chicago
English
Matt focuses on client needs in food and beverages in the Americas, although with global focus when necessary, especially with hot drinks. He also plays a leading role in forecasting methodology, product claims and Euromonitor's Passport Plus.
Matt advises clients in the food, beverages, and B2B space on a wide variety of topics. Particular interest areas include hot drinks, developments in functionality and wellness, and the impact of macroeconomic trends. Matt holds a master's degree in International Relations from the Harvard University School of Extension Studies. He has been quoted in publications such as the Economist, The Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
Under pressure from climate change, rising populations, deglobalisation, and a more dangerous geopolitical landscape, food insecurity is shaping up to be a dominant challenge for the food industry in the next decade.
One of the most noticeable features of beverages in the last decade has been the dramatic growth in popularity of the metal beverage can. While proponents of the can like to tout features like sustainability and portability as the driving forces behind this, what has really happened is that the can has aligned itself well with some of the most dynamic growth categories in beverages. It is this category alignment that has been the key to cans’ success.
Frozen food performed particularly well during the pandemic, with sales up by 12% in 2020 (versus 10% for shelf-stable and 8% for chilled) as consumers looked for products they could stockpile as they hunkered down at home. However, hopes that this would be the beginning of a new era of frozen dominance proved to be short-lived.