Unlike a book, you can judge a food product by its cover. In fact, more than half of American adults (56%) actively seek out nutritional information and guidelines on food labels, according to market research firm Packaged Facts in the report, Nutritional Labeling and Clean Labels in the US: Future of Food Retailing.

The company's recent agreement to acquire WhiteWave Foods, known for popular brands Horizon Organic Milk and Silk, positions Danone to become a leader in a lucrative—and still growing—natural and organic food and beverage industry.

Meal kit delivery services have exploded since their introduction in 2012, bridging the space between home-cooked meals and takeout. Meant to solve the perennial problem of "what's for dinner?," the services offer people a convenient way to cook at home without having to do the meal planning and grocery shopping.

For many consumers, choosing a meat and poultry dish at a restaurant revolves around "keeping it real": they seek all-natural choices that reflect their desire to keep human intervention they perceive as negative out of the process, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts in the report Meat, Poultry and Seafood: Restaurant Trends and Opportunities.

Further boosting dollar sales will be the premium pricing accorded products with the premium ingredients associated with “pure,” “real,” “natural,” and organic foods.

#DoPlants is trending and the recent attention being paid to plant proteins, both by ordinary consumers and the food industry, begs the question, are consumers more willing to eat less meat to help save the planet than they are to reduce their own chances of developing heart disease?

“Gluten-free,” “dairy-free,” “non-GMO,” “meatless”, and “cage free” are just a few of the most common and trendy buzzwords featured on a growing number of food and beverage products.

This has caused and will continue to cause changes in consumers' relationships with traditional breakfast foods, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts in the brand new report, Breakfast: Retail Market Trends and Opportunities in the U.S.

Meal kit delivery services are here, they are flourishing, and in the process consumers nationwide have found that answering the age old question "What's for dinner?" has perhaps never been easier.

America's love of cheese, combined with snacking trends and wider availability of quality cheese at more affordable prices, have been the primary catalysts for the uptick.