Publications

2012
Article

Behavioral Economics and the Psychology of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

By: Joe Price and Jason Riis

Behavioral economics is an emerging paradigm that challenges the assumptions and predictions of classical economics. This new paradigm emphasizes that consumers do not always make optimal use of available information nor do they always make choices and tradeoffs in a... View Details

Keywords: Plant-Based Agribusiness; Food; Social Marketing; Decision Choices and Conditions; Consumer Behavior; Nutrition

Read Now

16 Dec 2013
HBS Case

D’O: Making a Michelin-Starred Restaurant Affordable

the philosophy of "POP cuisine," which aims for accessibility to a broad audience, in terms of both taste and cost. He maintains that he keeps food costs down and flavors bright simply by buying ingredients only when they are in... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel & Joanie Tobin; Food & Beverage

28 Jan 2013
Research & Ideas

Helping Yelp Create More Accurate Reviews

and its reviews drop from three stars to two—does the rating system pick up on this change in a timely manner that is meaningful to diners? Is the same merit placed on old reviews as new ones? How will a diner know that the food and menu... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Food & Beverage

July 2019
Case

LaCroix Sparkling Water (Abridged)

By: Tomomichi Amano, Das Narayandas and Kerry Herman

Launched in 1981 as an “all occasion” sparkling water brand, LaCroix Sparkling Water has had a number of ups and downs as a brand. After being purchased by National Beverage in 1996, the brand was repositioned as a new, colorful, fun alternative to the other sparkling... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Industry Structures; Food and Beverage Industry

17 Apr 2007
First Look

First Look: April 17, 2007

http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=806069 Disney Consumer Products: Marketing Nutrition to Children Harvard Business School Case 507-006 In an effort to capture market share in... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

August 2016
Supplement

HEINEKEN—Brewing a Better World (B)

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, José Alvarez and Tonia Junker

This is a follow-up to the “HEINEKEN—Brewing a Better World (A)” case, with updated information on sustainability at HEINEKEN and some new initiatives. View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Corporate Strategy; Supply Chain Management; Food and Beverage Industry

10 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

The Surprising Winners and Losers in the Retail Revolution

three-part interview with Harvard Business School Marketing professors Rajiv Lal and José B. Alvarez, they discuss who is winning this revolution and which brands appear to be losing ground. Sean Silverthorne: Among the retailers you have... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Retail

February 2014
Teaching Note

The Slingshot: Improving Water Access

By: John A. Quelch

Entrepreneur Dean Kamen has inked a multimillion dollar partnership with Coca-Cola (CC) to mass produce and distribute the Slingshot, a low energy device that can convert raw sewage into potable water for poor people and communities in developing economies. View Details

Keywords: DEKA; Dean Kamen; Coca-Cola; Technological Innovation; Innovation Strategy; Commercialization; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; North Africa; South Africa; Asia; South America

September 1974 (Revised April 1975)
Case

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. (B)

A consumer attitude survey involving more than 1,000 cranberry users has been conducted. Multivariate statistical procedures including factor analysis, cluster analysis and multiple discriminant analysis have been employed to suggest four attitude segments in the... View Details

Keywords: Surveys; Product Positioning; Mathematical Methods; Consumer Behavior; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

June 1984
Case

Federal Trade Commission and the Shared Monopoly Case against the Ready-to-Eat Cereal Manufacturers

By: Thomas K. McCraw and Richard S. Tedlow

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Monopoly; Courts and Trials; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

Find at Harvard

January 2025
Case

Barilla: Feeding the Future

By: Sophus A. Reinert, Forest L. Reinhardt, Dante Roscini and Carlota Moniz

Keywords: Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Italy

27 Sep 2024
Research & Ideas

Charting 'Cheapflation': How Budget Brands Got So Pricey

phenomenon as “cheapflation.” In the United States, the prices of the cheapest food products climbed 30 percent between January 2020 and May 2024, outpacing the 22 percent increase of the fanciest foods. Cheapflation: A global phenomenon... View Details

Keywords: by Ana Elena Azpúrua

December 1992
Case

Ahold and AMS: The 1993 Restructuring of AMS and the 1992 AMS Coca-Cola Euro-Promotion

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Keywords: Restructuring; Advertising Campaigns; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe

Find at Harvard

03 Feb 2009
First Look

First Look: February 3, 2009

development of entrepreneurial regions and industries. But these efforts are challenging. Governments cannot dictate how a venture market will evolve, and "top-down" efforts are likely to be unsuccessful. The same common flaws... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

July 2022
Case

FIJI Water: Carbon Negative? (Abridged)

By: Michael W. Toffel, George Serafeim, Francesca Gino, Stephanie Van Sice and Tom Quinn

In the midst of increasing press scrutiny of the bottled water industry’s environmentally harmful practices, FIJI Water made a series of sustainability promises. The boldest of these was a pledge to go “carbon negative.” The company said that not only would they offset... View Details

Keywords: Carbon Footprint; Carbon Offsetting; Environmental Accounting; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Pollution; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Misleading and Fraudulent Advertising; Non-Governmental Organizations; Brands and Branding; Food and Beverage Industry; Fiji; United States

19 Dec 2018
Sharpening Your Skills

New Year, New Habits

number of actions that build society. The following studies reveal proven methods of encouraging healthy eating and exercise. A Simple Way for Restaurant Inspectors to Improve Food Safety Basic tweaks to the schedules of View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

15 May 2019
Research Event

The Unconventional Capitalism That Shapes Business History

natural color of American food became standardized through the use of dyes and adroit consumer marketing. The natural color of food became a fake color; and the fake became real as people came to expect it... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey G. Jones; Education

August 2018
Article

The Effect of Graphic Warnings on Sugary-Drink Purchasing

By: Grant Donnelly, Laura Y. Zatz, Daniel Svirsky and Leslie John

Governments have proposed text warning labels to decrease consumption of sugary drinks – a contributor to chronic diseases like diabetes. However, they may be less effective than more evocative, graphic warning labels. We field-tested the effectiveness of graphic... View Details

Keywords: Policy Making; Preferences; Food; Health; Policy; Information; Labels; Consumer Behavior; Decision Making; Performance Effectiveness

Find at Harvard

Read Now

December 2022 (Revised February 2023)
Case

Marfrig's Quest for Sustainable Beef

By: Jose B. Alvarez, Pedro Levindo and Ruth Costas

Marfrig, one of the world’s leading meatpackers, strived to comply with its commitment to have a deforestation-free value chain in Brazil by 2030. The company also pledged to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases in accordance with the guidelines set by the... View Details

Keywords: Agribusiness; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Acquisition; Family Business; Communication Strategy; Environmental Management; Climate Change; Environmental Regulation; Environmental Sustainability; Bonds; Food; Global Strategy; Goods and Commodities; Government and Politics; Political Elections; Leading Change; Marketing; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Strategy; Adaptation; Business Strategy; Commercialization; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Diversification; Expansion; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Brazil; Latin America; Argentina; Uruguay; North America; United States; Europe; Asia; China