SugarCreek: Brandworthy Food Solutions

Co-development tends to be a win-win for brands and manufacturers—streamlining sales and production alike. Yet for all the collaboration that happens between brand and manufacturer, there seems to be one aspect of partnership that seems strangely neglected.

While food safety has always been a primary concern for both brand and manufacturer, food safety stories tend to revolve around a failure to meet standards or a product recall. Few partnerships have produced newsworthy innovation—until recently. Lately, collaborative efforts to innovate food production seem as though they are finally coming full circle as brands treat food safety innovation on par with product development.

It used to be that food companies could place some coupons in the local Sunday circular and run a series of TV spots in order to successfully launch a new product, boost waning sales on an established good, or promote general awareness of a product line. But with the public having shifted its attention away from print and TV ads and into the cybersphere, some producers have struggled to find new ways of engaging consumers and sharing their food innovation successes.

At first, it seems like a contradiction: fresh, healthy meals that are also frozen. But thanks to food innovation, organic produce and natural ingredients can now be frozen at peak freshness— and that’s good news for consumers and food manufacturers.

After several years of decline, frozen food sales are expected to grow by $1 billion in the next five years, according to market research firm Packaged Facts. Gone are the days of frozen meals packed with enough salt and fat to induce a near heart attack upon the first bite. In their place are organic, low-sodium entrees that are vegetarian and vegan-friendly – and redefining the frozen food market.

While there is no lack of creativity in the food industry, moments of true innovation can be few and far between. After all, transforming creativity and inspiration into food innovation involves more than just taking on the next flash-in-the-pan trend that only sticks around as long as an infomercial.

The food industry has historically suffered from a high degree of turnover. Unfortunately, that places a significant upper bound on organizational growth and often results in underperforming sales. The labor market is tight right now. It's becoming increasingly difficult for restaurants and food companies to remain competitive in the search for top talent.

There's no doubt about it: bacon is big business in food service. Even in an era when people are becoming more conscientious of their health and increasingly turning to meat substitutes, the lure of crispy, salty, pan-fried pork is pretty powerful. There are blogs, books and even entire festivals dedicated to America's favorite breakfast meat.

So you're a chef who has finally taken the plunge and purchased a sous vide system. The allure of juicy, tender meats, bursting with flavor, of being able to pre-cook and store vegetable dishes without having to worry about mushiness, and of having the ability to set a cook time and walk away for a few hours was undoubtedly strong.

3D printers are the matter of the moment, and they seem to be popping up everywhere. They're leading the nation in innovative solutions for a variety of enterprises, including the medical, aerospace, and even automotive industries. In 2014, the technology made its first real foray into the food industry and has been evolving at lightning speed.

Building a brand story isn't just about creating snappy advertisements and designing innovative food packaging. It's also about cultivating an image of your impact on the community. This has never been more important. Millennial consumers— now the largest age demographic— are more inclined than any other cohort to base their purchase decisions on impressions of a company's ethics.

Millennial consumers— those born between roughly 1980 and 1997— are expected to be contributing an average of $1.4 trillion dollars annually to US GDP, according to a new study by Accenture. That potential future purchasing power has most marketers' keen attention. Writing for Forbes, contributor Patrick Spenner examined the rush to meet Millennial consumers' demands in the marketplace today.