California Wildfires Ruin Wine, Grapes

California wildfires mean Napa area wine producers are losing stored wine and warehouses, reported The New York Times (Oct. 5). Damage to vineyards has been less severe in the fires in the last weekend of …

Are Another Wave of Meat Plant Shutdowns Likely?

Another wave of coronavirus-driven closures of meatpacking facilities is unlikely, according to Andre Nogueira, CEO of JBS USA Holdings Inc., reported The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 5). Nogueira noted that worker testing and safety practices …

Innovative Products Lead in 2020

Innovation will drive business growth in the new normal, according to Nielsen. Nielsen recently released its 2020 U.S. BASES Top 25 Breakthough Innovations List which includes several food and beverage products. Trending themes among the …

Coca-Cola Reimagines Beverage Lines

Coca-Cola is discontinuing its Zico coconut water brands, reported The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 4). The decision to halt production of the drink by the end of the year “comes at a time when [the …

CPG Brands Continue to Profit as Consumers Stay Home

Several CPG brands recently released quarterly earnings, displaying high demand for snacks and ingredients as consumers cook at home.   PepsiCo Quarterly sales for PepsiCo grew by more than 5%, fueled by higher sales of …

Diversity-Related Executive Roles Increase in Food Industry

Following the murder of George Floyd on May 25 and months of Black Lives Matter protests, many businesses have gone beyond simple statements of support to actual promises to change the way they operate, reported …

UK Resumes Beef Exports to U.S. After 24 Years

The U.S. is allowing UK beef on market for the first time in over 20 years, reported BBC (Sept. 30). The initial ban was imposed in 1996 when British cattle were infected with Mad Cow …

New Sugar Limits Urged to Curb Obesity

A federal committee working on a revision of U.S. dietary guidelines recommends cutting sugar consumption, reported The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 28). The committee suggests Americans limit their consumption of added sugars to 6% of …

How CPG Companies are Strategizing to Thrive During Pandemic

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, such as Mondelez and Nestlé, are finding new opportunities to stay competitive and succeed during the pandemic. Mondelez Mondelez International has been successful in direct-store delivery (DSD)—a logistics fulfillment system …

USDA Funds Research on COVID-19 in Supply Chain

USDA will run a $1 million research project on how COVID-19 may be transmitted through the beef supply chain, reported Reuters (Sept. 25). The two-year project, which begins in October, aims to reduce the risk …

Key Crops Impacted by Extreme Weather

Several crops are suffering from the effects of severe weather over the last month or so. Rice Arkansas’ rice harvest is off to a slow start because of weather not conductive to drying grain and …

Will Pepsi’s Driftwell ‘ScaleWell’?

PepsiCo. Inc.’s PR tease for the Driftwell sleep aid beverage represents the company’s latest new brand creation since Bubly. Launching new trademarks has a very checkered history at public firms. Most of these launches quietly …

Lawsuits Abound Over Misleading Food Labels

Food companies have been in hot water recently over their product labels either misleading consumers or not providing enough product information. Frito-Lay Frito-Lay faces at least two lawsuits over the flavor of its chips. After …

First-Ever Water Futures Will Hedge Price Risk

CME Group Inc. and Nasdaq Inc. are planning to launch a futures contract later this year that will allow farmers, speculators, and others to wager on the price of water, reported The Wall Street Journal …

FDA Takes Steps in Improving Food Traceability

FDA proposed a new rule that lays the foundation for end-to-end traceability across the food industry. The proposed rule would create a first-of-its-kind standardized approach to traceability recordkeeping, paving the way for industry to adopt …

World’s Biggest Plastic Producers Accused of ‘Hypocrisy’ Over Pledges

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé made public pledges to cut plastic while undermining sustainability reforms behind the scenes through lobbying groups and trade associations, a report from Changing Markets Foundation claims. It accused the world’s largest plastic polluters of hypocrisy, …

Meat Prices Drop Following Spring Shortages

Despite shortages this spring, supermarkets are now selling meat for lower prices as supplies are rebounding and exports are declining, reported The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 20). Prices for ground beef and pork loins returned …

Regenerative Agriculture Movement Gains Traction

Cargill is supporting farmer-led efforts to adopt practices and systems foundational to regenerative agriculture practices across 10 million acres of North American farmland over the next 10 years. The initiative will focus on row crop …

Investments in Cold Storage Grow During Pandemic

Cohen & Steers invested approximately $100 million in Lineage Logistics, a temperature-controlled logistics solutions company. The firm made the investment on behalf of several mutual funds with the belief that the market is in the …

Plant-Based Continues into Mainstream

CPG companies have been expanding their plant-based offerings to compete with brands such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. The Kellogg Co. partnered with Walt Disney Co. to launch Mickey-Mouse shaped Incogmeato chick’n nuggets, reported MarketWatch (Sept. …

Automation in the Age of Coronavirus

The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating a trend towards automation, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The report found that most job losses during the public health crisis would be temporary, …

Large CPG Companies Continue to Pivot

Kraft Heinz plans to cut $2 billion in costs over five years, reported The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 15). The company will be making cuts more strategically than in the past, according to CEO Miguel …

Beverage Companies Lean into Health

Several beverage brands are launching new products that have a stronger focus on consumer health. PepsiCo is launching a new drink called Driftwell to aid sleep as consumers struggle with stress, reported CNBC (Sept. 14). …

Pandemic Turns Consumers into At-Home Baristas

The at-home coffee market is set to grow by 4.9% in 2020 to reach $15.6 billion, according to new research from Mintel. In comparison, the market experienced a total of 3.9% growth between 2015-2019. “With …

Preparing for a Pandemic Fall

Robyn Carter, founder and CEO of Jump Rope Innovation (JRI), joined the Food Institute Podcast to discuss consumer perceptions and desires during the pandemic. With the back-to-school season in full swing, and Halloween, Thanksgiving, and …

Plant-Based Expands into International Markets

Several plant-based meat companies are making strides in international markets. Impossible Foods is rolling out Impossible Sausage Made From Plants in Hong Kong. Consumers in Hong Kong can now buy the sausage as a breakfast …

Food’s Role in Climate Change Mitigation

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London named the food and agriculture industries major factors in climate change mitigation, reported Bloomberg (Sept. 9). Their study, which focuses on biodiversity loss, says expanded …

Frozen Food Supply Chain Feels COVID Strain

With popularity of frozen foods up during the pandemic, supply chains for frozen products are undergoing their own set of challenges. Eighty-six percent of consumers said they bought frozen food in March and April, with …

More Facility Closures Follow Rise in COVID-19 Cases

As coronavirus cases around the U.S. continue to rise, manufacturing plants—particularly poultry processing—are experiencing more closures. On Aug. 31, the U.S. topped 6 million cases of coronavirus, reported CNN (Aug. 31). The food processing industry …

Nestlé Buys Aimmune for $2.6B to Combat Food Allergies

In an effort to expand its health sciences business, Nestlé SA agreed to buy the rest of the partially owned biopharmaceutical company Aimmune Therapeutics Inc. for $2.6 billion, reported The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 31). …

Food Companies Make More Job Cuts

A growing amount of large food companies—particularly in manufacturing and foodservice—are continuing to restructure, making more job cuts in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently, Coca-Cola laid off thousands of workers, offering voluntary deals …

Plant-Based Continues to Resonate with Consumers

Shoppers are increasingly turning to plant-based products. The specialty plant-based segment has grown more than 27% since 2017, reaching nearly $5 billion in total brick-and-mortar sales in 2019, according to the recent State of the Specialty …

Restaurants Look to Government for Guidance

Restaurants across the U.S. are resuming operations in accordance with guidelines to ensure health and safety and patrons and employees. However, states, cities, and counties have different requirements for operating during the pandemic. In New …

Consumers Turn to Sweets During Pandemic

Sales of chocolate and candy increased during the pandemic as consumers look for products to boost their mood and lighten perspectives, according to data from the National Confectioners Association (NCA). Overall sales of chocolate and …

Corporate Borrowing Increases Along with Manufacturing Sales

Manufacturing companies are seeing increased sales during the pandemic, but some are issuing record levels of debt. Strength in the retail and deli businesses helped push sales up at Hormel Foods Corp. in its third …

Bee-Friendly Farms Ensure Future of Food Supply

KIND Healthy Snacks plans to switch to “bee-friendly” almond suppliers to encourage growth of the insect population, reported Fast Company (Aug. 25). KIND’s almond suppliers are working on two major changes:  1) stopping the use …