Restaurant results for the second quarter weren’t stellar, but people still need to eat. Are they turning to their refrigerators, or are restaurants still on the menu for consumers? Circana Senior Vice President David Portalatin joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss the makeup of the current restaurant customer amid a rising trend of home-centricity.

More about David Portalatin:
David Portalatin is a trusted industry advisor who works closely with leading food manufacturers and retailers as well as foodservice distributors, manufacturers, and operators. He shares data and deep expertise on how U.S. consumers eat and drink, their attitudes and motivations, their personal characteristics, and their use of restaurants and other foodservice outlets. Portalatin is also the author of Circana’s Annual Report on Eating Patterns in America, a compilation of food and foodservice research.

Previously, Portalatin was Circana’s analyst in the convenience retailing, automotive aftermarket, and motor fuels industries. Before joining the company in 1999, he held various positions in foodservice wholesale distribution and convenience retailing.

Portalatin is a frequent speaker at food and foodservice industry events, corporate conferences, and executive meetings. A recognized industry thought leader, his comments have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and many other national media outlets.

More about Circana:
Circana is a leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through superior technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data, and deep expertise, we provide clarity that helps almost 7,000 of the world’s leading brands and retailers take action and unlock business growth. We understand more about the complete consumer, the complete store, and the complete wallet so our clients can go beyond the data to apply insights, ignite innovation, meet consumer demand, and outpace the competition. Learn more at www.circana.com.

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How Foodservice is Contending with Home-Centricity

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the job cuts that continue to ravage F&B companies. 

FI Fast Break News - Feb. 11, 2026

In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, Rebecca Fryer sits down with William Grand, founder and CEO of NutriFusion, to examine the growing health crisis tied to ultra-processed foods—and what it will take to fix it. Grand shares striking data on American eating habits, including the overwhelming reliance on ultra-processed products and the widespread deficiency in fruit and vegetable consumption. He argues that while consumer education is essential, meaningful progress may ultimately require federal legislation, clearer front-of-pack labeling, and even policy tools like sugar taxes to shift behavior at scale.

The conversation also explores the evolving food pyramid, the global differences in food systems, and the role manufacturers can play in reformulating everyday staples. Grand explains how NutriFusion works with brands across categories—from snack bars to mac and cheese—to restore nutrients lost in modern processing without compromising taste or texture. Looking ahead, he outlines a vision for a more transparent, nutrient-dense food system—one where better formulation, smarter policy, and informed consumers work together to improve public health outcomes.

More About William Grand:
Bill Grand has over 40 years' experience in corporate management, sales and marketing. Areas of expertise include food retail, distribution, product development, logistics and administration. Formerly President of Mackay Specialties, a manufacturing business providing health and beauty products to retail customers in Canada and the US.

Food for Thought Leadership: How the New Food Pyramid is Reshaping Nutrition at Scale

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the rise in grocery prices that appears to be on the horizon. 

FI Fast Break News - Feb. 18, 2026

This Episode is Sponsored By: Tibersoft 

Foodservice manufacturers might develop option paralysis with all the data available in the current day, but what kind of focus can really help drive marketing returns? Suzanne Cwik of Tibersoft and Eric Anderson of Conagra help break down data best practices to develop a foodservice marketing engine for food away from home manufacturers. 

About Suzanne Cwik:
Suzanne Cwik is the Vice President of Commercial & Client Services at Tibersoft. With over two decades of foodservice experience, Suzanne understands the friction between data complexity and sales execution. She is passionate about helping organizations move from reactive reporting to proactive strategy, empowering teams to transform fragmented supply chain data into clear, actionable growth plans.

About Tibersoft:
Tibersoft delivers trusted go-to-market intelligence for food and packaging manufacturers navigating the complexity of Food Away From Home. Our platform empowers Sales, Finance, Marketing, and IT to act faster, recover trade spend, and grow smarter. By bringing transaction-verified accuracy and clarity to operator-level performance, we align manufacturers with their partners, turning data complexity into shared confidence. To learn more, visit: tibersoft.com.

More about Eric Anderson:
Eric Anderson is a Senior Director of Category Marketing at Conagra Foodservice, leading both the shelf-stable product portfolio and the marketing activation team. With 30+ years of foodservice experience—from marketing pizza in K-12 to leading category strategy today—Eric believes data is most powerful when it answers specific questions and supports clear, compelling storytelling rather than chasing perfection. Known for his practical, operator-grounded mindset, he enjoys helping teams translate insights into action while fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement. 

More about Conagra Foodservice:
Conagra Foodservice is an innovative, leading supplier to the Foodservice industry, offering a broad range of trusted brands. Conagra brings a rich heritage of making great food to satisfy consumers’ ever-changing food preferences. Operators have come to depend on brands such as Hebrew National®, Healthy Choice®, Angela Mia®, PAM®, Gilardi®, Slim Jim®, and Reddi-wip® to stay on-trend and provide the best products and service to their patrons. 

Learn more at: https://www.conagrafoodservice.com/. 

Clean Data, Clear Direction: Building a Foodservice Marketing Engine for Sales

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the rash of recalls that has hit the food and beverage industry over the past year.

FI Fast Break News - Feb. 25, 2026

Private label isn’t a “cheaper alternative” anymore—and that outdated framing is leaving brands exposed. In this episode of Food for Thought Leadership, Chris Campbell is joined by Hunter Thurman, Founder of Alpha-Diver, to break down how the market has shifted from a simple private label vs. national brand debate into a three-lane landscape: value brands, owned brands, and national brands. Hunter shares why owned brands are increasingly competing on innovation and sensory discovery—not just price—and why younger shoppers, including Gen Z, are rewarding these products on their merits.

The conversation also digs into what national brands are getting wrong as they try to defend share—especially the instinct to lean on price cuts and promotion-heavy strategies. Hunter explains why consumer decision-making in this environment is often emotional, not rational, and how brands can regain momentum by reframing the competition: owning rituals, occasions, and end-benefits rather than feature-to-feature comparisons. Plus, Chris and Hunter explore where challenger brands still fit, and why the winners over the next 3–5 years will be the teams that start shopper-back, invest in the “last mile,” and win the emotional face-off at shelf.

More About Hunter Thurman:
Hunter Thurman is the founder of Alpha-Diver, the behavioral science firm Fortune 500s turn to when they need to know not just what consumers do, but why. Blending psychology, neuroscience, and AI-powered data, Hunter decodes the hidden forces driving consumer behavior—translating human instinct into bold strategy and bottom-line growth. He’s a sought-after advisor, author and speaker known for making complex behavior actionable, and for helping brands see what others miss.

Food for Thought Leadership: Beyond Trade-Down - The Psychology Powering Private Label Growth

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we discuss how the Iran conflict could impact supply chains for corn, sugar, soybean meal, and more. 

FI Fast Break News - March 3, 2026

This Episode is Sponsored by: CBIZ

While many food industry professionals were hoping that the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs would elucidate the current global trade environment, it appears that it may have added more uncertainty than before. CBIZ’s Lou Biscotti and Mark Baran, and former Customs expert Michael Contino, all join The Food Institute Podcast to provide clarity and actionable insights.

More about CBIZ:
From farm to fork, optimize operations, control costs, and prioritize profits. CBIZ teams work across the supply chain—supporting agribusinesses, manufacturers, distributors, processors, importers, restaurants, retailers, and hospitality concepts in achieving their goals. 

CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE:CBZ) is a publicly traded, leading professional services advisor to middle market businesses and organizations nationwide. With unmatched industry knowledge and expertise in accounting, tax, advisory, benefits, insurance and technology, CBIZ delivers forward-thinking insights and actionable solutions to help you anticipate next steps and accelerate growth.

We help your organization navigate challenges, turn risk into opportunity and drive sustainable, long-term excellence — where you are today and wherever you want to grow. Our 9,500+ team members across 23 major markets provide top-tier industry expertise with local delivery, relationships and support. To learn more, visit https://www.cbiz.com/.

More about Louis Biscotti:
Louis Biscotti is the national leader of CBIZ’s Food and Beverage Services group. He has been an entrepreneurial leader in accounting for over 40 years. Mr. Biscotti has focused his efforts on improving his clients’ growth and profitability and has guided many companies in their development from small emerging entities into organizations worth hundreds of millions of dollars. While his clients represent a variety of industries, he is particularly well known for his work in manufacturing and distribution, especially with food and beverage companies.

An active member of many local chambers of commerce, Mr. Biscotti served as a trustee for the Foundation for Accounting Education and was a board member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA). He is a former president of the Accounting Circle and an Executive Advisory Board member of St. John’s, his alma mater, and Molloy College.

More about Mark Baran:
Mark Baran is a Managing Director in the National Tax Office. He has more than 25 years of tax, transactional and legal experience advising publicly-traded and private companies, regulated financial institutions, investors, high net worth individuals, and government agencies.

Mark’s practice areas include providing tax consulting and transactional services to a broad spectrum of clients and industries including the public sector. He routinely provides tax opinions on the tax implications of proposed transactions, products, services and initiatives, and serves as a firm resource in the areas of financial services and products, regulatory compliance and planning, lending transactions and payment obligations, tax information reporting, expert witness support, asset management and tax controversies.

More about Michael Contino:
Mike began his career with U.S. Customs in 1973 and concluded more than three decades of service in 2007, serving under seven Presidential administrations and working across three major U.S. tariff frameworks: the Hawley-Smoot Tariff of 1930, the Tariff Schedule of the United States (TSUSA) of 1968, and the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) of 1986, which now underpins the global tariff system adopted by more than 160 nations. Over the course of his career, he held numerous leadership and technical roles, including Import Specialist, Assistant to the National Import Specialist, Supervisory Import Specialist, Division Director, Operations Officer, Field National Import Specialist, and ultimately National Import Specialist.

Unraveling Uncertainty in Tariffs and Global Trade

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine how GLP-1 usage could be a boon for manufacturers of sauces and spices.   

FI Fast Break News - March 11, 2026

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the factors leading to a major strike at a JBS facility in Greeley, Colorado. 

FI Fast Break News - March 18, 2026

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

How Foodservice is Contending with Home-Centricity

The Food Institute Podcast

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