SugarCreek: Brandworthy Food Solutions

Does the Low-Carb Fad Mean More Opportunity in Protein Snacking?

Posted by SugarCreek

Jul 10, 2015 2:30:00 PM

What goes around comes around. Remember the Atkins diet? It's back. Well, at least Atkins is. It is once again marketing its low-carb food line with a new round of TV ads on CNN and other high-visibility cable channels. And this time, it's focusing not on entire meals, but on low-carb snacks.

A response to the snackification trend? Undoubtedly. An attempt to grab back market share in an era when protein bites are becoming increasingly popular? Certainly. But what does the low-carb trend mean for the grocery shopping experience?

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Topics: Retail, Proteins

Bite-Sized Breakfast: Exploring New Opportunities in Protein Snacking

Posted by SugarCreek

Jul 3, 2015 2:30:00 PM

A pre-packaged, ready-to-eat breakfast on the go? It's increasingly easy to get. Food companies have heard, loud and clear, consumers' calls for increased flexibility in breakfasting. And protein bites seem to be their answer.

So what are the opportunities out there for producers looking to move into the RTE or heat-and-serve breakfast market? Let's take a look at some of the possibilities.

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Topics: Millennial Consumers, Proteins

One Food Trend Begets Another: Snackification and the Rise of Protein

Posted by SugarCreek

Jun 1, 2015 2:30:00 PM

If you've taken a quick look around your local supermarket's checkout aisle recently, you've probably noticed an influx of beef jerky products flooding the space.

Why? How has dried meat suddenly become so popular? It's a multi-billion dollar industry with double-digit growth.

The answer, of course, is attributable in some part to the continuing snackification of America. About 1 in 10 consumers now report that they fully substitute snacks for meals. It's a trend born in part out of an on-the-go lifestyle and, in part, out of laziness. Busy consumers like Millennials just don't like to spend a lot of time cooking — at least, not on a daily basis. Many of them live, quite plainly, hand to mouth.

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Topics: Snackification, Proteins

Vegetarian Protein Choices Open a Whole New World for RTE

Posted by SugarCreek

May 28, 2015 11:31:24 AM

Raising and producing enough food to provide for the ever growing global population is a top priority for everyone from farmers to food innovators. This global conversation has covered more than a few hot topics: genetically modified foods, the agricultural cultivation of sea plants and insects, vegetarianism. In fact, dialogue in the industry has indicated a move toward diversified proteins.

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Topics: Innovation, Proteins

Better Protein Bites and Other Ways to Improve Shopper Satisfaction

Posted by SugarCreek

May 18, 2015 2:30:00 PM

Grocery stores across America are having trouble living up to consumer expectations. BARE International recently reported on a study of national customer experience where grocery shoppers consistently rated American supermarkets as mediocre or worse. Among 26 stores ranging from small, locally owned businesses to national chains, mystery shoppers gave 62 percent of stores less than satisfactory scores. Businesses that see this as a wakeup call would do well to focus on attracting the largest up and coming consumer population—Millennial foodies. And, for groceries, that means revamping the deli where protein bites offer a range of opportunities.

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Topics: Millennial Consumers, Proteins

4 Food Brands That Are Changing American Food Culture

Posted by SugarCreek

May 11, 2015 2:30:00 PM

Food culture in America has been undergoing Silicon Valley-style disruptions over the past decade, resulting in food companies and restaurants launching new products and services, and re-evaluating and changing procedures at a seemingly ever-increasing rate. Frankly, it's hard to keep up with all the innovations in the market.

But there are four companies we'd like to focus on for today's post. A few we've talked about before, so we'll update you on doings with them. One we haven't mentioned before, but we're pretty excited about its new product and its potential to influence consumer decisions. So, without further ado…

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Topics: Innovation, American food culture, Proteins

5 Foods That Fare Best in Sous Vide Recipes

Posted by SugarCreek

May 4, 2015 2:30:00 PM

Sous vide preparation isn't just a hot food trend—it's dang tasty. Sous vide slow-cooking yields incredibly juicy, tender portions of meat that are just unparalleled. If you want to wow your customers with amazing meat dishes, it's definitely worth getting acquainted with this style of cooking.

So what are the best sous vide recipes out there? Which protein choices lend themselves best to sous vide preparation? Let's take a look at five of our favorite meat-based recipes.

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Topics: Proteins

Is a Radical Break from Traditional Mealtimes Bad for Business?

Posted by SugarCreek

Apr 21, 2015 2:30:00 PM

The restaurant industry relies, in part, on consumers' adherence to the three traditional meal times: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wait, traditional? Who says?

According to Mother Jones, the development of these ritualized three squares is relatively recent in human history. It's a product of Western-style, agricultural civilization. Hunter-gatherer societies, like the Native Americans, ate whenever they could. Often that meant feasting when food was plentiful and fasting when it was not.

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Topics: Snackification, Proteins

American Food Culture: Healthy Lunch Trend Brings New Opportunities

Posted by SugarCreek

Apr 14, 2015 2:30:00 PM

Healthy school lunch initiatives have gone from idea, to law, to political brouhaha. The movement toward an American food culture that embraces healthier lunches and smarter protein choices may have started in the school cafeteria, but it certainly hasn't stopped there. High-level attention is being paid to fighting the epidemic of obesity among America's children and its adults.

The impetus for healthier lunches—in our schools and for our nation's legion break-skipping, deskside mealtakersis simple: as developed nations go, the incidence rate of diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses in the United States is tremendously high.

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Topics: American food culture, Proteins

What Protein's Rise to Hot Health Trend Means for Food Innovation

Posted by SugarCreek

Mar 19, 2015 2:30:00 PM

A multiplicity of protein choices have been around since the days of cavemen. Yet the trendiness of protein rises and falls thanks to changes in culture. In times of economic recession, it can be cost prohibitive to include typical high-quality proteins— like grass fed, organic beef— in every meal. Then there are the waves of health opinions that sweep the nation at different points in time, constantly altering the mindsets Americans have about traditional protein choices.

As, in recent years, individuals are becoming more educated and conscious about the nutrients in different foods, the country has been moving away from seeing protein solely as a side of beef—or, indeed, even a chicken breast or salmon steak. This awareness, when combined with various popular health fads like the paleo diet, has led to a surge in the popularity of protein in all forms, for all budgets and for more meals than ever before.

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Topics: Snackification, Proteins