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Interesting insights from Taste today, as it releases its Trend Forecast for 2025. The data reveals time squeezing will continue to be top-of-mind for Aussies next year, with convenience high on the menu. As a foodie brand stocked in some of the nation’s biggest supermarket and convenience chains, we’re all about making snack time easier - and delicious. Read the full article on the 2025 food trends below…

The Power of Consumer Preferences in the Food Industry On the second Sunday of November, my church celebrated its Choir Anniversary—a day filled with music, joy, and a shared meal. As a proud chorister and a passionate food technologist, I couldn’t help but savor the moment when we were served a delicious plate of Jollof rice, chicken, salad, and Maltina. You can imagine the excitement on my face—good food truly makes me happy! 😄 One of the things I cherish about my church is the sense of family we share, especially on special Sundays like this. Sitting together and enjoying a meal, sparks meaningful conversations, and this time was no exception. While we ate, my big sister, Kikelomo Beckley, mentioned how the uncooked rice texture made its cooking a challenge. This led to a lively discussion about food texture preferences—she prefers her cooked food semi-soft, while I love mine soft. It turns out, our preferences are linked to how we eat. I chew lightly and swallow quickly, while she takes her time, chewing thoroughly before swallowing. This conversation got me thinking about how diverse consumer preferences are and why they matter so much in the food industry. Here’s the takeaway: Understanding consumer preferences is crucial for food product development and production. Every consumer has unique tastes and habits that influence their satisfaction. Whether it is texture, flavor, or other sensory qualities, understanding these preferences is essential for creating products that satisfy human needs. By paying attention to these differences, food companies can: - Tailor products to meet specific consumer needs. - Build customer loyalty through personalized experiences. - Streamline product development by addressing real consumer desires. This simple meal reminded me of a key principle: great food isn’t just about flavor or ingredients—it’s about understanding the people you serve. What are your thoughts on how food preferences shape product development? Let’s discuss!

What is the secret sauce of Rs 1000Cr sauce-maker VEEBA? Listening to customer feedback better than everyone else. I quite enjoyed listening to Jivraj Singh Sachar's recent chat with Viraj Bahl, CEO and founder of Veeba, a Rs 1000 cr food juggernaut. While the entire episode is worth listening to, I found Viraj's insights into listening to customers and using customer feedback to scale Veeba fascinating. Here are some examples: 📌 Go where your customers are It is really tough to keep the feedback loop tight in consumer brands. Customer surveys are often lagging indicators and details are lost in translation. Retailer shelf studies are useful but don't have qualitative insights. VEEBA avoids this in many ways. For instance, in the early days, the VEEBA team themselves manned tasting stalls in small towns and carnivals. This provided high-quality feedback on the spot. For example, a rural lady tasted their sandwich spread, loved it, and immediately ordered 11 bottles - validating the market potential beyond just urban consumers. Even today, Viraj checks the Amazon reviews for their products on his own while having lunch! "Today, in this online world, eComm feedback, you know, my favorite thing to do when I'm eating lunch or something like that is to go on Amazon and read the reviews. Again, we are blessed that our consumer very actively interacts with us, they talk to us, they tell us through our social media." 📌 Implementing feedback fast VEEBA acts on the feedback as fast as they can. When customers told them that their ketchup had high sugar content and requested them to reduce it, the team listened. Viraj mentions, "Yes, it takes a bit of time because you have to be sure of the science behind it and food safety behind it, but we have recently launched the lowest sugar content ketchup." This change came directly from consumer feedback, as the company initially wanted to make the tastiest ketchup possible. The low-sugar version was accepted very well by the customers. 📌 Making customer feedback a part of New Product Development While their NPD process starts with in-house chefs and food scientists to ensure taste, food safety, and uniqueness, they ensure that customer feedback happens well before the formulation hits the production floor. "Once we reach that level, we will immediately go into a consumer testing mode. And consumer testing is nothing fancy, it just means we'll go to 40-50 people and test the product and get their feedback." I'll include a link to the episode in the first comment. Kudos to Jivraj for curating great questions and Viraj for candid answers.

This is why your food doesn't taste as great as you expected. An incident happened to a popular chef, as she prepared a delicious pot of beans, she decided to add some leftover onions for extra flavor. she now decided to taste the dish, she was surprised to find that the onions didn't seem to have any impact on the overall taste. Perplexed, the chef pondered the situation. Could it be that the leftover onions had lost their flavor? Or perhaps they were not used at all? The mystery of the tasteless onions in the beans remained unsolved, leaving the chef scratching her head in confusion. It's a common practice to cut a large onion, only to use a portion of it, and then leave the rest in the fridge for days before using it again. However, this can have a negative impact on the flavor of your dishes. Here are a few reasons why you should avoid using leftover onions in your cooking: 🌻Onions can absorb odors and flavors from other foods in the fridge, which can affect the taste of your dishes. By using fresh onions each time you cook, you can ensure that your food tastes as it should. 🌻Leftover onions can also lose their freshness and texture over time, which can result in a less appealing dish. Fresh onions add a crispness and depth of flavor that can elevate your cooking. 🌻 Using leftover onions is not only detrimental to the taste of your food, but it can also be unhealthy. Onions are prone to bacterial growth when left out for too long, which can lead to food poisoning. Conclusion. It's best to use onions once and for all in your cooking to ensure that your dishes taste great and are safe to eat. __ P:S: Are you seeing my post for the first time? and you have not joined my health community yet, follow me for more content like this. ____ Are you looking for a talented health writer for your health brand? Look no further, I'm just a DM away! Let's work together to create engaging and informative content for your audience. __ Like or comment if you found value.

Pro Tips on Eating Out Responsibly Food writer and public relations maven Jill Silva of Kansas City eats out -- a lot. It’s a big part of her job. She’s trying to establish healthier habits, at restaurants and the gym. Here, Silva, 60, offers a few pointers for responsibly enjoying restaurants. 1. Allow yourself to enjoy it (within boundaries). “If you go out to eat, you don’t want to order the salad. You want something special.” 2. Ask questions about what’s on the menu, how it’s prepared, and what the ingredients are. You don’t want to be surprised in a bad way when the plate’s put before you. 3. Favor real food as opposed to processed components. “If they can’t tell you how something was prepared, or if it came in a bag, carton, or jar, then it’s probably not something good for you,” Silva says. When grocery shopping, go for better bread at a bakery instead of processed loves off the supermarket shelf, if you can. 4. Remember that higher-end restaurants serve reasonably sized portions, compared to casual chains encouraging gorging. 5. Support local farmers if you can. Grow some produce yourself. You’ll taste the difference. And remember, she says, don’t be a snob about food. It has many places in life, and you should do the best you can to fit it into your healthy lifestyle.

Are skyrocketing food costs making it hard to stick to your budget? Our latest blog post offers 14 unique approaches to help you save while still enjoying delicious meals. Whether it's DIY ingredients or clever meal planning, find all the tools you need to stretch your food dollar. Go now → https://lnkd.in/gATgzHS2

-Wouldn’t it be awesome to start your day fueled by nutritious and tasty food without the hassle? -This guide unlocks all you need to know about Whole Foods breakfast hours. Find out when they serve breakfast, discover their menu (even the hidden gems), how to find Whole Foods market near you and make the most of your next breakfast run! 👇Check the full guide here. https://lnkd.in/dT2q4RrN 👇 Official Store Page Whole Foods Market . . . . #breakfast #breakfasthours #wholefoodsmarket #breakfastnearme

🍟 Ever wonder why fast food works so well, even when most of it is mediocre at best? 🍔 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓: It’s not really about the food at all. It’s about the 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞-𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. Fast food is a masterclass in meeting people where they are—hungry, busy, and looking for something easy. So, let’s chew on why it works so well (pun intended): 🍔 𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐞-𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚: Fast food got its start in 1921 with White Castle, where burgers were sold for just 5 cents. They didn’t just sell food; they sold 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 and 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲. Side note: Those little square burgers with the 5 holes stamped out? Absolute perfection at 2:00am. 🎯 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: 🍟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲: Fast food is everywhere, and it’s fast. The lesson? Remove friction for your audience. Make it easy, and they’ll keep coming back. 🎵 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:  Who doesn’t know “🎵 I’m lovin’ it 🎵” or “Have it your way”? These brands understood the power of catchy messaging that sticks. ❤️ 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Fast food isn’t just about hunger—it’s shared family meals, comfort on chaotic days, and the nostalgia of that first happy meal toy. Who else has a photo of themselves (or a loved one) biting into their very first cheeseburger? 🚗 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬: Whether it’s a drive-thru or a mobile app, the fast-food industry keeps innovating to stay ahead. Takeaway: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫. Because whether you’re serving burgers or building brands, consistency and care pay off. What’s your fast food guilty pleasure? (Mine’s a single with cheese, protein style—fast AND delicious, jmo.) Better yet, what’s your brand’s recipe for success? Oh, and DALL-E struggled with interpreting protein style. So, had to go with the bun. 😁 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐲’𝐚𝐥𝐥! 🌸 🙏 1 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠 10:31 - 𝑆𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜, 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑. #NationalFastFoodDay #MarketingLessons #BrandConsistency #ConvenienceMatters In-N-Out Burger

Yayyyyy, it's Friday and it's my food day for ya'll. Run with me! Imagine going to the market to get a particular food commodity, fresh or packaged and upon getting home, you found out it had spoilt. Mind you, it looked okay to you when you got it. I know how you feel right now - disappointed, frustrated, and maybe even a little annoyed. But don't worry, I've got a few tips for you to avoid this situation in the future. When it comes to buying fresh food, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Here are some tips to help you identify fresh food in the market: ✅Trust your instincts: If you think something is not good enough, don't buy it. Don't let the price or the size fool you. ✅Check the Expiry or Best before date: This is especially important for packaged foods. Make sure the product hasn't expired, and the packaging is still intact. ✅Packaging: If you're buying packaged food, ensure that the seal is still intact, and there are no cuts or tears on the packaging. This will help prevent contamination and spoilage. ✅Smell: Whatever you're buying, try smelling it too. Is it mild? Does it have a pleasant aroma? Or does it have an unpleasant smell? Your nose can be a great indicator of freshness. ✅Check for mold: If you're buying raw materials from the market, check if there's any mold on them. If there is, avoid it at all costs. Mold can be a sign of spoilage and can be harmful to your health. ✅ Texture: How does the food feel when you hold or eat it? Is it soft, firm, or crunchy? Take note of this, as texture can be a great indicator of freshness. Finally, ✅Colour and Appearance: These two are key, as they can tell a lot about the product. Though it can be tricky at times, it's good to observe the color and appearance first. (nobody wants to buy a tomato that's black or shrinked) By following these tips, you can ensure that you're buying fresh food that's safe to eat. Remember, it's always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to food. Don't forget to enjoy your food day! Happy Weekend🤗🚀 Seeing my post for the first time? I'm Samuel Ayodeji Obigbesan, a graphic designer and a 500 level Food Science and Technology Student. To know more, check through my profile. #writewithire #50daysconsistencyspreewithire #MicrobiologyAndFoodScience #foodsafety #day5of50

We believe the popularity of pickles is not a passing fad. This trend is growing and here to stay. What's not to like? A good-for-you fermented food that's delicious and craveable that adds a pop of flavor to menus is going to be a favorite for a long time. #foodtrends #foodmarketing #restaurantindustry #foodservice #foodserviceindustry #menuplanning #menudevelopment #culinaryinnovation #foodservice #foodserviceindustry #restaurantindustry #restaurantsupply #fooddistributor #foodmanufacturing #foodmanufacturer #foodmanufacturers #foodmarketing The Food Institute https://lnkd.in/gquDxSt4