A clean label: the aspiration of the formulator, the obsession of the food executive, the love of the marketing department. Consumer advocates and shifting tastes have pushed the industry toward ingredient statements that are simpler, shorter, and more comprehensible to ordinary consumers—in short, “cleaner.” In response, ingredient companies market their offerings as promoting a clean… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
It’s widely recognized that consumers are seeking more “green” options, from organic produce to low-footprint proteins. Retailers are stocking more of these products, making the sector one of the fastest-growing areas of the food business for farmers, distributors, and retailers alike. It’s a good time to be selling anything perceived to be green, and companies… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
As a category, functional foods is among the biggest trends in the food industry, as consumers seek products with added nutrition and food companies attempt to differentiate their offerings. For marketers, these products pose a challenge: talking about benefits which are often couched in confusing (or outright offputting) scientific jargon. Although many nutritional terms have… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Online dating is difficult due to (among other reasons) its dependence on the written word. It’s difficult, through writing alone, to communicate important things like tone, temperament, and personality—characteristics crucial for compatibility. Photos, too, have significant limitations. Early matching services knew this and used video profiles (a lot of mainstream dating sites, for many—and we… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
I have become spam. My family and friends think I was hacked because I sent them an email saying “I lost 10 pounds in just one week!” But I actually did lose ten pounds in a week . . . and here’s how you can, too! I’ve been gluten-free for almost four years. I’m sensitive… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Smithsonian.com’s K. Annie Smith recently published a fascinating post on the improving market share of traditional instant or ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee. In the United States, those brands haven’t fared well recently; the rise of Starbucks and the specialty coffee trend have shifted consumer tastes in a more high-end direction, and capsule coffee brewers have captured… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
As a Girl Scout Cookie order form was shared around the office this year, there was a noticeable absence of a “no hydrogenated oils” banner from fan favorite Samoas, Tagalongs, and the ever-popular Thin Mints, which, together, make up 57% of Girl Scout Cookie sales. We couldn’t help but ponder how, in light of recent… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Food Safety Modernization Act Since the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in 2011, the food industry has been faced with the prospect of greatly increased safety and transparency regulations. Today, those changes are still being rolled out—from much more frequent FDA inspections to stricter requirements for produce—and some regulations are still… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
Starbucks has been slinging (can you sling a latte?) its incredibly popular Pumpkin Spice Latte for around a decade. While they didn’t invent the spice combination, they’re at least partially responsible for the increased pumpkin-spicing of our drinks and desserts every fall for the past ten years. Drinks and desserts are one thing, but now… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
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>
The holiday season is staring us down. Seeing Thanksgiving tchotchkes in stores already is stressful, but what’s more stressful about this season is budget planning. If, like us, you’re responsible for marketing products and building brands, this tends to be a precarious time of year, as you’re simultaneously carrying out the remainder of your marketing… Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span>
I’ve had the pleasure of working with the food ingredient media for over 20 years, 11 years of which has been on behalf of MarketPlace. The media regularly tells me a version of “we love working with you because you really understand media.” At MarketPlace, our job is to provide value to our partners through… 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>
Developing a new website can be daunting, all-consuming, and intimidating. There are so many details to consider, and with the rate at which technology moves, keeping up can be taxing…and that’s not even considering the maintenance of the content! Because we go through the process regularly with our partners, we’re used to juggling all these… 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>