Wendy’s relaunched its national breakfast menu just weeks before states began issuing stay-at home orders due to COVID-19. While breakfast sales at most fast-food chains stagnated during the pandemic, the Wendy’s breakfast menu performed surprisingly …
Non-profit organization Conscious Kitchen recently shifted an entire California school district’s food supply chain to 100% organic. The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) and Conscious Kitchen provided their first 100% USDA-certified organic weekly …
U.S. coffee processors are reporting significant cost increases in their operations, mostly related to transportation, and expect to raise retail prices soon. Mid-sized and smaller roasters have been hit hardest, but even larger companies say …
Today is International Women’s Day (IWD), a day created in 1911 to celebrate the achievements of women. These days, IWD is largely viewed as an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of women in areas such …
While the gap between food insecurity and food waste is significant, increased government, industry and community efforts can narrow the divide. But with global food demand projected to rise anywhere between 59% to 98% by 2050 …
Agriculture-related losses from the recent winter storm in Texas are estimated to total at least $600 million, according to the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service, reported The New York Times (March 4). Here’s a breakdown …
Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates recently proposed that shifting beef consumption in wealthier countries to 100% synthetic alternatives could significantly reduce carbon emissions in the long term, reported MIT Technology Review (Feb. 14). But …
President Biden denounced state leaders who are choosing to relax COVID-19 restrictions and protective measures at businesses including restaurants. Biden called the moves “Neanderthal thinking” and “a big mistake,” reported The Hill (March 3). His …
Danone is being pressured on three fronts: nondairy substitutes are failing to compensate for a slowdown in yogurt consumption, demand for bottled water has wilted, and infant formula sales have weakened due to slowing birthrates. …
Several retailers have released results for their final quarters of 2020, as well as their fiscal years. Among the noteworthy takeaways were the following: Publix says the pandemic increased fiscal 2020 sales by 12.1% Dollar …
A mentoring session from nearly six months ago still sticks in the mind of Talita Ramos Erickson. When speaking with a recent business school graduate, Ramos Erickson was informed the fledgling professional wouldn’t even consider …
Fruit and vegetable production, like all agricultural practices, must adapt to climate change. That is, producers – already experiencing soil depletion and water supply issues – will also have to contend with severe weather disruptions …
The latest USDA data shows that dairy farms are on the decline, while plant-based milk alternatives are growing in popularity. DAIRY FARM NUMBERS DECLINE USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s latest Milk Production report shows another …
Plant-based companies are finding a home in fast-food, as demand for meat-free options grows among consumers. About one-third of consumers said their consumption of various meat alternatives has increased over the past year, according to …
The combination of wanting to eat a healthier diet and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change has led to a meteoric rise in meat alternatives. But while consumers are increasingly incorporating plant-based proteins …
An influx of imports, plus work forces being affected by the pandemic, are causing backlogs at major U.S. seafood ports leaving stranded containers of frozen fish on ships and docks. Freezers in key port cities …
Plant-based diets have grown in popularity in recent years, but new research indicates consumers still aren’t eating enough produce. DECLINING FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION Research from the Produce for Better Health Foundation shows fruit and …
With a 90-day protest unfolding at McDonald’s headquarters, the fast food giant is contending with allegations that it set Black franchise owners up to contend with higher overhead costs for security, insurance, employee turnover, and …
Lizzy Freier, senior research manager of menu at Technomic, spoke with The Food Institute’s Susan Choi about the so-called chicken sandwich wars in the quick service restaurant segment, the impact of the pandemic on sales, …
The U.S. could plant 92 million acres of corn, 90 million acres of soybeans, and 45 million acres of wheat in 2021, according to data presented at USDA’s Outlook Forum. That would represent an increase …
Online shopping is reaching new heights amid the pandemic – and likely won’t be going away anytime soon. ONLINE SALES UP IN FIRST MONTH OF 2021 Total U.S. online grocery sales reached $9.3 billion in …
On February 18, The Food Institute, in conjunction with DMA, hosted a webinar that examined the recent explosion of ghost kitchens and virtual brands. The event, which featured executives from Denny’s, Kitchen United, and Lettuce …
Walmart is tapping automation to help its store fleet handle last-mile grocery delivery, adding local fulfillment centers (LFCs) that will turn parts of them into mini warehouses and speed up fulfillment for local customers. The …
The food industry is one of many accelerating the use of special purpose acquisition companies. But with SPACs positioned to quadruple this year, are these companies poised to become the next Internet bubble or subprime …
Food businesses including grocers, restaurants and farmers, are faced with major issues due to this week’s severe winter weather in Texas. GROCERS AND RESTAURANTS Power outages and supply problems linked to the nearly unprecedented cold …
This article is the first in the FI Quarterly Series on Emerging Consumer Brands. The continuing problem with corporate and independent accelerators is two-fold: the screening process and the mentors available to each cohort. An …
WALMART Walmart beat expectations for same-store sales growth, as an early start to the holiday season and a boost from stimulus money late in the fourth quarter drove demand for electronics, toys and groceries, reported …
A new series of projects will build multistory greenhouses inside affordable housing developments to provide jobs that pay $15 an hour. FRESH PRODUCE AND AFFORDABLE LIVING Vertical Harvest, the company behind the affordable housing concept, …
Prior to this week’s extreme weather in the south, the USDA was already projecting that U.S. farmers wouldn’t see another year as profitable as 2020 for at least a decade. USDA FORECASTS LOWER PROFITS DESPITE …
Nestle has agreed to sell its regional spring water brands, purified water business and beverage delivery service in North America to One Rock Capital Partners, in partnership with Metropoulos & Co., for $4.3 billion. The sale includes …
The world will soon pay more for meat as food inflation deepens. Livestock farmers are getting hit with the highest corn and soybean prices in seven years, raising the cost of feeding their herds by …
Next Valentine’s Day, plant-based consumers will have even more chocolate options, thanks to Nestle’s latest development: a vegan KitKat. NESTLE TAKES PLANT-BASED CHOCOLATE MAINSTREAM A plant-based candy bar, called KitKat V, will be Nestle’s first …
Each February, Black History Month not only celebrates the achievements of African Americans, but also highlights some of the mistreatment African Americans have endured over the course of our history. Perhaps it’s appropriate, then, that …
To no one’s surprise, the consumption of chocolate and other comfort food is on the rise as consumers lean more on guilty pleasures to cope with pandemic-related anxiety. In fact, the stress of 2020 coupled …
While sales data show beverage companies, like many other businesses, are struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are signs that consumers are making healthier choices about what they drink. And that offers opportunity for …
Sysco Corp.’s fiscal second-quarter results came in below analysts’ estimates on pandemic-related constraints, with the Houston-based food distributor posting adjusted earnings of $0.17 per share, well under the Zacks consensus estimate of $0.35 per share …
