The COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost every facet of our lives since the first cases appeared in the United States late last winter, so it’s no surprise that it’s had a major impact on what Americans are eating and where they’re getting their food.

The new FMI Talking Private Brands Series, designed for private brands professionals, brings to life Power of Private Brands insights, emerging issues and opportunities.

A reporter I was talking to recently told me that journalists have a saying that they provide a “first rough draft of history.” That got me thinking about the role of research and insights at FMI. We have been striving to capture what has been taking place in the food industry throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Through surveys we conduct with the industry and insights we share in our reports, FMI has been capturing the history of our industry during these unprecedented times.

I recently sat down with Barb Renner, Deloitte’s vice chairman and U.S. consumer products leader, for the latest edition of FMI’s webinar series called A FreshForward Conversation. Deloitte is FMI’s partner in FreshForward and Barb provided some timely and insightful observations about where the industry has been and where it’s headed.