Last year frozen foods were included in 9.8 billion eating occasions in home, up 2% from a decade ago, an increase that represents billions of meals, according to NPD’s daily tracking of U.S. consumers’ eating behaviors.

Perhaps the most significant effect social media has had on the food industry involves the visual narrative around food and beverages.

NPD Group projects consumer trends for 2019 and beyond.

After a decade or more of focusing largely on the needs, preferences, and behaviors of Millennials, the food industry is ready to focus its attention on Gen Z.

Between the money they have and the money their parents spend on them, Gen Z is already having a significant impact on the American economy.

New research from Mintel reveals that almost three in 10 (28%) Younger Millennials (aged 24-31) drink at home because they believe "it takes too much effort to go out."

"Innovation drives our company's growth, and snacks have played a large role in that growth since 2016," said Lauren Keller, senior brand manager at Columbus. "Since then, The Columbus® brand has grown 18%.  And we always keep to our San Francisco heritage and love for craft meats." 

For the last several years, there's been a culinary shift and belief that food derived from foreign cultures should seek to be authentic or feature authentic elements.

The key objectives of the study, titled, “Understanding Super Premium Soups,” were to explore what defines super premium soups for the Millennial consumer; to identify the key drivers of premium/high quality in soups; to understand the relevance and perceptions of premium across key soup categories; and, to uncover opportunities for innovation in the category.

For the industry to truly be innovative, and continue to be relevant well beyond the Millennial boom, insights professionals will need to look well outside of food to better anticipate consumers' changing relationship with food.