Physical activity, food and health news

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Saturday May 20, 2023

Teens can get a free pass this summer at one nationwide gym, Michelle Obama’s new food company

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Retail grocer news, food/indigenous food news

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Saturday May 6, 2023 Tools to save money, how the retail grocer market is changing and rural communities losing grocers are all forces in

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Food and health in the news

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Saturday April 22, 2023

Much is happening in food and health news and a report about misinformation and science education has

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The Latest Food News

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday April 10, 2023 Food continues to be a fast-changing landscape: how we pay for it, consumer and grocer viewpoints and food waste! Of

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Read about air fryers to extreme food budgeting

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Friday March 24, 2023 A lot is going on in the ‘heads up nutrition educators’ space from Lunchables coming to school meals (at what

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Groceries…they are chock full of news!

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Saturday March 11, 2023

by Ellen Schuster, MS

************************************************************************************** A lot is happening at grocery stores (when is it not?). Interesting new observation…shoppers

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Keep up with new foods/new terms

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Saturday February 25, 2023 by Although the supply chain has

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Last look at 2022, looking ahead to 2023

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday January 31, 2023 In just a few years everyone now seems to have joined the future casting food and drink trend bandwagon. One

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Beginning 2023: Looking back and moving forward.

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Friday January 13, 2023 As we begin 2023 we look back and forward:
  • U.S. life expectancy drops largely due to COVID and drug overdoses

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Schuster’s Blog: New Year’s resolutions, eating out, grocery aisles and more

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday January 3, 2023 The New Year often comes with resolutions to eat better or be more active. Many may find this New Year

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Schuster’s Blog: Inflation, grandfamilies, and SNAP

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Thursday December 15, 2022 Families with limited resources are being squeezed on all sides.
  • Overall inflation has slowed yet food prices increased over the

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Schuster’s Blog: WIC Foods, SNAP, Rewards Programs and More

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Friday December 2, 2022 A soft drink vending machine at the checkout of a shoe store? My first thought when I saw this 8

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Schuster’s Blog: Grocery retail, competition, food deserts and more.

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday November 15, 2022 A new ‘Big 3’ in grocery retail? Higher food prices? Less competition? More food deserts? These are some of the

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Schuster’s Blog: A proposed new definition of a ‘healthy’ claim for food and a new look at foods like SlimFast, pizza and more!

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday November 7, 2022

FDA’s proposed ‘healthy’ claim: background, reactions, impact…

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The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health – now what?

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday October 24, 2022 The recent conference, now in the rearview mirror, was historic considering the last one of its kind was in 1969.

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Schuster’s Blog: High food prices: private labels, other deals/strategies

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday October 5, 2022 How times have changed! Store brands/private/generic labels were considered as inferior to brand names just a few years ago. The

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Schuster’s Blog: Universal school meals, ultra-processed food, Lucky Charms update and more.

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday September 26, 2022 As some states support school meals, some colleges cut back on dining options, a new cereal on-the-go (no milk needed),

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Schuster’s Blog: School Meals and More

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Friday September 2, 2022 As students head back to school, school meal challenges continue (supply chain issues, staffing, need to charge for meals, school

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Social media, on shelves, sports gambling in grocery stores & more

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday August 15, 2022 Two stories of note:
  • This fall UMass Amherst will be the first university to provide ratings of the carbon footprint of

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Food and Food Buying News

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday August 2, 2022 From the consumer lens… **INFLATION/ONLINE SHOPPING/COUPONS/BUY NOW PAY LATER (BNPL)/IMPULSE BUYING & SOCIAL MEDIA/SHOPPABLE CONTENT: Inflation prompts interest in food private

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Schusterer’s Blog — Health and Wellness

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Friday July 15, 2022 In an overview, six categories of retail health and wellness are identified:
  1. health
  2. fitness
  3. wellness-oriented nutrition
  4. wellness-oriented appearance (Twinings Glow

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Food environment changes…are these the changes we want?

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday March 9, 2022 Scanning the changing food environment is interesting but sometimes scary. Note this: Is the future of food the future we

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2022 Deep Dives: Food Delivery, Food Recalls, Food as a Lifestyle, and More!

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday January 19, 2022 It’s 2022 and time to dive deep into some issues: food e-commerce (buying produce online; how fast food delivery affects

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What Will Trend In 2022?

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday January 3, 2022 Overview: This year’s 2022 predictions are very consistent,  popular trends include: foods/ingredients that support health/brain health, foods to address immunity

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The Latest in Food and Tech

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Thursday December 2, 2021 Projected online grocery shopping, food delivery more expensive, food pickup, grocery smart carts, social media marches on in the food

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Text to shop, buy now, pay later for groceries…oh my!

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday November 10, 2021 Food is increasingly easier to access with online shoppable content, Walmart’s testing of text to shop and other developments. In

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FDA Summit: Ensuring the Safety of Foods Ordered Online and Delivered Directly to Consumers

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday November 1, 2021 The summit has ended but you can view it online (links to each day is below). AgendaComments/input to FDA

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Inequity, Diversity, The Ethnic Aisle, Food Dignity and More…

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Thursday October 14, 2021 A collection of resources, thought-provoking articles (cultural humility and the Thrifty Food Plan, food photography diversity, the ‘ethnic’ aisle, the

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2020 – 2025 DGA-related free online recorded webinars and other resources

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday September 15, 2021 Updated HHS DGAs toolkit includes consumer fact sheets Webinars... 3-part webinar series on the 2020 DGAs (American Society for Nutrition) -

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School Meal Challenges as the 2021/2022 School Year Begins

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday August 31, 2021 It’s the perfect storm...increased food and fuel prices, vendors closing or deciding to no longer work with school districts, drought,

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Is Hosting a Podcast in Your Future?

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday July 6, 2021 In 2005 ‘podcast’ became the ‘word of the year’ according to New Oxford Dictionary. In 8 short years, 2013, Apple

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Having a hard time keeping track of plant-based options?

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday June 16, 2021 Plant-based options are virtually everywhere yet there may be some surprises about where you can find them below. This is

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Cool plant-based ice creams are hot; DIY frozen treats

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday June 1, 2021 Have you seen the crowded the ice cream with its many vegan/plant-based options? Read on to see how they fare

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More Views of the Future

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday May 12, 2021 Additional perspectives on 2021 trends, pandemic changes and online grocery shopping and older adults. At the close of 2020 I

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Two Views of the Food System: Food Everywhere / Vegetarian Food Relief

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Monday April 26, 2021 Food is everywhere...accessible if you can afford it yet many are food insecure. And some of the food insecure are

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The State of SNAP and Online E-commerce

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Friday April 16, 2021
SNAP online grocery e-commerce has grown exponentially in a short period of time. What is the retail perspective? The

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BIPOC & Women-Centered Food and Agriculture

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Friday April 16, 2021 If you are not currently aware of how to find BIPOC/women-owned/operated farms, food boxes, food brands, dining and more, read

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Best Plant-Based Food Retailers; BIPOC and Vegan/Plant-Based Eating

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday March 2, 2021 Plant-based continues to have a high profile in foodservice and food retail. The term appeared in the 1970s and

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Be Caffeine Aware for Caffeine Awareness Month (March)

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Wednesday February 17, 2021 Created by the Caffeine Awareness Alliance formed in 2003 to advocate for a caffeine-free industry, this caffeine awareness observance is

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Do Supermarkets Help Shoppers Find Healthy Groceries Online? How do Retailers Increase Online Impulse Buys?

Posted by: Ellen Schuster, MS on Tuesday February 2, 2021 The digital grocery shopping environment is evolving. More shoppers are online seeking healthy foods. Concurrently, retailers are already using/developing new

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