North America

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…

Concentrates registered healthy volume growth in Canada in 2023. A return to normal levels of activity outside of the home post-pandemic has led to increased consumption of concentrates, particularly liquid concentrates, which outperformed powder…

Off-trade volume sales declined in 2023 due to ongoing negative public perceptions around carbonates. Rising health consciousness has led consumers to shift towards healthier options such as sparkling bottled water and RTD tea juices. This trend has…

One of the most notable shifts witnessed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was the shift from on-trade to off-trade. As a result, local consumers bought larger formats of bottled water to use in their homes in bulk. However, consumption…

Recycling and reducing food waste is well-established in the USA, creating a strong opportunity for Zero Waste product development, while implementing the Can Be Recycled claim would be welcomed by locals. There is a solid opportunity for industries…

Tea is not the only beverage facing supply chain challenges. However, when compared with some other beverages in the US, tea is relatively better off, as it has not been affected by harvest issues, like coffee, nor is it heavily reliant on aluminium…

Malt-based hot drinks experienced a surge in retail volume sales in 2020 due to COVID-19, but quickly returned to the pre-pandemic level of sales. Unfortunately, decline is expected to continue in 2023. On the other hand, chocolate-based flavoured…

The COVID-19 pandemic has largely ended, but there has been little respite, either for the hot drinks industry specifically, or for the US as a whole, with inflation quickly replacing COVID-19 as the top concern of both companies and consumers. The…

Over the last three years, the way in which people in the US consume coffee has undergone significant and continuing change. Initially, due to the pandemic, there was a swift shift towards drinking coffee at home, driving retail volumes and leading…

The briefing examines how the pulp commodity performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on pulp price dynamics, as well as trends across key commodity-consuming…

In 2023, tea continues to benefit from being perceived as a healthy beverage with many benefits, such as boosting immunity or supporting digestive health. As health awareness rises, more consumers are reducing their coffee consumption and…

After being impacted by record-high inflation in 2022, sports drinks has continued to see prices pushed in 2023, with high single-digit growth expected in off-trade unit prices in nominal terms. This price growth is in line with much of the soft…

On-trade volume sales of soft drinks in the US are set to continue to grow in 2023. Much of the country has returned to somewhat normal operations, particularly during the busy summer months in terms of on-trade consumption of beverages. Higher rates…

RTD tea has historically been one of the most stable soft drinks categories in the US. It is a mature category with a wide variety of products targeted towards different demographics, with varying levels of sugar content. Although individual brands…

RTD coffee in the US can be thought of as multiple distinct segments, instead of a single unified category. The first products to enter the market were coffee shop-style beverages that were sweetened. Starbucks Frappuccino is the leading brand in…

Other hot drinks is dominated by chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks, which accounted for more than 95% of volume sales in the category in 2023.

Coconut water, led by Vita Coco, is rapidly expanding its presence in retail stores beyond core channels such as warehouse clubs. It is now more widely available in supermarkets, convenience stores, and via e-commerce channels. This growth is being…

The value of hot drinks in retail continues to grow. This is due to both an increase in sales volume and high unit prices, driven by inflationary pressures. Instant coffee and herbal teas are especially fast-growing categories in terms of volume…

The energy drinks category is highly competitive, but Celsius has been successful in capturing share. Unlike other leading brands, which were focused on revenue management, Celsius’s focus on reduced sugar products is expected to allow it to continue…

Concentrates are often seen as a more affordable option, driving trading across from juice. The primary appeal of powder concentrates in particular remains their affordability, offering consumers the most value in dollars per litre across…

In Canada, there is a great deal of competition in coffee, especially as players seek to make their products more sustainable amongst an increasingly informed population that cares about the social and environmental impacts of their consumption. As a…

After record-high inflation in 2022, consumer packaged goods companies have continued with necessary price actions in 2023. Most notably, carbonates has seen a unit price increase of around 10%. Companies have executed price increases using…

Sparkling flavoured bottled water continues to attract a high level of interest from consumers, as a natural sparkling soft drinks alternative. Sparkling flavoured bottled water is now a much bigger and more dynamic category than still flavoured…

The briefing examines how the steel commodity is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on steel price dynamics, as well as trends across key commodity consuming…

This briefing provides insight into the Sustainable Manufacturing trend, exploring the manufacturing sectors with the greatest environmental impact, solutions to improve the sustainability of the manufacturing sector, and potential hurdles that…

The briefing examines how the coffee commodity is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on coffee price dynamics, as well as analysing trends across key…

The briefing examines how the milk commodity performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on milk price dynamics, as well as trends across key commodity consuming…

The briefing examines how the cotton commodity performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on cotton price dynamics, as well as trends across key commodity consuming…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

Sweet spreads, often criticised for their high sugar content in products such as chocolate spreads, jams, preserves, and nut- or seed-based spreads, are undergoing a transformation. Companies are actively working to change the perception that these…

The segment of sauces, dips, and condiments is experiencing robust value growth, primarily fuelled by aggressive new product development activities conducted throughout the year. Manufacturers are introducing consumers to innovative products, with a…

The Canadian food market is experiencing a boost in meals and soups, primarily due to the surge in new product development activities. Canada's ambitious immigration programme, which has welcomed a substantial number of newcomers, has created a…

Edible oils are currently experiencing one of the most significant price increases within the food group. The surging prices have raised concerns among consumers, prompting some to reduce their consumption. These price hikes, combined with growing…

In 2023, the Canadian cooking ingredients and meals market is influenced by several key factors that are shaping the industry landscape. Firstly, food inflation has had a significant impact on the market, and Canada has been experiencing some of the…

A salmonella outbreak in 17 states in 2022 was linked to The JM Smucker Co’s production facility, resulting in massive recalls for the leader in sweet spreads. The company’s positioning not only as a B2C player but also as an ingredient supplier for…

Store cards is recording only low growth in Canada in 2023, for several reasons. A glaring limitation lies in store cards’ narrowed reward horizons, compounded by a restricted usability across disparate retail chains. This inherent constriction has…

At the end of the review period, much of sauces, dips and condiments has been characterised by the same price increases, decreasing volume sales, and increasing private label share seen in other packaged food categories. Mustard, facing inconsistency…

Pre-paid cards is seeing continued robust rises across all metrics in Canada in 2023, with growth in some areas outshining that of 2022. This is in large part thanks to a wave of innovation from card issues that is redefining the landscape. One of…