"America’s Venerable Food Brands Are Struggling" (WSJ)

[Liberty]

I thought this was a good article about how the big branded food brands are under attack from above and below:

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/so-long-hamburger-helper-americas-venerable-food-brands-are-struggling-1499363414

 

Today, these giants are struggling with competition that is corroding business from both ends. High-end consumers are shifting toward fresher items with fewer processed ingredients while cost-conscious shoppers are buying inexpensive store brands. […]

 

Many big brands didn’t move fast enough to remove artificial ingredients and haven’t been able to shed the negative perception of processed food, said several food executives and others close to the industry.

 

At the same time, they faced low-cost store brands—or “private label” products—from retailers such as Costco WholesaleCorp. , Wal-Mart StoresInc. and regional grocers that sell copycat products. […]

 

Store brands gained popularity around the financial crisis, and analysts expect their market share to rise as they add natural brands of their own and as discount chains, which mostly sell store brands, expand.

 

Private-label-product shelf space has expanded 3.5% a year since 2012, estimated Credit Suisse analyst Robert Moskow in a recent report.

 

h/t Connor Leonard for pointing it out.