Last week, more than 100 sustainability thought leaders gathered in Chicago for the Aspen Ideas: Climate event, bringing the conversation on climate solutions to the heart of the Midwest. Against the backdrop of the city’s strong business community and growing climate ambitions, leaders from business, government and advocacy explored not just why climate action matters, but how to make it happen. 

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.

Expo West 2025 served up another year of innovation, flavor, and eye-catching trends shaping the future of the food and beverage industry. Known as the largest trade show for natural, organic, and healthy products in North America, Natural Products Expo West showcased gut-friendly goodies to protein-packed everything – with thousands of products and companies in the mix. Here are the top five takeaways fresh from the show floor. 

Not everything creators do can be neatly quantified. It’s hard to point to a single piece of data that shows how a specific video from a creator influences long-term consumer interest. In the effort to measure the value of creators, marketers have leaned on simple social stats like impressions and engagements. However, as the industry has evolved, the benchmarks for success have largely remained unchanged. But are we sure we’re measuring the right things?

I recently had the privilege of moderating a panel for Global Women in PR, an organization dedicated to championing, connecting, and supporting women in senior PR and Communications roles, during the launch of its Annual Index.