SugarCreek: Brandworthy Food Solutions

We’ve heard a lot about fast food chains sourcing cage-free eggs, organic ingredients, non-GMO foods and sustainably raised meat. But another growing trend in the industry has been a move toward serving only antibiotic-free meat.

Late last year, for example, the deli sub chain Subway announced that it would begin transitioning to serve antibiotic-free poultry by the end of 2016, with a complete switch to antibiotic-free beef and pork by 2025. In doing so, Subway joined Chipotle, Chik-Fil-A and even McDonald’s (which has promised to source antibiotic-free poultry) in making a commitment to make such a switch.

Why the trend? Much of it has to do with consumers’ demands.

In October, Subway made headlines by announcing that they would stop selling meat from animals given antibiotics. The plan involves switching to antibiotic-free chicken and turkey next year and eliminating all other meat raised with antibiotics within the next nine years. The move comes in the face of pressure from consumers and activist groups like the US Public Interest Research Group. But many producers, including a number of those in the wholesale bacon industry, have expressed misgivings about the move. Is going 100% antibiotic free necessary or safe?

Bacon is big business. Americans mow down pounds of the crispy pork product each year as strips, bits, and every other product imaginable. But as consumers become increasing concerned with the healthfulness and ethicality of the foods they eat, some food brands and co-packers worry that the American appetite for bacon may be on the wane. The good news for these companies is that eating bacon actually has quite a number of associated benefits.

One of the food service success stories of recent years is bacon. This food, once priced so low it was nearly unsellable, continues to see its popularity grow quarter after quarter. And so, every bacon co-packer continues to see orders for all versions of this pork product—from bits and pieces to specialty bacons. But, there are reasons to believe that the trend could cool with at least a certain portion of consumers.

While Americans still love their bacon—chowing down about 18 pounds of it every year—consumers are showing more interest in the nutritional impact of their food purchases. Healthier alternatives to traditional breakfast foods, like turkey bacon, are rising in popularity. Now, even health-conscious grocery shoppers can have their bacon and eat it, too. Healthier and gourmet breakfast options have been steadily gaining ground over the last decade, and brands that offer upscale updates on traditional flavors can build market share by capitalizing on consumer demand for healthier twists on their traditional favorites.

While grocery shoppers may still pick up a frozen pizza now and again, the heat-and-eat meals have fallen out of favor with consumers of late. Many shoppers are eschewing these frozen dinners in favor of other options they perceive as healthier or higher quality alternatives like protein bites and gourmet foods. But pizza itself is a timeless treat. By adapting to current food trends popular with consumers, food manufacturers can win back business and give their customers the food tastes that they love.

Not a day passes without some sort of alarmist news story about the state of food in the U.S. Whether the topic is gluten, GMOs, paleo, pesticides, protein bites or antibiotics, the 24-hour news cycle feeds fears. But, many of the fearmongering is based on false premises or connections that have not yet been firmly established.

It's not just a cliché when people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Science has shown that eating a nutritionally sound morning meal can improve satiety and performance throughout the whole day, and health-savvy consumers are making a healthy breakfast a priority to get their days started right. But the days when mom would put on an apron to cook up a fully sit down breakfast are a figment from another era. With more people living in all-adult households, and few people having extra time to cook elaborate meals, grab and go options are more popular than ever: Breakfast bars, protein bites and other quick and healthy options are the choice of busy modern consumers.

Americans have always loved their snacks. Every day, 28 million people will buy at least one snack food, but grocery shoppers aren’t indiscriminant in their purchases. There are a few factors driving the trend toward these smaller, more convenient meals.

Consumers want to eat and still accomplish everything in their increasingly busy days. We've talked a lot on this blog about how grocery shoppers these days demand foods that are both healthy and grab-and-go.

Preserving "good" nutrition while simultaneously increasing shelf life and portability presents a real challenge to food producers. And now that the FDA is banning trans-fats, food producers no longer have the option of trading one off for the other. The industry must find more and better ways of meeting consumers' demands for healthy, single-serve foods.