The tide appears to be turning for direct-to-consumer subscription boxes, including for food and beverage, with consumer interest dropping dramatically in 2021 compared to last year when the pandemic pushed many people to try the services as a safe and convenient way to keep their pantries stocked and their families entertained.

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Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What will it take to save sliding sales of D2C subscriptions?

A good mentor can tip the scale of success in favor of a startup, but finding someone who has the same values, time and no ulterior motives can feel like the best kept secret in the industry – especially to entrepreneurs new to the food & beverage space without established connections.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: ‘Mass mentorship’ platform pulls back the curtain on successfully starting a CPG business

Not many companies would be satisfied with or even strive to produce a food or beverage that tastes ‘normal,’ but the founder of the better-for-you frozen dessert company Killer Creamery couldn’t be happier that the taste of brand’s new ice cream sandwich is indistinguishable from the category’s iconic standard.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Killer Creamery finds sweet-spot in sugar-free ice cream, frozen novelties

A keen empathy for consumers, a deep commitment to innovation and an open-door approach to collaboration helped the founder of Nissin Foods not only capture the hearts of billions of people when he invented instant noodles, but also helped build and sustain two iconic brands that are just as relevant today as they were 50 years ago when they launched.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Nissin Foods’ Top Ramen, Cup Noodles 50th anniversary underscores importance of innovation, empathy & teamwork for sustained success, consumer relevancy

Retailers struggling with labor shortages are offering higher pay and better benefits to fill vacancies – but according to one industry player they also should embrace automation to ease the burden on and maximize the efficiency of existing staff to maintain employees and meet consumer needs with fewer resources.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: AI can help retailers struggling with labor shortage do more with less

Whether it is in-person, online or a hybrid of both, children across the country are returning to school – bringing relief to some caregivers and triggering anxiety in others, but either way almost everyone is headed to the store for classroom essentials, lunchbox staples and fast meal solutions.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: “Back-to-School means back-to-business for retailers,” brands, Valassis survey finds

The pandemic’s impact on frontline workers, including farmers and food manufacturers, paired with recent high profile social justice movements and spectacular displays of climate change over the past 18 months is spurring more consumers to look for and buy products ethically certified by independent third-parties, such as Fairtrade America.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Consumer interest, trust in ethical certification rises alongside social justice movements, coronavirus cases

While following a climatarian diet that prioritizes foods and beverages made in a way that protects and restores the planet’s health may still be niche, the trend is gaining traction quickly with some researchers and brands predicting environmental sustainability will be a top consumer priority alongside taste and nutrition within the decade.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: How do consumers think about sustainability when buying groceries?

For many women, eating and cooking at home every day during the pandemic has been a double-edged sword that offered them more time with family and control over their diet, but also added a burden that left many women feeling unsatisfied – opening the door for savvy CPG manufacturers and retailers to offer a helping hand.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Pandemic’s uneven gender impact reveals opportunities for product development

Sourdough bread and stretchy pants may have been all the rage during the early days of the pandemic, but as vaccines become more prevalent and US consumers begin to reemerge from lockdowns, they increasing are turning to keto-bread and other low-carb options as they try to shed the quarantine-15.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Demand for low-carb options rises as more consumers emerge from lockdowns

Live-stream shopping is emerging as a new frontier for food and beverage brands as homebound consumers during the pandemic looked for safe ways to discover products and stock their pantries and brands seek novel ways to tell their stories and drive trial after in-store sampling was put on hold.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: QVC, live-streaming help brands drive discovery, trial among at-home shoppers

Ever since The Coca-Cola Co. offered the first coupon in 1887 for a free glass of Coke at “any dispenser of genuine Coca-Cola,” coupons have helped manufacturers drive sales, stores generated foot traffic and both build loyalty -- but pandemic-related shifts in where and how consumers shop and the economic fallout of lockdowns has changed how brands, stores and shoppers engage with coupons.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Consumer reliance on coupons rises with economic fallout from the pandemic

More than 450 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees traveled to the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis last week for one of the first in-person food and beverage tradeshows since the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020 to showcase two years of product innovations and inspiration that had been delayed by the pandemic.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Emerging confection trends track pandemic-based desire for escape, connection & safety

While the pandemic shined a light on the role of diet and nutrition in health and wellness, it also revealed that most consumers don’t have a firm – or even loose – idea of what constitutes healthy – underscoring a need for more research and better education on the topic.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: What do consumers consider ‘healthy’ & how does that stack up to the truth?

After years of slow but steady declines, juice sales in the US are rebounding in a trend that may have originated with consumers seeking wellness-enhancing products and moments of intentional indulgence during the pandemic, but which industry insiders, including PepsiCo, predict will have a long-lasting positive impact on the category.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Juice sales rise during pandemic, but how long will the category’s growth last?

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FoodNavigator-USA Podcast

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