The Friday Checkout is a weekly column providing more insight on the news, rounding up the announcements you may have missed and sharing what’s to come.
As a leading specialty distributor, KeHe knows a thing or two about health and wellness trends. So what does the company see on the horizon for 2024?
The company’s 2023 predictions report found consumers adding flare to healthy recipes and tapping into unique ingredients to elevate their culinary experience. But next year is more about the sustenance rather than the spice, with consumers putting a greater emphasis on functionality, convenience and clean ingredients.
Shoppers are seeking out foods “rich in essential nutrients” that help prevent chronic disease and illness, according to Kehe’s 2024 macro trends report. Going hand-in-hand with this prediction, KeHe sees shoppers stocking their homes with household staples that are clean-label, organic and nutrient-dense.
Consumers are also looking to find what KeHe experts refer to as the “real deal.” With increased access to nutritional information online, customers are searching for ingredients that include “real dairy, real sweeteners, and quality meats and cheeses.”
This hunt for nutrient-packed and “real” products has a dual purpose for consumers as they want the goods they purchase to also help them achieve personal health goals. Convenience also comes into play as individuals are trying to minimize time in the kitchen, eat on the go and be more efficient when they cook.
In case you missed it
New AI solution for fighting shrink at shelf
Computer vision and autonomous checkout tech maker Standard AI recently unveiled its new Zone Monitoring program, which uses cameras pointed at specific zones, like tobacco and alcohol, to monitor shelf inventory and make comparisons against sales data to suss out possible shrink, C-Store Dive reported this week. Two convenience stores are part of the early roll out of Zone Monitoring, CEO Jordan Fisher told the publication.
HelloFresh rolls out last mile solution for U.S. deliveries
The German meal kit company announced Tuesday the launch of its own U.S. delivery fleet network, with nearly 500 HelloFresh and Factor branded vehicles making deliveries in 19 major metro areas. HelloFresh said the new last-mile solution will ensure on-time delivery, improve quality control and advance sustainability efforts. The owned fleet is working in tandem with other carrier partners in “many” U.S. locations to provide delivery flexibility for HelloFresh’s portfolio, which includes Factor, Green Chef and EveryPlate, per the announcement.
Delivery makes a revival in grocery e-commerce
At $3.3 billion, delivery was almost neck-and-neck with pickup sales ($3.5 billion) in October, according to the latest findings on grocery e-commerce released Monday from Brick Meets Click and Mercatus. Delivery had previously seen flat or decreased sales compared to a year ago each month starting in May. The channel’s growth last month was fueled by stronger order volume coming from mass retailers, the firms noted.
Number of the week: 2.1%
That’s the annual pace that food-at-home prices rose in October, up from 2.4% in September, according to Consumer Price Index data published Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Overall inflation hit an annual rate of 3.2% in October, lower than the prior month’s 3.7% rate.
Impulse find
Kroger tackles recipes for game day
The grocer has teamed up with pro football players Tee Higgins, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tank Dell to bring fans an exclusive lineup of recipes with Kroger Brand products. Each recipe is also a “personalized twist” on each player’s favorite game day treat and can be shopped online for pickup or delivery as well as purchased in-store.
Cincinnati wide receiver Higgins is bringing sheet pan chicken nachos to the table, St. Brown is serving up chicken schnitzel sliders, while Dell is using Kroger’s cheddar and sour cream ripple potato chips as a surprise twist in his homemade macaroni and cheese recipe.