The event kicked off with the well-attended pre-show seminars on Monday May 22. For the current year 2023, private label is expected to grow with 2-3% points in Europe, with strongest growth in Eastern Europe. “PL is having a winning momentum, so now is the time to positively connect with your shoppers”, said Servé Muijres of GfK.

Both NielsenIQ and GfK confirmed Europe as the biggest market for private label, with a 34% market share. What’s more, across countries and across product categories, private label is still gaining market share.

In a presentation at the Show, Arjan Both of Walmart explained how the world’s largest retailer has been working on its strategy to build the most trusted and resilient supply chain. The company is very much open to doing business with European private label suppliers who are recognised globally for setting the bar.

In his role with Rockwell Automation’s 8th annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report, Gerry connects research to industry leaders and tests findings with analysts while looking for ways to improve products and messaging. He has a wealth of content experience, having written thousands of blog posts, white papers, reports and two books.

This will be PLMA’s sixth Lunch & Learn session in 2023. The first was conducted on January 26 and focused on growing private label sales and hosted by Kyle Patterson, Senior Vice President of Daymon. The 2d session was on February 2 with a review of store brand sales from 2022 by MaryEllen Lynch of IRI. The third was February 23 by Gary Stibel of The New England Consulting Group.

The fourth, reporting on ‘How America Eats,’ was on April 27 and the most recent, on May 11, discussed Circana’s new Unify+ sales data platform that's a benefit exclusively for PLMA members.

“Consumer packaged goods innovation is rising, list price increases are waning and retailers are focused on private-brand expansion,” Irvine, California-based Advantage Solutions stated in its Spring Outlook 2023 report. “The survey also found branded product manufacturers are responding to private-brand expansion by marketing the quality of their products and launching product innovation. Their top tool for remaining competitive is off-shelf merchandising, as trade promotion activity has inched up gradually since the COVID dip.”

Meanwhile, consumer packaged goods manufacturers are reining in pricing and shifting focus to product quality and innovation as grocery retailers ramp up private-label merchandising to draw cost-savvy shoppers, according to the report.

Some 28% of the manufacturers polled in March for Advantage Solutions’ “Manufacturer and Retailer Outlook Spring 2023” report plan list price hikes in the next six months, down from 46% in the December survey. Meanwhile, 35% of manufacturers said they aren’t planning any price increases, an increase from 28% in the December report.

In Walmart stores, the company reported, general merchandise sales declined while food and consumable sales increased by low double digits. Inflation in food and consumables was down more than 4% throughout the first quarter the company said. However, as prices remain high, customers are spending cautiously on discretionary categories.

As the retailer continues to navigate the challenging economic waters, its consolidated revenue in the first quarter was up 7.6% to $152.3 billion. Net sales in the U.S. were up 7.2% to $103.9 billion. Comparable store sales in Q1 were up 7.4%.

Perrigo, who are seeking OTC status with no age restrictions, said millions of women have taken birth control pills for decades, proving them safe and effective. The company said its studies involving Opill showed that consumers could understand important information on the label, including who should and should not take the drug.

Despite the recommendation, FDA staffers raised concerns, including whether some women with breast cancer or other medical conditions would understand that they should not take the medication.

In the end, the outside experts showed strong support for allowing the progestin only Opill to be sold over the counter. Several said that whether a woman follows directions to take Opill in the same three-hour window daily does not depend on whether she gets it with a prescription.

The prospect of an OTC pill has not set off political and legal battles akin to those ignited by one of the abortion drugs, mifepristone, which is the target of a lawsuit by antiabortion medical organizations and doctors.

The FDA’s decision on the proposed OTC Opill is expected this summer or early fall. The ruling would not affect other birth control pills, but an approval might encourage other companies to seek nonprescription status, some supporters say.

The third highest-selling organic category in 2022 was dairy and eggs, hitting $7.9 billion last year, an increase of over 7% from 2021. Organic dairy and eggs made up close to 8% of the total dairy and egg market according to OTA’s data. Organic yogurt sales jumped by over 12% year-over-year to $1.5 billion, and organic egg sales jumped 11% to around $1.2 billion. 

“Organic has proven it can withstand short-term economic storms. Despite the fluctuation of any given moment, Americans are still investing in their personal health, and, with increasing interest, in the environment, and organic is the answer,” said OTA CEO Tom Chapman.

In the Hot Beverage category, Kerry said the report found nostalgia to be a major trend, pointing to products like Lavender White Mocha Lattes and a Hot and Spicy Horchata as winning flavor profiles. In the Cold Beverage category, mixing-and-matching different flavors, including exotic and unique fruits like yuzu, apricot, prickly pear and more appeared as a growing trend in flavors.

For Savory Flavors, Kerry said many were focused on smoky, savory, and spicy flavors like Nashville Hot, habanero, Korean and tangy barbecue and more. Sweet Flavors highlighted in the report included salted caramel, dulce de leche, key lime pie, sea salt and more.

Kerry's emerging trends in the nutrition category included antioxidants, added energy, no alcohol, low sugar, no allergens, and keto-friendly as Up-and-Coming product attributes.

“Our research team follows trends in flavors and new menu products throughout the year in order to provide our foodservice customers with research-based recommendations that can help them to make winning menu decisions,” added Nair. “There is a lot of information out there, but Flavor Insights cuts through the noise to provide high-quality insights and market facts to chefs and product developers as they navigate a competitive and changing consumer landscape.”

Gorsuch wrote that pork producers must turn to Congress for relief from state laws they dislike. He added that “despite the persistent efforts of certain pork producers, Congress has yet to adopt any statute that might displace Proposition 12 or laws regulating pork production in other States.”

Four members of the court — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented, voting in favor of keeping the challenge to the law alive and sending it back to a lower court for more work.

It’s uncontested that states can regulate pork raised within its borders. But Proposition 12, passed by nearly 63 percent of Californians in 2018, went further, banning the sale of products derived from pigs, no matter where they were raised, that are not allowed at least 24 square feet of space. California consumes about 13 percent of the nation’s total.

The decision could have far-reaching ramifications. If other states adopt similar laws not only for pork but for the rules of raising chicken, beef, or other animals, selling meat would become a complicated process for all companies.

“I take great pride that together we have made Trader Joe’s the best grocery store in America,” Bane said in a statement to employees. “Thanks to all!”

Trader Joe’s was founded in Pasadena, California in 1967 by Joe Coulombe, who died in February 2020 at 89. He created a concept known for affordable gourmet treats and private-label items that differentiated the chain.