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Industry · Week 44, 2026

Food & beverage

What the field argues about, where people say it is heading, and what those ahead of the curve are doing.

Food and drink
1.5%
People quoted
6

AI-generated Questions, positions and links named by an AI model from the quotes and figures on this page. Every quote is checked word for word against its source; numbers come only from the surveys shown. How subject pages are made

Food & beverage

Media

Food & beverage

Opinions

The questions the field argues about, and each side in the words of the people who hold it.

Should food be judged by its contribution to wellness, or can indulgence stand apart?

Nourishment as wellness

Food should nourish the body; adding vitamins and minerals alone does not make a food healthy or a wellness food.

I actually, that's our whole thesis at Wellness Growth Ventures that, like, wellness is everything. Your food is supposed to nourish your body.

Rachel HirschThe Modern Retail Podcast, 31 Oct 2026 · from an automatic transcriptReport a problem

Like, and we've been fortifying foods forever. Like all the cereals on the market are fortified. They have a whole range of vitamins and minerals, but it doesn't make those healthy for you or a wellness food.

Lexy LebsackThe Modern Retail Podcast, 31 Oct 2026 · from an automatic transcriptReport a problem

Room for indulgence

Some foods can support well-being while others are for indulgence, and both roles can have a place.

But why can't we live in a world where like some things are wellness for your longevity and your well being and then other things are just like indulgence. And that's good too.

Lexy LebsackThe Modern Retail Podcast, 31 Oct 2026 · from an automatic transcriptReport a problem

Food & beverage

Emotions

What published surveys counted when they asked people in and around the field.


Pulse

Pulse: what readers say

Readers who answered, not a representative sample.

Food & beverage · Mastodon · Bluesky

What people share

The links people pass around and how much they post about the field this week, counted on Mastodon and Bluesky.

Most shared this week

  1. 1

Links: most shared on Mastodon servers, filed by subject by an AI model. Posts: a random sample of Bluesky, sorted by an AI model.

Food & beverage

Direction

Food is framed both as nourishment tied to wellness and as a source of distinct indulgence, while fortification alone is presented as insufficient to make food healthy.

I actually, that's our whole thesis at Wellness Growth Ventures that, like, wellness is everything. Your food is supposed to nourish your body.

Rachel HirschThe Modern Retail Podcast, 31 Oct 2026 · from an automatic transcriptReport a problem

Like, and we've been fortifying foods forever. Like all the cereals on the market are fortified. They have a whole range of vitamins and minerals, but it doesn't make those healthy for you or a wellness food.

Lexy LebsackThe Modern Retail Podcast, 31 Oct 2026 · from an automatic transcriptReport a problem

Food & beverage

Goals and visions

Forecasts and visions, with when they were said and when they can be checked.

  1. But why can't we live in a world where like some things are wellness for your longevity and your well being and then other things are just like indulgence. And that's good too.

    Lexy LebsackThe Modern Retail Podcast, 31 Oct 2026 · from an automatic transcriptReport a problem
  2. So we're leaning into this idea of candy doesn't just have to be eating candy on its own. There's lots of ways that you can use it and consume it for the holiday and beyond.

    Danielle SporkinThe Modern Retail Podcast, 24 Oct 2026 · from an automatic transcriptReport a problem

1 more in the Pro forecast tracker

Food & beverage

Topics and industries

Where this field meets other topics, careers and industries.

Week 44, 2026 · 6 people quoted

Food & beverage

Discussion

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