The Food Institute Podcast

This Episode is Sponsored by: Lobyco What does loyalty look like for grocery retailers in an era of AI, hyper-personalization, and increasingly distracted consumers? Loyalty expert David Ciancio joined The Food Institute Podcast live from Groceryshop 2026 to discuss how retailers can move beyond discounts and points to build programs that earn customer loyalty, improve the shopping experience, and...

The latest FI Fast Break news podcast discusses food-tech company Wonder's elaborate plans for an autonomous food platform.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine how rising gas prices are impacting grocers.

This week's FI Fast Break podcast discusses an eye-opening survey regarding the latest in American grocery shopping habits.

This Episode is Sponsored By: HelloFresh  HelloFresh is looking beyond the traditional meal-kit model as it evolves how consumers answer the everyday question, “What’s for dinner?” Assaf Ronen explores how the company is expanding into a broader cooking and meal-planning hub, using AI and personalization to tailor recipes, menus, and experiences to individual households.  More about Assaf Ronen: A...

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine PepsiCo's push into fresh foods, Walmart's unique new delivery service, and more.

In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, Chris Campbell, Vice President of Content and Insights at The Food Institute, speaks with Katy Coffield, CEO and co-founder of Foodie Tribe, and Hannah Gray, confectionery scientist and creator behind One Sweet Mama, about the evolving role of influencers in the food and beverage industry. The conversation explores how influencer marketing has mature...

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we discuss the continued removal of artificial colors in food products, President Trump's plans for ranchers, and more.

This Episode is Sponsored by: iTradeNetwork  In the foodservice industry, pricing variance does not announce itself. It accumulates line by line, across distributors, across weeks - and by the time a reconciliation team finds it, the recovery window has often closed. iTradeNetwork’s Jeff Ramsaur shows how pricing overcharges happen in multi-distributor foodservice environments and what it costs wh...

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the difficult challenge laid out before the new leadership team at Wendy's, plus eye-opening findings about America's protein consumption.

The latest FI Fast Break news podcast discusses the especially early arrival of pumpkin spice season this year, one restaurant chain's new "micro-targeting" initiative, and more.

In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, host Chris Campbell, Vice President of Content and Insights at The Food Institute, speaks with Brittany Borer, The Food Institute’s meteorologist turned food reporter, about the potential arrival and implications of a Super El Niño. Borer explains how a Super El Niño differs from a typical El Niño and examines its potential effects on global weather,...

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine how the overabundance of discounts is actually working against many fast-food chains these days.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we discuss the dire situation California lettuce growers find themselves in this summer.

In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, Chris Campbell, Vice President of Content and Insights at The Food Institute, speaks with Joe Slater, President and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, about the changing realities of food insecurity and how food banks are evolving to meet growing demand. Slater explains that today's food-insecure population increasingly consists of working adults...

The latest FI Fast Break podcast examines America's peptide boom and what it could mean for the nation's desire for anti-aging.

This Episode is Sponsored by: City National Bank  Trends tend to come full circle, and that could not be more true for Coast Packing, which has recently seen renewed demand for its lard and tallow products amid rising consumer interest in natural ingredients. City National Bank’s Justin D’Affronte steps in as guest host to talk with Coast Packing CEO Eric Gustafson about his company’s family legac...

In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, FI VP of Content and Insights Chris Campbell sits down with FI CEO and Managing Partner Brian Choi to examine the growing disconnect between economic headlines and the reality facing consumers and food businesses. The discussion explores why declining gasoline prices and moderating CPI figures fail to capture persistent food inflation, weakening cons...

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine some unique changes to back-to-school shopping behaviors this year.

2026 may be the year of the GLP-1, but what are the risks to consumers who take this class of drugs? Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides Inc., explains the health risks associated with GLP-1 usage, and how the food industry can best serve this category of consumers. More about Suzy Badaracco and Culinary Tides: Suzy Badaracco, President of Culinary Tides, Inc., is a foresight expert with o...

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine how AI might impact the labor sector in the near-term and beyond.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we discuss the secret sauce at Jersey Mike's, which recently earned the top spot in American customer satisfaction rankings.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we discuss the outlook for spending in America leading up to the Fourth of July holiday.

Food retail is undergoing a fundamental transformation, and few people have a better vantage point than the SupermarketGuru Phil Lempert. In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, Lempert joins FI's Chris Campbell to discuss the forces reshaping grocery, from inflation and private label growth to changing consumer expectations around health, wellness, and transparency. The conversation explo...

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the hype surrounding Amazon Prime Day, as the retail giant launches the sales event earlier than ever.