Mexican food is one of the most beautiful, fresh and flavorful cuisines and continues to grow in popularity, with more than 237 million Americans who enjoyed Mexican food and ingredients in 2018.

Generation Z, which contributes approximately $830 billion to US retail sales annually, represents an influential consumer group where wallet size and allocation provide a proxy for category interest.

Based on customer insights, feedback and foodservice industry trends, Sysco Simply's first area of focus is plant-based dining, which encompasses vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian and plant-based protein products.

SnackFutures is designed as an independent hub that brings three core tenets of growth under one umbrella to accelerate innovation: invention of new brands and businesses; reinvention of small-scale brands with large-scale potential, and venture investments with start-up entrepreneurs.

Mondelēz International will work with The Hatchery Chicago to offer educational opportunities and mentorship to entrepreneurs active in Chicago’s thriving food and drink scene.  

IFIC Foundation predicts that 2019 will bring a larger focus on the food journey, greater attention to food safety and allergens, continued consumer concern about sugar and increased popularity of plant-based eating.

Food waste varies from one category to another. Several examples involve canned vegetables, jams, frozen vegetables, as well as the baby food purée, baked goods, pasta sauces and wine industries.

There were an impressive 600 new, first-time exhibitors this year. As someone who has been going to Expo West for more than a decade, it was an amazing collection of better-for-you foods and top-notch entrepreneurs. 

Among the most important recent innovations identified by Packaged Facts in the report involves mashups—the crossover fusion of two or more beverage products that traditionally wouldn’t be expected to go together.

In addition to enhancing IRI market measurement and shopper marketing solutions in the Liquid Data platform, this joint solution will also integrate SPINS’ wellness attributes into other IRI applications, such as digital audience activation, advanced analytics solutions and market structure studies.