Focus Archive
The ‘Restaurant 2.0’ Shift Reveals a Fractured Dining Landscape
Restaurant loyalty is dwindling as consumers trade brand allegiance for food quality, convenience and a frictionless experience. Tillster’s new survey shows diners are shifting spend to grocery and C stores, signaling that restaurants must elevate experience fast.
Lamb Weston Is Not the Typical Food Story
Lamb Weston’s current slump stems from a painful mix of commodity style cyclicality and self inflicted operational stumbles. The company is now cutting costs and is focused on fixing execution.
New Tech Driving Food Plant Closures Amid Market Transition
Legacy food factories have been closing as automation, AI, and new compliance demands make older facilities inefficient and costly to operate. Companies are shifting toward contract manufacturing and tech‑enabled, specialized sites to stay flexible.
Restaurant Coffee Prices Jolt Up 5.4 Percent
Coffee prices are climbing faster than the rest of foodservice as weather shocks, labor pressures and commodity speculation squeeze operators. Even premium brews are hitting eye opening levels, signaling more menu inflation ahead for restaurants.
3 Summer Retail Trends to Watch in 2026
Lower income consumers are pulling back from fast food as years of price hikes push QSRs past their affordability threshold. Brands are scrambling to win them back with sharper value plays.
FAO Warns of Global Agrifood Catastrophe
Global fertilizer chokepoints tied to the Strait of Hormuz crisis are putting 2026 crop yields and food inflation at real risk. Industry leaders are being urged to secure inputs early and rethink supply chains before the squeeze truly tightens.
Digital Twins: Agri-Tech’s Secret Weapon
Biofilms rarely make headlines on their own, but the contamination, spoilage, and recalls that they contribute to are part of the roughly $75B that the U.S. loses to foodborne illness every year, according to USDA estimates. Now, food producers are turning to digital twins to identify risks earlier – before they escalate into costly problems.
Big CPG in Big Trouble: Private-Label Gap Is Unsustainable
National brands are becoming more strategic in their battle to reclaim market share from private label and challenger brands. Meanwhile, as store brands capture 24% of the market, they’re leaning on some tactics of their own to support bottom lines.
From Aisles to Appetites: Global Flavors, Authenticity Redefine Grocery Growth
Global flavors are moving from niche to mainstream as shoppers reward retailers that deliver culturally authentic products with real stories and ingredient integrity. Grocers that pair local insight with true global depth are capturing the next wave of growth. Sponsored content from Forvis Mazars.
7-Eleven Learns the Lesson of Economic History
7-Eleven’s new CEO is racing to modernize a sluggish convenience giant while rivals move ahead with fresher food and bigger formats. Store closures and a delayed IPO indicate a deeper overhaul than leadership first expected.
Possible ‘Super El Niño’ Could Further Threaten Food Supply
A potential “Super El Niño” is raising alarms, as experts warn that extreme weather layered onto war-driven energy and fertilizer shocks could squeeze global food supplies. Analysts say even normal U.S. yields may not prevent pricing volatility as climate issues ripple through sourcing and manufacturing.
Mountain Dew Bets on ‘Dirty Soda’ as Brand Expansion Continues
Mountain Dew jumped into the dirty soda craze with a creamy new line aimed at boosting relevance as traditional soda volumes slip. PepsiCo is also doubling down on Baja Blast as a year round sub brand. Will the investments pay off long term?
Food Safety Advocates Demand Faster Recalls
Food safety advocates warn that recalls are slowing even as illness outbreaks tied to raw dairy and other products grow more contentious. With delayed traceability rules and rising corporate pushback, regulators face mounting pressure to modernize oversight.
GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs Spurring Dairy Industry Gains
GLP 1 users are shrinking grocery baskets and pushing dairy makers to reinvent products that feel indulgent yet deliver protein, fiber, and metabolic support. Brands are now in a fight to meet demand for smaller, nutrient dense formats.
Snacking: The Hidden Cost of NBA Game Night
The cost of snacking while watching the latest NBA game is getting expensive, averaging as much as $44 dollars in select major cities. Using a basket of game-day essentials, Action Network developed a benchmark for hidden costs to basketball viewing.
QSRs Confront a New Reality: Fast Food is No Longer Viewed as Affordable
Lower income consumers are pulling back from fast food as years of price hikes push QSRs past their affordability threshold. Brands are scrambling to win them back with sharper value plays.
Sponsorship Risk Intensifies After Kanye West Festival Fallout
Ye (fka Kanye West) stoked controversy that led PepsiCo and Diageo to pull out as sponsors of a U.K. music festival that was canceled shortly thereafter. Morality clauses are becoming more commonplace in contracts to protect brands from reputational damage.
Why More Women, GLP-1 Users, and Seniors Are Taking Creatine
Creatine appears to be more than a fitness fad, with new formats and use cases fueling its growth. Though men still account for the majority of usage, other demographics have begun taking the supplement to prevent muscle loss, support hormonal health, and more.
Report: New Dietary Guidelines Place $1000+ Burden on Households
Affordability is one of the top barriers preventing Americans from adhering to the dietary guidelines laid out in the new food pyramid. For the average household, it would lead to a 32% increase in annual spending.
Pet-Food Investments Surge as Gen Z, Millennials Drive Humanization Trend
Pet food demand is surging as Millennials and Gen Zers treat nutrition for their animals like nutrition for themselves, driving investment from major manufacturers. Brands that can prove true health benefits and ingredient transparency can seize upon the movement.
Breakfast for Champions? QSRs Invest in Morning Daypart
Menu penetration for breakfast meals is up 6.5% as QSR chains invest in the breakfast daypart to gain foot traffic. McDonald’s recent morning value menu goes toe-to-toe with Dunkin’s recent revamp.
Why Is Gen Alpha So Obsessed with Sushi?
Gen Alpha’s sushi fixation has become quite expensive for parents, though many appreciate that the cuisine is healthier than kid-friendly favorites like chicken nuggets or pizza. So, where did the obsession come from? And how can food industry leaders capitalize on the craze?
Fuel Cost Surcharges Like ‘Tariffs 2.0’ for Food Industry
Fuel surcharges are pressuring already thin food industry margins, as carriers tack on steep new fees. Business leaders should brace for shrinkflation, higher shelf prices and tougher cost decisions as fuel volatility ripples through the entire supply chain.
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The Healthy America: Protein, Fiber, GLP-1
Secret Sauce of Cost-Effective Menu Differentiation
Sauces are becoming a low-cost engine for menu innovation, letting restaurants introduce bold, layered flavors without straining margins. QSRs are using signature and swicy sauces to elevate simple builds and turn LTOs into profit drivers.
Retail Therapy: ‘Feel Good’ Fuels Grocery Performance
Circana insights suggest shoppers’ “retail therapy” is a clear motivation for retail sales growth at the start of 2026. Both indulgent and better-for-you aspirational ‘snack-tivities’ are most primed to benefit.
Happy Joe’s Aims to Revive a Venerable Pizza Franchise
A venerable industry veteran is steering iconic Happy Joe’s pizza parlors back to relevance by reviving the family centric nostalgia that once defined them. After years of closures and ill advised decisions, the franchise is rebuilding around its small town roots.
Astronomy Gastronomy: What Will Artemis II Astronauts Eat?
What will Artemis II astronauts eat while aboard the Orion spacecraft on their historic 10-day voyage? We break down NASA’s space menu, from tortillas to coffee, along with the science of how microgravity affects food and beverage consumption while in space.
UPF Shock? WISEcode Ignites Next-Era Food Transparency
As regulators struggle to define ultra-processed foods, WISEcode is rolling out its own data-driven scoring system to classify processing levels. The move highlights growing industry pressure for clearer standards amid rising consumer scrutiny.
RTD Coffee War: The Next Margin Battle
RTD coffee is entering a new margin war as specialty upstarts chip away at legacy brands and fuel double digit growth in cold brew and premium flavors. With health minded consumers embracing “permissible indulgence,” the next battleground is functional, protein powered innovation.
Survey Shows the Real Driver of C-Store Traffic: Human Connection
Loyal convenience store shoppers aren’t chasing discounts – they’re returning for familiarity, safety, and a consistently smooth experience. As food and beverage offerings surge in importance, C stores that deliver predictability and human connection stand to win the most.
Gen Z Stare: CPG Giants Must Grapple with Cohort ‘Indifference’
Gen Z still leans toward national brands, but their attention is drifting as challenger and private label options feel increasingly interchangeable. For food and beverage leaders, the mandate is clear: win relevance, not races to the bottom on price.
Sysco Goes Big – and Investors Go Away
Sysco’s $29 billion acquisition of Restaurant Depot is raising red flags among investors, who sent shares tumbling 15% amid concerns over timing, debt, and execution risk. While the deal expands Sysco into the fast-growing cash-and-carry segment, questions remain about whether the move will deliver long-term value.
Survey: High Gas Prices Forcing Many to Limit Grocery Spending
Soaring gas prices are reshaping grocery behavior, according to a new survey, with most shoppers cutting spending, trading down, and sticking closer to home. Retailers now face mounting pressure to double down on value and private-label products
WATCH: Food Delivery Robots Shatter Chicago Bus Shelters
Delivery robots from Serve and Coco crashed into Chicago bus shelters within hours, highlighting persistent navigation flaws with glass and complex urban environments. Despite mishaps, restaurants still lean on these robots to offset driver shortages as regulators eye closer oversight.