North America

Retail volumes continue to marginally fall in 2023, as competition from processed foods threatens demand for pulses in the US. Evolving lifestyles and inconsistent daily routines continue to make it increasingly unappealing for consumers to take…

Supply chain disruptions and heightened inflationary pressure continue to present challenges across all packaged food and fresh food categories. Food markets face a particular test with elevated inflation, even as the pandemic’s effects on markets…

With local consumers increasingly concerned about tense economic conditions in 2023, shopping preferences have continued to shift in favour of cost convenience. This has been particularly evident through the ongoing resilience of foodservice volumes,…

While industries continue to recover from pandemic-related disruptions, fresh fruits continue to face other external challenges. Notably, increasingly volatile climate shifts are having an intensifying impact on harvest calendars. For key states such…

After a year of strong foodservice growth in 2022, fresh food is experiencing slowdowns in out-of-home consumption occasions. Over 2023, foodservice outlets have been recording slower growth in single digits, representative of decreased flexibility…

Despite deflationary trends across fish and seafood, volumes continues to decline in 2023, particularly in retail. This follows a difficult 2022, when some types of fish and seafood experienced double-digit declines in retail volume terms. As…

Avian influenza outbreaks throughout 2022 contributed to rising input costs across the supply chain, resulting in strong double-digit unit price increases for eggs. Between infection-related deaths and intentional culling of flocks to limit further…

Over half of Canadian consumers recycle items and reduce food waste, while nearly 60% are wary of their environmental impact. This has led 35% of consumers to identify as Zero Wasters, creating opportunities for industries as almost half of these…

As in so many cases, perhaps the biggest story for store cards in the US in 2023 has been the twin forces of high inflation and high interest rates. While inflation has crept down over the course of 2023 in the US, the price increases that have…

2023 is likely to go down as the first generally “normal” year of the 2020s. While 2022 saw most companies return to at least some form of hybrid working, the emergence of the Omicron variant early in the year had a significant effect on the overall…

The biggest news of 2023 has been administrative, with the Federal Reserve fighting inflation and the threat of recession. With inflation well above recent norms in 2022, the Fed spent roughly 18 months in a constant dance of deciding whether to…

Fraud has hit debit cards hard in the US in recent years. Significant increases in card not present fraud have been recorded in the market in 2023, and are a legitimate concern for those in the financial industry. A significant threat to card usage…

Credit cards in the US is set to continue to see robust growth by all measures in 2023. While inflation in the country has generally been at lower levels than in the extreme outlier year of 2022, prices have still grown considerably, and some US…

Charge cards as a whole has been performing well in 2023, and it is expected to continue to grow beyond pandemic lows. Consumer spending in 2023 has driven payments across all card types, with the return to travel remaining an important storyline – a…

Sports drinks saw overall positive growth in retail volume sales in 2023. With the pandemic behind them, the everyday lives of Canadians have become more mobile. As such, sports drinks benefit from increased outdoor activities and gym training…

Post-COVID-19, more Canadians have resumed work outside of the home and begun partaking in social and outdoor activities again. This has led to a decline in retail volume sales of soft drinks, except in the case of impulse-driven, single-serve…

In off-trade volume terms, RTD tea recorded a healthier performance in 2023 than during the previous year of review. This reflects the appeal of RTD tea among younger Canadians, who consider it a healthier alternative to carbonates and sugary juices.…

Off-trade volume and current value growth in RTD coffee was substantial and higher than that seen in 2022. This reflects the appeal of RTD coffee among Canadians and ongoing new product development. RTD Coffee has emerged as a drink for a modern…

After some contraction in 2022, juices saw positive volume growth in 2023. Much of this was attributed to growth in healthier variants, particularly 100% Juice, thanks to rising health consciousness among local consumers. Gaining notable popularity…

Energy drinks received a setback in the summer of 2023 when the Canadian government recalled more than 20 popular brands, including Monster, Prime, Celsius and Sting, during the peak season for energy drink consumption. The brands were recalled…