<p>By Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh Foods, FMI</p><p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/meal-occasions-ff-blog-image.tmb-large-350-.jpg?Culture=en&sfvrsn=f24a468d_1" style="float:right;margin:10px;" class="-align-right" alt="Meal Occasions breakfast, lunch, dinner clocks" sf-size="193751" />The topic of meal solutions isn’t new to the food industry, but I would argue it’s more relevant than ever. <br /></p><p>Shoppers are seeking innovative meal ideas that line up with their changing needs and evolving perspectives on value. Fresh foods — my area of focus at FMI — has a crucial role to play in tackling this consumer trend, and the food industry will capture more meal occasions if it can step up its offerings. <br /></p><h5>The Crucial Role of Fresh</h5><p>Let’s start with the need for fresh foods departments to help shoppers creatively plan meals. One of the most omnipresent fresh items in grocery stores is rotisserie chicken. Shoppers don’t want to eat rotisserie chicken every day; however many already create other meals from it — including salads, sandwiches and casseroles. Fresh departments can further help with this kind of shopper meal ideation. They can identify new ideas and recipes for all manner of products that avoid boredom, create excitement and even offer meal solutions for special occasions.<br /></p><h5>The Whole-Store Opportunity</h5><p>Solving the meal challenge isn’t just about the role of fresh; it extends to the entire store. </p><ul><li><strong>Value: </strong>Supermarkets are well positioned to offer strong value propositions across the store, especially in times of economic uncertainty. FMI’s 2025 <em><a href="https://www.fmi.org/our-research/research-reports/u-s-grocery-shopper-trends">U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends</a></em> research found that value to shoppers is about more than just the numbers at the bottom of a receipt. It’s about the health, exploration, entertainment and convenience that determine if they are “eating well”. </li><li><strong>Dayparts: </strong>Meal consumption has expanded beyond just the traditional daypart patterns into approaches that give snacking a more prominent role. Supermarkets have opportunities to meet shoppers’ needs across all day parts and help them plan their eating occasions in advance. An ideal approach is to promote meals that bring together items from across the store — from Fresh to Center Store. <strong> </strong></li><li><strong>Omnichannel:</strong> FMI’s <em>Trends</em> relays that Gen Z and Millennials are most likely to use technology to research stores and products ahead of shopping. This points to the need to use digital tools and leverage cross merchandising both in-store and online to promote impulse buying. <strong></strong><br /></li></ul><h5>A Challenge Involving Store Silos </h5><p>Too often in-store departments operate in silos, but today’s customer is thinking differently. They are trying to grab all the items on their shopping list, plan for an exciting event or just put a meal on their family dinner table. So, it’s crucial to break down silos to help enable cross-merchandising and cross-store solutions for shoppers. <br /></p><h5>Spotlighting Meal Strategies at FreshForward<strong> </strong></h5><p>Now that I’ve underscored the importance of addressing meal challenges, I want to explain how the industry can find more solutions. FMI’s upcoming FreshForward conference, August 11-13 in San Diego, will further illuminate the meals topic. The conference focuses on how to advance the fresh industry community, featuring opportunities for networking and collaborative breakout groups of attendees. In addition to focusing on capturing meal occasions, this year’s conference will also spotlight Labor Challenges and Health and Well-being.</p><p>I hope you’ll take the opportunity to learn more and register for <a href="https://www.fmi.org/fresh-forward/registration">FreshForward</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.fmi.org/fresh-forward/registration" class="button">Register Now</a> </p>
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