Hive to Honey

U.S. demand for food and beverage additives is forecast to expand 3.5% annually to $8.5 billion in 2014. Advances will be driven by increasing consumer interest in nutritionally enriched products and all-natural foods, which promotes demand for high-value premium and natural additives. As consumers are wary of foods with artificial-sounding ingredients, processors seeking [...]

Researchers have noticed that more than half of purchases are unplanned, but shoppers are still able to predict near-perfectly beforehand the amount they will spend. A new study, soon to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research, examines this phenomenon.
The authors approached 175 people entering grocery stores, asking them what items they planned to [...]

Mobile phones are fast becoming the way consumers find coupons, research products, compare prices and make purchases. It makes shopping easier for consumers, but that doesn’t mean retailers are thrilled at the prospect of consumers consulting mobile phones from their aisles — after all, does Best Buy want you to know that the item in [...]

There are other things Americans are doing or have considered doing in the past six months to save some money:
Almost half (45%) say they are brown bagging lunch instead of purchasing it, with 8% having considered doing so; 34% say this is not applicable to them;
Two in five (39%) are going to the hairdresser/barber/stylist less [...]

The problem: It’s not easy to know what prompts people to buy soup, except for something warm to eat on a frosty day. When asked why they eat more soup or not, people tend to “say they don’t think of it,” says Doug Conant, Campbell’s chief executive.
The company hopes the label and display changes will [...]

When it comes to pizzerias catering to customers with food allergies or diet restrictions, gluten-free crust is so 2009 – or rather, that goes for what’s usually employed to make it. Celiac Disease concerns are in fact growing, but those afflicted want more from their food.
Luckily, the ingredients used to make more healthful crusts [...]

Despite clear signs that the economy is improving, U.S. consumers are still exercising caution with regard to small purchases, according to The Harris Poll of 2,576 adults surveyed online between Jan. 18 and Jan. 25 by New York-based Harris Interactive. For instance, the poll found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults (63 percent) said they [...]

A new study released by health and nutrition market research firm HealthFocus International suggests that consumers are concerned about their sodium intake—and that quick serves may suffer from their concern.
According to the study, which surveyed approximately 800 people in November, 65 percent of consumers have at least some degree of concern for their sodium intake. [...]

You know that famous target of Burger King, the “superfan” that the chain has been courting with edgy campaigns such as “Whopper Virgins” and “SpongeBob SquareButt?” Well, it turns out a bunch of them qualify for AARP cards.
Burger King CEO John Chidsey After years of talking about how it’s targeting young males who consume prodigious [...]

More than one-third (37%) of those who turned to private labels during the economic downturn will continue to purchase them once the economy recovers, according to BrandSpark’s 2010 Best New Products Awards American Grocery Shopper Study. It was conducted between Oct. 12 and Dec. 8 with more than 50,000 grocery shoppers.
The poll found that the [...]