Kinsa Group Blog

At Kinsa Group, we realize how critical it is for you to stay on top of the latest trends, newest products, and most recent scientific innovations affecting the food and beverage industry. 

To make it easier for you to learn about relevant industry events, here are a few links to comprehensive 2010 calendars:

1. Meatingplace.com’s 2010 Event Calendar and 2011 Event Calendar provide links to dozens of food industry-specific conferences, expos, training workshops and forums.  Accessing these calendars requires signing up for free membership to meatingplace.com.
2. The American Beverage Association provides a directory of 2010 meetings and conferences specifically for beverage industry professionals.
3. BNP Media has several comprehensive calendars of events that include links to global trade shows, summits and expos for the food, beverage, and packaging industries:

            Master Calendar of Events

            Snackfood & Wholesale Bakery Calendar of Events

            Beverage Industry Calendar of Events

            Food & Beverage Packaging Calendar of Events

 Kinsa Group - National Recruiters for the Food & Beverage Industry

Kinsa specializes in recruiting professionals, executives and senior-level managers for the food and beverage industry.  Our promise is to deliver the talent who most optimally fit your company’s philosophy and culture.  By focusing on the best interests of both parties – and by drawing on food industry experience and assessment expertise – we are able to offer the best hiring solutions.  Contact us today.

According to projections made by the non-partisan Pew Research Center, Hispanics will comprise approximately 29% of the U.S. population by 2050. 

The question is, how will your organization capture its share of this rapidly-growing market?

Over the past few years, research from a number of different organizations, including the Unilever Corporation a TNS study entitled the Hispanic Shopper 360, has critically examined Hispanic shopping behavior.  While the exact statistics vary from study to study, the research as a whole has identified a number of differences in the way Hispanic individuals shop. 

Here are a few recommendations from this research to help food and beverage companies reach this market segment:

• Put your products where they shop.  Hispanic shoppers frequent a wider variety of channels than the total population, and are much less likely than the general market to shop at supercenters.  Convenience stores are especially popular with Hispanic males.
• Use Spanish in your labelling and advertising.  Research has shown that the majority of advertising/labeling Hispanic shoppers notice is in Spanish or bilingual.  In addition, Hispanics show increased brand loyalty to manufacturers who use Spanish in their advertising.
• Key-in on their concern for health and wellness.  Heart disease, children’s health and diabetes rank among Hispanic’s top concerns.  They look for food and beverage products with the phrases such as “100% ,” “fresh,” ”real” and “healthy.”
• Think out of the box.  Hispanics are much more leisurely than the average shopper.  They are considerably more aware of and open to in-store tactics to drive purchases.  Consider novel ways you could use packaging and/or in-store displays to attract the Hispanic shopper’s attention as he browses.  Work with retail partners to brainstorm branding opportunities that encourage browsing and spending more time at retail.

From Brand Managers to Strategic Marketing Consultants, the Kinsa Group can recruit and assess the food & beverage industry professionals your company needs to capitalize on market changes.  Visit our website to learn more.

Ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information coming at you each day?

With the barrage of data pouring in from newspapers, TV, the internet, social media, RSS feeds, e-mails, voicemails and good-old-fashioned face-to-face meetings, finding the critical information you need amidst all the “white noise” can be exhausting.

Take the BLS Monthly Employment Situation, for example.  It contains monthly employment estimates for over 1,000 industries from its Current Employment Statistics program.  However, the changes in these overall employment levels tend to be delayed in the monthly labor reports – making it a lagging indicator of economic trends.

Sound like a lot of white noise?

Not entirely.  Temporary help employment numbers, which are part of the monthly BLS report, are generally considered to be a coincident indicator for overall employment.  This means that changes in temporary help employment tend to forecast subsequent changes in overall employment and coincide with changes in economic activity.  Why?  Many companies, including food and beverage industry firms, use temporary staffing as a means to quickly adjust their operations to meet fluctuating demands for their products and services.

Here’s how to stay on top of employment trends with temporary help data in the BLS report:

1. Go to the BLS Current Employment Statistics home page.
2. Then select either the HTML or PDF version of the “Employment Situation Summary.”
3. Data for temporary help services can be found in Table B-1 (page 30 of the report’s PDF version).

The BLS CES can also help you key in on highly specific industry employment numbers.  Custom data views are available for various food and beverage industry segments (food packaging, food and beverage distribution, food and beverage manufacturing, food and beverage processing, etc.) based on NAICS codes:

1. Follow this link to Create Customized Tables.
2. Select the data you wish to view, the industry super sector, and the industry.  For quick access to food and beverage industry NAICS codes, visit NAICScodes.com.
3. Select either “Seasonally Adjusted” or “Not Seasonally Adjusted” or both (Seasonally adjusted data will remove any changes in employment related to normal seasonal hiring or layoffs, thereby recording current trends or irregularities.).
4. Select “Get Data” to retrieve the selected information.

Kinsa Group is poised to help you manage your specialized food and beverage recruitment needs as the economy slowly improves.  Serving companies throughout the United States for over 25 years, we can deliver the highly qualified professional and senior-to-executive level management candidates through our unique food & beverage recruiting process.

This fall, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) will jointly publish new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  The guidelines are revised every five years by a panel of scientific experts and serve as the basis for federal food and nutrition programs.  Additionally, they are considered “authoritative advice” for Americans on dietary habits that will promote good health and reduce the risk of major chronic diseases.

So what will the guidelines likely recommend?

• Reduced salt consumption.  Linked to hypertension, heart disease and other health problems, salt has become a primary governmental target in recent years.  Although most major food companies have already substantially lowered sodium in their product lines, the question is still at the back of my mind - will the feds begin to actually ration this ingredient?
• Reduced use of sweeteners.  Ingredients like high fructose corn syrup have been linked to now-epidemic obesity in our population.  Our government is waging war on these sweeteners.  In 2009, President Obama alluded to soda taxes as one way to battle obesity – essentially making soda the “new tobacco.”  California and Washington already have huge “sin taxes” on soft drinks.  And even though over half of Americans oppose them, several other states have put these taxes on the legislative table.  What’s next?
• New label regulations and advertising bans.  The people have spoken, and they want change.  In a recent survey by Food Minds, 86% of respondents were in favor of the overhaul on food and front-of-label packaging that lists calories and beneficial nutrients.  Nearly three quarters of respondents support government-sponsored educational program to help Americans understand the difference between “good” foods and ” bad” foods.  Additionally, over half of the respondents would support the government banning of advertising “unhealthy” foods to children.

Bottom line, our government is attempting to play an increasingly larger role in determining what we put in our bodies.  Individual choice and responsibility are under fire.  And, unfortunately, the food industry – despite best efforts to provide safe, nutritious food at affordable prices – is under tremendous pressure to do even more.

Kinsa Group can help you prepare for the changes coming to the food & beverage industry.  As recruiters specializing in the food & beverage industry, we can provide quick access to the top Research and Development specialists your organization needs.

The results are in for FoodProcessing.com’s Fourth Annual Salary & Job Satisfaction Survey of over 1,600 professionals in the food and beverage industry. 

Here are some of the survey’s key findings:

• The average pay in the food & beverage industry declined by 6.3% over the past 12 months to $93,537 – the lowest average since the survey started in 2007.
• With the exception of Plant Operations, every job category tracked showed a drop in salary.
• Marketing and Sales people faced a 19% pay cut, dropping from a six-figure salary in 2009 to $84,726.
• 60% of respondents said they get a raise every year, down from 65% in 2009.
• Average hours worked per week went up 23 minutes from last year to 47.5 hours.

The survey results also contain plenty of respondent comments – both positive and negative – which describe professionals’ overall level of job satisfaction.

To find out more about salary trends in the food and beverage processing industry, or to locate the ideal candidate for an opening in your organization, contact Kinsa Group today.

Today’s food supply chains are undeniably complex.  And in recent years, factors such as manufacturing efficiency improvements, increased product diversity and sheer volume have contributed to an increased risk for large scale food safety incidents, which can reach across countries and even continental boundaries.

I recently read a fantastic whitepaper entitled “Ensuring Food Safety and Brand Protection Through Supply Chain Traceability” which covers, among other things, the importance of developing an automated approach to traceability to ensure food safety. 

Here are a few of the whitepaper’s guidelines for food processors to implement effective product traceability practices:

• define and apply consistent product and process standards across facilties and departments;
• document all supply chain activities that involve the handling, processing and storage of food products, ingredients, packaging, processing equipment, etc.;
• implement a system that facilitates transparent, rapid and complete ”source to sale” auditability;
• consistently collect activity reporting information, and be able to quickly retrieve quality information after-the-fact for up to two years after a product is sold;
• create processes that fit well with existing supply chain business operations.

When it comes to ensuring the success of your food safety and traceability initiatives, having the right professionals on your team can make all the difference.  Kinsa is here to help.  We can deliver the talented food and beverage professionals your business needs.  Contact us today.

By: Brent Kendall | The Wall Street Journal

The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit Friday seeking to undo Dean Foods Co.’s 2009 acquisition of Foremost Farms USA’s consumer-products division.

The legal challenge marks the first time the Obama administration’s antitrust team at the Justice Department, led by Christine Varney, has sued to block or undo an acquisition.

Ms. Varney, who was confirmed as antitrust chief last April, had pledged to take a close look at competition issues in the agriculture industry.

Antitrust regulators said the deal eliminated substantial competition in milk sales to schools, grocery stores and convenience stories in Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Attorneys general from those three states joined the lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in Milwaukee.

The lawsuit not only seeks to undo the transaction but also seeks to require that Dallas-based Dean Foods, the country’s largest processor and distributor of dairy products, notify the Justice Department at least 30 days in advance before any future acquisition of a milk-processing operation.

It’s 2010 – time to flip the calendar, wipe the slate clean, and take a look ahead.  

To help you start off the new decade right, here is a summary of some of the biggest issues likely to impact the food and beverage industry this year:

1. Increased Regulations.  The food safety bill means increased inspections of domestic food facililties and greater oversight of imports.  The proposed legislation will give the FDA enhanced authority to oversee the safety of our nation’s food supply.
2. Labeling Changes.  To ensure consumers are not confused or misled by symbols used in front-of-package and shelf labeling, the FDA is drafting new legislation for simpler labeling.  The proposed changes would require food companies to use new, consistent labels clearly defining nutritional criteria.
3. Advertising Scrutiny.  The Federal Trade Commission is scrutinizing the claims made by cereal and other food and beverage products marketed to children.  This issue continues to gain momentum as the Democrat-controlled Congress becomes more involved and Internet-connected moms speak out.
4. Consumer Skepticism.  According to a new IBM survey, less than 20% of consumers trust food companies to develop and sell safe and healthy food products.  Sixty percent question the safety of the food they purchase, and nearly half have changed shopping behavior to access fresher or better quality foods.
5. Waging War on Obesity.  Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a report identifying several recommendations to make preventing and reducing obesity a central component of health reform.  The report called for a “National Strategy to Combat Obesity,” which would define government’s role, and promote collaboration among businesses, communities, schools, and families. 

   To that end, the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation has committed to a national, multi-year effort to help reduce obesity by 2015.  The plan will promote “energy balance” (calories consumed equalling calories expended).  For the food and beverage industry, supporting this initiative translates into product reformulation and innovation, providing smaller portions, redesigning packaging and labeling, placing calorie information on the front of products, consumer education, and in-store promotion.

6. Soda Tax.  Although a recent Yale School of Public Health study found that soda taxes have not made a difference in BMI over a 16-year period, California legislators are considering higher soda taxes as a way to curb obesity.  According to a UCLA study, adults who drink soda daily are 27% more likely to be obese.  But critics of the tax say that focusing on soft drinks will not solve the problem, citing the same UCLA study which also showed that half of adults who don’t drink soda are also overweight.

   Kelly Brownell, Director of the Rudd Center at Yale, compared the soda industry lanscape to the tobacco industry’s years ago, when governments began to increase cigarette taxes as a way to get people to quit smoking.

We’d Like to Hear From You

What are the most important issues or trends likely to affect your business in 2010?  We’d like to know.  You may leave your comment below, or contact us directly on our website.

To read the full food and beverage industry trends article by Diane Toops, visit FoodProcessing.com.

2010 is just a few days away. 

With the new decade will come a new set of priorities and challenges for the food and beverage industry.  From impending governmental and regulatory changes to gradual shifts in consumer buying habits, companies in our industry will need to change tacks to stay ahead of the curve.

FoodProcessing.com recently asked its Editorial Advisory Board, as well as contributors, readers and web site visitors, about the industry shifts they anticipated for 2010 and beyond.  Among other things, respondents listed a changing retail landscape as a big “game changer.”

So where will you be selling your products in the next decade?  Consider these statistics:

• Just 20 years ago, Americans made nearly 90 percent of their at-home food purchases in traditional grocery stores.
• Today, that share has dropped to 69 percent.
• Today’s biggest food retailers include Walmart (#1) and Costco Wholesale Corp. (#3).
• Grocery is the largest retail category for Walmart – accounting for 49 percent of revenue in 2008, and nearly four times the next closest category (entertainment).
• Nontraditional food stores (supercenters, hypermarkets, club stores, dollar stores) are enticing consumers – and grabbing market share - with one-stop shopping and lower prices.
• Supermarkets are still market leaders, chosen by 44 percent of food shoppers “almost every time” and “fairly often” by another 31 percent.

The bottom line?  There will be no single store format for the future.  Consumers want different things – big superstores, one-stop shopping, upscale shopping, convenience and more.  Retailers must respond by finding their market niche and creating the right focus.  The same holds true for food processors.  To keep pace with shifts in consumer buying habits, processors must create the right product mix to offer in a wide range of retailers.

Kinsa’s professional search and assessment services can deliver talented food and beverage professionals to help you manage industry shifts like these in 2010 and beyond.  Please visit our website to learn more.