For years, food and beverage manufacturers have been concerned with short shelf life, inventory planning, and margin pressures. In today’s competitive landscape, yesterday’s supply chains have had to adapt and change to respond to today’s consumer expectations of healthier choices, greater ingredient transparency, and more options for online or e-commerce shopping. This health and wellness trend isn’t new. What’s new is the level of growth we’re seeing in the market for consumers that want a healthier lifestyle—and are in fact, demanding it from their food habits and purchases. Food and beverage manufacturers are doing their best to meet this trend with cleaner labels, more plant-based options, and more ethically sourced food. Both new product introductions and long-standing products in the market are being updated with healthier ingredients to replace preservatives, saturated fat, sugar, sodium, or genetically modified (GMO) ingredients. More consumers are taking products off the shelf and immediately turning the package over to see if they can read or even pronounce the ingredients on the label. Consumers want to know what they’re eating or serving their kids today, and they want it to be easier to understand. They want to know the background of a product’s raw materials and the … Continue reading New Consumer Realities are Driving Changes in the Food and Beverage Supply Chain