The darling of specialty food buyers and producers everywhere, Whole Foods Market seems to be making some shifts to better serve the customers and shareholders. From loyalty programs to CEO streamlining, the company is attempting …
For the better part of the year, avocados have been hard to come by. Despite high volumes and great prices for consumers in 2015, 2016 hasn’t been kind to the popular super-fruit. Weather and labor …
Meat lovers: USDA has good news for you. U.S. red meat and poultry producers had a banner year in 2015, according to USDA. During the year, the two industries combined for a record high of …
It’s been quite a year for Chipotle Mexican Grill. As previously reported in the Food Institute Blog, Chipotle Mexican Grill has been on the offensive to woo back customers following disasterous foodborne-illness outbreaks in 2015. …
Amazon has long been a pioneer when it comes to new methods of shopping. From Amazon Prime to Amazon Dash, it constantly works to find new avenues to deliver products into its customers’ hands. However, …
Earlier this year, Dunkin’ Donuts launched cold brew coffee at its locations nationwide after a successful trial in the New England market. The program, which began in Los Angeles and New York City on June …
C-stores were once seen as a place to grab grub on the go, but recently, operators in the industry have begun to propel the traditional c-store format to something that is closer to a grocery …
Technology is developing at an exponential rate, and it’s not isolated to Silicon Valley startups. Food companies across the globe are starting to grapple with the use of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and robotics in …
Ah, yes. Millennials: everything you thought you knew is wrong, and everything you thought was right is about to change. In some variation or another, this headline gets repeated throughout the year as writers try …
While not the largest food producer in the world, Brazil is no slouch either: most estimates note the country represents nearly 7% of the global food market. It is the world’s largest exporter of soy, …
On this, everyone can agree: last year’s avian flu outbreak was a disaster for producers and consumers. And I think everyone can also agree that it is a good thing the disease has not resurfaced …
Emotion, commonly understood as the most significant driver of customer loyalty, can pay huge dividends for companies. And for the food industry; that’s a good thing. According to the 2016 Temkin Emotion Ratings, consumers are …
What’s for dinner? This timeless question has haunted Americans for ages. For many American consumers, the answer involves traveling out of the house to enjoy a meal prepared by someone else in a business setting, …
Last week, I wrote about whether or not Americans were ready to eat more pork and meat. While USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) clearly believes that to be the case, there is one subset of …
For nearly a decade, red meat and pork consumption in the U.S. has been falling. According to USDA, U.S. beef production dropped 15% while pork consumption dropped 4% during the past ten years. And despite …
Imagine this scenario: you walk into your local grocery store and are presented with two options for your favorite style of cereal. One is packaged with a bunch of cartoon characters and images of the …
When it comes to food-borne disease, E. coli, along with Listeria and Salmonella, is a fairly common culprit. Most often encountered in undercooked meats, the bacterium can cause a number of medical conditions, ranging from …
Starbucks didn’t become one of the biggest foodservice operations in the U.S. by sitting on its laurels. The company is often-cited as an innovative one, with initiatives including new products, expansive employee benefits, unique stores …
When it comes to eating habits, conventional wisdom notes that Millennials as a group are more likely to eat out than to cook their own food. There are tons of reasons for this line of …
If you are an avid reader of Today in Food, you know that we cover a countless number of recalls. These recalls range from everything to misbranding to contamination with pathogens. From small mom-and-pop shops …
It’s a battle of giants. One is the undisputed king of brick-and-mortar retail, and the other is the best that e-commerce has to offer. Walmart and Amazon have been competing for years to get a …
The next time you are near the checkout of your convenience store, take a look at the brands and products presented. Better-for-you snacks may be making headway in the food industry in general, but it …
As the marketing year closes for tomato processors, growers and producers alike are taking stock of the previous year while looking forward to the next. California tomato processors harvested an estimated 889,000 tons for the …
Tonight, when you sit down to watch some TV and relax, count the food commercials you see. From food producers to restaurants to grocers, chances are, you’ll run into more than one, and for good …
Most maple syrup producers across North America are reporting a banner year in 2016. Increased production is both attributed to excellent weather and an increase in operations extracting and refining the product. But with increased …
More often than not, consumer demand dictates market conditions. Today’s consumers are more interested in eating cleaner, healthier foods, and that’s not just from a nutrition perspective. This focus on healthier foods translates outside the …
On the way into work on July 1, I tuned into a local New York classic rock station. I was anticipating a great Independence Day weekend and wanted to channel that through some music, but …
Over the past few years, the fast-casual restaurant industry has enjoyed a surprising ride of profits, popularity and prestige. And now, the results are in: Technomic’s annual Top 250 Fast-Casual Chain Restaurant Report was released, …
Three words heard round the world: All-Day Breakfast. After years of clamoring for fans, McDonald’s finally introduced a limited breakfast menu available all day in October 2015, and fans rejoiced at the news. And now …
After enjoying a long weekend for Independence Day, I feel most Americans would agree there are a few inalienable rights. We are entitled to the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our …
The Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show is a gigantic affair, and one that no single person can fully encapsulate. I was lucky enough to spend a good portion of my day yesterday attending …
Diners today are different beasts than those encountered in the past. Previously, major foodservice chains were able to create empires across the nation by cooking foods that changed little no matter where you ate them, …
Earlier this year, we spent a lot of time talking about the fast food wars. McDonald’s was pushing to regain it’s crown, Burger King was trying new products to keep its fans coming through stores, …
Every morning about this time, she gets me out of my bed a-crying. Get a job! After breakfast every day, she throws the want ads right my way, and never fails to say. Get a …
Last week, we wrote about the growing importance of the Hispanic market for grocers, but let’s not forget that Millennials are still the largest growing cohort in the U.S. Retailers need to continue to evolve …
Retail has long been beholden to a simple rule regarding economies of scale: bigger is better. However, with advancing technology over the past 10 to 15 years, the retail landscape has changed. Improvements in the …
