Amid a challenging retail environment, food brands continue to struggle with shifts in consumer tastes and preferences. Unbranded search is growing twice as fast as branded across all categories, and vegan, low-sugar and low-carb searches lead the charge with double-digit growth. While food companies scramble to innovate their product offerings, category disruptors catering to ingredient-driven trends rival established brands across digital marketing and e-commerce channels. To mitigate the threat of longtail competitors, successful food brands adapt to these challenges with deft content optimization and early leads on emerging platforms like Instacart.