Acosta Group Unveils 2026 Top Consumer Predictions  

Acosta Group has unveiled its four consumer predictions for 2026, highlighting the increasing importance of personalization and innovation for achieving success and relevance.

Colin Stewart, EVP of Business Intelligence at Acosta Group, noted, "Technology and evolving consumer lifestyles continue to reshape the shopping experience, as do the expectations, priorities, and values driving purchases. This creates fresh opportunities for brands, retailers, and foodservice operators to predict consumer needs and drive excitement and trust," based on comprehensive research conducted with the company's 40,000-member shopper community.

The predictions include:

• Shoppers turning to...

Instacart App Launches in OpenAI ChatGPT 

Instacart (NASDAQ: CART), the leading grocery technology company in North America, today announced that it is the first grocery partner to launch an app on ChatGPT and the first to offer an embedded, end-to-end shopping and Instant Checkout -- all within the context of a ChatGPT conversation. This new integration makes it easier than ever for people to go from meal inspiration to doorstep delivery, using Instacart's real-time grocery network and fulfillment capabilities with the help of OpenAI frontier model capabilities.

"Instacart and ChatGPT are redefining what's possible in AI-powered shopping," said Anirban...

Walmart Partners with OpenAI to Create AI-First Shopping Experiences

Walmart is ushering in the next generation of retail by combining its huge assortment, everyday low prices and delivery speed with the power of AI. Today, the company announced a new partnership with OpenAI that will start with allowing customers and members to soon shop Walmart through ChatGPT using Instant Checkout. Whether planning meals, restocking household essentials, or finding something new, customers can simply chat and buy, and Walmart will handle the rest.

“For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted...

DoorDash Announces New Innovations With Delivery Robots and App Enhancements

DoorDash has recently made headlines with innovative strategies connecting customers to local retail, food, and beverages.

Its mission, as stated on its website, is "to empower and grow local economies by opening doors that connect us to each other. When you order something you need, local merchants get business, and Dashers get paid."

The company continues to look for ways on pressing the dial in service, while elevating its features. It recently announced the launch of the DoorDash Dot- a fully electric, autonomous delivery robot...

AI, Data, Agile Partnerships to Be Strategic Focuses in Next Decade, Says Agri-Food Americas Panel

Industry executives gathered at Agri-Food Americas 2025 in Chicago today to discuss disruptors and opportunities shaping the global food sector over the next decade. Participants included Dave McMurray, former Chief Procurement Officer at Kellanova; Jonathan Ostroff, Founder of Fusion Foods; and Thomas Isaf, President of Interra International.    

McMurray cautioned about political uncertainty, saying, “political climate is always volatile, difficult to predict.” He emphasized the importance of mastering AI and using the right data, noting that being an early adopter of AI tools...

PODCAST: Agri-Food for Thought Ep. 34 - AI Adoption in Agri-Food, Feat. Beth Pollack

Expana presents Agri-Food for Thought, the podcast series for agriculture and food professionals. 

Today we explore something different. A trend that is definitely here to stay and one that we are all integrating into our workflows. This transformative trend, however, is only in the infancy stages of its huge potential, and many of us, it is fair to say, are struggling to realize how to use it, and some of us even fear it… We're talking about AI, of course.

Researchers Develop Artificial Intelligence to Analyze Broiler Activity Index

USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project by researchers from the University of Georgia that worked to develop a web-based artificial intelligence system to analyze broiler activity index. The research is part of the Association’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. A summary of the completed project is below.

Project #F113: Development of a Web-Based Artificial Intelligence System for Analyzing Broiler Activity Index

(Dr. Guoming Li, Department of Poultry Science, University of...