Blount Summit Serves Up Retail Trends, Solutions

9/6/2014

The Blount Culinary Summit, held in picturesque Newport, R.I., July 23?24, 2014, brought together about 50 industry retail executives, foodservice buyers and industry thought leaders to exchange viewpoints and perspectives on culinary trends, product development and packaged goods.

Hosted by Fall River, Mass.-based Blount Fine Foods, maker of soups, sauces and side dishes, this first-of-its-kind event was considered a huge success.

Progressive Grocer Editorial Director Joan Driggs presented ?Trends in Fresh Prepared.? A major incentive for grocery retailers to promote fresh prepared offerings is the narrowing gap between grocery and restaurant expenditures. Since 2000, the gap has narrowed from $50 billion more on at-home consumption to just $15 billion. The threat is compounded when weekly visits, 1.7 for supermarkets, and more than four for restaurants, is considered. There?s lots of opportunity in fresh prepared, according to Driggs, by simplifying the lives of grocery customers, particularly the 57 percent of the population living in one- and two-person households who are less incentivized to cook from scratch; making use of in-store nutritionists and developing healthy meal plans; tapping into breakfast as a daypart opportunity; differentiating offerings enough to be unique, while remaining familiar; and taking advantage of store personnel to make connections with customers.

In addition to Driggs? presentation, Legal Sea Foods Executive Chef and EVP Richard Vellante presented ?Sustainability in Seafood,? and Chris Warsow, corporate executive chef at Bell Flavors & Fragrances, presented ?Trends and Innovations in Flavors/Spices.? Other topics included marketing to Millennial, changes in CPG, and healthy restaurant trends.