Welcome to Prepared Foods’ annual Predictions issue. I encourage you to check out as many as 22 experts’ features (nearly all exclusive) across topics ranging from ingredients (sweeteners, protein, etc.) to broader food and beverage trends, consumer insights, and more.
I’m not skilled at predictions but I can confidently tell you Prepared Foods’ own future will look dramatically different starting in January.
It starts with using your present behaviors to better inform and craft our future actions. (Think of it as our version of consumer insights). We took a deep-dive look at where readers engage most with our content. Likewise, we used web analytics to clearly assess topics of most interest.
We learned Prepared Foods’ audience is more diverse than ever. There are readers loyal to the magazine while others prefer news and formulating topics delivered by e-newsletter or web site. We also know many of you prefer to quickly engage with other content ranging from simple infographics to podcasts, videos, webinars and in-person events.
The Future! We’re Anxious to See You There.
Starting January 2022, Prepared Foods will cover each one of six critical industry topics every month—including sugar reduction, immunity, protein, plant-based products, natural and organic products and sustainability. Moreover, this coverage will be monthly across each of six distinct media platforms, which range from the e-Magazine to podcasts, videos and even dedicated webinars.
For these reasons, Prepared Foods now is shifting to deliver content—on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis—across seven distinct media platforms.
We will remain highly committed and engaged with you here in the magazine as well as our weekly e-newsletters, daily web and feature posts and at our annual New Products Conference (in-person event). Moving forward, we also will produce a steady flow of pure editorial content via podcast, video and even infographics.
The bottom line is that Prepared Foods is not cutting back coverage in any way—just channeling new and relevant content across many more platforms.
Prepared Foods also will give you more content on the industry’s most critical topics.
We’ve identified six “rolling content” areas and they literally range from ingredients to issues. These topics include protein, plant-based products, natural and organic products, sweeteners and sugar reduction, immunity, and sustainability. Starting in January, we will be covering one or more of these topics in every month, across one or more platforms.
Prepared Foods soon kicks off a robust series of on-trend podcasts, videos, infographics—and even webinars—based on reader content preferences.
In the future, one exciting and dynamic benefit will involve our online rolling content topic centers. It’s our expectation that when you arrive at a topic center page, you’ll have multiple options for exploring that particular news. When it comes for protein, for example, you will have instant options to read related stories or infographics, watch a video or webinar, or listen to a podcast.
I’ll note that Prepared Foods’ magazine, website and newsletters continue to cover other on-trend topics. These articles will range from features on breakfast cereal trends, snack food colors or flavored waters to Vietnamese taste trends, prebiotic fibers or industrial fruit.
As with this year’s Predictions issue, it’s hard to exactly predict what’s around the corner in a new year. I do know, however, that we’re excited to embrace some disruptive change of our own—and meet you there. PF
December 2021
