Food and beverage categories have seen an increase over the last two years, as many major retailers experienced same-store sales rise thanks to an increase in median income and a low unemployment rate, according to the 6th Annual Food and Beverage Consumables Study.

The global market for frozen processed food was $57.50 billion in 2014, and will be worth $69.11 billion by 2021, exhibiting a CAGR of 2.7%, according to a report published by Transparency Market Research, Albany, N.Y.

U.S. demand for processed food is forecast to grow 1.8% annually in nominal terms through 2022, according to “Processed Food: United States,” a report released by Freedonia Focus Reports, Cleveland, Ohio.

The global frozen meat market is expected to fetch revenue worth $30 billion by the end of 2026, according to experts from Transparency Market Research, Albany, N.Y.

Owing to the growing health awareness levels across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, consumers are expected to switch to functional dairy products fortified with vitamins, according to research presented by GlobalData, UK.

Economic recession, recovery and realignment are major drivers of change in the U.S. food and beverage industry and consumer values and purchasing behaviors, according to findings in “The Business of Thrift: Understanding Low-Income and Value-Oriented Consumers” report, produced by The Hartman Group, Bellevue, Wash.

A new survey by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, Washington, D.C., shows a low level of consumer confusion over nomenclature and basic differences between the two.

Food scientists from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., used virtual reality (VR) to show how people’s perception of real food can be altered by their surroundings, according to “Dynamic Context Sensory Testing–A Proof of Concept Study Bringing Virtual Reality to the Sensory Booth.”