Lost in the Supermarket

Rise and shine, food enthusiasts! Brace yourselves as we pull back the curtain on the intriguing world of food prices with Ricky Volpe, the food economist and professor, who's here to share his wisdom. Discover why your grocery bills are skyrocketing and why food prices are not dropping. Hear Volpe's predictions of a slow but steady recovery in prices, and learn about the influence of climate change and global conflicts on food costs. This episode promises to unravel the enigma of food price formation, a must-listen for anyone looking to understand this complex issue.The show continues to simmer as we stir up discussions about the tough tussle between retailers and CPG companies amidst rising food costs. How are retailers demanding transparency and justification for price increases? Why are more retailers investing in vertical integration and store brands? How have consumers changed their shopping habits during the pandemic? Ponder over the role of marketing in maintaining brand recognition and defying the stigma associated with store brands. This episode is a veritable feast of insights into the food industry, leaving you hungry for more. Tune in to explore the changing perceptions around store brands and to understand the crucial need for transparency in our food supply chain.

Explore the future of agriculture with Irving Fain, the CEO of Bowery Farming, as we venture into the world of indoor and vertical farming. Are you ready to discover how these innovative farming methods might be the game-changer in the face of climate change impacts? Climate anomalies such as severe droughts, wildfires and overuse of groundwater have disrupted traditional agriculture, making it even more challenging to meet the ever-increasing global food demand. We delve into these issues and highlight how vertical farming can offer a sustainable and efficient solution, while also engaging a new generation of tech-savvy farmers.With vertical farming, advantages run deep for consumers, retailers, and of course, the environment. From offering longer shelf life and more nutritious produce, to providing transparency in growing practices, this revolutionary method is changing the way we grow our food. Imagine a world with reduced food waste and a streamlined growing process - that's what the technology behind vertical farming promises to deliver. In our final insights, we underscore the significance of vertical farming in the agricultural industry. We touch on how Bowery Farming, a leading indoor farming company, has been making remarkable strides in this field and their ambitious growth plans. With their progressive methods and tech-centric approach, they are not just shaping the future of agriculture, but providing an essential solution to the mounting challenges of our time. So, gear up to unearth the thrilling innovations and transformations in modern farming with us.

Ever pondered about the vital link in our food chain? Jaclyn Cardin, the Chief Brand Officer at Cropp Cooperative, joins us to unravel the essence of supporting Organic Valley - a brand that stands at the core of our food system. In an eye-opening discussion, Jaclyn paints the picture of Organic Valley's cooperative, operated and owned by humble family farmers, playing a crucial role in keeping these farms afloat. She unfolds the campaign "Protecting Where Your Food Choices Come From" and how ethically sourced, organic dairy safeguards over half a million acres of certified organic pasture land. You'll be thrilled to hear about her unique experience of bringing the farm to Rockefeller Center, New York City, showcasing that organic dairy, when done right, can be a sustainable solution for us all.We've all heard of food stories, but, have you ever connected with your food through a farmer's story? Organic Valley's unique campaign aims to bridge consumers and farmers through the power of storytelling. Jaclyn shares the innovative use of social media platforms and farm tours that create an intimate connection between people and their food. Sparing no efforts, Organic Valley aims to position organic dairy as part of the climate solution and not the climate crisis, and how each one of us plays a role in this. Tune in to discover the profound connection to the source of our food, the survival odds of small family farms, the importance of sustainability and biodiversity, and how your choices as a consumer can shape the future of our food systems.

Imagine strolling down memory lane, only to find yourself at the intersection of journalism, farming, and climate change. That's exactly where I found myself during my recent conversation with multimedia maven and friend, Chip Carter. The founder of CBC3 Media and creator of the evocative television show, Where the Food Comes From. Chip and I unpacked the complexities of modern agriculture and the seismic challenges posed by climate change. Together, we navigated the hard truths about farming, exploring issues from the impacts of a changing climate on our farmers to the resilience required to overcome such adversity.As we delved deeper into the labyrinth of agriculture, we found ourselves examining the role it plays in our daily lives, from the produce on our supermarket shelves to the mountainous waste we create. With Chip's insight, we untangle the thorny issue of food waste in the US, the organizations working tirelessly to reduce it, and how 'ugly' produce could be our secret weapon against this mammoth problem. In the final leg of our journey, we contemplate the evolving consumer landscape, the pressing need for sustainable business practices, and how we, as consumers, can play a part in this important change. So, buckle up and get ready for a conversation loaded with hard-hitting truths and eye-opening insights, where we talk everything from farming to food waste, consumer behaviors to climate change. Join us, and let's change the world, one bite at a time.

Are you starved for a brand that prioritizes transparency and a healthier lifestyle? Get ready to feast on an insightful conversation with Libby Pigg, the Chief Marketing Officer at 'That's It'. Libby walks us through her fascinating journey from being an 18-year veteran of Edelman Public Relations to leading a trailblazing health-food brand. Hear firsthand about how That's It's founder, Dr. Lior Lewensztain, flipped the script from prescriptive medicine to using food as a healing tool, a concept that turned a farmers market stall into a global brand.We also turn the spotlight on the critical issue of food allergies. Libby shares on how That's It's partnership with FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) is reshaping purchase decisions in American households. Discover their ingenious strategies to gather customer feedback and how they are redefining flavor choices. Join us as Libby throws some light on the surprising insights they've gleaned from their consumers, and how they're subtly changing American palates to appreciate the real taste of fruit. Tune in for a conversation that promises a blend of marketing insights, entrepreneurial spirit, and a commitment towards healthier living.

Are you ready for a deep dive into the world of e-commerce law and how it could impact your daily life? Strap in as we navigate the tumultuous legal waters surrounding Amazon Prime, joined by Adam Kovacevich, founder of the Chamber of Progress. We'll examine the monumental FTC lawsuit against Amazon, a six-year-long battle that could be a game-changer for mega retailers. Ever wondered what might happen if Amazon Prime is broken up? We're breaking down the possibilities.Beyond the lawsuit, we'll scrutinize the potential merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertson's, and what it could mean for the grocery business. Hear our thoughts on Lina Kahn's paper 'Amazon's Antitrust Paradox' and the future of her position as FTC chair. We'll also shed light on how the Biden administration's economic agenda might clash with the FTC's approach to Amazon Prime. What does this mean for small businesses, individual sellers, and Amazon Prime members? Listen in and find out.

Join us on a thrilling journey through the bustling marketplace of sustainability, guided by none other than Randi Kronthal-Sacco, a seasoned scholar from the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Randi opens our eyes to the world of sustainable purchases, revealing that it only commands around 17-18% of the market share. However, she passionately argues that brands and marketers can flip this script by adopting sustainable supply chains and weaving those into their narratives. Moreover, she shares a triptych of points that brands should incorporate into their messaging - 'My Health', 'My Wealth', and 'My Personal World'.As we traverse through the supermarket aisles, Randi enlightens us on the nuances of sustainable messaging. She illustrates the inadequacy of merely labeling products as 'sustainable', emphasizing the importance of crafting the right messages and combining a sustainable claim with a category claim for an 'amplifier effect'. We also delve into the reverberations of the pandemic, examining its impacts on consumer behavior and sustainable purchases. Tune in as we decode the complexities of sustainability, dissect the mechanics of sustainable communication, and forecast the future of sustainable purchases.Be sure to check out the Effective Sustainability Communications: A Best Practice Guide for Brands & Marketers.

Are you ready to revolutionize the way you shop, eat, and live? Discover how generative AI is transforming the retail industry in our insightful discussion with Markus Stripf, co-founder of Spoon Guru. Markus explains how AI-powered chatbots can provide more intelligent, personalized experiences for consumers and shares an example of planning a dinner party with specific dietary needs.But what about the challenges faced by open-source models like ChatGPT in ensuring accuracy and reliability? Markus reveals how Spoon Guru and Google's partnership aims to overcome these challenges by providing transparency, accuracy guarantees, and evidence-based advice. Don't miss this fascinating conversation exploring the future of Gen AI and its potential impact on the food world.

Amy Fox, Certified Nutritionist, and Founder, Food and Mood Lab, explains how food choices affect your performance.There's a lot of information about food. However, missing largely from the public conversation is food and mood. Clearly, how we choose to fuel our bodies directly impacts how we feel and how we show up in all areas of our life. Food is our body’s fuel and it’s vital to make choices that allow you to perform better, boost energy, improve focus, and reduce stress. To educate the public and practitioners about food and its impact on mood, Certified Nutritionist Amy Fox founded the Food and Mood Lab, including her Master Your Mood video series with food and wellness tips and information on how to boost energy, live healthy and feel great.

Today, Phil talks with Russ Morton, Mary Ginder and Tracy Frey to discuss Constant Contact’s AI Content Generator and how this technology can be used for food and grocery retailers to automate the copy drafting process for email, text and social media marketing campaigns. Russ Morton, Chief Product Officer at Constant Contact  - As chief product officer, Russ Morton leads Constant Contact’s product roadmap and user experience initiatives, leveraging new and innovative technologies to build the marketing tools of the future for small businesses and nonprofits.Mary Ginder, Owner of Gindo's Spice of Life - Mary and Chris Ginder co-own Gindo's Spice of Life, a small business based in St. Charles, Ill. that produces handcrafted hot sauces and spice blends.Tracy Frey, Market Manager at Williamsburg Farmers Market - As Market Manager, Tracy oversees all the planning and operations for the Williamsburg Farmers Market, which operates 44 weeks a year on Saturday mornings.

John Carroll is Acosta Group President, Digital Commerce + Advanced Analytics. John has more than 30 years of experience in CPG, food and beverage and has held senior leadership positions in brand, sales, commercial, e-commerce and operations. Before joining Acosta in 2020 (then as chief growth officer) he was with The Coca-Cola Company for nearly 25 years and before that, P&G. John is here with us today to discuss some of the big topics for brands and retailers.

Hanneke Faber is the Global President of the Nutrition Business Group at Unilever, with sales of over 13 billion and sales in more than 150 countries. She is also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive Committee. She has been recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the most influential international women in business.

Welcome to Lost in the Supermarket. March is national nutrition month so who better to talk than a farmer and passionate chef about regenerative agriculture and its role in nutrition. Farmer Lee Jones created The Chef’s Garden’s over thirty-five years ago, and has remained tirelessly committed to not only ensuring that the family’s three-hundred-acre farm remains one of the most innovative and pioneering in the world, but to fostering a nuanced conversation with the chefs in our industry who look to the farm to grow vegetables that are as aesthetically pleasing on the plate as they are flavorful to the palate.Dr. Amy Sapola is passionate about helping people achieve radiant health through reconnecting with their own intuition, nature, and deep nourishment as well as working on public health issues related to the social determinants of health, soil health, and planetary health. She is a Certified Wellness Coach, Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner and Doctor of Pharmacy with a B.S. in Nutrition. Dr. Sapola is the Director of Farmacy at The Chef’s Garden.

Brad Sive is a media marketing executive who has a passion for learning about new foods, not just the enjoyment of food, but how food cooking and recipes intersect and bring people together. This passion led him to start Public Market with a team of longtime friends, a place where food, people and culture have become one. The core belief behind Public Market is that life's most meaningful moments happen when humans and food intersect.

Sophie Sajnani is a young leader in the tech industry. During the pandemic, she heard about how Uber Eats and other food apps were taking a large cut of the restaurant's profits and how that was hurting restaurants. On that same day, she launched Bellevue Bites, a free and promotional platform that chairs deals from local restaurants when customers ordered directly from them rather than through a third party app. She has since hosted Five Food Crawls in two cooking classes in the US and Canada to raise over $15,000 for restaurants and other important causes. As she enters her last year of high school, she continues to explore how technology can be used for social good.

Today we are joined by Jon Melrod and  Tyler DaguerreJon Melrod was born into the political and cultural quiescence of the 1950's and grew up in apartheid-like Washington DC. Active in the student movement that opposed the Vietnam War and a supporter of black liberation, Jon embraced the ideology that the working class held the power to radically transform society. He left the campus for the factory in 1973. For thirteen years, he immersed himself in the day-to-day struggles of Milwaukee’s working class, both on the factory floor and in the political arena. Despite FBI surveillance and interference, Jon organized a militant rank-and-file caucus and rose through union ranks to a top leadership position in UAW Local 72. After a mass workforce cutback imposed by AMC’s joint venture partner Renault, he left to attend Hastings college of the law in San Francisco in 1985. Graduating cum laude with a JD, he opened a law firm in San Francisco successfully representing hundreds of political refugees. Jon is also the author of the soon-to-be-released book, Fighting Times (September 27, 2022)– PM Press, ISBN 1629639656Tyler Daguerre is a Law School Graduate, barista and Organizer with Starbucks Workers United in Massachusetts.

One of the most talked about trends in the food world for the past few years has been meal kits. We’ve seen them come and go. We’ve been emailed offers to get 10 free meals. We’ve opened up the box and shook our heads in dismay at all the wasted packaging that it took to get these meals to us. Today we get to the truth about meal kits. Jackie Keller is one of the visionaries who imagined meal kits as a solution back in 1987 – decades before meal kits were a ‘thing’. She’s going to tell us the truth and help us peer into the future. Jackie Keller is the Founding Director of NutriFit, LLC, and TxokoUSA, a dining experiences company. She is also a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach with a specialty designation in Health and Wellness and is the author of Body After Baby: The Simple 30-Day Plan to Lose Your Baby Weight Fast, and is a nationally recognized health and nutrition educator, and Le Cordon Bleu-trained culinary expert.

Creating true omni-channel shopper engagement in the produce department requires touchpoints along the entire path-to-purchase, and these touchpoints have changed over the past three years. Join RDBA CEO, Phil Lempert and his guest Bonnie Taub-Dix, registered dietitian, media pro, and California Strawberry Commission spokesperson, as they discuss how working with media outlets has changed and how to effectively partner to drive produce sales.

Today we're gonna talk about vitamins. We're gonna talk about supplements, and we're gonna talk about a retailer who's really changing the way we're gonna be consuming our foods forever. With me, Elisa Sloss, senior VP of Health Markets and dietitians at Hy-vee. She oversees the sales, merchandising, and educational efforts of the company's more than 190 health market departments. It's a store within a store concept that features a strong and varied selection of organic products, specialty foods, all of what's designed to help support customers' dietary needs and health conditions. She also leads the company's team of retail dietitians whose mission it is to support customers in their health journey. Hy-Vee's dietitians support thousands of customers through store tours, virtual and in-person dietitian sessions and meal prep classes and workshops to help customers find foods and products to support their unique health goals. The team also offers routine health screenings for customers and employers, including biometric and cholesterol screenings and free A1C screenings. Also, joining us is Angie Nelson, a pharmacist and senior VP of Pharmacy at Hy-Vee. She's been with Hy-Vee over 20 years and began working as a registered pharmacist and over the years promoted to pharmacy manager, store director, pharmacy supervisor, vice president of pharmacy operations, and now the senior VP of Pharmacy. You can't get any higher except, you know, CEO. Now, Angie's helped implement artificial intelligence technology and machine learning models across Hy-vee's pharmacy space to improve patient adherence. And she's been named one of Progressive Grocers top women in grocery, twice. A drugstore news top women in health, wellness and beauty, and one of mass market retailers Most influential Women. She's also a member of the Hy-vee Hall of Fame.

Nora Minno is an award-winning registered dietitian and certified personal trainer based in New York, NY. Over the past 10 years, Nora has built a reputation in the fitness and nutrition space as a credible expert developing communications and marketing strategies for top CPG companies, professional sports teams, global health apps, and leading healthcare groups. Her work, writing, and advice have been featured in national outlets including The Today Show, Women's Health, Health Magazine, and Well + Good and she appears regularly as a trainer on Daily Burn’s Emmy-nominated show DB365.