Private label is taking over the grocery aisle. Store brands reached a record 23.8% unit market share in the first half of 2026, according to Circana data. National brand unit sales dipped 0.5% while private label rose 0.2%. The share of shoppers who buy only national brands dropped from 21% to just 10% in under a year, a shift tracked by Zappi.
Nearly 70% of consumers told Zappi they would accept fewer product options in exchange for lower prices. This change in definition comes as inflation accelerates. Numerator’s Consumer Goods Price Index shows everyday household prices rose 0.70% in June alone, following increases of 0.51% in May and 0.44% in April. Year-over-year, prices are up 3.4%, the highest rate in nearly three years. Low-income households have seen everyday prices rise 35.7% since January 2018, which is higher than the national average of 33.8%.
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PLMA president Peggy Davies noted that unit sales remain the best measure of consumer choice. The midyear results demonstrate the continued strength of private label. The strategic problem for national brand manufacturers is that this isn’t a loyalty gap that promotional pricing can close, since shoppers are actively redefining what value means to them.
General Mills is undertaking a supply chain overhaul that touches its entire network. On its July 1 earnings call, COO Dana McNabb said the company’s current supply chain was built for a lower-volume era and needs to be rebuilt for faster innovation and packaging flexibility. The overhaul is part of a $3 billion cumulative cost-cutting effort through 2030, with $750 million in savings targeted for the fiscal year that started May 26.
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A 25% tariff on a range of Brazilian imports takes effect July 22, following a yearlong USTR investigation into unfair trade practices. The order exempts some goods that officials say would disrupt supply chains, including coffee, beef, oranges, and orange juice. The tariffs are being levied under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a different legal basis than the IEEPA tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February.
Congress reintroduced a bipartisan bill to ban intentionally added PFAS from food packaging for the fourth time. State-level bans are already enacted in Minnesota, New Jersey, and New Mexico, among other states. A PMMI survey of CPG executives found that only 7% reported no trade-offs when transitioning to sustainable packaging materials. The most commonly cited challenges were higher production costs and diminished product protection. Recyclable materials remain the top sustainability priority for most companies, particularly where retailers require their use, but cost is a persistent barrier for smaller or cost-sensitive brands. Emerging state extended producer responsibility laws are adding reporting obligations and potential fee structures tied to packaging materials, with more states expected to follow.
