Looking Ahead: Our 2025 Food Waste Forecast

In addition, meal deals now account for 29% of foodservice traffic, highlighting the demand for cost-effective, time-saving solutions. The use of home appliances that help streamline cooking processes is growing across the day with upticks on toasters, coffee makers and stovetops in the morning and air fryers at lunch and dinner. While some sectors within the CPG industry are beginning to see a recovery in volume growth after years of decline, this trend is not universal. U.S. consumers spent $1.68 trillion on food and beverages in the past year alone. However, as foodservice traffic continues to decline (-2% year over year through Q2 2024), the share of spending has shifted increasingly toward food with data retail, which now captures 61% of total expenditures, according to Circana data.

In general, healthy foods are not processed and contain a lot of nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. While inflation has eased slightly, it remains a significant factor influencing consumer behavior, with prices still much higher than pre-pandemic levels. Financial pressures have driven consumers to adopt more mindful shopping habits, shifting from bulk pantry stock-ups toward “just-in-time” shopping. This has created opportunities in specific categories, such as fresh perimeter products, while growth in center-store items has been flat. We are living in a transformative time for the food and beverage industry, where sustainable growth depends on a deep understanding of consumer behavior. Today’s shoppers are reshaping their priorities and redefining what value means to them.

Unfortunately, no fruits are high in vitamin D, and fortified orange juice is currently the only fruit product commonly sold with vitamin D. Vitamin D is not naturally found in many foods which is why so many foods are fortified with vitamin D. This means that vitamin D has been added to various foods for the benefit of the general public. The daily value (%DV) for vitamin D is 20mcg (800IU) and is a general target intended for most people. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) shows specific targets by age and gender. Listeria infection is caused by eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

Milk & Dairy Products

Whether you’re looking to lose weight, gain muscle or simply eat healthily—with each food chart, you’ll always have an overview of your diet and can even use it to put together a healthy, wholesome grocery list. Tailoring assortments by offering the right distribution of product sizes and price points for each retailer and channel is key. Delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time—based on specific behaviors and market conditions—is also essential for engaging consumers and driving meaningful results.

ReFED leverages data and insights to highlight supply chain inefficiencies and economic opportunities; mobilizes and connects people to take targeted action; and catalyzes capital to spur innovation and scale high-impact initiatives. ReFED’s goal is a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food system that optimizes environmental resources, minimizes climate impacts, and makes the best use of the food we grow. But when restricting food intake, it’s important not to follow too extreme of an eating plan.

Department of Health and Human Services, has already entered into a partnership with Instacart to make it even easier for consumers to find products with the “healthy” claim through online grocery shopping filters and a virtual storefront. Much of the positive volume growth is driven by changes in consumer behavior, particularly a shift toward convenience-focused solutions that simplify meal preparation. Heat-and-eat meal options have surged in popularity as busy consumers seek quick ways to get meals on the table.

Products and services

While quality of food is important for a healthy diet, quantity is also a major factor of good nutrition. Especially for anyone concerned about maintaining or losing weight, it’s a good idea to regularly review a calorie database and nutrition labels to see how much fuel you’re getting to feed your daily activity – and if it’s too much. There have been shifts in not just what shoppers buy, but also where and how they shop, as consumers seek the best balance of value and quality. Economic pressures and shifting consumer priorities also have created a bifurcated market, with shoppers making more deliberate purchasing decisions, trading up or down based on perceived value. Consumers are seeking private-label products, which have grown 3% year over year, or paying premium prices for products with recognizable brands.

As preferences evolve and shopping habits shift, brands and retailers must remain agile to find success. By adapting to these shifts and prioritizing consumers’ experiences, companies can build deeper connections with shoppers and seize emerging opportunities in a competitive landscape. The FDA is committed to continuing its comprehensive science-based activities to create a healthier food supply, empower consumers with information, and support lifelong healthy eating patterns. The FDA welcomes the opportunity to work with all interested parties to support the use of the updated “healthy” claim.

• Due to public health needs, vitamin D is added to an array of foods including milk, milk substitutes (soymilk), and orange juice.
• Under these changes, more foods that are key to healthy eating patterns will  qualify for the “healthy” claim, which could make them easier for consumers to identify when shopping.
• If the foods used to make the product are ones you could purchase in the grocery store and use to cook from scratch in your own kitchen, it’s made with whole foods.
• Value channels and e-commerce have emerged as key growth drivers, with e-commerce now accounting for 35% of food and beverage volume growth.
• Another way to spot a healthier choice is by looking near the nutrition facts for the ingredients list.

The Open Food Facts database is open data published under the Open Database Licence. Anyone can use it for any purpose – commercial or non-commercial – provided the source of the data is attributed and improvements to the database are shared in a similar way. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. FoodAtlas was created and is maintained by AIFS at the University of California, Davis. Find more news and updates from the ReFED blog, including our press articles and newsletters.