As loyal listeners to the podcast know, we have spent a lot of time thinking through what might change in food as a result of the corona crisis. The previous episode was dedicated to purpose-lead business. This episode is dedicated to Nutrition. Maria Castroviejo and Cyrille Filott invited Nard Clabbers of TNO to discuss the future of nutrition. Nard Clabbers is one of the leading authorities in the field of personalized nutrition. He discusses recent developments in personalized nutrition, and ...
Jul 09, 2020•27 min
We at Rabobank believe that we will see some profound changes in food in the post-Covid environment. One of them is that food companies may move (further) toward becoming purpose-led instead of being driven by financial returns. This is an important change of the primary focus, and as a result, strategies may change as well. In this episode of Consumer Foods-to-Go, Cyrille Filott and Maria Castroviejo interview Ylenia Tommasato, Global Brand Sustainability & Communication Manager at Barilla,...
Jun 25, 2020•31 min
Fresh fruits and vegetables were performing well in foodservice up until the Covid-19 crisis. However, the Covid-19 crisis and the subsequent closure of a lot of restaurants led to demand crashing for some products, whereas other products sold really well. But even in that period, “weather was more important than Covid.” This is a quote by Cindy van Rijswick, Rabobank’s resident fruit and vegetable expert. Cyrille Filott and Maria Castroviejo interview Cindy about the past but also about structu...
Jun 11, 2020•26 min
Europe and the US are on the verge of ending lockdowns, and, in some cases, have done so already. For restaurants, this is an exciting time, but for food retail, perhaps less so. In China, lockdowns ended a few months before the rest of the world. Therefore, we believe it is helpful to have a look at what lessons can be learned from China. Maria and Cyrille quiz Rabobank colleague Michelle Huang on the latest developments in foodservice and food retail.
May 28, 2020•24 min
Artificial intelligence and food – a very interesting combination! In recent episodes of the Consumer Foods-to-Go podcast series, Maria Castroviejo and Cyrille Filott discussed the current impact of the coronavirus on food businesses. One of the recurring themes was the potential acceleration of digitization in food. In this episode of the series, Maria and Cyrille explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in food production and sales. AI can be used for planning purposes, for reducing was...
May 07, 2020•29 min
Recently Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott was part of a webinar organized by Rabobank’s start-up innovation platform FoodBytes! on the impact of Covid-19 on food. In this episode, Cyrille and co-host Maria Castroviejo answer the most interesting questions from the webinar that are relevant to anyone curious about the effects of the lockdowns on food business. The webinar can be found here: https://www.foodbytesworld.com/foodbytes-webinar-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-food-ag-companies/...
Apr 23, 2020•28 min
In this episode of the Consumer Foods to Go podcast, Maria Castroviejo and Cyrille Filott again discuss the impact of the coronavirus on food retail, food service, and packaged food. This time Cyrille and Maria discuss the short-term changes in consumer behavior with regards to food retail shopping, what will happen at the end of the lockdown in foodservice, what the future of travel might look like, and how this will impact foodservice.
Apr 09, 2020•18 min
Recording from their homes, Cyrille Filott and Maria Castroviejo update you on what they see happening in foodservice and food retail on the back of the coronavirus crisis. Maria and Cyrille touch upon the key questions they received from Rabobank clients over the last two weeks. They share anecdotes from the food & agribusiness supply chain and look a bit beyond the crisis into the almost inevitable economic recession. This episode is a follow-up to one released two weeks ago on this channe...
Mar 26, 2020•20 min
Everybody is talking about the coronavirus, and we at Rabobank have published a lot about its effect on Asian industries. The virus is now leading to disruptions in Europe (e.g. a lockdown in Italy) and North America. Maria Castroviejo and Cyrille Filott, co-host and host of Consumer Foods-to-Go, provide their initial thoughts on the virus's current impact on foodservice and packaged food in the western hemisphere, as well as what structural shifts we might see in the future. A warning: the R-wo...
Mar 12, 2020•20 min
Consumers are constantly looking for ways to improve their health, and food can certainly help with that. But many people are also looking for more convenient options, which we refer to as 'nutraceuticals.' These come in many shapes and forms – from isolated ingredients to ready-to-swallow pills – and are targeted at various audiences. In this episode, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott quizzes senior analyst Maartje van den Berg on the topic.
Feb 27, 2020•14 min
Every year, Rabobank analyst Nick Fereday asks clients, stakeholders, and colleagues to name their single biggest food surprise of the previous year. For the first time, apart from sending out the results in a report, we're providing you with the highlights in a specially recorded podcast episode. Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott and co-host Maria Castroviejo quiz Nick on the findings in general – and on those big surprises.
Feb 13, 2020•22 min
In this episode of Consumer Foods-to-Go, host Cyrille Filott takes a close view of the outlook for global food service. Cyrille and analyst Maria Castroviejo discuss four key themes in food service for the year ahead: the economy, input costs, sustainability, and – obviously – delivery.
Jan 30, 2020•22 min
In January 2019, the EAT-Lancet report came out. Written by academics, this report described what should be done to achieve a healthier diet that is better for the environment. One of the main conclusions is that meat consumption, and therefore production, should be reduced. In this episode of Consumer Foods-to-Go, host Cyrille Filott and co-host Maria Castroviejo discuss with Fabrice DeClerck, science director at EAT, the content of the report, what has happened on the back of the report, and w...
Jan 16, 2020•18 min
The new Nutri-Score food labelling system is being rolled out by various retailers and food producers over the next few years in Europe. Nutri-Score may help consumers make a healthier choice by providing a letter representing the nutritional value of a given food product – ranging from A (healthy) to E (unhealthy). In this episode of Consumer Foods-to-Go, your host Cyrille Filott shares the mic with fellow Rabobank specialists Maria Castroviejo and Sebastiaan Schreijen. They take a look at all ...
Dec 12, 2019•19 min
Rabobank has recently published its agri commodities outlook report, “Supply Slide Saves Grounded Demand”. In this edition of Consumer Foods to Go , Cyrille Filott is discussing the outlook with its lead author, Rabobank’s own Stefan Vogel. Demand growth for agri commodities in general is pedestrian, while there is still abundant growth on the supply side. However, prices for some commodities (including sugar) are very low and may move up from here. We discuss risks to price movements like Afric...
Nov 28, 2019•23 min
This Consumer Foods to Go episode comes from Shanghai, and is devoted to sustainability in F&A in Asia. Why? Because the views in that region are very different from what is the norm in the US and Europe. This podcast sheds light on these differences and how to make sustainability in Asia practical. We have enlisted the help of an outsider this time: Richard Brubaker, the founder of Collective Responsibility, will guide us through the issues and solutions. He has a view on meat substitutes i...
Nov 14, 2019•17 min
Sustainability is a hot topic in packaged food, but also for restaurants. For restaurants, operating in a sustainable way has become the license to operate. In this podcast, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott and Rabobank analyst Paula Savanti discuss the many issues restaurants are facing, and the actions these restaurants are taking. Restaurants are reducing waste, optimizing packaging, and tackling greenhouse gas emissions. But is it sufficient, and what are the costs associated with al...
Oct 31, 2019•14 min
Contract Manufacturing – the outsourcing of food production by brands – has been around in food for a while. And Rabobank believes that, in some markets – especially Europe – it will continue to grow, as many drivers are providing a tailwind. Senior analyst Sebastiaan Schreijen is on hand to answer Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott's sharp questions... and, as always, he has all the answers.
Oct 17, 2019•16 min
In this episode, we're all about all things snacking! And snacking in a particular region: Southeast Asia and India. Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott and co-host Maartje van den Berg take a close look at trends in the region with a little help from analyst Umesh Madhavan. Oh – and when you start listening, please keep the Maslow pyramid in mind: At the bottom, trends are very different from higher up – but there's plenty of growth to be found at all levels!
Oct 03, 2019•16 min
In this episode, hosts Cyrille Filott and Maartje van den Berg discuss fries. And not only new QSR trends in fries (shake fries anyone?), but also the issues potato-growers are facing on the farm. Rabobank analysts Floris van der Sman and Stefan van Merrienboer share their insights on potatoes and fries from farm to consumer. They also talk about the future of the fries value chain: how it might become more transparent, more integrated, and more… sustainable! And as always, we discuss the broade...
Sep 19, 2019•20 min
Our beautiful podcast is back! Series 2, episode 1 is about innovation and start-ups in food. Food companies are struggling to find growth and to create value. In the last few years, big food has woken up to this and has started to think differently about innovation and value creation. In this episode, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott talks with Anne Greven and Nina Meijers, both involved with start-up and innovation platforms at Rabobank, about trends in food. They also touch upon what ...
Sep 05, 2019•20 min
Convenience is key in food. More and more consumers are having prepared meals, eating in restaurants, getting take-away or having food delivered to their home. This is a global trend, and in this episode of Consumer Foods-to-Go, host Cyrille Filott discusses how this trend is playing out in South East Asia with Rabobank analyst Umesh Madhavan. The key trend is that convenience stores and supermarkets are betting big on food-to-go. The insights on this market and this trend should be of interest ...
Jul 11, 2019•14 min
In recent years, online retailing has really taken off in China. And actually, it has grown beyond that – Alibaba and JD.com are no longer merely retailers. They have become entire ecosystems, providing platforms for multiple services. And they’re now data gatherers, analyzers, and sellers. For food companies, becoming active on these platforms is a must. But being successful very likely means much more than only being listed there. We look at how the new supertech giants can help food companies...
Jun 27, 2019•18 min
The beautiful world of packaged food has a few issues it needs to deal with – and one of them is plastic packaging. Plastic packaging was introduced because it was (and is), among other things, convenient and very flexible, and an excellent material to safeguard food from going to waste. But there are also downsides of using plastic packaging. Together with co-host Maartje van den Berg, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott explores the challenges and opportunities in plastic packaging with R...
Jun 13, 2019•20 min
At the PLMA in Amsterdam, the world's largest private-label exhibition, Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott talked to a number of exhibitors to understand the current key themes in private label. The larger companies that the exhibitors represent also challenge suppliers in the sector across many categories. It became very apparent that consumer-facing innovation is on the agenda more than ever before – the consumer is demanding it, and the retailer is asking for it. Enjoy listening to the ...
May 29, 2019•27 min
Vegetable oil is seeing a fair bit of challenges. In fact, just mentioning palm oil will provide a wide range of responses. In this edition of Consumer Foods-to-Go, hosts Cyrille Filott and Maartje van den Berg are joined by Vito Martielli to discuss opportunities for vegetable oil applications as ingredients in consumer food products. And... could the subject of sustainability be seen as a blessing instead of a curse?
May 16, 2019•17 min
Personalized nutrition has been in the (food) news a lot in the last few years. Using the outcome of a DNA test, companies are providing advice and even meals to consumers, on a personal level. In this episode, Maartje van den Berg shares her insights with Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott. What is personalized nutrition? Is there any evidence it works? And, for food companies: Do they need to play... and, if so, how?
May 02, 2019•25 min
Wine is bulky and relatively expensive. And so it's ideal to sell online. But selling it this way is a little different than selling it conventionally – and we can learn a lot from other food & beverage categories. Think of price points. Think of access to products which may not be available in brick-and-mortar stores. And think of various models that are used to sell online. Consumer Foods-to-go host Cyrille Filott, along with co-host Maartje van den Berg, interview Maria Castroviejo, our r...
Apr 18, 2019•18 min
Growth in supermarkets is currently taking place in the perimeter, away from the center aisle. And that’s exactly where fruit and vegetables are! This segment isn't necessarily growing a lot in volume – but the opportunity is in providing value to the consumer. Value in fruit and vegetables means providing convenient products (or even solutions). Rabobank analyst Cindy van Rijswick talks to Consumer Foods-to-Go host Cyrille Filott about the latest trends in fruit and veg, along with – of course,...
Apr 04, 2019•15 min
Meat Alternatives – the one area everyone in the consumer foods sector, the beverages sector, and the animal protein sector are all focusing on. The key reason: the consumer is becoming aware that meat may have a negative environmental impact (although this is contested by some), while also becoming more engaged in promoting animal welfare. In recent years, we've noticed phenomenal growth rates in alternatives – and we will continue to see a lot of growth. In this episode, Consumer Foods-to-Go h...
Mar 13, 2019•16 min
