Back-to-School Means New Routines; And Opportunities for Food & Beverage Companies
Kids of all ages are headed back to school right now, and the Food For Thought podcast has some insights on how that could impact food and beverage consumption trends from Julia Wilson, a partner in KPMG’s Strategy practice, focused on consumer clients.
Wilson discusses results found in KPMG's Consumer Pulse Back-to-School 2026 Survey, which finds that families expect to spend more per child on back-to-school essentials this year, and 83% expecting to pay more for groceries alone. As a result, about half of those consumers anticipate that they will eat out less and nearly half plan to prepare simpler weekday meals.
About the Author
Andy Hanacek
Senior Editor
Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.