The Food Institute Podcast

Hosted by The Food Institute Podcast

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Episodes

465

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

The Food Institute Podcast leverages the Food Institute's 90-plus-year history to provide actionable information and insight to food industry professionals.

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60 recent

September 8, 20262 min

FI Fast Break News - Sept. 9, 2026

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine PepsiCo's push into fresh foods, Walmart's unique new delivery service, and more.

September 1, 20262 min

FI Fast Break News - Sept. 2, 2026

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we discuss the continued removal of artificial colors in food products, President Trump's plans for ranchers, and more.

September 1, 202629 min

Food for Thought Leadership - How Food Brands Can Get More ROI from Influencers

In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, Chris Campbell, Vice President of Content and Insights at The Food Institute, speaks with Katy Coffield, CEO and co-founder of Foodie Tribe, and Hannah Gray, confectionery scientist and creator behind One Sweet Mama, about the evolving role of influencers in the food and beverage industry. The conversation explores how influencer marketing has matured, what brands should look for when selecting creators, and why micro-influencers can deliver outsized value through engagement, authenticity, and highly targeted audiences. Coffield and Gray also discuss how companies can measure influencer ROI, why long-term creator partnerships can outperform one-off campaigns, and the importance of giving creators enough freedom to connect authentically with their audiences. Gray shares how her food science background shapes her approach to content and brand partnerships, while both guests examine AI’s growing role behind the scenes. Despite AI’s usefulness for research, analytics, and ideation, they argue that human creativity and authenticity remain central to successful food content. About Our Guests Katy Coffield, CEO & Co-Founder of Foodie Tribe Katy Coffield is the Co-Founder and CEO of Foodie Tribe, an influencer marketing and creative agency that works exclusively with food + beverage brands. In the years leading up to the founding of Foodie Tribe, Katy built her career in public relations, advertising, and marketing software, working closely with Fortune 100 marketing teams first as an account manager and later as a customer success manager. Alongside her career, Katy created a food blog in 2009 called RandoMiami, featuring local restaurants and the best places to eat in Miami. It later became the catalyst that sparked the idea to create a network of food influencers in 2016 – Foodie Tribe! Outside of the office, Katy loves to workout, is a mom of three, and (of course) a big foodie! Learn more about Foodie Tribe: https://foodietribe.com/ Hannah Gray, Founder of One Sweet Mama Hannah Gray is a confectionery scientist, content creator, and the founder of One Sweet Mama, where she brings together candy science, food culture, and a genuine love of all things sweet. After beginning her career in confectionery product development, Hannah turned her industry expertise into a digital platform that has grown to more than 200,000 followers. Today, she works with candy and food brands as both a creator and consultant, develops highly shareable food content, and partners with organizations across the confectionery industry to help bridge the gap between brands and consumers. Her work has taken her from the product development lab to trade show floors around the world, but her favorite place to be is somewhere in the middle of candy, creativity, and figuring out why people love the foods they love. Learn more about One Sweet Mama: https://onesweetmama.com/

August 25, 20262 min

FI Fast Break News - Aug. 26, 2026

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the difficult challenge laid out before the new leadership team at Wendy's, plus eye-opening findings about America's protein consumption.

August 25, 202625 min

You're Paying More Than You Negotiated

This Episode is Sponsored by: iTradeNetwork In the foodservice industry, pricing variance does not announce itself. It accumulates line by line, across distributors, across weeks - and by the time a reconciliation team finds it, the recovery window has often closed. iTradeNetwork’s Jeff Ramsaur shows how pricing overcharges happen in multi-distributor foodservice environments and what it costs when detection happens after the invoice settles. More about Jeff Ramsaur: Jeff Ramsaur has over 20 years of experience selling and implementing supply chain solutions and consulting to the foodservice and consumer products industries. As Director of Strategic Programs and Partnerships at iTradeNetwork, Jeff leads strategic initiatives that help leading foodservice brands reduce operating costs, improve inventory utilization, and increase profitability across their supply chains. He focuses on solutions that enable brands to deliver their "brand promise" through increased quality and food safety, greater operational efficiency and profitability, and improved customer service. Jeff has an MBA and a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA. More about iTradeNetwork: iTradeNetwork's Cerena Solution Suite provides the food and beverage industry with built-in AI intelligence across the market's most connected trading network. By unifying procurement, traceability, and financial data into smarter workflows, we empower businesses to enhance end-to-end visibility, strengthen compliance, and accelerate growth from farm to fork. Learn more at https://www.itradenetwork.com/.

August 18, 20262 min

FI Fast Break News - Aug. 19, 2026

The latest FI Fast Break news podcast discusses the especially early arrival of pumpkin spice season this year, one restaurant chain's new "micro-targeting" initiative, and more.

August 17, 202613 min

Food for Thought Leadership - Could Super El Niño Send Food Prices Higher?

In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, host Chris Campbell, Vice President of Content and Insights at The Food Institute, speaks with Brittany Borer, The Food Institute’s meteorologist turned food reporter, about the potential arrival and implications of a Super El Niño. Borer explains how a Super El Niño differs from a typical El Niño and examines its potential effects on global weather, including elevated temperatures, heavier precipitation, flooding, drought conditions, and ongoing water-management challenges in the American West. The conversation focuses heavily on what these weather shifts could mean for agriculture and the broader food industry. Borer identifies coffee, rice, sugar, seafood, beef, dairy, tea, and cocoa among commodities vulnerable to price fluctuations. She and Campbell also discuss how food companies can prepare by monitoring crop conditions, futures prices, freight and export restrictions, and inventory levels. Borer recommends diversifying suppliers, considering ingredient substitutions, using seasonal and local alternatives, and establishing contingency plans before weather-related disruptions occur.

August 11, 20262 min

FI Fast Break News - Aug. 12, 2026

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine how the overabundance of discounts is actually working against many fast-food chains these days.

August 4, 20261 min

FI Fast Break News - Aug. 5, 2026

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we discuss the dire situation California lettuce growers find themselves in this summer.

August 4, 202621 min

Food for Thought Leadership - Why Food Banks Are Reinventing Their Business Model

In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, Chris Campbell, Vice President of Content and Insights at The Food Institute, speaks with Joe Slater, President and CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, about the changing realities of food insecurity and how food banks are evolving to meet growing demand. Slater explains that today's food-insecure population increasingly consists of working adults holding one or more jobs, as rising living costs outpace wages and changes to federal assistance programs leave many households with few options. He also discusses why healthy foods, including fresh produce, protein, milk and eggs, have become the most sought-after items among families seeking assistance. The conversation also explores how Gleaners has transformed beyond the traditional food bank model by building earned-revenue businesses in wholesale produce distribution, protein processing, co-packing, kitting and logistics. Slater explains how advances in supply chain efficiency, automation and AI have dramatically reduced excess food donations, forcing food banks to become smarter purchasers rather than relying primarily on surplus inventory. He closes by encouraging stronger partnerships between the food industry and charitable organizations, arguing that sharing data, technology and operational expertise will be just as important as food donations in addressing future food insecurity. More about Joe Slater: Joe Slater serves as Chief Operating Officer for Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, where he oversees operations and strategic initiatives that support the organization's mission of leading the fight against hunger. With more than two decades of experience in supply chain management, food sourcing, and nonprofit leadership, Joe has helped drive innovative programs and partnerships that increase access to nutritious food while strengthening collaboration across the Feeding America network. Under his leadership, Gleaners and its social enterprise, Fresh Connect Central, have become national leaders in collaborative sourcing, protein repacking, and creative distribution solutions that maximize resources and expand impact. More about Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana & Fresh Connect Central: Founded in 1980, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana serves 21 counties across central and southeastern Indiana through a network of more than 300 community partners and direct service programs. To further extend its impact beyond Indiana, Gleaners launched Fresh Connect Central (FCC), a social enterprise focused on collaborative food sourcing and supply chain solutions for hunger relief organizations. Today, FCC partners with more than 150 food banks and organizations across 46 states and Puerto Rico, moving tens of millions of pounds of food annually through sourcing, repacking, and logistics solutions. Together, Gleaners and Fresh Connect Central are leveraging innovation and strategic partnerships to maximize resources, strengthen the Feeding America network, and create greater access to nutritious food for communities nationwide. Learn more: https://www.gleaners.org/