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 …

Whole Foods Feels Pressure from Pandemic

Although much of the grocery industry is prospering, trips to Whole Foods in September were down 25% from a year earlier, according to Placer.ai, reported Bloomberg (Oct. 7). Some of the decline is due to …

Foodservice Struggles with Time Efficiency Amid Restrictions

Some restaurants are enforcing time limits to keep the numbers of visitors up during COVID-19 restrictions, reported The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 5). Two hours or 90 minutes are the preferred time limits. The idea …

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 …

Walmart Sells Majority Stake in Asda

Walmart sold a majority stake in Asda to a consortium that includes brothers Zuber and Mohsin Issa and the private equity firm TDR Capital in a deal that values the supermarket chain at about $8.8 …

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 …

Can NYC Restaurants Survive with COVID Restrictions?

After six months, indoor dining reopened in New York City at 25% capacity, despite concerns about both spread of the virus and severe operating margins, reported The New York Times (Oct. 1). “It’s crucial, of …

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 …

How Coronavirus, the Election, and Holidays are Impacting Spending Habits

Although shoppers have been primarily driven to make grocery purchases based on health and safety concerns during the pandemic, a second layer of consumption behavior has been emerging from those experiencing financial restraint, according to …

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 …

Retailers Prepare for Possible Second Wave

Grocers are stocking up to prepare for a possible surge in sales amid a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the holiday rush, reported The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 27). Food companies …

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 …

Grocers Invest in New Technology to Increase Efficiency

Food retailers are partnering with technology companies to make their operations more efficient as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Giant Eagle now operates FlyBuy Pickup, a curbside and in-store pickup program. FlyBuy, using location technology from …

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 …

Convenience to Push Fast Food Ahead of Casual Dining this Winter

Fast food may weather winter better than casual dining as the pandemic continues and flu-season arrives, reported MarketWatch (Sept. 21). Analysts are boosting their ratings and targets for fast food companies, in large part, due …

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 …

Major Food Companies Aim to Reduce Emissions

Several food companies are looking to set a good example for the industry by creating eco-friendly initiatives to become more sustainable—particularly when it comes to emissions. Walmart Big retailer Walmart is aiming for zero emissions …

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 …

Why is Big Business Interested in TikTok?

TikTok, a platform where some 50 million U.S. daily users share short-form videos, has been receiving attention in the media as the Chinese-owned company searches for a U.S. buyer. The app is not only a …

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 …

Coronavirus’ Effect on Restaurants Versus Retail

While restaurants continue to feel the weight of the pandemic, retailers are still benefiting. Nearly one in six restaurants, representing 100,000 foodservice establishments, have closed permanently or long-term in the six months following the first shutdown orders …

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). …

Kroger Beats Earnings Expectations

Kroger forecasted growth of more than 13% for 2020 in its latest earnings report. Sales were up 8.2% to $30.5 billion in second quarter, with growth up 139% excluding fuel. Identical store sales increased 14.6%, …

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 …