Food retailers are embracing their roles as arbiters and curators of these food experiences, so we recognize the need to challenge FMI’s ways of communicating the priority issues of food retail to better depict our members’ dynamic marketplaces.

While food trends may change as quickly as your Instagram feed refreshes, health and wellness in food retail continues to grow into a mainstay in food purchase decisions. Food retailers report the top two trends they believe will most positively impact sales and profits are, first, consumers’ desire to place health and wellness as a value over price or brand loyalty (82 percent) and, second, consumers’ desire to use their food choices to manage and avoid health issues (77 percent).

The definition of sustainability has evolved enormously over the past decade, expanding into the broader concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). When we talk today about sustainable supply chains, it doesn’t just cover the environmental and energy issues at the core of FMI’s early work on the topic, but also areas like human/labor rights, sustainable sourcing, animal welfare, and food waste.

Food retailers understand that the fresh experience is dictated by the new expectations of a more engaged consumer, so it’s important for FMI to keep its finger on the pulse of the shopper, helping food retailers navigate consumers’ demands – and aspirations – for their produce, meat, seafood, bakery and foodservice items.In order to better know our audience and the environment, our organization commissioned notable research across the fresh departments.