We call them Macro Trends, and we’re thinking about them in the short term, and considering how they will impact things in the long term. Here are our picks for 2019.

Thousands of new brands hit retail shelves during 2017, with 49% of the top-ranking brands hailing from small manufacturers — defined as those earning less than $1 billion annually — and accounting for 26% of Pacesetter dollars. Overall, the top-selling 200 new brands captured cumulative year-one sales of more than $4.6 billion across IRI’s multi-outlet geography.

Thirty-one percent of consumers in Q4 2017 said they are struggling to buy needed groceries compared with 30% in Q4 2016.

Competing across categories calls for big shifts in pricing, messaging, packaging and more — starting with a major change in mindset.

Developed in conjunction with Deloitte, Chicago, the CGF asked all members to participate and complete those questions that are relevant to their businesses, while other consumer goods companies were encouraged to get involved.

Jeff Russell, who founded the company in Teton Valley, Idaho in 2009, will continue in his role as founder.

While private label growth was comparable but slightly greater than that of brands since 2012, growth patterns reversed in 2015 and into 2016.

Consumer interest in pulses is growing in part because the United Nations has designated 2016 as the International Year of Pulses.

IRI’s latest Times & Trends report, “Taking Stock of CPG Past and Future: Gear Up Now for a Year of Growth,” analyzes the lessons learned in 2015 and provides insight into several key trends that will drive growth in 2016.