January is a time of reflection and for setting intentions for the year ahead. For food retailers, this includes reviewing how well they met customers’ demands over the holidays. Did your store have what shoppers wanted, when they wanted it, in the right quantity, condition, location and price? And did shoppers enjoy the experience?

It’s helpful to enter a new year armed with lessons learned in the prior year. This is especially the case for fresh foods, given the wide range of categories and the complexities of the business. In this spirit, I want to raise the profile of a few insights from FMI’s 2019 fresh foods thought leadership. These are all based on reports that leveraged consumer surveys, and the findings will be instructive for 2020.

Lawmakers recently returned to Washington to begin the second session of the 116th Congress. While 2020 is often correlated with hindsight, our focus this year will be on laying the groundwork for the future scenarios expected throughout this year and in 2021.

The private brands industry is well positioned to gain ground in 2020. Why do I feel so positive about the outlook? It’s because of a growing private brands commitment and strategic positioning by food retailers. These emerged in findings from two 2019 FMI research pieces: The Food Retailing Industry Speaks, and The Power of Private Brands-From the Industry.