Food For Thought

Food Processing’s Food For Thought podcast takes you beyond the headlines of the food and beverage manufacturing industry. Join host Erin Hallstrom and the team of award-winning Food Processing editors as they talk about issues affecting food and beverage processors.

Food For Thought is a news podcast hosted by Food Processing, with 204 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Food Processing hosts Food For Thought, a news show with 204 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #21

  Liquid I.V. Shares the R&D Behind Its Sugar-Free Hydration Product Line

  Sep 16, 202619 minS7

  Dana Ryan, senior director of scientific affairs for Liquid I.V., joins the podcast in this episode to walk through the steps that the company took to develop the proprietary blend of allulose and amino acids that sits at the foundation of the company’s innovative sugar-free product line launched a few years ago. Liquid I.V. spent several years perfecting the formulation of the product line, which claims to be sugar-free while providing better hydration, as well as vitamins and electrolytes, to consumers than water alone. Ryan explains that the company is rooted in backing these claims up with scientific and clinical testing, as it has done to prove this product line’s claims. Ryan also discusses some of the further innovation the company is working on to improve hydration solutions for consumers, and she offers her thoughts on where the sports drink, wellness and hydration segments may be headed in the future.

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  Episode #20

  Price Remains Important, But It’s Not the Only Key Driver of Grocery Purchase Decisions

  Sep 9, 202630 minS7

  Liz Miller, global client partner at Knit, joins the Food For Thought podcast to discuss the findings of a survey that the market research agency executed in partnership with McCormick’s shopper insights group. The study focuses on what’s driving consumer decision-making in grocery stores today, particularly around the various categories in which McCormick & Co. plays. Miller digs into the details of the study’s findings around how people determine value and how price is still important but may not tell the whole story.

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  Episode #19

  Consumer Trends Driving Campbell’s Foodservice Product Strategies

  Aug 26, 202626 minS7

  At the National Restaurant Association’s annual restaurant show this summer, senior editor Andy Hanacek met with Jenna Hagerich, senior brand manager at Campbell’s Foodservice, and they talked about the various brands and trends driving their product offerings currently. Many of the insights Hagerich shares easily cross over from foodservice to the retail channel, and she dives into the Campbell’s “master brand” strategy as well as detailing the ways each of the company’s brands across soup, energy drinks, beverages and snacks are trying to take advantage of the trends.

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  Episode #18

  Back-to-School Means New Routines; And Opportunities for Food & Beverage Companies

  Aug 12, 202621 minS7

  Kids of all ages are headed back to school right now, and the Food For Thought podcast has some insights on how that could impact food and beverage consumption trends from Julia Wilson, a partner in KPMG’s Strategy practice, focused on consumer clients. Wilson discusses results found in KPMG's Consumer Pulse Back-to-School 2026 Survey , which finds that families expect to spend more per child on back-to-school essentials this year, and 83% expecting to pay more for groceries alone. As a result, about half of those consumers anticipate that they will eat out less and nearly half plan to prepare simpler weekday meals.

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  Episode #17

  Mama’s Creations Targets Deli Grab-and-Go Demand with ‘Grandma Quality’

  Aug 5, 202629 minS7

  Chris Darling, chief commercial officer for Mama’s Creations, joins the podcast to talk about the transformation of the grocery store deli department in recent years into a real destination for grab-and-go-seeking consumers. He offers insights into the shift in consumer demand toward clean-ingredient, ready-to-eat options there, and why this change has made the deli counter into a high-volume destination for fresh, short shelf-life prepared meals. Darling also details how Mama’s Creations has built for itself a massive national footprint in this fresh deli space through acquisition and product innovation while maintaining its commitment to “Grandma quality” for its products.

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