Welcome back to Friday Flavors — I hope those on the East Coast have weathered the snow storm, so to speak. 

There's a blizzard of earnings reports coming in the next couple weeks that will reveal if industry efforts to keep up with consumer trends are paying off — literally. And speaking of consumers, they're still confused about what's in their food; is there a way for the industry to really fix that? That, and more questions discussed in this week's Friday Flavors:

Story of the week

An obvious industry problem: Consumers are confused about what's in their food.

This became more evident with the release of a Consumer Report study. It revealed that a majority of consumers have no idea what "natural" means. Consumers equate non-GMO products and those without artificial ingredients or colors, chemicals, or pesticides as natural. The kicker: 45% think natural is a verified term. Neither of these is true, though the FDA is requesting comments on the term.

This aligns with an overall industry trend toward transparency, though the lines between transparency and marketing are often cloudy at best and at the behest of trends. This is a contributor to consumer confusion.

Trend to watch

Breakfast blend has a whole new meaning. Yoplait's new product — Plenti Oatmeal Meets Greek Yogurt — is self-explanatory, merging categories in an effort to combat breakfast market challenges. The company is positioning it as a strong protein source, on trend with the ubiquitous health-conscious consumer.

Cereal-focused companies like General Mills and Kellogg have more than just cereal in mind, and any way to disrupt the breakfast occasion with an innovative product is a smart move (not to mention shifting cereal-eating times beyond breakfast).

Greek yogurt is still a popular category, but its slowing growth suggests it isn't a mainstay category. On the other hand, per a Nielsen survey, oatmeal sales rose 3.5% in the first half of 2014. Any new product with an innovative approach will attract attention and buyers, at least initially, but the real proof here will be in sustained earnings results. And if so, such combinations will be found among competitors.

This has me thinking: what other breakfast combinations are ripe?

• Egg-flavored Greek yogurt? It plays into the savory flavor trend, not to mention an extra protein boost. Bacon flavored? 

• Gluten-free oatmeal? Well, Quaker Oats just did that.

• Cereal meant to be eaten with Greek yogurt, without artificial colors and flavors, of course

What's coming next week

Earnings, earnings, and explanations.

• Sysco and Hain Celestial report Feb. 1

• Mondelez reports Feb. 3

• Tyson Foods reports Feb. 5

Watch out for ADM's earnings coverage next week in our Food Dive: Ingredients weekly newsletter (you can sign up here — covering all things ingredients).

Is there something you'd like to see in our coverage of earnings reports we haven't included? Feel free to shoot me an email: [email protected].

Quote of the week

On the craft beer acquisition trend ...

"It's a different market segment, a different kind of consumer, though we're seeing more and more people on the macro-scale interested in craft beer," Danielle Teagarden, alcohol beverage attorney with Reiser Legal PLLC, told Food Dive. "So there's lots of market share there that they're interested in capturing."

Craziest story of the week

Shout-out to Waste Dive Associate Editor Kristin Musulin for this one: a European businessman bought this potato portrait for $1 million, taken by celebrity photographer Kevin Abosch. Yes, I'm serious. Would you pay this much? Asking for a friend.