According to Google Trends, the term “foodie” first started appearing online in early 2005. 13 years – and millions of Instagram pictures & Yelp reviews – later, foodies have cemented themselves as a mainstream consumer group.

Food manufacturers are facing a dilemma. Current food trends indicate that consumers want wholesome, nutritional, sustainable, natural, ethically sourced and easy-to-pronounce ingredients on their labels. That’s quite a list, and that lineup alone can be a major application challenge. Add to that the enduring trend that demands convenience and value, and some manufacturers are left in a quandary.

Fresh yogurt is a popular ingredient for health-conscious consumers, but many food manufacturers find it challenging to incorporate into their formulations because it requires a specific type of permit, has a relatively short shelf life, and has some risk of contamination that other products don’t. That's why, when we first introduced Grande Primo™ Dried Yogurt, there was a lot of excitement around the fact that food and beverage manufacturers now have a way to put “yogurt” on their labels without needing to use fresh yogurt in their formulations. 

Even though the holidays are supposed to be filled with nostalgia and time spent with family and friends, 90% of Americans report being stressed during the “most wonderful time of the year.” The holiday season brings with it the pressure for many to host parties and family dinners, or bring the dreaded “dish to pass.”

With today’s busy consumers on the lookout for healthy grab-and-go snacks, protein-packed bars, cookies, and other snack options have exploded in popularity over the past few years. Whether it’s a crunchy peanut butter protein bar or nutty trail mix with yogurt-covered raisins, consumers are concerned about the healthiness of the snacks they’re eating, with 30% of Americans claiming to only snack on healthy foods.

Yogurt has long been a go-to ingredient for many manufacturers and the category has consistently grown year over year. Capitalizing on the trend is both popular and challenging for manufacturers — popular because including the word “yogurt” on a label implies certain healthful benefits that appeal to consumers, but challenging because using fresh yogurt introduces a host of complications: special permitting, a limited shelf life and even some risk of product contamination.

Nearly 70% of today’s adult Americans are considered to be overweight or obese, and the consequences of this epidemic are dramatic. Obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer have associated medical costs estimated to be between $150 and nearly $210 billion every year. With growing concern about their health and wellbeing, consumers are looking for healthy and satisfying foods to help them combat this trend. 

There’s no question that today’s consumers are seeking out healthier, more natural foods. From lowfat dressings and dips to lowfat desserts, it’s hard to go grocery shopping these days without seeing healthier, more natural product variations lining the shelves. In fact, 62% of consumers seek out minimally processed foods while shopping, and 84% of Americans buy “free-from” foods (e.g., gluten-free, sugar-free, fat-free, preservative-free, etc.) because they believe them to be more natural and less processed. Even traditionally sweet and salty foods, like cookies and crackers, are getting a healthy overhaul, but making these sweet and salty snacks healthier isn’t exactly easy for manufacturers.

You’ve no doubt heard the old saying before: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When consumers skip breakfast, their metabolism and blood sugar levels are thrown off for the rest of the day, and research has shown that breakfast skippers are at a higher risk for heart disease and diabetes. The thing is, however, many consumers aren’t skipping breakfast because they want to cut an extra meal’s worth of calories out of their diet; the second most cited reason for skipping breakfast is simply not having enough time!