General Mills targets 55+ and Hispanic shoppers for growth

Next year begins the transition to Gen X dominance, and companies would be wise to prioritize the needs and products that are important to those born between 1965 and 1980, NielsenIQ’s X Factor report advises. @FoodInstitute reports. https://lnkd.in/gbQi7mVG

My colleague Kate Jones wrote a piece a while ago about the 'wellness drift' we're seeing in consumer health but Lauren Stiebing is right here that this phenomenon is much broader. Whether its benefit stacking, function integration or health outcomes delivery, brands are clamouring to find ways to justify their price premium over private label and re-inject value into increasingly commoditised categories. There's a risk here however, that established CPGs may panic and switch into reactive 'me too' mode - copying successful value propositions instead of truly understanding the consumer needs, motivations and trends that are driving their growth. The real opportunity lies in understanding the intersections between evolving consumer needs, cultural shifts and emerging technologies — and using those insights to unlock new forms of value, rather than simply mimicking what already exists. #cpg #innovation #growth #consumercentricity

the time for a portfolio analysis? Great insights from Lauren Stiebing outlining the impacts of the consumer shift to private label. whilst it may not be happening in every category, the team at Catman Jobs will help you skill for future success. #nymancareeradvice #catmanjobs #category #fmcg #costofliving #branding #food

Consumer behavior, category growth, and innovation continue to evolve as we head deeper into Q4. Here’s where Circana insights are shaping this week’s conversation: 🏪 C-Store Expansion: Circana expanded its convenience store coverage this week, unlocking $15 billion in perishable food insights. The enhanced view into prepared foods, dairy, bakery, and produce gives brands a clearer picture of where growth is accelerating inside the channel. See how this expansion strengthens convenience strategy: https://bit.ly/49UPR22 🥗 Ozempic Effect: In a look at how GLP-1 users are reshaping food choices, Sally Lyons Wyatt told Business Insider that smaller portions, higher protein, and value-driven meals are becoming defining behaviors across grocery and restaurants. Explore how these shifts are influencing menu planning and product mix: https://bit.ly/47WXLW6 📚 Feminist Horror’s Rise: A growing wave of feminist horror is redefining the book market. Brenna Connor was quoted in ELLE Magazine on how readers are gravitating toward stories that pair fear with emotional depth and social commentary, creating a surge in demand for the genre. Take a closer look at what’s driving the trend: https://bit.ly/49oJWlX 💨 Luxury Haircare Growth: Luxury hair tools continue to gain momentum. In an interview with Bloomberg, Larissa Jensen noted how some of the most premium styling tools have helped reshape expectations for luxury haircare. See what’s fueling this category’s climb: https://bloom.bg/49oJWCt 🎁 Holiday Spending Outlook: New Circana insights show shoppers are approaching the holidays with a mix of optimism and caution. Retail Dive shared insights from Marshal Cohen that consumers are still planning to indulge but will rely on deals, budgeting, and experience-led gifting. Learn how retailers can support this mindset: https://bit.ly/49oJW5r 🐟 Seafood Opportunity: Better information may be the key to unlocking seafood growth. Supermarket News highlighted comments from Chris DuBois, who emphasized that shoppers want clarity on sourcing, freshness, and sustainability. Discover how education can lift category performance: https://bit.ly/48f2cNq From evolving diets to luxury beauty, strategic spending to smarter sourcing, Circana insights continue to illuminate how and why consumers make their choices. #WeAreCircana #ConsumerBehavior #RetailStrategy #CPGTrends

A few years ago, few would’ve guessed that the global CPG giants would start walking away from their most traditional territory, food. But that’s exactly what’s happening. Unilever is separating from ice cream. Nestlé is investing heavier in health science. PepsiCo’s growth engine is Gatorade, not cola. And Coca-Cola’s innovation pipeline looks more like a wellness company than a soda maker. It’s not about chasing fads, it’s about chasing margins. Food categories are being squeezed from every angle. Private label is better, retailers are tougher, and price ceilings are real. Consumers are making trade-offs, and staples are rarely where they spend up. Meanwhile, wellness has turned into the premium playground. Skincare, supplements, functional drinks, and performance nutrition all sit in spaces where consumers see value in paying more, because they link it to results, outcomes, and self-improvement. And loyalty? It’s no longer found in the grocery aisle. Promotions shuffle share every week. But in self-care categories, once you’ve built trust and habit, repeat is automatic. Here’s how I’m framing it in boardrooms right now: 1. Follow the profit, not the nostalgia. Map where elasticity, repeat, and trade-down risk really sit. Reweight before the market forces you to. 2. Earn credibility before entering wellness. Don’t buy your way in with branding. Build or partner for science, data, and regulatory muscle. 3. Personalization isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the moat. The winners will know their consumers’ routines better than their consumers do. 4. Protect the core, but demand performance. Food will stay relevant — but only when it’s operationally efficient, brand-distinctive, and priced with discipline. The shift is already underway. The question isn’t whether food stays on the table, it’s whether it remains profitable enough to deserve its seat. If you’re leading a CPG business, ask yourself: are you investing in yesterday’s comfort or tomorrow’s margin?

Thank you, excellent insight. I fully agree, true innovation in food is still waiting to accelerate. Today’s technologies enable us to move beyond basic nutrition, creating propositions that deliver functional and emotional benefits, increase consumers’ willingness to pay, and restore sustainable profitability. Companies like Nestlé Health Science 👍and Danone Nutricia 👍are showing how ✅science, ✅data and ✅purpose can redefine wellness. And with Artificial Intelligence, the FMCG industry can now understand consumers in real time and design RGM strategies that are sharper, faster, and more profitable. #FMCG #Innovation #AI #ConsumerInsights #RGM #FoodTech #MarketingLeadership #GrowthStrategy

These shifts are exactly what so many of us in CPG are navigating right now balancing heritage categories with the realities of margin, credibility, and consumer expectations. I really admire how clearly this perspective lays out the path forward: science, personalization, and discipline. Wellness is rewriting margin expectations, and credibility is the new currency. A great read.

The CPG giants are TRAPPED. The new economy is here, and it's not built on cheap efficiency. For decades, CPG success meant scale and low cost. That era is over. A sophisticated Longevity Consumer is emerging—and they demand products that extend their healthspan. If your brand is still focused on general "wellness," you're behind. I break down the massive shift to The Longevity Economy and lay out the 4 core principles you must adopt to survive and thrive in this new landscape, including: -The Longevity Wellness Attribute (LWA): Why clean labels aren't enough. -Building a Longevity Lifestyle Brand (LLB). -Mastering The Longevity Stack for synergistic benefits. At BWS, we didn't have to retrofit—we were built for this moment. Read my latest Substack to understand why the next generation of powerhouse brands will be built on intentional longevity. 👉 Read the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/eWGQyTn8 #CPG #Longevity #Healthspan #Wellness #Innovation #BrandStrategy #BWS

𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 “𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝”? The latest earnings season across Food CPG tells a consistent story: the U.S. consumer is tapped out. Revenue looks ok on paper. Collectively, the top 14 grew sales +2.8%; however, volume continues to be flat. Coke, Danone, and McCormick delivered the trifecta of sales, volume, and EPS growth. Honorable mention goes to Hormel, Unilever, and Nestle for delivering sales and volume growth. The link between volume declines and U.S. market dependence is unmistakable, in the data and the management commentaries. The bottom anchors—Kraft Heinz, General Mills, and Conagra— are heavily US dependent. Even the top performers reported weak volume trends for their US segments. One has to wonder if the US has reached "Peak Food", with too much choice for a market fighting slowing population growth and multiple consumption headwinds (GLP-1, affordability, health trends). The industry built decades of growth on abundance, convenience, and expanding consumption. Now, it’s facing saturation. Since the end of World War II, the US CPG industry has been fueled by expanding consumption. This era has run its course, and now it’s survival of the fittest. One solution is for brands to focus less on selling consumers more food, and more on selling them better food. It’s game on in the battle for share. Who's got another idea? #CPG #FMCG #FoodIndustry #EarningsSeason #PeakFood #ConsumerTrends #BusinessStrategy