Articles Tagged with ''comfort food''

Data suggest restaurant menus can showcase new regional and global takes on chicken soup. This will give consumers new ways to enjoy an old favorite. As plant-based options continue to take off, soup provides both easy and innovative ways to incorporate more vegetables and meat alternatives.

The idea behind comfort with a twist—taking something incredibly familiar or commonplace and creating a new, unexpected experience with it—is a solid one. This is particularly true now as consumers have, for the most part, retrenched to comfortable items that require little thought and less challenge to make, source and enjoy.

It's difficult to say exactly what the new consumer will look like before the lockdowns nationwide are totally lifted. Even so, we can make at least two assumptions related to how the current crisis will shift consumers' demands and needs in regard to foods and beverages.

Americans desire food indulgence, and despite health concerns, some consumers don't mind if sugar is a part of indulgent consumption. Due to the impact of COVID-19, consumers stockpiled food, and many turned to familiar, comforting (and sugary) foods.

Periodically, Smithfield Foods engages in sessions called Smithfield Innovation Labs, in which chefs are invited to experiment with the company's products in order to generate innovative approaches for product application.

Barbecue is the great American religion and each region prays in its own way. And the hymns of flavor are represented in the dry rubs and the wet rubs, the marinades before the fire, and the sloppy, saucy slatherings applied after.

Americans seem to hold a similar viewpoint, as two thirds (66%) indicate they don’t feel guilty after indulging in their favorite comfort food.