Category: News

Food industry trends are always evolving. As a professional in the food industry, you know how important it is to stay abreast of market changes. But sometimes, remaining updated isn’t enough. Keeping up with changes in the food industry needs to also include embracing new technologies. This will help you plan ahead and develop your firm.

As an example, the following are three food and beverage sector trends happening right now, as well as how technology could play a part in helping your company come out on top.

1. Employment Trends

Accounting and food manufacturing experts predict that up to 4.6 million industrial positions may go vacant in the next decade. The reasons for this are myriad. It’s a perfect storm of an aging population, pandemic conditions and difficulty with communicating to younger generations the benefits of working in the food industry.

This projection is alarming for food producers and processors who rely on specially trained workers for production, manufacturing, inventory management and shipping. It’s never been more critical for food firms to future-proof their operations in an industry with razor-thin margins and rising manufacturing costs.

Companies that rely on antiquated systems or spreadsheets to operate their operations risk losing valuable information when staff depart and jobs go vacant for long periods of time.

Utilizing specialty technology that has been developed for the food sector, all production, manufacturing, finance, purchasing, sales, and inventory data is stored within the company’s system, so no data is lost as people leave. Therefore, training new employees on a user-friendly, simplified solution reduces onboarding time, resulting in increased productivity and overall business development.

2. Global Commerce Using a Food Industry Consultant

Global commerce has never been more important in the food industry. It’s no wonder that the food business is feeling a great deal of anxiety as supply chains are being disrupted. These rapid market shifts, along with newly-imposed rules and taxes, make it difficult for food producers and processors to predict industry patterns and rely on demand-driven production. This volatility makes it difficult for food businesses reliant on overseas commerce to plan and budget.

It’s never been more critical for food firms to have access to local inventory, financial, and production data. The end-to-end visibility that a technological solution provides allows food makers and processors to effectively handle market unpredictability and respond swiftly to changing requirements, laws, and customer expectations.

Using a food industry consultant, food businesses can manage pricing and remain competitive in a volatile market. A food industry consultant can also leverage technology on behalf of the food business to help with yield management, catch-weight analysis, and keep a handle on production pricing, which can also help a food business to keep costs competitive.

3. Accountability

Tracing materials and ingredients throughout the supply chain from start to finish are still major trends in the food business. “Local” and “ethically grown” have always been difficulties for huge producers and processors that struggle to connect with end consumers and reinforce authenticity claims. Transparency and front-facing traceability provide consumers with confidence in a brand’s authenticity and security.

A food industry consultant can help to come up with tailored solutions for food business professionals, offering the information they need to comply with food safety requirements. This enables food manufacturers and processors to have complete tracing and transparency in all steps of the supply chain.

Keeping up with new and developing trends is critical for food makers and producers trying to expand. Food industry consultants play a major role in staying up to date as well as harnessing the latest technologies to help your food business thrive in any market.

If you’ve been looking to make a move into the food industry lately, then perhaps you’d be interested in a food broker position. A food broker is a sales professional who specializes in helping food manufacturers get their product on store shelves. They use their business contacts and experience in the industry to make sure that manufacturers are getting a fair price for their product, and that it is being promoted properly in stores.

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? It gets even better – the average food broker’s gross salary in Canada is almost $77,000 a year!

Ah, now we’ve got your attention! Before you start applying, though, it’s important to make sure you have the correct qualifications and experience for the job. Keep reading to learn about the steps to becoming a food broker.

Step 1: Earn Your High School Diploma

Most food brokers start their journey by graduating from high school. While this isn’t necessarily a highly technical field, it is helpful to have some basic education if you want to be successful.

It’s also not a bad idea for prospective food brokers to start getting some experience under their belt during this time. Many grocery stores will hire high school students on a part-time basis, so this would be a good place to start learning about the industry.

Step 2: Get a Bachelor’s Degree in a Related Field

While post-secondary education isn’t technically a requirement, it can certainly help you stand out in a competitive industry. If you do decide to go this route, try and choose a field that would be useful in a food broker position. 

For example, a bachelor’s degree in agriculture or food science may help you understand more about the food production process. On the other hand, you could also go for something like finance or business. These may be helpful in your future negotiations with wholesale and retail stores.

Step 3: Obtain Certifications (If Required)

You may be required to obtain certifications in order to become a food broker in your area. Now, these requirements can vary considerably depending on where you live, so get in touch with your local health department to learn more. 

Step 4: Get Some Experience

While having the right education and certifications are important, having the right experience can be extremely valuable for a food broker. In fact, having strong person-to-person sales skills is practically essential to finding success in this type of position.

If you don’t already have considerable skills in this area, then you may want to look into some entry-level sales jobs before applying at a food brokerage. While a lot of food brokers work independently, it is extremely helpful to build up connections through a brokerage before attempting to make it on your own.

Step 5: Earn Money

Even though you don’t necessarily need to have a bachelor’s degree or a ton of experience, these things will almost certainly help you out when it comes to making money. Food brokers typically work on commission, so your annual income is directly dependent on your ability to obtain clients and make sales.

There seems to have been an increased focus on environmental and social issues within the last few years, and consumers have begun to take note. As a result, they demand more from today’s businesses on these topics, in terms of taking accountability for their negative contributions and changing their practices for the better. There’s a reason why the positive social and environmental efforts of businesses tend to be so heavily advertised on their products these days – consumers want to hear it!

One way that some companies can advertise their positive impact is by sticking a “Certified B Corporation” label on their products. The only problem is, not every consumer knows what that means.

What is a Certified B Corporation?

In short, a Certified B Corporation is a designation given by B Lab, a nonprofit organization, to businesses that demonstrate high levels of social and environmental responsibility, transparency, and accountability for their impact on all stakeholders, not just shareholders.  Unlike a lot of businesses, B Corps aren’t only focused on profits, but on the triple bottom line: profit, people, and the planet.

How Can I Tell if Something is a B Corp Product?

If you want to support socially and environmentally-conscious organizations, then look for B Corp products. These products will be labelled with a “Certified B Corporation” symbol that looks like a capital B in a circle with a line underneath.

How Does a Business Become a Certified B Corp?

The exact route that companies must take to become Certified B Corps depends on their size and complexity, at least to an extent, but they all basically follow a similar process to achieve certification. You can check out the detailed 15-step process here, but if you’d rather not get too bogged down in the details, it can generally be summarized into the following 3 steps:

1) Demonstrate How Their Business Can Be Used for Good

As previously mentioned, if a company is chasing a B Corp certification, their bottom line has to be about more than just profits. They must also believe that their company is contributing some kind of good to the world, making it more environmentally friendly and inclusive to everyone. They should be able to clearly articulate their social and environmental goals, be accountable to all stakeholders, and be managed transparently in a way that allows B Lab to monitor their performance publicly on their website.

2) Take the B Impact Assessment

If the business feels as if they meet the requirements for B Corp certification, then the next step would be to take the free, confidential online assessment. The full assessment takes about 2-3 hours to complete, and gives a business access to its “B score”, which needs to be at least 80/200 in order to be eligible for B Corp certification.

3) Change Articles of Incorporation

The final step is for a company to change its articles of incorporation to reflect its commitment to the greater good. They have one year to do this after certification to show that these beliefs are really a part of their organization, and not just a good PR move.

Does your brand use environmentally friendly packaging?

If not, it may be time to rethink your design. Consumers seem to be showing a preference for eco-friendly products, designs, and businesses in 2021, and it’s expected that this trend will continue into 2022. In fact, the global green packaging market is projected to grow from $267.83 billion USD in 2021 to $385.34 billion USD by 2028, so it’s a good time to start looking into more sustainable packaging solutions, as your competition is likely doing the same.

For those who are looking to stay ahead of the eco-friendly packaging game, here are some of the eco-conscious packaging trends to watch out for in 2022.

Compostable Packaging

Some brands have already made the switch to compostable packaging, much to the joy of eco-conscious consumers. Instead of taking up space in a landfill, compostable packaging can break down and release nutrients into the earth, creating the right conditions for new plants to grow. It also helps minimize carbon emissions related to the hauling and processing of materials, further reducing a business’ carbon footprint. Some examples of compostable packaging that you may want to investigate include starch, paper, recycled paper pulp, and moulded palm fibre.

Smart or Connected Packaging

Have you noticed that some companies have been including QR codes on their packaging lately? This kind of smart or connected packaging uses these QR codes to allow brands to share information about their products that may be of interest to the customer. If they’re trying to appeal to the eco-conscious consumer, they may include information about the product’s source ingredients, what kinds of sustainable practices were used to produce it, and information on how to dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner. Essentially, you’re letting your customers learn more about your products without creating any extra waste, which is a win for both the customer and the environment.

Micro-Perforated Films

If you’re in the food business, then you may want to consider using micro-perforated films in your packaging materials. These films contain tiny holes that allow air to circulate around the product while still protecting it from the outside environment. This can help extend the shelf life of products such as fresh produce, which in turn helps reduce food waste. The less wasteful we are the better for the environment, and customers will likely appreciate the effort.

Local Packaging Suppliers

While using eco-friendly packaging materials are an important step toward implementing more sustainable practices, they’re certainly not the only piece of the puzzle. If brands really want to show some accountability for their environmental impact, then they also need to consider how they’re going to reduce their carbon footprint. And one of the best ways to do this is to support local.

Companies that choose local packaging suppliers over those overseas can cut down significantly on the fuel emissions that come along with shipping packages all over the world, which is good news for the environment. And, as a bonus, customers tend to like brands that invest in their local community, so you’d be appealing to both the eco-conscious and those who strive to support local.

If you’re interested in starting an online food business, you couldn’t ask for a better time in history. Online food sales offer extremely lucrative opportunities for growth. With the strong digital infrastructure all over the world as well as intense consumer interest in purchasing food online, the sky’s the limit as far as online food sales go. So, whether you are thinking about a subscription-based online food business or straight sales, here is the ultimate guide to getting started.

Identify Your Niche

Supply and demand has to be your first decision. You want to sell what customers are looking for, while staying within your area of expertise. This will include identifying what you are good at. Are you interested in selling jars of your grandmother’s secret recipe for strawberry jam? That’s a good niche, as long as there’s consumer demand for strawberry jam. Are you looking to sell dehydrated goods for survivalists? That’s a strong niche product right now in these uncertain times. But are you knowledgeable about dehydrated foods and how to safely produce and package them? You see, there needs to be a connection between what you know and consumer demand. That is where you will find your niche.

Define Your Target Consumer

Once you find your niche, you need to know who your target consumer is. If you’ve chosen dehydrated foods, for instance, you already know that your main consumer will be homesteaders and survivalists. But what do you really know about these consumers beyond that? You should build a consumer profile. Figure out how they think, where they shop and what informs their buying decisions. Learn where they hang out online, how much food they typically buy online and what brands they are attracted to. All of this will inform your marketing and advertising choices.

Get Licensed

You’ll need to be a licensed business owner in order to sell food online. The licenses and permits that you need to operated will be determined by where you live. Make sure you set up your online food business properly for local, state and federal taxes, too. You will also need to consider how to charge sales tax to your customers depending upon what state they live in.

Source Ingredients With Food Startup Consulting

Supply chain issues can affect all-sized businesses. Issues like this can bring your online food business to a grinding halt, so you want to avoid this problem. In the beginning, experts in the food startup consulting business advise to buy local. Find wholesale food suppliers nearby that you can either travel to directly or have transported with minimal interruption. Later on, as you grow, you can consider sourcing ingredients farther afield.

Outsource What You Don’t Know

You’ll need to conduct ample research to get started in the online food sales business. Still, you won’t be able to learn everything, this is where you need to hire a food startup consultant. A food startup consultant can help you with everything from finding your niche to advising you on packaging materials and styling to sourcing ingredients. You can avoid a lot of missteps by relying on a food startup consultant.

There are a lot of steps involved in starting an online food business. But there’s never been a better time to get started. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help you build a successful online food business.

While the panic over COVID-19 seems to be waning slightly thanks to the vaccines, the effects of it can still be seen throughout all kinds of industries, including those involving food. Like it or not, the pandemic has helped shape our food choices within the last few years, and this trend will likely continue into 2022.

Don’t worry, though – 2022 isn’t going to be the year of the junky, comfort foods that we may have relied on back in the early days of the pandemic. Expect to see more nutritious foods, non-alcoholic cocktails and spirits, and plant-based options on the menu in 2022, perfect for a new year, a new outlook, and a new focus on keeping ourselves happy and healthy.

Check out the 2022 food trends to watch out for below.

Reducetarianism

Although you may be unfamiliar with the term, you’ve likely heard something about the concept. Reducetarians are those who are mindfully decreasing their consumption of animal products but aren’t ready to go full vegetarian or vegan. There isn’t necessarily one specific reason why more people are choosing reducetarianism, but a growing awareness of environmental concerns and animal welfare may certainly be contributing to the decision.

Along with more of an emphasis on plant-based foods, the reducetarian diet also means that there will be an increasing demand for high-quality eggs, meat, and dairy in 2022. Since reducetarians are only eating so much meat, they seem to be choosing quality over quantity when it comes to their animal-based products.

Standardizing Plant-Based Menu Options

Though vegetarian and vegan diets are nothing new, the growing movement of diets like reducetarianism suggests that an increasing number of restaurants and shops will be offering more plant-based menu options in 2022. You can already see this trend starting to take off in 2021, for example with many coffee shops suddenly offering plant-based milk options that were just not on the menu before.

What’s more, in 2022 it’s no longer going to be a nice surprise when your favorite places offer these plant-based alternatives – it’s going to become the standard. Businesses that currently don’t have these options on their menus should take note.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds have always been around in the form of a popular peanut butter alternative for those with nut allergies. However, in 2022 you can expect to see a lot more of them in other kinds of foods, increasing their appeal to a wider audience.

Be on the lookout for sunflower seed crackers, cheese, ice cream, protein bars, and even more in the upcoming year. Sunflower seed lovers rejoice!

Non-Alcoholic Cocktails and Spirits

Mocktails are already having a moment in 2021 with the success of booze-free bars, and this trend is likely to continue into 2022. There is even increasing demand for non-alcoholic spirits such as zero-proof whiskey and alcohol-free bitters.

Again, it’s hard to say exactly why non-alcoholic cocktails and spirits are starting to take off, but it could simply be an attempt to make up for heavy drinking during the pandemic, or a growing awareness of the effects of alcohol on the body. Either way, look for more opportunities to take advantage of this trend in 2022.

If you look around at some of the top food businesses in the industry, you will almost undoubtedly recognize two things: their branding and their packaging. For example, you could probably pick out a Heinz ketchup bottle from a mile away or describe what a Kraft macaroni and cheese box looks like from memory.

The reason why you know these products so well is that these companies know how important branding and packaging is to their success. How does that work, though? Why is branding and packaging so important in the food business?

Well, it’s due to a few different reasons. Let’s explore these further below.

Good Brand Packaging is Recognizable

As previously stated, you can easily pick out or picture just about all the most successful brands and their packaging out there. This is important, as it allows these companies to stand out from similar brands and products in the notoriously competitive food industry. 

Think of it this way: when people are rushing to get through the grocery store, they’re likely only going to be scanning the items as they make their way down their list. If they typically prefer your product but can’t find it on the shelf, they may move on to one of your competitors to save time, as some people don’t really notice the difference between similar food products anyway. If you take two different soup products made by two different companies out of their packaging (cans, in this case), for example, would you necessarily know which is which just by looking at the product?

When food products can be so similar, good brand packaging may be all you have to stand out from the competition, so make sure yours is recognizable.

Good Brand Packaging is Consistent

Once your brand’s packaging becomes familiar to consumers, it’s important to ensure that you keep it consistent across all your products. If someone becomes a big fan of one of your items, for example, they may be more willing to try other offerings from your company. Good, recognizable brand packaging will make finding your products a lot easier for them, as they will know exactly what to look for when scanning the shelves.

Good Brand Packaging Keeps the Environment in Mind

These days, consumers are arguably more environmentally conscious than they have ever been in the past, and for good reason. Climate change and how individuals and organizations are contributing to it is an ever-growing concern, and the younger generations especially are looking for businesses to take more responsibility for their part. Therefore, investing in sustainable brand packaging should be a priority for all companies, not just those in the food industry.

Good Brand Packaging Reduces Future Marketing Costs

If you take all the above into consideration, you should be able to create brand packaging that keeps consumers buying your products for years, thereby reducing your future marketing costs. Once you really get your brand and its products off the ground, you don’t need to spend huge amounts of money telling people about them – if you have good brand packaging, they’ll already know.

Consultations on food packaging and associated services are provided by skilled professionals. They help to satisfy client needs and are trained to deliver quality services on time. If you’re working in the food industry or looking to start a business in the food industry, your first step should be to work with a food packaging consultant. Listed below are some of the common advantages to this partnership.

A Food Packaging Consultant Offers Extensive Expertise

In the area of food packaging, handling, production, and distribution, you can’t find a more qualified expert than a food packaging consultant. Clients can benefit from customized packaging ideas, plus a wide range of other services. Food packaging consultants leverage talent, tools, and technology to address the high demands of the food industry.

Efficient Partnership

A quality food packaging consultant helps the organization deliver efficiently, thereby increasing productivity. They help plan, develop, and implement packaging. They also train workers to deliver services efficiently. In addition, they have qualified staff to assist with consumer requirements.

How a Food Packaging Consultant Works

Customer Service

The food packaging consultant strives to provide great customer service at every level. They are happy to help and make their clients feel welcome. Their professionalism, good quality work and pleasant demeanor works in the company’s favor to maximize profits. So the firm gets good outcomes, plus happy consumers.

Food Product Knowledge

A food packaging consultant is considered an expert in food packaging and production procedures. So they can advise them on the best packing options. They can readily assess the product’s consumption, shelf life, sanitary conditions and other impactful variables.

Effective Communication

Food packaging consultants help the organization grow its audience and revenues through effective communication. This results in high levels of consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Their long-term ties with peers and referrals help the organization grow. So the firm grows exponentially with minimal costs.

Specialized Services Available

Food packaging consultancy services are very specialized. There are many more specialized sectors, such as packaging technology, food storage, warehouse and distribution, etc. Thus, food packing consulting services meet all food company’s needs.

The Role of a Food Packaging Consultant Expert

A food packaging consultant’s job description is flexible. A food packaging consultant might be self-employed or part of a team. They can also work as independent consultants or for an organization that contracts them for food packing activities. Some food packaging consultants operate on a contract basis. Assumes knowledge of the company’s food packaging requirements, develops and implements food packaging strategies, evaluates food packaging effectiveness, and monitors quality control to ensure all standards are satisfied.

Food packaging consultancy necessitates expertise. It necessitates extensive understanding of food science, microbiology and nutrition. It also takes business acumen. Their performance should be good. They must also be able to communicate effectively and listen closely to consumers.

They must know everything about food as food packagers. They must know how to properly store raw ingredients and ensure that all packaged items are ready before leaving the warehouse. They must also know how to find dependable manufacturers and suppliers of food components, how to choose efficient transport and packing equipment, how to keep track of corporate information such as pricing, inventories, and supplies, and how to maintain quality control records.

The absolute best chances for your food business success are in working with a quality food packaging consultant. All the major brands do, and if you want to grow your food business as much as possible, that’s what you should be doing, too! Please feel free to contact us for more information.

So, you’ve put all this time and energy into manufacturing quality food products and are ready to start selling them in stores. Congratulations! It’s an exciting next step, but it’s also a big one. You’re going to have to figure out which stores may be willing to carry your product, how much you’re willing to sell it for, and how you’re going to market it to customers, all while keeping up the manufacturing process to make sure you can fulfill any orders.

Unless you already have connections with certain stores and people, this marketing and selling of your product can be a lot of work on top of the manufacturing process. Therefore, a lot of food manufacturing companies, big and small, hire some outside help when it comes to getting their products into stores: a food broker.

What is a Food Broker?

Essentially, a food broker uses their network and relationships with buyers to help you market and sell your food products in all kinds of food stores, from co-ops to chain wholesalers to retail stores. They’ll work hard to get you the best marketing and price for your products, as they often charge a commission based on how much your product sells at the stores.

Why Do You Need a Food Broker?

Though some food stores allow food manufacturers to submit their products for consideration themselves, there is often a lot of competition, making it difficult for them to really stand out in a crowd. The previous relationships that many food brokers have with these stores are extremely valuable here, as they will know who to talk to and what to say to help your company get its foot in the door.

While this is probably one of the most important reasons why you need a food broker, there are also some other benefits.

They Know the Market

When you’re first starting out, you’re probably happy to get your products in any kind of store, but this may not always work out in your favour. For example, if you have a brand-new product with no name recognition and get into a big food store too soon, it may get lost among the other more well-known brands, leading to poor sales and a waste of time and money.

Once they get to know your product, a food broker can help make sure your food gets into the right stores at the right times. This may mean selling things in a specialty shop that doesn’t carry a lot of the major brands until you have enough of a following to attempt a move into more conventional stores.

They Know How to Promote Your Product

After you’ve found the right market, you still need to promote it to customers. Food brokers work with you and the store to increase customer knowledge about your product and try to get it into their hands. One way of doing this is through organizing special promotions like sales. You do typically need to have some extra marketing money to pull something like this off, and a food broker can help you understand those costs and how they’ll work down the line.

As always we are here to help! Contact us today with all your food questions!

If you or a loved one have food allergies or sensitivities, then chances are you are somewhat familiar with “free-from” food, which is food that is lacking in a certain ingredient. Free-from food has been around for years to help accommodate those with intolerances, making it that much easier for them to find foods that won’t put their health at risk.

Now, however, free-from foods are more popular than ever, as people without medical needs are also searching out and consuming these kinds of products. What is driving this free-from food movement? Let’s take a closer look.

What is “Free-From” Food?

Before we get further into the movement itself, let’s clarify what is typically meant by “free-from” food. This is an umbrella term that refers to the absence of a particular ingredient in food, like “peanut-free”, and the preparation of food, such as GMO-free. Some other common examples include:

• Sugar-free
• Gluten-free
• Fat-free
• No additives
• No preservatives
• Egg-free

What is Driving the Free-From Food Movement?

There are several things that may be contributing to the free-from food movement, such as the demand for more natural foods, food as a status symbol, and the improvements in taste.

Increased Interest in Natural Foods

Free-from food encompasses foods that are lacking in colour, texture, and flavour enhancers, which are often the result of artificial ingredients. Now, there are natural additives out there, like citric acid for example, but some people consider any kind of additive to be unhealthy or at the very least undesirable in their food. Therefore, any kind of food that is labelled as additive-free may be seen as more natural than others, appealing to those who are trying their best to make more natural food choices.

Celebrity Influence

There are certain celebrities and wellness influencers who insist that free-from foods are some of the healthiest options out there, even if you don’t have any food intolerances or allergies. Those who admire and want to be like these famous people may decide to join in on this free-from food movement to demonstrate that they too are trendy and modern when it comes to making food choices. 

A lot of celebrities also follow certain diets to look the way that they do, so their followers may try to eat the same types of foods to emulate their looks. Some of these influencers’ claims aren’t always entirely accurate, of course, but the power of celebrity can sometimes outweigh a lack of scientific data.

Improvements in Taste and Texture

The effects of an increased interest in natural foods and celebrity influence may not be nearly as prominent if not for the fact that free-from foods have generally come a long way in terms of taste and texture. Some people still associate free-from food with an undesirable or complete lack of flavour or texture, but the truth is there have been marked improvements in both categories throughout the years. The fact that a free-from food label doesn’t automatically turn a lot of consumers off these days has been essential to the free-from food movement, as there is no good reason to not at least give it a try anymore.

Purchasing practices for food companies can have everything to do with the quality of the final product. We’ll look at what to keep in mind and why a food industry consultant can help you instil better metrics without overspending.

1. Check Your Suppliers

Do you really trust the suppliers you’re using? Food companies rely on suppliers for healthy, quality products, so this relationship is critical to your organization. Everything from communication to oversight on the production line needs to be spot on. If you’re constantly worried that shipments will be delayed or delivered with the wrong ingredients, it’s a sign you need to change vendors.

2. Compare Cost and Quality

There’s usually a middle ground here. You don’t want to go too low or you’ll likely compromise the quality. Of course, going too high can quickly price people out of the market. A food industry consultant can show you how to find the best deals by thinking outside the box.

3. Find Out for Yourself

Before you sign anything, you should be visiting operations, verifying equipment, investigating reputation, etc. The more you know, the easier it will be to feel confident about moving forward. This information can also be vital in a negotiation procedure. Always set any terms you agree to in writing so there’s no confusion in the future.

4. Have a Replenishment Strategy

When you’re ready to replace your stock, you need to have a clear procedure in place. Everyone should know how new orders will come in, when they’re going to ship, and how they’ll arrive. There is a lot of room for confusion here, so it all needs to be spelled out here.

5. Streamline Your Relationships

Decision makers at food companies might be inclined to branch out in terms of suppliers. This is a great way to save money, but the reality is that it can cost you more in terms of time and paperwork than you realize. Relying more on one or two suppliers can make it easier for everyone and still wind up being a cost-effective solution.

6. Be Respectful of Your Suppliers

Supplier relationships go both ways. The more communicative you are and the more you look for the win-wins in every scenario, the more positive interactions you’re likely to have. When you have consistent suppliers, you have consistent products (which is ultimately what any customer is looking for).

7. Consider Technology

Technology is changing quickly in food product tracking. If you’re working with suppliers who aren’t willing to update their processes, it could easily hold you back. A food industry consultant can tell you more about how enterprise software is improving a variety of processes and how you can incorporate this into your daily operations.

Implementing Better Practices with a Food Industry Consultant

The Greater Goods was founded to give you a clearer picture of how to grow your bottom line. Our clients look to us to ensure that they’re operating as efficiently as possible, so they’re prepared for whichever direction the industry pivots. The right food industry consultant can do wonders to double-check your current practices and adjust them when necessary. Contact us today if you’re interested in learning more about how we can help.

Are you trying to make healthier choices when it comes to the food you eat? If so, you should be carefully reading the ingredient lists before filling up your cart with so-called “healthy” foods. A lot of people think that they know a healthy food when they see it, but unless it’s something like a whole piece of fruit or vegetable, this, unfortunately, isn’t always the case.

Luckily, don’t have to be a nutritionist to get something out of an ingredient list – you just need to do it! If you need more convincing as to why you should be more closely examining your food choices, keep reading for some of the most important reasons why consumers should be reading ingredient lists.

The Front of the Box Can Be Misleading

The front of a box, can, or package of food may give you a general idea of what’s inside, but it really doesn’t tell you any specifics. For example, a container of yogurt may claim to be “high in protein”, which sounds good, but what else does it contain? 

You may be surprised by the amount of added sugar, sodium, and other preservatives and additives that may make up some of your favorite “healthy” foods. Because of this, it’s best to think of the label as more of a marketing advertisement than an honest representation of the food inside.

The Nutrition Facts Aren’t That Helpful

Do you know that little panel on a food’s packaging that includes information such as carbohydrate and protein content, and any included vitamins and minerals? These nutritional facts do give you some idea of whether you’re getting any kind of health benefits from your food, but they certainly don’t provide the whole picture.

The real question is, what is the source of these nutrients? If something is touted as high in protein, for example, it’s important to still look for the source of the protein. There are plenty of ingredients out there that are high in protein but are otherwise bad for your health, so it’s important to be mindful of the difference between healthy and unhealthy sources.

It’s Not the Responsibility of Food Manufacturers to Keep You Healthy

Keep in mind that the number one priority of most food manufacturers is to sell food, not to keep you healthy. A lot of people are becoming more health-conscious these days, and manufacturers are responding by doing whatever they can to make their products seem healthier. 

The keyword there is seem. They will find the one potentially healthy nutrient in their food and run with it, downplaying, or outright ignoring, any of the unhealthy ingredients that may make up the bulk of their product. It may seem sneaky, but ultimately, it’s not their responsibility to ensure people are making healthy choices.

That is why it’s so important to look at ingredient lists and take an active role in your own health. The information is there – you just need to read it!