Consumer Foods To Go

In this episode, hosts Cyrille Filott and Maartje van den Berg discuss fries. And not only new QSR trends in fries (shake fries anyone?), but also the issues potato-growers are facing on the farm. Rabobank analysts Floris van der Sman and Stefan van Merrienboer share their insights on potatoes and fries from farm to consumer. They also talk about the future of the fries value chain: how it might become more transparent, more integrated, and more… sustainable! And as always, we discuss the broader take-aways for other parts of the food sector.

Our beautiful podcast is back! Series 2, episode 1 is about innovation and start-ups in food. Food companies are struggling to find growth and to create value. In the last few years, big food has woken up to this and has started to think differently about innovation and value creation. In this episode, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott talks with Anne Greven and Nina Meijers, both involved with start-up and innovation platforms at Rabobank, about trends in food. They also touch upon what companies could be doing, are doing, and should be doing.  

Convenience is key in food. More and more consumers are having prepared meals, eating in restaurants, getting take-away or having food delivered to their home. This is a global trend, and in this episode of Consumer Foods-to-Go, host Cyrille Filott discusses how this trend is playing out in South East Asia with Rabobank analyst Umesh Madhavan. The key trend is that convenience stores and supermarkets are betting big on food-to-go. The insights on this market and this trend should be of interest to anyone in food, food retail and food service as South East Asia could be leading the pack in the food-to-go trend.

In recent years, online retailing has really taken off in China. And actually, it has grown beyond that – Alibaba and JD.com are no longer merely retailers. They have become entire ecosystems, providing platforms for multiple services. And they’re now data gatherers, analyzers, and sellers. For food companies, becoming active on these platforms is a must. But being successful very likely means much more than only being listed there. We look at how the new supertech giants can help food companies to become successful in China. And what can food companies themselves do to appeal to Chinese consumers and these platforms?

The beautiful world of packaged food has a few issues it needs to deal with – and one of them is plastic packaging. Plastic packaging was introduced because it was (and is), among other things, convenient and very flexible, and an excellent material to safeguard food from going to waste. But there are also downsides of using plastic packaging. Together with co-host Maartje van den Berg, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott explores the challenges and opportunities in plastic packaging with Rabobank’s strategist for packaging, Susan Hansen. Although there’s no magic bullet when it comes to solving the current challenges with plastic packaging waste, during the conversation, Susan points out various initiatives that are being taken to improve the sustainability of plastic packaging.

At the PLMA in Amsterdam, the world's largest private-label exhibition, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott talked to a number of exhibitors to understand the current key themes in private label. The larger companies that the exhibitors represent also challenge suppliers in the sector across many categories. It became very apparent that consumer-facing innovation is on the agenda more than ever before – the consumer is demanding it, and the retailer is asking for it. Enjoy listening to the podcast, and don't hesitate to provide feedback via Cyrille.Filott@Rabobank.com

Vegetable oil is seeing a fair bit of challenges. In fact, just mentioning palm oil will provide a wide range of responses. In this edition of Consumer Foods-to-Go, hosts Cyrille Filott and Maartje van den Berg are joined by Vito Martielli to discuss opportunities for vegetable oil applications as ingredients in consumer food products. And... could the subject of sustainability be seen as a blessing instead of a curse?

Personalized nutrition has been in the (food) news a lot in the last few years. Using the outcome of a DNA test, companies are providing advice and even meals to consumers, on a personal level. In this episode, Maartje van den Berg shares her insights with Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott. What is personalized nutrition? Is there any evidence it works? And, for food companies: Do they need to play... and, if so, how?

Wine is bulky and relatively expensive. And so it's ideal to sell online. But selling it this way is a little different than selling it conventionally – and we can learn a lot from other food & beverage categories. Think of price points. Think of access to products which may not be available in brick-and-mortar stores. And think of various models that are used to sell online. Consumer Foods-to-go host Cyrille Filott, along with co-host Maartje van den Berg, interview Maria Castroviejo, our resident expert on all things wine in Europe.

Growth in supermarkets is currently taking place in the perimeter, away from the center aisle. And that’s exactly where fruit and vegetables are! This segment isn't necessarily growing a lot in volume – but the opportunity is in providing value to the consumer. Value in fruit and vegetables means providing convenient products (or even solutions). Rabobank analyst Cindy van Rijswick talks to Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott about the latest trends in fruit and veg, along with – of course, always! – the impact on they're having on consumer food companies.

Meat Alternatives – the one area everyone in the consumer foods sector, the beverages sector, and the animal protein sector are all focusing on. The key reason: the consumer is becoming aware that meat may have a negative environmental impact (although this is contested by some), while also becoming more engaged in promoting animal welfare. In recent years, we've noticed phenomenal growth rates in alternatives – and we will continue to see a lot of growth. In this episode, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott discusses the key themes and issues with Rabobank analysts Karine Chartier and Beyhan de Jong.

The beer market was one of the first categories in food & beverages to be disrupted by start-ups and by craft brewers. The change started some 20 years or so ago and is still in full motion. Big Beer initially watched the disruption from the sidelines, but then it started to act. In this episode,senior beverages analyst Francois Sonneville discusses his perspective with Consumer Foods to Go host Cyrille Filott. A lot of lessons for food companies this time around, given the current rise of small brands across the globe.

Sugar is frowned upon by many consumers... rightfully or wrongfully. Many food companies are looking to alternatives – and there are many out there. A whole range of alternative sweeteners is on the market or will come to the market soon. Cyrille Filott and Maartje van den Berg invite Senior Analyst Ruud Schers to discuss the varieties out there – and to take a look at just what consumer foods companies are doing in this space.

What should industrial bakeries focus on going forward? Industrial bakery has been a fast-growing sector, driven by convenience, by retail, and by food service channels and improving production technologies. The production of fresh products has been stalling in the last few years, while the growth of frozen product is still at high levels. In this episode of Consumer Foods-to-Go, Cyrille Filott will discuss the key trends in industrial bakery – and what channels and products should be areas of attention in the bakeries' strategic decision-making.