Explore insights on the future of fresh food

Combining two traditional strengths may help grocery retailers compete in new ways.

Consumers love fresh food, but grocery retailers are not always on the same page about needs and preferences. Supply chain data, transparency, and trust may create better alignment and open the door to new opportunities.

With inflation top of mind, it’s difficult for consumers to look beyond price. However, fresh food producers and retailers may find an advantage in connecting consumers to healthy choices.

Even amid fresh’s success, frozen alternatives are making inroads with consumers.

The pandemic shifted consumer preferences. Demand for e-commerce rose, giving birth to new, innovative but costly delivery solutions. The change is mostly affecting the nature of the work itself. We analyze the preparedness of the food industry for the future of work.

Consumers are eating more meat and seafood at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are avoiding the grocery store. Is now the time to offer more protein direct-to-consumer?

Sustainable chef Joel Gamoran and Justin Cook, Consumer Products research leader in Deloitte’s Consumer Industry Center, discuss the trends from the health crisis that are affecting the future of the food industry.

It is more important than ever that items be at their freshest when purchased.

When technology is at the very core of business strategy, fresh food companies can be agile in the time of fast-shifting needs.

Traditional brands have been losing ground to private label and niche brands over the past decade, leading the consumer products industry to grapple with a big question: “Are brands dead?”

The second annual FMI FreshForward was held at the University of Minnesota in August 2019, bringing together leading fresh food suppliers and retailers to brainstorm and share ideas around three pressing issues: Impact of disruptive technologies, food safety and quality, and food loss and sustainability.

A strong consumer interest in fresh fruits and vegetables continues to foster growth opportunities for companies in this ecosystem. However, empirical data also shows a consumer tendency to spend more on premium products during periods of economic expansion but diminished spending during periods of economic uncertainty. Hence, economic signals beg the question: Does fresh produce spoil revenue growth?

Deloitte is a proud sponsor of the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America and Leadership Award. The James Beard Foundation’s mission is to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.

Evolving technologies are spurring collaboration, partnerships, investment, and new opportunities to improve product quality and reduce food waste. Our report offers unique insights into blockchain food innovations and their effect on this rapidly growing market.

New technologies and advanced analytics are available to help the fresh food value chain pinpoint the root-causes of fresh failures and optimize freshness from the field to the shopping cart. Advanced tools and techniques help producers, distributors, and retailers reduce food waste, identify freshness loss, and solve root cause issues.

Fresh tech for fresher food

This episode of our That Makes Cents podcast was recorded before the COVID-19 outbreak, but the conversation around improving supply chain efficiency, understanding consumer expectations around online grocery, and reducing fresh food waste seem even more relevant today.

Tune in to hear from this episode’s guests: Mike Balint, Director of fresh flow supply chain at Walmart and Josh Mellinger, co-leader of the Future of Fresh offering at Deloitte.