3/29/2021 By Jeannie Swedberg…The DGA are updated every five years jointly by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. The guidance is supposed to help Americans understand the link between nutrition and health, and also to provide information about dietary choices. In 2015 the focus was all about defining healthy dietary patterns. The idea being there’s more than one healthy dietary pattern, which by the way was highly appealing because of our mutual desire for individuality. In 2020 Americans are being urged to make every bite count or as I like to think of it – eat more fruit and veggies. The mindful eating message is an acknowledgement that you are what you eat. The latest DGA are fourfold...READ MORE
2/28/2021 By Jeannie SwedbergHot off the (virtual) presses, I just received Mintel’s trend report, “A Year of Innovation in Salty Snacks & Fruit Mixes, 2021.” It’s a global look at the market and gives a sense of what to look for in the year ahead. Since these reports always include examples of new products from far flung markets, you get a glimpse of what flavors and snack types are launching elsewhere. READ MORE...
2/25/2021 By Jeannie SwedbergA recent blog in Petfood Industry had editor-in-chief, Debbie Phillips-Donaldson, pondering whether plants and plant protein would be the next big thing in petfood. Naturally, as an advocate for adding fruit in petfood and treats, this caught my attention. Ms. Donaldson gave examples of existing brands offering plant-based pet food (V-Planet, Natural Balance), startups with plant-based and vegan products (sweet potato/peanut butter), alternative proteins (microalgae, insects) and more. READ ON...
2/3/2021 By Jeannie SwedbergDuring all the grim economic news caused by the pandemic in 2020, the petfood segment managed not only to hold its own but actually continued its 10-year growth trend – a welcome silver lining. Despite everything, petfood innovation activity and sales rose during the past year. Through July of 2020, petfood and treat sales were up 4.3% compared to the same period in 2019, according to Nielsen data. And in 2020, new petfood and treat launches increased...READ MORE
1/21/2021 By Jeannie SwedbergLooking ahead is a sign of hope. So, it’s no surprise trend forecasts started turning up in my inbox earlier than usual this past year – some as early as September. But really, who could blame anyone for wanting to put 2020 in the rearview mirror? It was definitely a year that left us wanting.
As a whole, Americans are generally optimistic and look forward to taking on a new year. The annual tradition of making New Year resolutions – throwing out our old habits and ushering in new ones – is usually approached with gusto. Yet, in IFIC’s 2020 Year-End Survey, only 15% of Americans said they planned to make food or beverage resolutions in 2021. This is a substantial drop...READ MORE