SugarCreek: Brandworthy Food Solutions

Has the Private Label Revolution Arrived in the Food Industry?

Posted by SugarCreek

Mar 30, 2015 2:30:00 PM

Private labels have learned a lot about branding (ironic, we know) in the last 30 years. Take a look, for example, at Kroger's private label then, and compare it to Kroger's private label now. Clearly, attention has been paid.

But even in the wake of the 2008 Great Recession—when traditional economic theory would hold that cheaper, generic store goods should have been able to grab grocery shopper share from expensive brands—the success of private label foods has been somewhat mixed. Some private line categories even saw sales decline in the midst of the economic downturn.

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Topics: American food culture, Snackification, Retail

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

RTE Breakfast is the Next Big Market

Posted by SugarCreek

Mar 6, 2015 2:30:00 PM

Don't look now: Americans are starting to get adventurous at breakfast. With young adults increasingly demanding grab-and-go options at any time of day, the ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast market is exploding with innovative products and new tastes.

Take, for example, the Chia Company's introduction of their Chia Pod breakfast line— RTE, chia-based breakfast dishes designed to cater to Millennials' demand for healthy offerings, exotic foods and fast, snackified edibles. The line includes two versions of chia-oatmeal mix and one chia-based müesli.

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Topics: Snackification, Proteins

Can Sous Vide Help Us Develop Better RTE Snacks?

Posted by SugarCreek

Mar 5, 2015 2:30:00 PM

The ready-to-eat (RTE) snack market is of critical importance to many food companies now, because the increasingly influential Millennial generation is hooked on RTE. With their busy lifestyles and often-limited budgets, many young American adults opt to skip traditional, prepare-at-home, sit-down meals and instead substitute a series of small meals or snacks, as their schedule allows, over the course of the day. This trend, known as "snackification" has caused many food producers to scramble to come up with products that meet the demand.

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Topics: Snackification, Proteins

How Snackification Is Changing the Way We Eat

Posted by SugarCreek

Mar 3, 2015 2:30:00 PM

It's called "snackification"— the tendency of modern consumers to substitute a series of snacks over the course of the day in place of the traditional "three square meals" schedule.

Snackification—strengthened by the eating habits of the Millennial generation— has invariably changed American cuisine. Whereas bacon, for example, used to be predominately a breakfast meat, it can now be found as an integral ingredient in burgers, salads and even desserts. And though twenty years ago, it would have been virtually unheard of for a person to order duck at breakfast time, today Huckleberry in Los Angeles serves Roasted Duck Hash. The rules for protein choices have been thrown out; anything goes now.

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Topics: Snackification, Proteins