The Food Institute

Pumpkin spice season may have kicked off earlier than ever, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the undisputed king of the fall flavor charts – especially not when

FI Fast Facts:

Modern consumers increasingly balance premium purchases with value options Inflation has pushed shoppers toward functional, clean-label, protein-rich products Mid-market brands risk losing consumers without clear differentiation There’s a schizophrenic quality to consumer behavior of late, as the latest NielsenIQ

For six years, I had a front-row seat to the pressures of restaurant life while dating an executive chef at a fine-dining restaurant.

On top of the 70-plus-hour workweeks, there were also missed holidays and celebrations, as well as the constant pressure of knowing that if something went wrong in the kitchen, the responsibility would ultimately land on him.

Even a sing...

FI Fast Facts:

Gen Z has increasingly embraced wellness-focused social experiences over drinking Functional beverages offer brands new opportunities with younger consumers Clean labels and active lifestyles align with current Gen Z priorities Are the days of college keggers over? Judging by Gen Z habits in 2026, such parties may be a thing of ...

New research from EMBL Barcelona highlights a new method that could help cultivated meat make a quantum leap, making products like lab-grown steak accessible.

The goal of cultivated meat, of cou...