7-Eleven’s Recent Acquisition Could Reshape Delivery Space

7-Eleven’s recent acquisition of start-up Skipcart offers the convenience store chain many future opportunities, a consultant said.

IRI: Consumers Seeking Bargains Amid Inflation

Grocery shoppers are on the hunt for deals with food-at-home prices rising 14.4% year-over-year as of July 31.

Some Pandemic Food Tech Here to Stay

An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll of U.S. adults released July 5 reveals nearly half of U.S. adults want to ditch virtual activities and ordering groceries online – but they’d still like …

As Covid Restrictions Ease, What Should Restaurants Expect?

As states ease mask mandates, consumers remain wary of omicron and future variants. At the same, experts say businesses need to brace for an expected surge in demand in the second quarter. With that, the …

Analysis: How Will Canadian Trucker Protests Impact America?

What started as a trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates has grown to include many Canadians who are also pushing back against the rules, and resulting blockages could threaten an already-strained supply chain. In January, …

New Vaccine Mandates for Truckers Could Impact U.S.-Canada Trade

Although the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a vaccine mandate for large employers, truckers driving between the U.S. and Canada will still need to be fully vaccinated by the end of the month. Canada began requiring …

Omicron Wreaks Havoc on Workforce

The COVID-19 omicron variant is impacting every corner of the food industry. Case in point: the 2022 Annual Meat Conference, scheduled for February 7-9 in Washington, D.C., has been canceled. The North American Meat Institute …

Starbucks Imposes Vaccine Requirement for Employees Amid Single-Day New Case Record

The U.S. reported a single-day record of COVID cases with more than one million new infections as the Omicron variant spreads across the country. The total may be partly due to delayed reporting from over …

Life Amid Omicron Rife with Frustration for Retailers, Restaurants

The omicron coronavirus variant is causing headaches for American businesses. With the daily COVID case count surging above the half-million mark in the U.S., governments and businesses are imposing vaccine requirements on both employees and …

Supply Chain Update: Port Negotiations, Omicron Variant and Trucker Shortage

Amid surging inflation and a new coronavirus variant, here’s an update on what’s happening across the supply chain. LABOR TALKS AT WEST COAST PORTS West Coast port facility operators will open negotiations with the International …

COVID-19 May Have Changed Restaurant Dining Forever

The latest National Restaurant Association overview of the industry indicates the pandemic may have changed dining forever, and experts say many of the changes implemented as a survival tool are here to stay. “These external …

Italy to Require COVID-19 Pass for Workers

Italian workers in public and private sectors must display a health pass to access their workplaces starting October 15, a move prompted by the fact the Delta coronavirus variant continues to surge across much of …

Will Food Companies Follow Cathay Pacific’s Lead on Firing Unvaccinated Crew?

With the FDA granting full approval for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, and the highly contagious delta variant spreading around the nation, several businesses are mandating that all or some employees provide proof of vaccination. Recently, Cathay …

Research Shows Delta Variant Turning Consumers Skittish on Dining In, Shopping

With daily COVID cases up 11% since last week in the U.S., signs of the pandemic’s staying power threaten to disrupt the nascent effort to attain some semblance of normalcy. The Delta variant has turned …

No Vax, No Service: How Vaccine Enforcement is Impacting Restaurants

Restaurateurs were a bit uneasy about having to determine whether their customers had been vaccinated against COVID-19, but now more are wishing all cities would take a page from places like New York, New Orleans …

Industry Insiders: COVID-19 Pushes Restaurants to Innovate Menus

Restaurant menus – like so much of society amid the pandemic – have undergone a whirlwind of change in recent months. The coronavirus has required as much, with restaurants having to deal with supply uncertainties …

UPDATE: Delta Variant Throws Wrench into Fall Food-Event Schedule

The Specialty Food Association (SFA) has canceled the in-person component of this year’s Fancy Food Show, which was scheduled for September in New York City, due to concerns about the Delta coronavirus variant. Fancy Food …

More Grocery Stockpiling on the Horizon as Delta Variant Looms

Consumers who packed their pantries throughout the pandemic may be looking to replenish those supplies, according to new research by Inmar Intelligence. Of 1,000 U.S. adults surveyed, 69.4% said they were contemplating a significant restock …

Flying at Half Mask: Mandates Leave Restaurants Shrouded in Uncertainty

COVID-weary Americans thought the summer would bring freedom from face masks, but the Delta variant – more contagious than its predecessors – has put the kibosh on that, threatening the nascent recovery in the food …

No Magic Bullet in Sight for U.S. Labor Shortage

With schools reopening and unemployment benefits scheduled to expire, employers have earmarked September as a hopeful turning point for the labor shortage. However, many economists and business owners warn that deeper issues will extend staffing challenges …

Low Vaccination Rates in U.S. South Could Renew Supply Chain Woes

A rise in cases linked to the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant could result in a new wave of disruptions for the U.S. food industry, particularly in the U.S. Southeast. Less than 35% of the …

Two Forms of ID, Please: Vaccination Cards Required in San Fran. Bars

Starting Thursday, hundreds of San Francisco bars will require patrons to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test before they can drink inside. The decision was made by the San Francisco Bar Owner …

The Implications of Higher Inflation and COVID-19 Infection Rates for the Food Industry

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: higher inflation and COVID-19 infection rates, public health policy changes, vaccine passport, the …

France Issues Vaccine ‘Passport’ Rules; Could U.S. be Next?

French restaurant owners and workers are worried: Are they about to turn into the virus police? Retailers don’t understand how they’ll keep people who haven’t had a COVID-19 vaccination out. France is in the forefront …

FI Agriculture Recap: Pandemic Relief for Livestock Producers

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency will begin accepting applications next Tuesday from livestock producers who suffered pandemic losses as a result of their inability to gain sufficient access to processing. Relief will come from the …

Food Industry Financials: GenZ Unemployment, McCormick, and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: Gen Z Unemployment, Robinhood and new generation of investors, earnings from McCormick (MKC), …

Food Industry Financials: Retail Sales, Darden Restaurants, and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: retail sales, supply crunch, global forecast, earnings from Darden Restaurants (DRI), and more. …

Food Industry Financials: Inflation, KR, and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: inflation analysis, food commodities outlook, The Kroger Co. (KR) earnings digest, and more. …

Breaking: UK Rethinks Reopenings Due to Delta Coronavirus Variant

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a delay in easing business restrictions late Monday, because of rising infections due to the delta coronavirus variant, reported AP News. The delta variant was first …

Food Industry Financials: Employment, SJM, and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: employment, earnings from The J. M. Smucker Company (SJM) and more. Is America …

Food Industry Financials: Inflation, CBRL, SAFM, and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: food inflation, earnings from Cracker Barrel (CBRL), Sanderson Farms (SAFM), Costco (COST) and …

Start of Summer Travel Could Mean Long Waits at Restaurants, C-Stores

With over half of Americans now being vaccinated, travel is making a major comeback after more than a year of pandemic lockdowns. AAA forecasts that 37 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from …

The Masks Are Off: Retailers, Restaurants Grapple with Updated Mandates

U.S. retail stores and restaurants are weighing updated CDC guidelines that allow fully vaccinated people to remove their masks in both indoor and outdoor settings. According to the CDC, a person is fully vaccinated two …

Food Industry Financials: Inflation, TSN, ARMK, and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: CPI, PPI, small business optimism, Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN), Aramark (ARMK), Utz Brands, …

Lessons Learned: Food Industry Leaders Already Prepping for Next Pandemic

Public health experts have warned that stopping COVID-19 – or at least mitigating its severity and rapid spread – will not mean the world is safe; rather, it’s just a matter of time before the …

Food Industry Financials: PPP, Inflation, EM, SYY, SHAK, BYND and more

Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: PPP, Restaurant Revitalization Fund, lumber shortage and inflation, hiring recovery, inflation in Brazil, …