPD Group that they plan to physically eat at a restaurant, bar, or coffee shop now that COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. Restaurant operators are eager to greet them back and pick-up their dine-in business, which was most impacted by mandated pandemic restrictions.

Dine-in or on-premises restaurant orders/visits have improved since the beginning of the pandemic but, as a basis for comparison, were still down -85% in April 2021 compared to April 2019. Off-premises orders and visits, which include...

US Foods Summer Scoop Lineup Takes Aim at Restaurant Labor Shortage

US Foods Holding Corp. announced the launch of Summer Scoop™. Themed “Dining Out Is In Again,” Summer Scoop features 18 on-trend, versatile, profit-driving products designed to reduce back-of-house preparation and skilled-labor demands. With 62% of operators saying they are concerned about finding skilled workers during the pandemic, restaurant operators struggle to balance the resurgence of on-site diners and existing take-out and delivery operations ramped up during the pandemic. Summer Scoop helps address these challenges with innovative products that can drive higher profits and help operators save approximately 85-95% in back-of-house preparation time compared to making from scratch, helpful for restaurants operating with fewer and less experienced kitchen staff.

“Through each phase of the pandemic, our commitment to helping our restaurant operators ‘Make It’ with product innovation and expert resources has remained our number one priority,” said Stacey Kinkaid, vice president of product development and innovation for US Foods. “As restaurants quickly move closer to...

The Road to Recovery for U.S. Restaurant Chain Customer Transactions Varies by Market

Geography matters when it comes to pandemic recovery for U.S. restaurant chains. A mix of factors, like pandemic-related restaurant restrictions, the closing or opening of units, or chain performance, even the weather or event, can impact restaurant chain customer transactions in a specific market area, reports The NPD Group.

For example, restaurant chain customer transaction declines in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) designated market area improved from double-digit declines last year to -4% in May 2021 compared to May 2019, a pre-pandemic basis of comparison. DFW ranks in the top 10 markets to recover from the steep customer transaction declines caused by the pandemic last year. In addition to Texas lifting COVID restaurant restrictions in March, the market's May customer transactions reflect...

Most British Online Grocery Shoppers Plan to Continue Online Grocery Shopping After the Pandemic 

The great online grocery shopping boom is here to stay as 90% of current online grocery shoppers plan to keep shopping for their groceries online once the peak of COVID-19 passes. Meanwhile, just 5% of these shoppers say they are planning to stop doing so.

An impressive three in five (59%) Brits are online grocery shoppers, up from 50% in 2019 – this represents the highest level of growth recorded in the past decade. In addition to user growth, the category is experiencing increased usage from existing users, with over half (53%) of online grocery shoppers doing...

Instacart Releases Plant Power Trends Report Examining the Consumer Migration to Plant-Based Items

Instacart released its "Plant Power" report, a new data-driven examination of the mainstream consumer migration to plant-based alternatives. According to Instacart sales data, one in three Instacart customers has purchased a plant-based meat or milk product. Further, according to a recent Instacart survey conducted by The Harris Poll, when asked about the grocery and food habits adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic that they'll keep for the long term, 30% of survey respondents said they plan to continue eating healthier by preparing lighter, plant-based meals.

"Plant-based food has grown from a niche category into a grocery staple over the past two years," cites Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart's Trends Expert and Senior Product Manager. "Searches for terms like...

A Strong but Changed Retail Industry Looks to the Future

The retail industry is now doing better than many retailers expected last year as stores, offices, and schools shut down across the country. In fact, compared to last year, discretionary retail sales revenue in the U.S grew 17% from January 1 through May 8, 2021, according to The NPD Group. Even more strikingly, retail sales increased 18% over 2019. Growth in the U.S. economy continues to rise as vaccination rates increase and as more consumers, as well as businesses and schools, begin to map their post-pandemic paths forward.

A recent “Future of Style” event, hosted by The NPD group, explored the major trends affecting global industries, including...

Whole Foods Market Releases First-Ever Plant-Based Trend Predictions

Whole Foods Market revealed its first-ever plant-based trend predictions, with nut-based cheese alternatives, banana blossoms and creamy cashew dips topping the list. Looking ahead to summer and beyond, the grocer’s Trends Council pooled members’ industry knowledge, product-sourcing expertise and hands-on work with emerging and existing plant-forward brands to inform the predictions.

The choice to highlight plant-based predictions comes at a time when shoppers are focusing on eating more plants. According to a recent study by The Hartman Group, nearly half (48%) of consumers look for products labeled as...

Consumer Confidence Holds Steady in May

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® held steady in May, following a gain in April. The Index now stands at 117.2 (1985=100), down marginally from 117.5 in April. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—increased from 131.9 to 144.3. However, the Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell to 99.1 in May, down from 107.9 last month.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey®, based on an online sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Toluna, a technology company that delivers real-time consumer insights and market research through...

Canadian Restaurant Industry Learns to Pivot and Adapt Despite Visit Loss Due to COVID-19

It has been over a year since the COVID-19 global pandemic began and the Canadian foodservice industry, one of the business sectors most impacted by restrictions, has had to learn to adapt. In the quarter ending March 2021, keeping in mind that the global pandemic was declared in mid-March of last year, total foodservice traffic in Canada was down -9% compared to same quarter year ago when visits were down -11% versus prior year, reports The NPD Group. Although there is improvement from last year, it’s also important to note that since the first quarter of 2019 through the first quarter of 2021, 326,000 foodservice visits (or orders) have been lost, according to NPD’s continual tracking of the Canadian foodservice industry.

The quick service segment, which prior to the pandemic was already equipped to efficiently handle off-premises operations, like carry-out and drive-thru, ended the first quarter of this year with...

U.S. Restaurant Carry-Out and Delivery Digital Orders Soar During the Pandemic

Digital ordering was a lifeline for consumers and U.S. restaurants, particularly full service restaurants, during the pandemic, reports The NPD Group. In the year ending March 2021, which covers a full year since the start of the pandemic, restaurant digital orders grew +124% compared to prior year. Digital orders for carry-out, which represented 62% of all digital orders, increased by +130%, and digital orders for delivery grew by +142% in the period compared to year ago and held 38% share of total restaurant digital orders, according to NPD’s ongoing foodservice market research, CREST®.

Digital ordering offered full service restaurants, which operated under varying degrees of mandated dine-in restrictions throughout the pandemic, much needed...

Cultivated Meat Likely to Make Up 40% of Future Meat Intake 

According to research published by the journal Foods, cultivated meat is likely to make up a major part of consumers' future diets. The study showed patterns of greater openness to trying such products by younger generational groups: 87-89% of Gen Z adults, 84-85% of Millennials, 76-77% of Gen X, and 70-74% of Boomers were at least somewhat open to trying cultivated meat.

Led by Keri Szejda, Ph.D., the researchers surveyed a large, representative sample of 2,018 US and 2,034 UK consumers, assessing indicators of adoption among the general population, and...

Retail Looks Forward as the US Emerges from the Pandemic

As the United States emerges from pandemic rules in the coming months, there will be changes, large and small, for retailers to consider, as they map their way forward. Companies will be setting new policies regarding returning to offices, more schools will reopen for in-person learning, and consumers will again start to travel, all of which have enormous implications for the retail industry, according to The NPD Group.

In a recent presentation to the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), NPD Chief Retail Strategist Don Unser outlined the retail industry headwinds and tailwinds expected in the coming year. Following are three of the most critical trends affecting retailers in the coming months...

U.S. Consumer Confidence Up Sharply Again in April

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rose sharply again in April, following a substantial gain in March. The Index now stands at 121.7 (1985=100), up from 109.0 in March. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—soared from 110.1 to 139.6. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—rose moderately, from 108.3 last month to 109.8 in April.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was...

Amazon Expands In-Garage Grocery Delivery to Prime Members

Amazon announced that Key by Amazon In-Garage Grocery Delivery is expanding to everywhere grocery delivery from Amazon is available, providing service to more than 5,000 U.S. cities and towns. Originally launched in five cities last November, Key In-Garage Grocery Delivery can now be used by millions of eligible Prime members to have their Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market groceries delivered securely and conveniently inside their garage.

Customers Seek Convenience

Customers relied on online grocery delivery services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s clear they’ll continue to use grocery delivery because of the convenience it provides. In a recent survey by Morning Consult commissioned by Amazon, nearly 70% of Americans report that grocery delivery is...

Home Chef and Skinnytaste Team Up to Meet the Surge in Home Cooks' Demand for Fresh, Easy Meals

By all accounts, the pandemic-driven surge in home cooking is here to stay, which inspired Home Chef®, one of the nation's largest meal kit delivery brands and Skinnytaste®, the popular recipe and cookbook franchise founded by chef Gina Homolka, to join forces in making fresh, simple, delicious home cooked meals even more accessible.

In fact, both brands have seen their customers and communities grow exponentially over the past year, and with it a demand for a wider variety of lighter, more balanced meal choices.

"Home Chef has always wanted to collaborate with a partner who shared our values and ideas when it comes to...

U.S. Restaurant Chain Customer Transactions Begin to Recover

In mid-March 2020, U.S. governing authorities, to get the COVID-19 global pandemic under control, restricted on-premises dining at roughly 70% of all U.S. restaurants, a historical defining moment for the industry. By the last week of March 2020, customer transactions at major restaurant chains had fallen by -43% compared to year ago and by -77% at full service chains, which were most impacted by the dine-in restrictions.

In March 2021, with the lifting of restrictions and more consumers vaccinated, customer transactions at major restaurant chains were up +32% compared to the steep declines year ago, although still down -6% compared to two years ago, March 2019. Major chain transactions at full service restaurants were up...

Global Consumer Confidence Hits Record High

Global consumer confidence soared to record heights in the first quarter of 2021, according to The Conference Board® Global Consumer Confidence Survey, as vaccination campaigns broadened, travel restrictions loosened, and governments and central banks continued to provide economic stimulus.

The survey found that overall global consumer confidence shot up from 98 in the fourth quarter of 2020 to 108 in the first quarter of 2021. That figure exceeded the reading of 106 registered in pre-pandemic 2020 Q1 (a figure above 100 is considered positive) and is the highest recorded since...

Consumers Take Grilling and Outdoor Cooking to the Next Level

Eager for a change of pace during the pandemic, cooking outside has become a go-to activity for many consumers, and it extends beyond traditional grilling, or even the traditional grilling season. Consumers spent more than $4.9 billion on grills, smokers, camping stoves, accessories, and fuel in 2020, according to new Enhanced Retail Tracking Service information on the home improvement industry from The NPD Group, which blends retailer point-of-sale data with insight from NPD’s receipt-based Checkout information and additional data assets combined with advanced modeling.

“The need to cook more meals at home combined with the desire to experiment with new ways to create those meals helped fuel growth for almost all types of grills,” said Joe Derochowski, home industry advisor at NPD. “Layer on our cravings to be less...

Meijer Reveals Unique Shopping Trends One Year into Pandemic Living

As the one-year mark into pandemic living has officially passed, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer Meijer reveals some of the most surprising shopping trends from the height of the shutdown to the ongoing changes in home and work lifestyles across the Midwest.

While home delivery and pickup services doubled at Meijer stores over the last 12 months, customers used the retailer's Shop & Scan technology more than 100 million times as they shopped and bagged while practicing social distancing to shorten time spent in the store. Additionally, customers also ate more...

Study Finds Consumers are Hopeful About Agriculture’s Ability to Positively Impact Climate Change

When it comes to climate change, consumers view agriculture as a part of the solution rather than the problem. Among participants in Cargill’s recent global Feed4Thought survey, those who indicated climate change as important to them also rated livestock and agriculture lowest in negative impact compared with other industries generally regarded as significant contributors. More than one-third of respondents expressed confidence in the industry’s ability to limit its contributions to climate change.

“Farmers are critical to feeding the world sustainably and responsibly,” said Ruth Kimmelshue, who leads Cargill’s animal nutrition & health business. “With a growing population and rising consumer interest in climate change, they are also part of the solution to address...

Canada: Dine-In Restaurant Visit Declines Soften in February when Restrictions were Eased
The pent-up demand for indoor dining was evident in February after dine-in restrictions were eased in Canada’s largest provinces. Dine-in restaurant visits increased by 4 percentage points in February compared to January, an increase of 10.5 million visits versus prior month. The downside of this news is the still deep traffic declines in on-premises dining. Dine-in visits declined by -79% in February compared to same month last year and were down -85% in January compared to last year, according to NPD, which continually tracks consumers’ use of Canadian restaurants and other foodservice outlets.

Off-premises dining, like carry-out, delivery, and drive-thru, has been the beneficiary of the indoor dining restrictions. In January off-premises visits, digital or physical, were up...

Instacart Reveals How the Pandemic has Transformed Consumer Grocery Habits

Instacart released "Beyond the Cart: A Year of Essential Insights," a new report highlighting how the pandemic has transformed 100 years of grocery habits through the lens of trends from the past year that are shaping the future of online grocery shopping. The report combines an in-depth look at data from Instacart along with insights from a new Instacart survey of 2,038 U.S. adults conducted recently online by The Harris Poll.

"More than a year of pandemic living has dramatically reshaped how American households shop for groceries and other household essentials," said Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart's Trends Expert and Senior Product Manager. "As we analyzed twelve months of data from Instacart, we discovered that...

Plant-Based Food Sales Surpass $7 Billion, Sales Up 27% in 2020

According to the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods continued to increase by double digits in 2020, growing 27% and bringing the total market value to $7 billion. This sales growth was consistent across the country, with more than 25% growth in every U.S. census region.

In the past two years, plant-based food sales have grown 43%, which is nine times faster than total food sales. In 2020, about 57% of all U.S. households purchased plant-based foods, up from 53% in 2019 totaling 71 million households.

PBFA also found that the value of plant-based meat, while the second-largest plant-based category, hit $1.4 billion in 2020. That represents sales growth of 45% from 2019. The plant-based meat category grew twice as fast as...

Technomic Reports Top 500 Chain Restaurant Sales Fell by More than 8% in 2020
Technomic just released one of the most highly anticipated reports, the 2021 Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, which includes expert findings and insights into the sales performance of U.S. chain restaurants from 2020. The report is built using decades of historical data with detailed analysis into the foodservice industry and overarching trends, including the impact of COVID-19 and performance rankings, as well as annual sales and unit counts by chain and segment.

“Disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Top 500 chain restaurants saw sales fall by $27 billion in 2020, decreasing by more than 8% compared to 2019,” explains Kevin Schimpf, senior research manager at Technomic. “As many small chains and independent restaurants struggled to...

US Foodservice: Expect an Even Bigger Lift From the Third Stimulus

Checks under the USD 1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the third and largest stimulus package since the pandemic outbreak, began rolling out mid-March. The US government expects nearly 85% of all US residents – adults, children, seniors – to receive direct payments of up to USD 1,400 based on household income. The ongoing stimulus is substantially higher than the last two in April and December 2020, which included direct payments of USD 1,200 (plus USD 500 per child) and USD 600 (plus USD 600 per child), respectively.

Recipients Spent 10% to 15% More in Restaurants Following the Last Two Rounds of Stimulus

Credit/debit card transaction data from Earnest Research, a data analytics firm that tracks the US consumer economy through foot traffic, credit/debit card spend, retail pricing, and healthcare data, shows...

The Consumer Confidence Index Surged in March

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index surged in March to its highest reading in a year, after a modest increase in February. The Index now stands at 109.7 (1985=100), up from 90.4 in February. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—climbed from 89.6 to 110.0. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—also improved, from 90.9 last month to 109.6 in March.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was March 19.

“Consumer Confidence increased to its highest level since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ assessment of current conditions and their short-term outlook...

10% of All U.S. Restaurants have Closed Permanently Since the Pandemic Began

Datassential revealed that 10.2 percent of U.S. food establishments have closed permanently since the pandemic began, citing new data from the company's proprietary Firefly database released.

Of the 778,807 food establishments in operation since the onset of COVID-19, 79,438 have closed for good as of Monday, according to the report from Datassential. The figure does include restaurants that have opened during the pandemic.

That includes restaurants at all levels of service: QSR (fast-food), fast-casual, midscale, casual and fine dining as well as food trucks. Food trucks have been affected the most of any segment, with...

Average Easter Spending Expected to be Highest on Record

Consumers plan to spend an average of $179.70 this Easter, the highest figure on record, according to results of the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. A total of 79 percent of Americans will celebrate the holiday and spend a collective $21.6 billion, down slightly from last year's pre-pandemic forecast of $21.7 billion.

“With new stimulus funds from the President’s American Rescue Plan, positive trends in vaccinations and growing consumer confidence, there is a lot of momentum heading into the Spring and holiday events like Easter,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Many have figured out how to...

Meat Purchases and Confidence at Record Highs

Americans are buying more beef, pork, poultry, and lamb than ever as increased time at home during the pandemic sent meat grocery sales soaring by 20% (IRI) from 2019 to 2020.

The national analysis released shows that three out of every four Americans agree meat belongs in healthy, balanced diets (up by nearly 20% since 2020), and 94% say they buy meat because it provides high-quality protein.

Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts commented...

How COVID-19 has Changed Eating Out Over the Last 12 Months In the UK

It’s 12 months since the UK’s first COVID-19 lockdown, and one of the sectors that has been most heavily impacted is hospitality. Here, The NPD Group picks out eight eating out/eating in trends from the pandemic’s first year (March 2020 to February 2021) and suggests how they will unfold as lockdown eases. From a surge in home deliveries to the growth of collection, the rise of eating on a deal, the surge of drive-thru, treating to beat boredom, a doubling of choosing vegan and veggie options, the rise of al fresco dining and a laser-like focus on delivering the best customer service, here’s how COVID-19 has changed the way we eat out (and in).

Delivery: In the 12 months of COVID, delivery’s share of out of home eating has more than doubled

Ordering takeaway main meals for home delivery has been a big part of locked down life and, according to The NPD Group’s consumer data, spend increased...

National Restaurant Association Survey Breaks Down How Consumers Used Restaurants During Pandemic

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the National Restaurant Association began a weekly survey of 1,000 adults to see how they were utilizing restaurants.

Starting in February 2020, the survey “tracks the extent to which U.S. adults participated in restaurant and foodservice on a week-to-week basis.”

The survey is broken down into six periods over the past 12 months and focuses on patronage during breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack/beverage and dinner and both on-premise and off-premise dining...

American Food and Grocery Shopping Patterns have Changed One Year Into the Covid Pandemic 

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 global health crisis, 96% of Americans say they clean and disinfect their homes as much or more than before; nearly half (47%) are eating healthier and half are cooking more; and almost one in seven are watching more television as a form of self-care and snacking while they do it. These new or increased consumer behaviors have contributed to a 14% increase in American household grocery spending, according to NCSolutions (NCS), a leading company for improving advertising effectiveness for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) ecosystem.

Marking the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, NCSolutions conducted an analysis of 12 months of its consumer purchase data as well as findings from a newly fielded...

U.S. Restaurant Customer Transaction Declines Steepen in February

Severe weather in many parts of the country in February hampered the softening of customer transaction declines at major U.S. restaurant chains reported in the last few months of 2020 and this January, finds The NPD Group. Major restaurant chain customer transactions declined by -13% versus year ago, compared to a -9% decline in January, according to NPD’s CREST® Performance Alerts which provides a rapid weekly view of chain-specific transactions and share trends for 75 quick service, fast casual, midscale, and casual dining chains representing 53% of the commercial restaurant traffic in U.S.

Record-shattering cold, snow, and rain affected a large swath of the U.S. in February. Texas, the second most populated state after California, was hit with a winter storm in mid-February that dropped significant amounts of...

Nearly 4 in 5 Americans Believe Pizza is Better with Pepperoni on It

This year, National Pi Day (March 14, 2021) will once again be celebrated by the making and eating of the most enjoyed and desired pie across the country - pizza. A recent survey, commissioned by the makers of Hormel® Pepperoni and conducted online by The Harris Poll among over 2,000 U.S. adults, reveals that pepperoni is America's favorite pizza topping, with Americans being more than twice as likely to choose it above the next most popular option, sausage (38% vs. 15%). In fact, four in five Americans (80%) say pepperoni goes with pizza like peanut butter does with jelly.

Pizza traditions may be passed on for generations, with the pizza pie becoming symbolic with fun, laughter and gathering with those you love. This is particularly true among millennials (ages 25-40), 81% of whom have nostalgic memories of eating pizza with...

Challenges Facing Foodservice Industry in 2020 Spurred Significant Growth in Off-Premises Services

The COVID-19 pandemic shook the world in 2020, leading to one of the steepest declines the global foodservice industry has experienced in recent history, according to global information company The NPD Group.

The pandemic interrupted years of growth in foodservice, causing a 20% drop in global sales and a 21% decline in total visits in 2020, to 958 billion euros ($1.157 trillion USD).

While mandated lockdowns restricted dine-in options, consumer demand for restaurant food was not abated, leading to unprecedented growth in...

Three Quarters of Brits Would Shop At an Amazon Grocery Store 

With the first Amazon grocery store now open in Britain, latest research from Mintel reveals that three quarters (76%) of Brits say they would shop at one.

When asked what would encourage them to shop at a physical Amazon grocery store, almost two thirds (63%) of consumers said they would be attracted to discounts for Prime membership. Meanwhile, a quarter (24%) would like the opportunity to be able to collect online orders. Overall attraction in shopping at these physical stores was higher among younger shoppers, with...

US Foods Spring Scoop Caters to Consumers’ Growing Interest in Well-Being, Sustainability

US Foods Holding Corp. announced the launch of Spring 2021 Scoop™, “Hungry for Better,” which features products that cater to consumers’ growing interest in dining options that support their planet, their communities and themselves. Today’s consumers are more deliberate and conscientious about their dining choices and are seeking products with simple and authentic ingredients that can also satisfy specific dietary needs. At the same time, they are also demanding products with sustainable attributes, and research shows that these consumer behaviors have only intensified since the start of the pandemic. To meet this growing need, US Foods Spring Scoop highlights 21 products that offer a well-being and/or sustainable attribute and are part of the company’s growing portfolio of products under the Hungry for Better initiative.

“With Spring Scoop, we are focusing on products that support our Hungry for Better initiative,” said Stacey Kinkaid, vice president, product development and...

While Chicken Sandwich Wars in the U.S. Intensify, Burgers Still Rule the Roost

No doubt that chicken sandwiches have gained a lot of attention over the past few years as more chicken restaurant concepts open and more chicken sandwiches appear on menus. The question is though, have these sandwich sensations knocked burgers from their perch as the top entrée item ordered at U.S. restaurants? That’s a hard “no,” says The NPD Group.

In the year ending 2020, burgers were included in 13.5% of all restaurant orders, which translated to 7 billion servings of burgers. Chicken sandwiches (breaded and grilled) were included in...

The Consumer Confidence Index Improved in February

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index improved again in February, after increasing in January. The Index now stands at 91.3 (1985=100), up from 88.9 in January. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—climbed from 85.5 to 92.0. However, the Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell marginally, from 91.2 last month to 90.8 in February.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey, based on a probability-design random sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers buy and watch. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was...

From Animal Meat to Fungi, U.S. Consumers Tap into A Host of Sources to Get Protein into Their Diets

The want of more protein in their diets have U.S. consumers seeking the coveted macronutrient from a variety sources, reports The NPD Group. Protein, the nutritional counterpart to fat and carbohydrates, is considered the body’s building blocks, and can be found in a long list of foods, like seafood, meat, poultry, eggs, legumes, and vegetables.

In order to get more protein into their diets, consumers are availing themselves to all of these types of foods in addition to whatever might be the trendy protein of the day, like fungi, according to NPD’s Eating Patterns in America, an annual compilation of the company’s daily tracking of U.S. consumers’ eating behaviors away from and...

Packaged Facts: Clean Labels and Ethically Sourced Foods are Mattering More to Meat Eaters

Even with the growing availability of meat alternatives, many Americans are reducing rather completely eliminating their consumption of animal proteins, with the added caveat that they are doing so while seeking out meat raised in more ethical manners with cleaner labels, reports Packaged Facts in the market research study Vegan, Vegetarian, and Flexitarian Consumers.

Packaged Facts' survey data published in the report reveal that among all U.S. consumers, twice as many (49%) consider clean label options important when grocery shopping compared to...

Shifting Trends See Global Food Giants Ramp Up Their Plant-based Offerings

The past few years have seen plant-based meat and dairy alternatives go from a niche product to a mainstream trend, and finally to a mainstay in the food industry. Now that the average consumer has had the opportunity to try plant-based alternatives, the market has spoken and plant-based foods are taking a much larger role in the food industry in 2021.

Plant-based offerings are being added to the lineups of the world's largest food producers, multinational restaurants and cafes, and to important segments like the infant nutrition space. It's clear that the largest players in the food industry like Tyson Foods, PepsiCo, Starbucks Corporation, and Yum! Brands, along with innovative plant-based foods companies like...

Foodservice and Retail Get Creative for an Unprecedented Valentine’s Day 

While the pandemic has caused disruptions to gatherings and going out, there remains a special significance around Valentine’s Day. Consumers are committed to celebrating the holiday, even if traditional celebrations must be altered. According to the National Retail Federation, about 52% of adults plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, spending a total of $21.8 billon.

Nearly three-quarters of consumers celebrating the holiday this year feel it is important to do so given the current state of the pandemic. The virus is still a focus, with 74% indicating it will directly impact their plans for the holiday. About 24% of consumers plan to gift their loved one with an evening out, the lowest in...

Londoners Driving Trend for Delivery of Snacks and Coffee

There’s a new food trend emerging in the capital. Latest analysis from The NPD Group shows a significant rise in families in London ordering snacks and coffee delivered to their home. Demand from families for snacking delivered by foodservice operators and delivery platforms like UberEats and Deliveroo increased strongly, up +95% in London in 2020 versus 2019. This is significantly ahead of the +11% increase in orders placed by families across the country as a whole.

London currently represents one quarter of the UK’s snacking via delivery market. Dominic Allport, Insights Director (Foodservice), The NPD Group says “During 2020, London was the only region to see a rise in snacking via delivery. The main reason is the greater use of delivery subscriptions such as...

Insight Into Key Markets Ahead of the ‘Big Game’ as Foodservice Takes Unique Approach to Gameday

Heading into the big game last February, the coronavirus was just a blip on everyone’s radar, the focus was on ordering wings and appetizers for the pre-game party or planning a trip to a local sports bar.

This year, many Americans will be enjoying the big game in smaller groups and while meat lover’s pizzas and chicken wings will be devoured all night, trips to restaurants are out of the cards for some and businesses are shifting their takeout specials to cater...

Mintel Announces U.S. Foodservice Trends for 2021

Mintel, the experts in what consumers want and why, has today (February 3, 2021) announced four key trends for the US foodservice industry, including analysis, insights, and recommendations centered around consumer behavior over the next 12 months.

• The Great Divide: The COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting the differences between the haves and have nots, both within the restaurant industry and among consumers.
• Play With Your Food: In times of anxiety and crisis, consumers turn to food for security and comfort...