The convergence of agriculture and renewable energy is an emerging paradigm in sustainable development. In recent years, agrivoltaics, combining solar power with agricultural activities, has gained significant traction.

Jennifer Christ, a long-time analyst and research manager at The Freedonia Group and Packaged Facts, recently gave a keynote address at the Ohio Food Industry Summit in Columbus, Ohio.

The total U.S. weight loss market is estimated to have grown to a historic peak of $90 billion in 2023, boosted by soaring sales of the popular prescription GLP-1 weight loss drugs. This is a major paradigm shift toward medical programs, and a major challenge for competing commercial diet companies, which lost $1+ billion in revenues since 2022.

Many companies commit substantial financial resources to obtain detailed information on product sales through scanner data. However, scanner data does not always live up to its promised potential. Deeper, more actionable insights are often required to create strategies for innovation and growth.

Consumers are concerned about high prices at the grocery store, but this issue is only one trend shaping the overall market landscape in 2023.

Investors and food industry players should take note of several other important food trends that have grown recently and are expected to gain further traction in the coming years, according to Food Market Outlook: Inflation, Sustainability, Convenience, & Other Food Trends by Packaged Facts, a leading market research firm and division of MarketResearch.com. The report highlights the following food trends.

The U.S. beverage industry has faced a variety of issues in recent years including increasing prices, supply concerns, and the mature nature of many beverage categories, according to the report U.S. Beverage Market Outlook 2023: Inflation, Home Delivery, Health Halos & Other Trends by Packaged Facts, a leading market research firm and division of MarketResearch.com.

With the rise of the global population, the need for food has grown exponentially, revealing the shortcomings of traditional farming methods. Climate change, soil degradation, and water scarcity are just a few of the challenges that farmers face today.

The U.S. weight loss market has grown 16% from 2020, to $75 billion, recovering much of the ground lost to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, many competitors have had to shift to virtual delivery of services, changed their operating models, and are just now recovering from supply chain disruptions.

Cloud kitchens are platforms that offer a wide range of foods, drinks, and cuisine items intended for delivery only. The thriving food-delivery ecosystem served as the central pillar for cloud kitchens, also referred to as "ghost kitchens" or "virtual restaurants"—however, different countries follow various terminologies when they define this term.

Weight loss industry data at the national level is hard to obtain and analyze. There is no national trade association for the weight loss industry. At the state level, it’s even more challenging. Within the state, there are significant differences from county to county.