The Insatiable Appetite

You may have seen the controversy around Alexandre Family Farms regarding allegations of mistreatment of cows and subsequent details regarding the validity of the claims and underlying motivations of those involved in the reporting. This got us thinking about a larger question: what are the lasting impacts of conflicting media information on consumer trust, and how can discerning organizations combat them? Listen to this week’s podcast for a fascinating discussion about how media, brands, and consumers influence public perceptions. We touch on important issues like: And in the spirit of transparency, we’re providing links to the primary articles referenced in this episode: The truth about organic milk[UPDATED] Report From Animal Advocacy Group Finds ‘Deception, Cruelty and Animal Abuse’ at Alexandre Family Farm in Crescent CityWant to know more about consumer perceptions within organic? As consumers become more aware of the nuances within the organic market, issues around safety, health, and sustainability are becoming even more prominent — and animal welfare is a key topic gaining consumer attention. We’ll explore the ins and outs of these issues and more in Beyond Organic 2024: Expanding Distinctions in Food & Beverage. Pre-purchase the report If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

Want a deeper understanding of the topics covered in our new Future of Snacking 2024 report? Hear directly from our lead researchers as they give a sneak peek of some interesting insights we uncovered, such as: About the report Future of Snacking 2024 – Balancing Intent with Indulgence explores the culture of snacking and how snacking is integrated into our daily lives. Built around our proprietary Modern Snacking Framework, this report provides a foundation for identifying opportunities in product development, brand positioning, and marketing. It also examines eight major snacking categories and the attributes consumers consider most important for each. Purchase your copy today to secure preferred pricing (valid through April 15, 2024). Purchase Future of Snacking 2024 If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

You’ve probably heard us talk about Hartman Retainer Services, or HRS, quite a bit. But you might still be wondering what kind of questions we can answer — and how detailed we can get (spoiler alert: very detailed!). On this week’s podcast, Rob and Alissa from our HRS team are breaking down some examples of recent client requests and the resulting deliverables, ranging from a deep dive on functional mushrooms to an analysis of evolving consumer needs within meat and seafood occasions. Listen now for a behind-the-scenes look at how we tackled these unique requests, and how this on-demand consulting service could help your organization. Explore the benefits of HRS Want to pick Rob’s and Alissa’s brains some more? Let’s talk about how we can tailor an HRS consulting package to your unique priorities and budget. Reach out to Shelley Balanko for a demo call: shelley@hartman-group.com If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

Plus, what the Kroger-Albertson’s merger says about pricing, accessibility, variety, labor and more Businesses face significant pressure to predict market trends accurately — almost like having a crystal ball. Although seeing into the future is impossible, you can come very close with the right insights and cultural understanding. Hartman Group’s Futurecast 2024 helps guide you through discussions on major changes affecting consumer behavior so you can pinpoint trends and pockets of demand for sustained growth. This week’s podcast offers an inside look at this strategic exercise, using the ongoing Kroger-Albertson's merger as a case study of the intricate challenges that Futurecast can help your business navigate. Ways to engage in Futurecast 2024 This customizable exercise can be done either in-person or virtually: Ideal for strategy setting with small groups and executive teams:Ideal as inspiration for large teams or divisions:To learn more about Futurecast and to schedule your session, reach out to Shelley Balanko: shelley@hartman-group.com If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

We recently had the pleasure of hosting our friend Julie O’Brien, owner of Seattle-based Firefly Kitchens, for a Trend Trek at Hartman Group’s offices. Julie shared an impressive spread of gut-loving sauerkrauts, kimchis and tonics, and taught our team more about the delicate fermentation process behind them. In this week’s podcast, Robert and Melissa break down (pun intended) highlights and key learnings from the Trek: Plus, get our take on how the growing consumer interest in fermented foods ladders up to other trends we’re seeing in both the health and wellness and sustainability spaces. If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

In this week’s episode, Alissa and Danielle are giving our listeners an exclusive sneak-peek into our new Ideas in Food report. They discuss several emerging trends and their critical implications: Ideas in Food focuses on the cultural roots of over a dozen trends and their implications for your business. You’ll walk away confident about where you can make the greatest impact in the years ahead. Purchase the report If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

The USDA organic certification is becoming table stakes, and many consumers are starting to recognize it may not be enough (more to come on this in our Q2 syndicated study). We sat down with Ted Robb, founder of New Barn Organics to chat all about the next evolution of organic. Nearly all New Barn’s products are Regenerative Organic Certified, including the first-ever ROC unsweetened almond milk. But their story goes much deeper than that. Ted shares an honest and inspiring perspective on: If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

This week we’re joined by Steve Markenson from FMI, The Food Industry Association, to discuss FMI’s ongoing work monitoring shopper attitudes and behaviors, plus a sneak peek of key findings from its latest wave of tracking: If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

In this episode, our lead researchers discuss key topics from our latest study on Gen Z and Gen Alpha: Gen Alpha (ages 0-12): Gen Z (ages 13-26): Listen now The Taste of Tomorrow report is now available for purchase, providing deep insights and actionable implications for companies seeking to foster long-term relevancy as these two generations mature. Get the study overview If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

A new year is full of promise…and long to-do lists. We know you’re busy, so we’re saving the data deep dives for future podcast episodes. To help us all ease back into our routines, our first 2024 installment of The Insatiable Appetite offers a few things to get excited about. Join us as we chat about new four-legged family members, professional goals, and new tech developments here at The Hartman Group. If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

As GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic gain attention and popularity, some suggest that it could impact everything from the alcohol sector to health and wellness products. Listen in as our analysts discuss the genesis of these drugs, dispel some myths, and hypothesize how your business may need to adapt. If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

Consumers are just beginning to make the connection between healthy soil and healthy humans, leaving many food and beverage companies wondering how to start incorporating regenerative practices. If you can relate, this week’s podcast is for you! Elizabeth Whitlow, Executive Director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, demystifies the who, what, why, and how behind regenerative agriculture and the Regenerative Organic Certification in our latest episode. Spoiler alert: it’s much less daunting than you think. If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

With all the buzz around Gen Z and Gen Alpha lately, it’s understandable if your team is eager to answer the question: “How do we reach them?” In this week’s podcast, our lead researchers challenge you to consider a different question first: “WHY it is so critical for food and beverage companies to understand these consumers?” From our POV, companies that can answer this question correctly will have a competitive advantage on: right Once you’re grounded in the “why,” insights and data on these generational cohorts become even more valuable. Our Q4 report, Taste of Tomorrow: Navigating Food through the Eyes of Gen Z and Alpha will uncover strategic implications for your business so you can ultimately answer the question: “How do we reach them?” Preview the Gen Z/Alpha study If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

There are 340 million people in the U.S., and those people engage in a whopping 500 billion eating occasions each year. The tricky thing about eating occasions? They’re pretty much invisible… Unless you know how to illuminate them. We sat down with David Feit, our VP of Strategic Insights and resident occasion-based sampling expert, to make sense of this mysterious sampling method in our latest podcast episode. Listen in to learn: If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

Our latest sustainability study found that 78% of consumers are concerned about single-use plastics, and 84% want companies to take the lead in developing more sustainable packaging solutions. Manufacturers— especially those that primarily use plastic packaging — have both an opportunity and responsibility to build consumer trust by making both their production and packaging more sustainable. Learn how the established beverage brand, Talking Rain, is aligning its sustainability efforts with current consumer concerns in our latest episode of The Insatiable Appetite. For more sustainability insights… Consumer expectations of corporate sustainability initiatives are growing increasingly complex. Learn how to authentically tailor your efforts to these expectations in our newly released study: Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal. If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

“Sustainability” has become an increasingly nuanced and complex topic over the years, leaving many food and beverage companies searching for answers. We’re addressing some of the hottest topics from our newly-released report, Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal, in this week’s podcast: About the report Is your company concerned with greenwashing accusations? Wondering what will help increase consumer buy-in on your sustainability efforts? Curious how issues like climate change, worker welfare, and third-party certifications are playing out at shelf? Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal answers these questions and much more. Read the study overview To learn more about the report and how it can inform your strategy, contact Melissa Abbott: melissa@hartman-group.com If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

How to authentically market sustainability efforts When it comes to your ESG efforts, the old adage rings true: honesty is the best policy. The good news is that you don’t have to have it all figured out — but you do have to show and tell. Rather than getting caught up on all the challenges food and beverage companies are facing with sustainability right now, we’re highlighting some practical paths forward in this week’s podcast. Learn how to harness consumers’ evolving relationship with sustainability and develop authentic communication strategies for your brand in our new episode of The Insatiable Appetite. Your complete guide to sustainability in 2023 This podcast only scratches the surface: we’re making sense of all the headlines, trends, and consumers’ conflicting feedback so you can confidently take action. Find your path forward to sustainability success with our new report, Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal. Learn more If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

Ever wonder how to reconcile what consumers say and think with how they're actually behaving? The answer lies in understanding how they interact with culture. Listen to our latest podcast to learn how semiotics can: culture-led blue ocean passionate and bold messaging Dive even deeper into the application of semiotics in our latest white paper, Signs, Codes & Trends: How semiotics can align your brand with culture. Download the white paper If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

What do a pandemic-forced restaurant shutdown, celebrities, Vikings meditating with cows, and the American dream all have in common? They’re all part of the Thor’s Skyr brand origin story. In this fascinating discussion with the Icelandic skyr company’s founder, Unnar Danielsson, we touch on brand authenticity, reimagining locale, and a host of other topics: If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.

Sustainability is not a fad. It's a long-term value that consumers across a wide variety of demographics are resonating with. But consumers don't expect you to be perfect in your quest for better practices. Instead, they’re looking for authentic effort and transparency around your goals. Listen to an insightful Q&A with our CEO, Laurie Demeritt, about seven crucial sustainability considerations in today’s food & beverage landscape. The Hartman Group’s Sustainability & Transparency 2023 study will examine how consumers navigate their environmental and social values, and how companies can respond. Learn more If you like these insights, subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter where we share data-packed infographics, insightful articles, food & beverage industry trends and more.