Food products involve many traditional marketing approaches with an added level of complexity. For one, food marketers have to sell a perishable product whose quality and availability varies seasonally. Add to that, the awesome amount of choice the market produces which means consumer tastes are always shifting. This means customer research and test marketing have to be a vital part of the process.

Another major part of food marketing is working out distribution. Food marketers must locate which retailers (e.g. grocery stores), restaurants, food manufacturers, wholesale distributors and importer/exporters will best get the food to consumers. This is all done in a regulated environment. This means food marketers must navigate constantly changing rules and regulations on how food can be marketed. It is because of all the aforementioned, that growers, processors, and manufacturers must work together to create products that meet the constantly changing standards of food marketing.

The strategies behind food marketing include: marketing strategy with a special emphasis on marketing research and test marketing. Other areas of focus include: branding, marketing management, new customer acquisition and advertising.