This summer, Zeno's Foodie team had a front-row seat at two of the season’s biggest industry events, the Chicago Executive Club’s Annual Food Summit and the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum. Here’s what we learned about the trends shaping brand strategy, from tariffs and ultra-processed foods to AI innovations and shifting consumer expectations. 

The New Food Value Equation: Cost + Taste + the “Third Value” 

One theme dominated: value beyond price. Food companies are reimagining how they deliver and communicate value - not just through cost and taste but via experience, personalization, convenience, flavor, portion sizes and loyalty perks. As competition intensifies among food brands, this “third value” has become a crucial strategic imperative to stand out. Whether that is trust, sustainability, convenience, or something else, brands must determine their “third” value – and work hand-in-hand with communicators to amplify it across channels. 

The Color of Taste: How Hue Hijacks Flavor 

Turns out, red isn’t just a color—it’s a flavor, or at least that’s what some consumers believe. Research shows that consumers perceive colorful foods to be more flavorful, even though artificial dyes do not technically impact taste. For example, red candy may taste more intense when colored bright red versus no color at all.  

This highlights just how divided and complex today’s consumers can be. Some focus on affordability and convenience, while others look for clean, traceable ingredients that support health, sustainability, and transparency. 

Still, behavior doesn’t always align with intention. Even health-conscious shoppers can be influenced by nostalgic touches, flavor cues, or visual elements like a bold red coating that suggests spiciness. 

As communicators, we need to recognize and navigate this paradox. Brands must maintain the visual appeal of the original product while adapting to modern expectations for wellness, authenticity and trust. 

Sleepy Categories are Waking Up 

Innovation isn't just emerging from buzzy startups - it's also driven by the creative ways consumers are using traditional foods like cottage cheese. Heritage brands are reviving sleepy categories by collaborating with content creators and harnessing the power of social media to reframe their products. This shift presents communicators with fresh opportunities to reposition legacy categories and spark renewed interest among both media and consumers. 

Straight From the Source 

From policymakers to c-suite executives, these soundbites stood out to us as communicators. Together, they paint a vivid picture of the complex, fast-evolving food landscape—from affordability and perception to personalization and innovation. 

• Andrew Zimmern, Celebrity Chef: “Many people can’t afford what’s on the outer ring of the grocery store, but they are also time starved. They can’t afford not to buy processed foods.”
• Rob Dongoski, Partner, Kearney: “For consumers, marketing carries more weight over science. If consumers think it’s bad, it matters, regardless of what science says.”
• Diane Hund, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at US Foods, and James Zallie, President and CEO at Ingredion: Both industry leaders were bullish on the promise of using technology and AI to personalize food recommendations. “Everything you’re doing is getting into a database, but food is not there yet.”
• Kevin Hall, Former Integrative Physiology Section Chief, National Institutes of Health: On legislative and regulatory efforts underway to make changes to the U.S. food supply, like removing dyes from food, Hall said, “We don’t invest enough in research in the U.S. to understand if removing dyes from foods is going to make food healthier.” 

Final Bite

The future of food isn’t just about flavor. It’s about values. For PR professionals, the moment is ripe to help brands create stories that are relevant and resonate with today’s more nuanced, values-driven consumer.