Gen X, millennials are a growing force behind fancy food trends

Gen X, millennials are a growing force behind fancy food trendsGen X, millennials are a growing force behind fancy food trendsThousands of retail and foodservice buyers, distributors, media and others descended on the Jacob Javits Convention Center Sunday for the first day of theSummer Fancy Food Show.More than 34,000 are expected over the Specialty Food Associations annual three-day show, where theyll check out the latest specialty products from domestic and international companies of all sizes, from startups totenstill operating in incubators and looking to get their first products on grocery shelves to storied food purveyors sampling their latest flavors.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraBuyers from major companies includingKroger,Whole Foods Market,Trader Joes,UNFI,StarbucksandDean DeLucaattend the show each year seeking the next new artisan snacks, vegan baked goods and spar kling beverage thats going to tempt their customers to spend.And all have good reason to make the trip, asMintel ConsultingDirector David Lockwood told attendees during a session dubbed The State of the Specialty Food Industry.Specialty food schlussverkauf in the US hit $148.7 billion last year, a 9.8% increase over 2016. Mintel and SPINS/IRI teamed with the Specialty Food Association to create a trend report that shows that, while the industry segment is starting to mature, its sales are still growing about three times faster than overall US food sales.Sales in the segment are on track to keep growing by 5% to 6% annually for the next five years, and specialty food is on track to grow from 16.3% of the total US food market this year to 19.5% by 2023, Lockwood said.And a particularly key statistic for retailers and foodservice operators is the fact that specialty food consumers dubbed SFCs spend an average of 23% more per week than non-SFCs.In years past, baby boomers have set the trends, but thats shifting as the generations mature along with the industry. Gen X and older millennials do more of the spending on specialty food as they focus on family life, Lockwood said. While their older counterparts are still key consumers in the industry, their influence is lessening.SFCs enjoy shopping for local and regional products and theyre willing to pay more for quality ingredients, Lockwood said. Theyre also label readers who like to talk about what they find on labels, even to strangers in the grocery aisle.And the grocery is where most of the spending happens. Seventy-six percent of US specialty food sales happen at retail stores, while 22% of spending occurs in foodservice channels and 2% is done online.The online segment is growing rapidly, Lockwood said, but it still faces some challenges including the fact that its more difficult for new brands to gain traction and be discovered online than in the store. Logistics can also be complicated and companies might n eed to reformulate recipes to extend the shelf life for products that might spend more time in warehouses before reaching the consumer.The Specialty Food Association began in 1952 as a trade group to help cheese importers promote their brands. Today, plant-based cheese joins traditional dairy cheese to top the list of top 10 specialty foods based on retail sales. Refrigerated plant-based meat alternatives and frozen plant-based meat alternatives are first and third, respectively, on the top 10 list of categories with the biggest dollar growth.And plant-based products including meat alternatives, plant-based milks and tofu fill the top four spots on the top 10 list of specialty food categories by market share.The plant-based category is flourishing as more consumers look for ways to take animal products off their plates at some meals, eating a flexitarian diet rather than becoming strictly vegetarian or vegan.Foodservice distributor Sysco has recognized that trend, Lockwood said. The company has launched a plant-based platform to provide products for venues including campus dining halls and health care facilities that are often leading the way when it comes to making a shift towards more plant-based dining.A few more takeaways from the sessionWomen still lead when it comes to grocery shopping, but men are gaining. Sixty-seven percent of women said theyre solely responsible for the grocery shopping compared to 54% of men, and 31% of women and 40% of men said they share responsibility.When it comes to restaurants, specialty food consumers want to be able to customize their orders and choose from a menu featuring local and regional ingredients, Mintel/SPINS data show. They also want the chance to upgrade to premium ingredients and they care to learn the stories behind the foods theyre eating.Half of the top 10 best-selling specialty categories are beverages, led by water and sparkling water, and collectively the specialty beverage category generated $11.8 billion in US sales in 2018.Dieting trends have shifted. Men are dieting more than women and theyre often choosing harder to follow plans like high-protein and low-carb plans. Additionally, todays dieters are much more likely to try new trends and mix-and-match diets during the same period, Lockwood said.About 64% of specialty food shoppers buy ingredients for dinner at home, while 35% are buying breakfast foods, data that show the dinner segment may be maturing while theres still plenty of room to innovate for the morning meal, he said.This article first appeared on Smartbrief.com.

Job Hopping Isnt The Only Way to Show Ambition Heres Why

Job Hopping Isnt The Only Way to Show Ambition Heres WhyJob Hopping Isnt The Only Way to Show Ambition - Heres Why Job hopping is becoming increasingly normal, with 64 percent of prof essionals think changing roles every few years can be beneficial, according to a 2018 survey from Robert Half - just four years ago, only 42 percent of workers held the same belief.Popular amongst Millennials and younger workers, job hopping has been on the rise because they are motivated to advance in their careers rather than get stuck in one job for a couple of years. However, staying at one company for five or more years does not mean youre lame or lack ambition.The employees at AdRoll Group , an organization with unique internal mobility and flexibility, have found an employer that allows them to advance in their careers while staying within the same company. The lesson theyve shared with Glassdoor is that staying at one company can allow for as much career growth as hopping f rom one job to the next.If youre feeling stagnant in your career, but love the company you work for, binnensee how the employees of AdRoll have built a flourishing career without bouncing from company to the next.To grow, you need to build the proper foundation and mastering your current position should be the starting point. If youre proficient in your role, youll tischset yourself on the path for growth and mobility, suggests Emma Gilroy. Gilroy has changed positions multiple times with AdRoll. Her recommendation Number one, master your day-to-day responsibilities. Get to a place where everyone has really strong confidence in your abilities.Gilroy - who serves as the Global Head of Customer Operations - explains to do this, you must work and operate in a smart manner get your work done in a timely, efficient way do it to a high standard and tackle problems head-on, become more solutions-oriented.Mastering your core role will not only set you up for success but also help you get you noticed by leadership (something youll need for mobility). According to Gilroy Once youve instilled confidence across the board in your ability to fulfill your primary tasks, with people beyond just your direct line of management, other people can start to become advocates who support you and your contributions.Taking your time within your career path allows you to learn and master specific skills that set you up as the expert in your company. If youre flying up the ladder, or consistently changing roles , you cant identify these opportunities- or lack the focused time to dedicate to honing a specific skill set.Ive seen a lot of success in the teams Ive managed when people are able to identify something unique to them, where they could go deeper than others and become an expert, recalls Gilroy. If you get really strong in one specific area where you can then help other people, you can start to have a broader impact. There will be more dependency on you and your contribu tions.Ultimately, if youre an expert in an area you can own, you can use that to leverage movement into new positions. Gilroy explains, The key to internal growth and mobility is identifying something that interests you but also can create a specialty. In going deep, you also ensure that youre working in a role that you truly enjoy, which makes all future career changes much more fulfilling.Honing in on your position and the skills that make you successful may help you find the confidence you need to move into new roles. People can get distracted by trying to cover too much and never really become successful in that core day to day, which can lead to a lack of confidence, says Gilroy.Togbor Wentum has moved between several positions during his journey at AdRoll, each time getting closer to where he wanted to be. The solutions engineer explains how giving 110 percent in his positions not only boosted his confidence but lead to successful mobility Do your core role with dedicati on and then do extra. I was giving all of myself to the team and the company, essentially showing that I delve into work wholeheartedly and that my behavior was not going to change when I moved into a new role. Demonstrating full involvement by bringing your wholehearted self to work and getting after it, helps build confidence in your ability to continue doing that.Make sure that you and your anfhrer have confidence in your abilities with these tips from GilroyMaking moves within a company that already knows your good work can make it easier to try different roles or paths without having to deal with the strenuous hopping. Kelly Eng, currently in a product management role, figured out that marketing wasnt for her after changing positionsI think marketing is really fascinating, but it wasnt something I wanted to do full time. That said, I learned a ton in that role and now have an appreciation for how challenging it can be to craft a compelling, relevant message.This also make s you more valuable to the company, as you move from position to position, gleaning insights into the challenges of your co-workers Marketing taught me how tough it can be to truly step into the shoes of a customer and pierce the bubble of the internal myths of a company.Build a Career, One Position at a TimeIf youre worried your career progression is too slow, consider how you can move up within your current company . Dont forget, however, that you have to walk before you run. Establish yourself as the obvious candidate for new positions by mastering your current role, take the time to become an expert in a specialty, and use internal mobility to test out new departments or roles.

Is the Resume Summary Dead

Is the Resume Summary Dead Is the Resume Summary Dead Once a staple, the summary statement seems to be on its way out - or perhaps its already dead.Ive read many resumes that contain summary statements which, in effect, say nothing at all. Ive spoken to many recruiters and hiring managers who have told me they dont even read summary statements when they come across them.Recently, I posed a question about resume summary statements to my LinkedIn followers - and I received a lot of responses.Executive resume writerAdrienne Tomsaid she often considers leaving the summary statement off the resumes she writes.I think a lot of professionals feel compelled to share a summary which then comes out forced, with generic word choices, Tom wrote. Instead, a better strategy is to focus on value points. Share with the reader the hows and whys (provide the proof), and word selection wont matter as much.So, is the summary statement just wasted real estate now? Once a vital resume component, the summary statement is, I fear, gradually losing the foothold it once held. What used to be a poetically written three or four lines of prose is becoming obsolete. It may soon be excluded from resumes altogether, simply because the people who read resumes dont have the time for summaries.I hope Im wrong, because I do think summaries can be quite powerful. Consider this summary statementInformation Systems Department Director specializing in project planning programming, techniques, and achieving business objectives. Budget hundreds of thousands of dollars in project resources. Lead efforts that consistently generate schlussverkauf exceeding $15K in a competitive pharmaceutical markets.Does this summary say enough? It illustrates the candidates value with quantified results and should generate interest in the reader. Its brief, and theres no fluff.But not all of my esteemed colleagues agree that summaries add value. As mentioned above, I recently asked professional resume writers and recruiters whether they thought the resume summary was dead. Heres what a few of them wroteI have my candidates compose what I like to call a career highlights section just a bullet-pointed section of some actual career accomplishments. It catches the potential employers attention immediately. I feel objectives/summaries are just antiquated in a job market that is currently flooded with candidates. - Adrienne Roberts, Branch Manager, Robert HalfAre they on their way out? No - they have already left. Most hiring professionals will tell you that the summary, at least in the US, is an ignored piece of fluff, better left off tomake room for the information they need/want to know. - Sarah Douglas, G.C.D.FI feel that summary statements are still an essential component of a resume. However, I am looking for qualifications and hard data, not fluff about perceived skills. If you can quickly read about relevant experience, results achieved, number of direct reports, and so on, then the soft skills can be explored further in the interview. - Judy Hojel,CEO, People and wertzuwachs Training Pty, LTD.No, a well-written summary statement is a must on any resume. It brings together the many details of your achievements and education to focus the employer on exactly how you fit the job position. It gives one a big-picture view, with the detail to follow in the rest of the resume. - Jay Barrett, Human Resources ExecutiveAs you can see, opinions vary on whether the summary statement is on its way out. I, for one, hope it remainsa vital resume component - but I also agree with Adrienne Tom. The summary must provide proof of ones greatness. Otherwise,theres no use in having one.Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 15 job search workshops at an urban career center.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 cours es. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.