Healthy Versus “Healthy”

The New York Times recently released an article detailing the differences between what nutritionists think is healthy versus what the general public believes is better for you. While a difference between the public and nutritionists is to be expected, NYT discovered quite a disparity in ranking within each group as well. Certain foods obviously ranked…

Saving Cereal

Sales in the cereal category have fallen, and companies are trying to gain intuition around how to hold onto their current consumers and bring back some of those they have lost. In general, people are eating breakfast differently. They’re saving the first meal of the day for work or are reaching for yogurt, breakfast sandwiches,…

Fat, Salt, and Sugar: Together Again.

Margarine is good. Margarine is bad. Diet soda is the key to weight loss. Diet soda will give you cancer. Fat free is the way to be. Fat is your friend. No sugar. Yes sugar, no high fructose corn syrup. Hooray for cane sugar! Exhausted yet? When it comes to defining what is “healthy,” the…

Your Macaroni Isn’t What You Think It Is

In a surprising announcement, Kraft has revealed that their most loyal customers have been purchasing a new formula of the “Blue Box” macaroni and cheese they’ve loved for decades. The biggest revelation from this announcement? Barely anyone has noticed. History has shown that when a new formula for a favorite product is unveiled, there’s often…

Much Ado about Betty

When you think of baking, more likely than not, Betty Crocker comes to mind. A staple of the baking aisle for nearly 95 years, Betty has been a welcome member of many American homes. But now, in 2016 Betty Crocker is becoming more like a distant relative that visits for the holidays. These days, consumer…

Beneficial Beverages Bust Big Brand Barriers!

Choices in the beverage category have changed dramatically from Coke or Pepsi. Words like “natural energy,” “cold-pressed,” and “probiotic” are cropping up in every day drink conversation. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that traditional beverages are losing ground to niche concepts. High sugar beverages, such as soda, are on the decline as better for you…

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Perimeter shopping is the latest and greatest trend in the grocery game, particularly for millennials. Consumers are eating more fresh produce and meats, and companies that have traditionally dominated the interior of the grocery store are looking for new ways to meet shoppers’ desires. The pace with which this trend has increased is fast and…

Müller and Missed Opportunities

Four to five years ago, PepsiCo and Müller partnered to take the US  yogurt category by storm.  Müller, the name in yogurt throughout much of Europe, was bringing their sidecar cup design across the pond and using PepsiCo’s US retail expertise to steal share from an already hostile and dynamically changing yogurt category. Fast forward…

Perceiving is Believing

When it comes to product ingredients, thinking about how consumers perceive them can be more beneficial than solely focusing on “proven” health benefits. In his article Identifying Health Ingredients, Keith Nunes discusses how Canadean, a market research company, conducted a global survey asking consumers to evaluate 100 common ingredients. Respondents were asked to rank ingredients…

More Protein, Mightier Beer?

Mighty Squirrel Brewing company has developed a high-protein (at 5 grams) beer and is expanding distribution within the U.S.  As a fan of the exploding craft beer scene—especially with our office being surrounded by so many breweries in NE Minneapolis—and as someone who has tested more protein-oriented products than one can imagine, this seemed like an…