Despite cautious consumer spending and ongoing economic uncertainty, independents recorded some positive numbers in FY25.
Category: Grocery Research
News relating to research, study and reports surrounding the grocery and supermarket industries.
SNAP In Transition: Circana Details How Program Changes Reshaped CPG Spending In First Half Of 2026
Circana says 2026 SNAP changes will reduce EBT funding by about $10 billion, reshaping grocery spending, fresh food purchases and retailer strategies.
FMI’s 1st ‘Power Of Beverage’ Report: Function Powering Purchase
FMI’s inaugural Power of Beverage report finds shoppers spent nearly $295 billion on beverages in 2025, increasingly buying on function.
Frozen Treats Now An Everyday Habit, Not A Summer Splurge, Finds NFRA
Ice cream and frozen novelties have moved beyond occasional summer indulgence to become a routine part of household shopping, according to new consumer research from the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association. Nearly three-quarters of adults say keeping frozen treats at home feels more affordable than going out for dessert, and a similar share view […]
NCA Research: GLP-1 Users Still Buy Chocolate And Candy
The study found these consumers are making more intentional choices rather than cutting the treats out completely.
Visa: World Cup Spending Highest In Santa Clara/San Jose, Boston, Miami
Visa data shows cross-border transactions rose nearly 20 percent in World Cup host cities, with both dining and food merchants benefiting.
Acosta Tracker: Stock-Up Trip Costs $366, Up 27% From 2020
A typical grocery stock-up trip now costs more than $366, roughly 27 percent above a comparable 2020 basket, according to the inaugural Acosta Group Affordability Tracker released July 23. The Jacksonville, Florida-based firm measures affordability by comparing the cost of an 84-item basket of commonly purchased grocery and household essentials against median hourly earnings in […]
AWG, Illinois Grad Students Finish 5th Year Of Private Brand Research
Students in the University of Illinois’ Master of Science in Business Analytics program studied new item adoption and pricing dynamics.
Survey: 55 Percent Of Consumers Are Buying Less Beef
Fifty-five percent of U.S. consumers are buying less beef or have stopped entirely amid rising prices, the New World screwworm outbreak and global trade disruptions, according to the 2026 Consumer Grocery and Protein Trends survey released July 21 by Blue Yonder. At the same time, one-third of consumers have increased their overall protein purchases in […]
Delivery Leads As Online Grocery Growing Again, Coresight Finds
Online grocery shopping returned to growth in 2026, with 56.3 percent of U.S. consumers purchasing groceries online in the past 12 months, up from 53.6 percent in 2025, according to Coresight Research‘s ninth annual US Online Grocery Survey. The increase reverses two consecutive years of decline, and 58.7 percent of respondents said they expect to […]
Survey: Convenience Bigger Concern Than Health For U.S. Shoppers
For the first time in the 21-year history of the IFIC Food & Health Survey, convenience has overtaken healthfulness as a driver of what Americans put in their carts, according to new research from the International Food Information Council. Taste (88 percent) and price (78 percent) remain the top two factors shaping food and beverage […]
Bain: U.S. Grocery Slowdown Enters New Phase As Consumers Buy Fewer Items
The US grocery slowdown has entered a new phase of falling unit sales as stretched consumers buy fewer items, according to a Bain & Company and NielsenIQ analysis.
Brand Study: Walmart Still Tops, But Aldi, Kroger Gaining Traction
Walmart maintained the top position across every major brand-tracking metric this spring, according to new data from the Conjointly Brand Tracker released July 13. The metrics include the brand’s awareness, consideration, purchase and preferred status. Aldi and Kroger, meanwhile, posted the strongest awareness-to-preference conversion rates among mid-size to large chains. The findings came out of […]
Circana: US Food And Beverage Growth To Settle At 2-3% In 2027
U.S. consumers are no longer just cutting back; they are recalibrating how they buy, according to Circana.
Grocery Loyalty Programs Multiply But Influence Wanes, Upside Finds
Per the report, 82 percent of shoppers belong to at least one, though just 59 percent use the incentives on a regular basis.
Feeding America: Food As Medicine Programs Cut Hospitalizations
Feeding America, in partnership with Elevance Health Foundation, has released the nation’s largest Food as Medicine evaluation of food banks, which found that consistent access to nutritious food reduces self-reported hospitalizations by 14 percent and emergency department visits by 11 percent while strengthening food security among people facing hunger. The three-year program, evaluated by the Center […]
Report: Store Brands Hit 23.8% Unit Market Share As National Brands Lag
Store brands continued to strengthen their position in the marketplace during the first half of 2026, outperforming national brands in unit sales, according to the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA). Over the six months ending June 14, store brand unit sales increased 0.2 percent while national brand unit sales declined 0.5 percent – a spread […]
Fancy Food Show Takeaways: Specialty Brands Navigate AI-Curious Market
by Diana Leza Sheehan, founder of PDG Insights At the Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show, held June 28-30 at the Javits Center in New York City, a few themes were clear throughout the educational sessions and across the exhibit hall. Specialty food and beverage brands are operating in a market defined by contradiction: […]
Ibotta Report: Don’t Wait Until August For Back-To-School Launch
If a retailer’s back-to-school offers launch in August, it may be too late. By then, shoppers have already set their budgets, built lists and decided which brands they are willing to consider. The season may look most active in late summer, but the window to influence what makes it into the basket opens earlier. New […]
Circana: AI, Social Media Reshape Discovery
The brands breaking through are the ones meeting consumers where they are: balancing health with enjoyment.
