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Consumers respond to raw price deal in fresh eggs
If Rocky was being produced today, the underdog boxer from Philly might never have made it through his training regimen. The cost of fresh eggs which he drank raw for protein has skyrocketed in 2007, and that might have been his economic knockout punch.
While retailers reaped abnormal category gains in dollar sales, budget-minded consumers prolonged a four-year decline in their consumption of prepackaged, UPC-coded fresh eggs in the latest 52 weeks ended December 29, 2007. read more
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Biofuels demand raises cereal prices, slows sales
The energy crisis has darkened America's breakfast bowls. Despite world cereal production of a record 2.101 million tons in 2007, up 4.6 percent from a year ago, "international cereal prices in November remained high and volatile, reflecting sustained demand, particularly from the biofuels industry," read the latest Crop Prospects and Food Situation report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. read more
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Catching Up With Catsup
Catsup is the epitome of what a condiment ought to be - an almost ubiquitous (bought by close to 70 percent of American households), highly productive (generating close to 500 million a year in terms of equivalized unit volume) category, albeit one that doesn't generate much sales growth.
Still, not bad for a condiment that can be traced back to 1711, when, according to WorldWideWords.org, it is first mentioned in books as originating from China and Japan. read more
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Retailers huff and puff over cigarettes
Headlines came quickly when 71-store Wegmans in upstate New York said it would no longer sell tobacco products after Feb. 10 (and would therefore skip a stream of hefty allowances). "As a company, we respect a person's right to smoke, but we also understand the destructive role smoking plays in health," said CEO Danny Wegman in a brief prepared statement.
Yet when Mollie Stone's Markets ousted the category from its eight San Francisco Bay area stores seventeen months ago, executives earned the support of the American Heart Association, but the decision didn't start a retailing trend. read more
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Frozen pie sales begin to thaw
With familiar imagery of home-baked pies cooling on windowsills, and diner waitresses serving slices all day long with coffee or ice cream, pies are a classic American comfort food.
Even better, marry the convenience of frozen with the popular treat, so it can be stored and served when company arrives or a craving strikes, make easy oven warming the way to stimulate guests through smell—and you have the traditional winning formula for frozen pies that appeals to too-busy-to-bake household shoppers. read more
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Signs Of An Economic Downturn...& How Consumers Are Responding
There is much debate around the country - in political debates, newspapers, magazines and on radio and television programs - about whether or not the nation indeed is in recession.
Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, said recently that it doesn't matter whether or not economists think the U.S. is in a recessionary period. "The consumer is in a recession," he said.
There was a story the other day in the Wall Street Journal, noting that investors and market analysts will be watching as the Coca-Cola Co. read more
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CHANNEL WATCH
The Nielsen Company estimates that during the 52-week period ending on June 30, 2007, over $5.4 billion was spent across all retail channels in the Cough & Cold Remedies category which includes Adult Cold Remedies, Children's Cold Remedies, Cough Drops, Cough Syrups & Tablets, Throat Lozenges, Internal Nasal Products, Sinus Remedies, External Breathing Aids, and Vaporizing Products. read more
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Our shoppers are nervous...
With over 900 product recalls in 2007 they probably should be!
Over the past 18 months this is what our shoppers heard...
The largest beef recall ever on February 17, 2008: 134 million pounds of frozen ground beef. And to top it off, videos which show animal abuse and underscore how the desire for profits is more important than a safe food supply.
21.7 million pounds of ground beef recalled after reports of 25 cases of E. read more
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Consumer 360
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Facts, Figures, & the Future Newsletter
Click here for your FREE subscription to Facts, Figures, & the Future.
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FMI Annual Financial Review
For this in-depth financial review of the supermarket industry with key ratios and trends for benchmarking performance, click here.
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U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2007
FMI's best-selling report, U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends, tracks the consumer environment as well as the attitudes and behaviors of American consumers as they relate to and impact the food industry. The report focuses on better data and knowledge of the grocery shopper, understanding the role of food and nutrition in today's society and providing retailers and suppliers with operationally useful information needed in serving, communicating and improving relations with their customers. read more
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Food, Nutrition & Science
We've just launched a brand new monthly newsletter: Food, Nutrition, & Science from The Lempert Report.
Our mission is to provide retailers and brands with the latest food news and the tools needed to better serve and empower our shoppers to make the best food choices possible. Each issue will contain interviews with leading researchers, nutritionists and trend setters. read more
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Phil's Supermarket
Give your products a Second Life! Where can more than seven million consumers connect with your brand around the clock? CLICK HERE for more information.
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Food retailers had another great fiscal year in 2006-2007, as profits remained well above a "penny on the dollar." In fact, at 1.91 percent, the average net profit for the industry was at its highest point in the 38 years that the Food Marketing Institute has measured this figure. This was the third consecutive year that profits increased. The industry earned these profits in the aisles of their stores as retailers are serving consumers with the right mix of products while keeping inventory levels down. 
In last month's F3, we updated our research on consumer reaction to high gas prices. From our previous work on this subject, we know that households with varying levels of income have unique driving habits and rely on diverse means to deal with higher gas prices. In the wake of all of the talk about our softening economy, it is apparent that a retailer's or manufacturer's risk or opportunity in 2008 and beyond is a function of the degree to which retailer or brand sales are skewed to low and/or high income households. 
