Food Origin, Transparency Gaining Prominence

Food origin is an important consideration for today’s shoppers, as they want to know how their food is produced, transported and handled.

This is one of hundreds of findings in "What’s in Store 2017," the latest edition of the annual trends publication from the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) and What’s in Store Online, a collection of more than 150 downloadable graphs and tables, as well as links to white papers and trends articles.

Other findings in the book’s “Eating Trends” chapter include:

• Consumers view health and wellness in two ways: fresh, less-processed food with clean labeling, and premiumization, which equates to high-quality ingredients, sourcing, transparency and storytelling.
• Non-meat protein options continue to generate interest among consumers, with 50 percent of surveyed consumers saying that plants are the best source of protein.
• Snacking is projected to account for $200 billion in sales by 2020, a trend that's driving innovation in snacking options, tastes and flavors.

“Today’s shoppers are very educated and seek out product attributes important to their lifestyles and beliefs, from food origin and transparency to freshness, ingredients and health attributes,” said Eric Richard, IDDBA’s education coordinator. “Supermarket fresh departments have outstanding opportunities to connect with these shoppers," he continued, "as many of the products found there are exactly what shoppers are looking for.”

For more than 30 years, "What’s in Store" has been a resource for dairy, deli, bakery, foodservice and cheese departments and industries, providing data on retail and market trends, growth, and category changes shaping the food industry. "What’s in Store" is a secondary resource that is developed through both interviews with industry experts and sourcing third-party data and trends.

This year’s edition again features a continuous storyline to improve user efficiency and provide greater clarity for professionals needing to understand today’s retail world. Through five themes, readers gain new insights and learn about marketplace influences: The Economy and Retail Trends, Channels and Competition, Consumer Lifestyles, Eating Trends, and Technology and Marketing.

The themed narrative is carried into each of the product chapters: Bakery, Cheese, Dairy and Deli. The new format, exclusive interview content, and inclusion of key insights, table interpretations, data callouts and testimonials enable the reader to more efficiently tie back to the broader context and then dig deeper in each of the product sections.

Additionally, "What’s in Store 2017" features redesigned tables, infographics that inform readers why the data matters, key insights, a greater number of original expert interviews, and more graphics to illustrate best-in-class examples.

IDDBA members receive a free copy of "What’s in Store" as part of their membership. Additional copies may be purchased; the price per copy is $99 for members and $399 for nonmembers.

Madison, Wis.-based IDDBA is a nonprofit membership organization serving the dairy, deli, bakery, cheese and supermarket foodservice industries.