A lot has happened in the constantly changing meal kit space in the last month or so, with some developments positive and some challenging. Taken together, these recent news items provide a snapshot of the current status of the meal kit business. This remains a category of interest to many licensors, especially in the celebrity, […]
Archive | Food/Beverage
Snap, Crackle, and Pop! (Vinyl)
Over the past year and a half, collectibles brands have been entering the breakfast cereal market. The products are intended to taste good, but also to serve as a collectible in their own right. They are often sold through retail outlets that focus on collectibles and other non-food products, rather than in supermarkets. Three notable […]
Tempted by Tasty Alternatives
Burger King revealed last week that it is testing the Impossible Burger, a plant-based meat substitute, as a potential addition to its menu. This is the latest example—and one of the most high-profile—of food and beverage marketers embracing products that can serve as replacements for meat and other staples. These items are meant to appeal […]
The ABCs of CBD
The licensing community’s interest in cannabis remains strong, but the emphasis of late has moved from products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to items containing cannabidiol (CBD). Both offer many of the same benefits, according to proponents, such as their ability to alleviate anxiety, ease pain, and reduce seizures. The primary difference is that THC, the main […]
Fresh Foods
Licensors are always looking to innovate by capitalizing on opportunities to pair a property with a rising consumer trend. That process can be more involved in the food industry than in other categories. But a handful of current food and beverage trends—some of which have been around for a while—are starting to spur the development […]
Flipping for Pancakes
By Karen Raugust on December 6, 2018 in Character/Entertainment, Food/Beverage, Licensing, Promotion
Licensors are looking beyond yogurt shops, donut bakeries, and hamburger chains for character and entertainment tie-in partners in the QSR and restaurant world. Pancake houses seem to be a preferred destination in 2018: Universal Partnerships & Licensing, Illumination, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises paired with IHOP for Grinch-themed pancakes, French toast, omelets, and hot chocolate to […]
A Spoonful of Sugar
So much for a healthy breakfast. A trend in the world of licensed and co-branded breakfast foods is to pair cereals with sugary snacks, with each of the big-three cereal makers recently introducing or announcing its own example: Kellogg’s confirmed in August that it would release a Pop Tarts cereal, Pop Tarts Crunch, in 2019. […]
Healthy Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Despite upheaval, consolidation, and the struggles of brands such as Blue Apron and Chef’d, the meal kit business continues to look to high-profile properties from outside the industry for new branded and signature programs. One of the strong pockets of activity of late consists of celebrities launching healthy meal kits, with many examples focused on […]
Produce Plus Protein
Grocery shoppers have seen a proliferation of healthy snacks that combine fruits or vegetables with protein in a single, convenient package for on-the-go eating. Licensed products are part of the mix, as these examples illustrate: B&G Foods and its master licensee for Green Giant Fresh, Growers Express, are debuting six vegetable-based meal bowls. They include […]
Grocers Have a Taste for Meal Kits
The meal kit business has experienced some potentially profound changes of late, with grocery store operators increasing their presence in the segment. They are entering in a number of ways: Purchasing existing meal kit companies. Kroger acquired Home Chef for $200 million (plus $500 million more if the program meets online and in-store sales goals) […]