Buying fresh tomatoes in the middle of winter was never an option or even a consideration when growing up on a farm. You just knew fresh tomatoes were the best off the vine in the summertime and relied on home canned tomatoes (or store bought) for winter days. But...
Tag: Consumer Insights
2023 Issue 7: 2024 Food and Ag Trends — A Little Sweet and Some Heat
Food, friends, fellowship and faith are the elements that bring us together this time of the year and always. Likewise, at the same time, one or more of these can divide us. Food and water are the essence of our existence. While 2024 food and ag trends may not be top...
Like Wrapped Packages … Food Label Terms Can Be a Guessing Game
I learned a basic rule while growing up: Don’t get excited about the contents of a package until you opened it! In other words, what was in the box didn’t always match the outside label. My mother was resourceful, so using a box for the second or third time seemed...
2024 Food and Ag Trends — A Little Sweet and Some Heat
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” This centuries-old statement by Benjamin Franklin resonates equally as well in today’s food and ag trend space. While food trends are not as finite, there are “certain” themes that continue to...
Is Milk by Any Other Name Still Milk? The Continuing Saga
With the plethora of plant-based “milks” sharing space with dairy milk in the grocery store, the question of what is “milk” has been a source of contention over the years and a continuing saga. However, this is a question that can only be resolved by the Food and Drug...
Tracking the Trends — What Will Shine for 2023?
Trends like weather are forecasts. Some will shine through while others may get covered with a dark cloud. Regardless of what consumer surveys or noted chefs may predict,1 unexpected storms, like pandemic-related supply chain snafus, can alter the path. Looking back...
Is “Healthy” Really Healthy? FDA Wants to Make It So
We talk about “Eating Healthy,” “Healthy Food” or certain ingredients being “Healthy,” but has all this talk changed our eating habits? Probably not! The reality is that 80% of consumers in the U.S. aren’t eating enough vegetables, fruit and dairy (despite the...
Ditch the Fear, Not the Facts! Fruits and Vegetables Are Safe
Spring is here! The images of farmers’ markets and planting our own backyard or container gardens dance in our minds with delight … especially for those of us dealing with a long winter. Fruits and vegetables suddenly have a broader appeal when we see those first...
Tracking Trends for 2022 — It’s Vintage with a Technology Twist
“What is old is new again” may be the perfect description of the coming food and agriculture trends in 2022. When you look at new products on the “must have” lists, it is clear that consumers desire to connect their health back to nature. Turmeric, sunflower seeds,...
With the Rise of Plant-Based Milks, Is It Time to Say “Move Over Cows”?
Think about the last time you walked into a grocery store to buy a carton of milk. How many options awaited you in the dairy aisle? Growing up on a dairy farm, I had two options for milk, whole milk with cream on top or without (Holstein style 3.5% butterfat). It was...