All Posts By American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce

Sales of hot and cold beverages account for more than $181 billion in annual sales at foodservice outlets and totaled over 113 billion servings in 2016, according to Technomic Inc.’s 2017 Away-From-Home Beverage Study. This means that beverages account for $1 out of every $5 consumers spend away from home.

Source: Specialty Food News

Fruits and vegetables continue to lead the way in organic food sales, but proteins and condiments made big gains in 2016. The U.S. organic industry maintained steady growth in 2016, with food sales increasing 8.4 percent to $43 billion — breaking the $40 billion mark for the first time.

The U.S. organic industry maintained steady growth in 2016, with food sales increasing 8.4 percent to $43 billion — breaking the $40 billion mark for the first time. The sizable growth is even more impressive considering total food sales increased only 0.6 percent.

Organic food now accounts for 5.3 percent of all food sales in the U.S., another significant first for the organic sector, according to the Organic Trade Association in its 2016 Organic Industry Survey, conducted by the Nutrition Business Journal this spring.

Organic non-food sales also posted robust growth, increasing 8.8 percent to $3.9 billion, far surpassing the 0.8 percent growth in all non-food sales of comparable items, such as textiles, supplements and personal care items.

“The organic industry continues to be a real bright spot in the food and agriculture economy, both at the farm gate and the check-out counter, said Laura Batcha, OTA chief executive officer, in the association’s executive summary of the survey.

The robust industry continues to gain ground, gaining market share and making its way into new channels — such as convenience and drug stores, foodservice and the internet.

Organic fruits and vegetables held onto the top position in the organic line-up with $15.6 billion in sales, 36.3 percent of all organic food sales. Those sales were 8.4 percent higher year over year, more than double the 3.3 percent growth in their non-organic counterparts, and now account for 15 percent of all produce sales.

Organic meat and poultry sales shot up 17 percent to $991 million for the category’s biggest gain ever. Meat and poultry is one of the smallest organic food categories, but organic poultry moved beyond many years of supply shortages and grew at a rate of 23 percent — compared with 9.2 percent in 2015.

The other smallest category, condiments, is not a headliner but is showing interesting trends, according to OTA.

“Dips and spices both hit home runs, recording the highest growth rates within the food categories,” OTA reported. Organic dips posted 41 percent growth in 2016 with $57 million in sales, and sales of organic spices increased 35 percent to $193 million.

The survey did note oversupply in produce, poultry, dairy and eggs in 2016. The change in the organic marketplace from undersupply to oversupply “simply exemplified the ebb and flow of supply and demand as the industry grows,” OTA stated.

“The biggest challenge is how to grow at a rate that allows for farmers to be paid fairly for the extra work they do in organic … while also assuring stability of supply, shortage versus glut, spikes in prices versus drops in prices,” said Matt Dillon, Clif Bar’s director of agricultural policy and programs.

Growth in the organic sector also continues to translate into jobs across the supply chain, OTA stated.

More than 65 percent of organic farms sold product in wholesale markets in 2016, and more than 60 percent of organic businesses with more than five employees reported an increase in full-time employment with plans to continue increasing staff in 2017.

“Organic offers in many cases the choice for growth and more viable, stable prices for farmers and food manufacturers,” Batcha said.

Source: Capital Press

The story about Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market broke only a little over a week ago, yet it has already been told over, and over again, from almost every possible angle. Most stories have used phrases like “sending shockwaves across both the online and brick-and-mortar industries,” while others predicted dire proclamations, forecasts of further doom with big-name stores closing and prophecies of “death” for shopping malls, all blaming e-commerce as the inevitable culprit.

But the reality is that it underscores again and again how the intersection of retail and e-commerce is the wave of the future and is ushering in the long awaited “channel-less shopper.”

The doom and gloom so often predicted for brick-and-mortar establishments is being proved wrong again and again. The actuality is that retail is being reinvented by technological disruption and evolving into a fully integrated business model of bricks-and-clicks.

As an example, several retailers have quietly adopted this integration, focusing on the growing popularity and need for showrooming – offering customers a fully integrated in-store brand experience with the flexibility to purchase in store or online – and they are doing well. These include not only apparel retailers, but also the automotive, consumer electronics and furniture industries, among others. Showrooming has only increased consumers’ appetite for a variety of shopping options, making digital retailing and brick-and-mortar complementary. In that scenario, consumers enjoy the shopping experience, without shopping in the traditional sense at all. In many cases, they won’t bring home a purchase but, instead, buy online.

Read more here.

Source: Fox News

By Chad Dils

It was another great year at the International Dairy, Deli and Bakery Association show, but in case you missed it here is a little recap. I would say the theme of IDDBA17 was “The Store Experience.” Consumers can get almost anything they want to find online, so how do you get people back in stores? Provide an in-store experience which brings them in.

The Show and Sell area came alive this year by taking the concept of a traditional full service cheese island and transforming it into a full service Cheese Pub. Complete with ordering stations, bar stools and creative merchandising techniques, the consumer is provided a “choose your own adventure” in the cheese world. The Pub concept includes grab-and-go options for shoppers on the run, or they can sit at the bar for a more intimate experience. The cheese cube cones are a great way to engage millennial snackers with either comfort mixes or gourmet taste.

Create Atmosphere with a Grocerant or an Old Time Bakery

Another highlight was the Boom Kitchen or IDDBA’s take on an in-store grocerant. Sit down in a cozy patio setting under reused pallet light fixtures, and dine in a full service restaurant. Lower the level of the lights, add a small staff with minimal expense you can turn a typical dining area into a true experience for the shopper. At IDDBA, the chefs were fantastic and so was the octopus taco!

NEW YORK — Sales of specialty food and beverages reached $127 billion in 2016, surging 15% over a two-year period, while all food sales at retail grew 2.3%. The segment’s strong double-digit growth is expected to continue in the years ahead, said Philip M. Kafarakis, president of the Specialty Food Association.

“The consumer evolution into authentic, sustainable and nutritious and wellness, while still keeping a focus on taste, continues to drive the growth of this business,” Mr. Kafarakis told Food Business News. “When you think about specialty food, it represents almost 15% of what’s sold in retail, but we see opportunities in the future beyond just specialty food shops … we see it mainstream now, with regional and national retail chains, food service. We see huge opportunities in convenience stores.”

To maintain the momentum, the association is expanding membership to buyers across retail channels, he said.

“Our new vision as an organization is built around shaping the future of food, and our mission is built around championing, nurturing and connecting specialty food entrepreneurs so that we expand specialty food consumption,” Mr. Kafarakis said.

Produced by the Specialty Food Association, the Summer Fancy Food Show, held June 25-27 in New York, features the latest innovation from more than 2,600 exhibitors.

“Beyond the phenomenal variety of product innovation, this year is another record year for exhibitors and another record year for space,” Mr. Kafarakis said. “We estimate about over 180,000 different specialty food products on the floor.”

NEW YORK (AP) — A revamped nutrition facts panel designed to make it easier for Americans to see how many calories and added sugars are in packaged foods and drinks is being delayed.

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it plans to push back the deadline for a rule requiring food companies to use the new label. It’s the Trump administration’s latest delay of the Obama administration’s rules intended to improve food labeling and make foods healthier and safer.

The revised nutrition facts panel would make the calorie counts on packaged food and drinks more prominent, adjust serving sizes to be more realistic and specify the amount of added sugars in products. The labels currently list how many total sugars are in a product, including those that are naturally occurring, such as in fruit and milk.

Previously, the FDA had given companies until July 26, 2018, to comply, with smaller food makers getting an extra year. On Tuesday, the FDA said it intends to give companies additional time to be in compliance. It did not provide a specific deadline. Spokeswoman Deborah Kotz said in an email that details will be released at a later date.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association and other industry groups had asked for the deadline to be pushed to 2021, according to a letter sent earlier this year to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who was appointed by President Donald Trump. The letter was obtained by the health advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest.

In a statement, the Grocery Manufacturers Association said food and beverage companies want to help people make informed choices, but the “fast-approaching compliance deadline” was difficult to meet without final guidance from the FDA on certain details. For instance, the association noted that the FDA still needs to evaluate whether some commonly used ingredients in food products can continue to be counted as fiber on the new panel.

Read more here.

Source: CBS News

Σε κάθε κατηγορία προϊόντων, περίπου το 10% των καταναλωτών αντιπροσωπεύει το 30% έως 70% των πωλήσεων. Αυτού του είδους οι καταναλωτές ονομάζονται «super-consumers».

Οι super-consumers, για παράδειγμα, που αρέσκονται στην κατανάλωση hot dog, τρώνε πέντε κιλά μηνιαίως ενώ φθάνουν να καταναλώσουν μέχρι και 4 hot dog ανά γεύμα. Επίσης, «super-consumers» είναι οι χρήστες συρραπτικών που κατέχουν 8 διαφορετικά είδη, οι οποίοι ξέρουν τι θέλουν και θα αγοράσουν πολλά από αυτά ενώ είναι διατεθειμένοι να πληρώσουν παραπάνω από τον μέσο αγοραστή για να τα αποκτήσουν.

Ως γενικά χαρακτηριστικά, είναι παθιασμένοι και αφοσιωμένοι -μερικές φορές παρουσιάζουν και τάσεις εμμονής- ενώ υπάρχουν σε κάθε κατηγορία, από τα αναψυκτικά και τα αεροπορικά ταξίδια έως τα προϊόντα γρήγορου φαγητού και στοματικής φροντίδας. Αυτοί οι αφοσιωμένοι και διορατικοί καταναλωτές:

• ψάχνουν με ενθουσιασμό νέα προϊόντα
• πληρώνουν με ευχαρίστηση premium τιμές
• ψωνίζουν από την κατηγορία συχνά
• διαθέτουν γνώση του κλάδου άνω του μέσου καταναλωτή
• είναι περισσότερο δεκτικοί σε μηνύματα marketing
• εκφράζουν τις ανάγκες τους που βρίσκονται σε λανθάνουσα μορφή

 Ο «super-consumer» στον Κλάδο Αρτοποιίας

Αποτελούν το 20% των νοικοκυριών που κινούν το 24% της συνολικής δαπάνης αρτοσκευασμάτων:

• Ξοδεύουν 2.4 φορές περισσότερο ($357/έτος) με τον μέσο καταναλωτή να ξοδεύει ($143/έτος)
• Αγοράζουν 6 υποκατηγορίες από 6 διαφορετικά καταστήματα λιανεμπορίου

Η αποτελεσματικότερη ενημέρωση των «super-consumers» για την κατανάλωση και χρήση των προϊόντων άρτου θα μπορούσε να αυξήσει τον δείκτη δαπάνης στο 170, έχοντας ως αποτέλεσμα η βιομηχανία αρτοποιίας θα μπορούσε να σημειώσει δυνητική ανάπτυξη 14% ή αλλιώς να φθάσει στα $1.4 δις. σε πωλήσεις.

Ο «super-consumer» στον Κλάδο Deli

Αποτελούν το 19% των νοικοκυριών που κινούν το 24% της συνολικής deli δαπάνης.

• Ξοδεύουν 2.4 φορές περισσότερο ($481/έτος) με τον μέσο καταναλωτή να ξοδεύει ($187/έτος)
• Αγοράζουν 7 υποκατηγορίες και ψωνίζουν από 6 διαφορετικά καταστήματα λιανεμπορίου

Η αποτελεσματικότερη ενημέρωση των «super-consumers» για τη διαθεσιμότητα των προϊόντων στα grocery stores, τα οποία προσφέρουν μεγαλύτερη ποικιλία τροφίμων σε χαμηλότερες τιμές από τα παραδοσιακά fast casual εστιατόρια. Οι συχνότερες επισκέψεις στα prepared food stores σε συνδυασμό με την αύξηση του δείκτη δαπάνης στο 170 θα μπορούσε, ο κλάδος Deli, να σημειώσει ανάπτυξη 15% ή αλλιώς να φθάσει στα $2.6 δις. σε πωλήσεις.

Ο «super-consumer» στον Κλάδο Τυροκομικών

Αποτελούν το 10%  των νοικοκυριών που κινούν το 23% της συνολικής δαπάνης στο τυρί.

• Ξοδεύουν 2.3 φορές περισσότερο ($351/ χρόνο) με τον μέσο καταναλωτή να ξοδεύει ($177 /έτος)
• Αγοράζουν 10 υποκατηγορίες από 4 διαφορετικά καταστήματα λιανεμπορίου

Η αποτελεσματικότερη ενημέρωση των «super-consumers» για την χρήση των τυροκομικών προϊόντων, όπως για παράδειγμα ότι μια κατεψυγμένη πίτσα μπορεί να βελτιωθεί με specialty cheese ή άλλα είδη deli και να κοστίσει λιγότερο από μια έτοιμη/φρέσκια πίτσα σε εστιατόριο, μπορούν να ενισχύσουν τις πωλήσεις του κλάδου. Συγκεκριμένα, ενημερώσεις αυτού του τύπου μπορούν να πραγματοποιηθούν με την αυξήσει του δείκτη δαπάνης στο 175 και να έχουν ως αποτέλεσμα η βιομηχανία τυροκομικών να σημειώσει ανάπτυξη 12% ή αλλιώς να φθάσει στα $2.3 δις. σε πωλήσεις.

Το Τμήμα TradeUSA του Ελληνο-Αμερικανικού Εμπορικού Επιμελητηρίου ξεκίνησε σε συνεργασία με την International Dairy-Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA), το Cambridge Group και τη Nielsen Homescan  έρευνα αγοράς απευθυνόμενο σε λιανέμπορους και παραγωγούς με σκοπό να αναλύσει και να παρουσιάσει τη νέα κατηγορία καταναλωτή που ονομάζεται «super-consumer». Οι κατηγορίες τροφίμων και ποτών όπου θα αναλυθούν το επόμενο διάστημα θα αφορά τα αρτοσκευάσματα, γαλακτοκομικά, τα delicatessen και τα έτοιμα γεύματα. Η έρευνα αγοράς θα σκιαγραφεί τόσο τι προκαλεί τον ενθουσιασμό των καταναλωτών αλλά και τους τρόπους που χρησιμοποιούν το φαγητό ώστε να βελτιώσουν τις ζωές τους. Συνολικά, η έρευνα αγοράς θα ολοκληρωθεί/παρουσιασθεί το 2018 όπου θα εμπεριέχει ποσοτικά και ποιοτικά χαρακτηριστικά στις προαναφερθείσες κατηγορίες οδηγώντας σε πιθανές καινοτομίες στην παραγωγή των προϊόντων.

Γιάννης Μωύσογλου
Υπεύθυνος Εξαγωγών “TradeUSA”, Ελληνο-Αμερικανικό Εμπορικό Επιμελητήριο