The Insatiable Appetite

This week on the podcast we’re joined by our friend and colleague, Steve Markenson from FMI — The Food Industry Association, to talk all about the latest installment of FMI’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report. Listen as we unpack the state of grocery shopping today:   

• Why we might be witnessing “the end of the primary shopper” 
• How shopper habits and sentiments have shifted (or stayed the same) as inflation persists 
• What is dri...

Despite an oversaturated landscape of brand partnerships, celebrity endorsements remain a hot topic for both consumers and business professionals. Why? Because when those partnerships are done right, they can deliver some pretty buzz-worthy results.  

In this week’s podcast, our Hartman Retainer Services team breaks down everything you need to know about successful brand partnerships in the age of influencers and social media:  

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You may have seen the controversy around Alexandre Family Farms regarding allegations of  mistreatment of cows and subsequent details regarding the validity of the claims and underlying motivations of those involved in the reporting. This got us thinking about a larger question: what are the lasting impacts of conflicting media information on consumer trust, and how can discerning organizations combat them?  

Listen to this week’s p...

Want a deeper understanding of the topics covered in our new Future of Snacking 2024 report? Hear directly from our lead researchers as they give a sneak peek of some interesting insights we uncovered, such as: 

• How needs around Nourishment, Optimization, Pleasure and Distraction highlight a shift toward more intentional snacking choices
• Why taste goes beyond just flavor, and how different dimensions of taste play a role in the o...

You’ve probably heard us talk about Hartman Retainer Services, or HRS, quite a bit. But you might still be wondering what kind of questions we can answer — and how detailed we can get (spoiler alert: very detailed!).

On this week’s podcast, Rob and Alissa from our HRS team are breaking down some examples of recent client requests and the resulting deliverables, ranging from a deep dive on functional mushrooms to an analysis of evolv...

Plus, what the Kroger-Albertson’s merger says about pricing, accessibility, variety, labor and more 

Businesses face significant pressure to predict market trends accurately — almost like having a crystal ball. Although seeing into the future is impossible, you can come very close with the right insights and cultural understanding. 

Hartman Group’s Futurecast 2024 helps guide you through discussions on major changes affecti...

We recently had the pleasure of hosting our friend Julie O’Brien, owner of Seattle-based Firefly Kitchens, for a Trend Trek at Hartman Group’s offices. Julie shared an impressive spread of gut-loving sauerkrauts, kimchis and tonics, and taught our team more about the delicate fermentation process behind them.  

In this week’s podcast, Robert and Melissa break down (pun intended) highlights and key learnings from the Trek: 

• Our fa...

In this week’s episode, Alissa and Danielle are giving our listeners an exclusive sneak-peek into our new Ideas in Food report. They discuss several emerging trends and their critical implications: 

• The increasing importance of texture and how it can enhance taste 
• Surprising ways sound influences our perception of food 
• Backlash toward everything being marketed as healthy or functional

Ideas in Food focuses on the cultural ro...

The USDA organic certification is becoming table stakes, and many consumers are starting to recognize it may not be enough (more to come on this in our Q2 syndicated study).  

We sat down with Ted Robb, founder of New Barn Organics to chat all about the next evolution of organic. Nearly all New Barn’s products are Regenerative Organic Certified, including the first-ever ROC unsweetened almond milk. But their story goes much deeper t...

This week we’re joined by Steve Markenson from FMI, The Food Industry Association, to discuss FMI’s ongoing work monitoring shopper attitudes and behaviors, plus a sneak peek of key findings from its latest wave of tracking: 

• How have shopper concerns with food inflation evolved as of the end of 2023? 
• How do shoppers feel about the year ahead, and what are their personal ambitions? 
• What exposure have American adults had to AI-en...

In this episode, our lead researchers discuss key topics from our latest study on Gen Z and Gen Alpha: 

Gen Alpha (ages 0-12):

• How parents are shaping food habits and personal values
• Exposure to diverse tastes and textures 
• Proactive approaches to social media and technology

Gen Z (ages 13-26):

• Digital connection and food “hacking” culture
• How food and lifestyle choices are intrinsically linked to over-arching values 
• Where th...