Accessing Supermarket Shelves: Retail Category Managers Advice to Upcycled Food Manufacturers

ABSTRACT Upcycled food is a new way of communicating to consumers the age-old process of creating new foods from by-products or unmarketable produce. Consumers are open to the idea of purchasing upcycled foods yet the availability of these products in supermarkets is limited. Securing shelf space will help to ensure the growth of this trend. Therefore, this research identified the enabling attributes of upcycled products that category managers approve for retail. Seven semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with retail category managers using the Delphi technique. Category managers assess new products through two lenses, a customer-focused lens where they seek evidence that a new product can meet an identified customer demand, and a vendor-focused lens through which they seek confidence in the manufacturer’s marketing plan, pricing structure, and product placement within the relevant category architecture. This research delivers guidance for food industry stakeholders and serves as a call to action for upcycled food manufacturers.