My March issue of Bon Appetit magazine arrived just days ago, and it's not just any issue. It's the culture issue. Why does this matter? It matters because we've been dubbed as food obsessed. Notice the smartphone with the pizza photo. That artisan pizza looks good enough to eat.
This scenario provides just one example among many of how consumers value food choices more and more these days. That cultural shift affects food supply chains.
It's this new trend related to consumer preferences that makes this new report authored by Guy Courtin, Constellation Research VP & Principal Analyst, so relevant now. It validates the need for food supply chains to embrace technology that can deliver mass personalization to satisfy today's savvy consumers.
As Guy's executive summary points out,
The food supply chain is challenging enough when it comes to the growing, harvesting, processing, transporting and distribution of food so that humans can safely consume it. As grocers, food manufacturers and restaurants strive to keep up with consumers’ needs and preferences, they must have the discipline to continually explore how technologies and processes can buttress their efforts to meet the evolving demands of regulatory compliance and consumer preferences. In addition, they must continuously battle for profit margin and market share that are being threatened from multiple angles.
This report looks at what companies in the food supply chain need to consider to thrive in these challenging times. This report offers insights on four of Constellation’s business research themes: Consumerization of Technology, Matrix Commerce, Data to Decisions, and Technology Optimization & Innovation.
Spoiler alert: Whole Foods Market, one of my personal favorites for grocery stores, is mentioned.
If you want to find out more, you can download a report excerpt here.
