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FreshWorks®

FreshFacts® Online

Eye on the Market

Consumer shopping patterns and cooking habits are heavily influenced by mothers even into adulthood, according to a white paper by Sullivan Higdon and Sink (SHS). "We buy what our mothers bought, to state it simply,” says SHS Food Think leader Tom Bertels. “FoodThink research shows the potential for brand loyalty is especially high with consumers younger than 45 and with today's moms." (Progressive Grocer)

Hamburgers are going healthy, just in time for grilling season. Animal science researcher Jim Drouillard has developed a technique that enriches ground beef with omega-3 fatty acids through feeding cattle, and says Americans can now eat healthier hamburgers without making a big lifestyle change. A quarter-pound hamburger made of the enriched ground beef contains 200 milligrams of omega-3. (MeatPoultry)

According to new research from Forrester, building retailer loyalty is a matter of the consumer experience rather than price. Trader Joe's and Costco Wholesale are leaders in terms of building brand loyalty through experience. Study author Maxie Schmidt-Subramanian said, "As long as retailers are priced reasonably in line with key competitors, and their prices stay in a competitive range, improvements in customer experience are much more critical to create and sustain customer loyalty than trying to lower prices." (Media Post)

A new study by the Journal of the Transportation Research Forum found that ordering groceries for delivery online is greener than consumers driving to the store to buy them. Delivery service trucks actually produced 20% to 75% less carbon dioxide than the corresponding personal vehicles driven to and from a grocery store. Delivery services with routes that cluster customers together to minimize trips had savings that were even higher. (Time)

A study from the Nielsen Perishables Group examined habits of successful in-store bakeries, finding that six in-store bakeries performed well above the national average. The common theme among the top-performers was wide appeal - not letting one category dominate the department. With product offerings that satisfy every meal part and a mixture of sweet and savory products, the in-store bakery can offer something for everyone. (Modern Baking)

FMI released "Food Retailing 2013: Tomorrow's Trends Delivered Today," a report on the grocery industry and its future trends based on data analytics and interviews. The study looks at grocery demand, consumer trends, merchandising and marketing innovation, and technology to examine the future of the supermarket experience. “The leaders in our industry kept coming back to three key words to describe the future food-retail experience: personal, digital and virtual," said FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin. (Progressive Grocer)