FI Fast Break audio news: Sept. 14, 2022
The latest Food Institute news podcast touches on new findings about COVID-19’s affect on the U.S. labor force.
Tag: COVID-19
Middle-Tier Restaurants Threatened as Industry Bifurcates
Middle-tier restaurants would be wise to alter their business models amid raging inflation and predictions of a recession later this year.
Retailers Overloaded with Inventory at Summer’s Outset
Who doesn’t love a bargain? Consumers likely will be in luck this summer as retailers, whose inventories have swollen largely due to the pandemic and shifts in buying behaviors, try to rationalize their stocks amid …
Supply Chain Pain Continues to Snarl Global Shipping
While many thought global shipping bottlenecks would ease by mid-2022, a number of factors promise to extend supply chain pain into the near future. In 2021, supply chain bottlenecks were mostly a function of record …
Are Consumers Ready for the Return of ‘Eatertainment’?
As the pandemic appears to subside, at least one major chain is banking on the return of experiential dining that includes entertainment options such as arcade games. Dave & Buster’s opened eyes in April when …
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 …
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 …
Discover the Power of Purple: The MaquiBerry from Chile
This webinar was sponsored by ProChile, Chilealimentos, and the MaquiBerry from Chile Committee. Superfruits are often touted as having remarkable health benefits. Many consumers already know of about superfruits such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, acai …
Sizing up the Sugar Reduction Trend: Key Insights and Industry Applications
What’s Ahead In 2022?
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 …
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 …
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. …
HelloFresh Outpacing Meal Kit Competition
Meal-kit supplier HelloFresh has enjoyed a notable uptick in popularity since the outset of the pandemic. And, even as COVID-19 vaccinations have increased and consumers have started to dine in restaurants more and increase their …
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 …
Analysts: Comfort Food Popularity Should Continue Post-Pandemic
Stress and uncertainty cause people to seek out comfort rather than challenge. And, with 2020 presenting so many challenges, it’s no wonder that the “comfort economy” is booming. Trends in sectors ranging from technology to …
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 …
Outlook Bright for Non-Alcoholic Beverage Market
The mindful drinking movement has been gaining traction for several years, with “sober curious” consumers opting for no- or low- alternatives to reduce their alcohol intake. Throughout the pandemic, demand for non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits increased, with consumers drinking most frequently while relaxing at …
Restaurants’ Latest Challenge: A Cicada ‘Tsunami’
As if the lingering pandemic hasn’t caused enough headaches for restaurant operators, a new issue has emerged: Cicadas – lots and lots of cicadas. For the past 17 years, so-called Brood X cicadas have slowly …
Cinco de Mayo 2021 Highlights Thriving Avocado Market
Nothing says Cinco de Mayo like tacos and guacamole, and this year avocados appear to be plentiful – at least in the near term. Some 100 million Americans are expected to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, …
Foreseeable Future Appears Bright for Grocers
Online grocery usage has skyrocketed in recent years: 73% of consumers had purchased grocery items online within the last three months, compared to 17% in 2017, according to a survey by Power Reviews. Of course, …
Delivery Platforms Experiencing Upheaval
In many ways, the pandemic has been a boom time for third-party delivery platforms, which have benefited from consumers largely hunkering down at home and summoning dinners to their doorstep. But business is rapidly changing …
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As Vaccinations Increase, Outlook Less Rosy for Grocers
While grocery store owners benefited from a rush of customers throughout much of the past year as the pandemic raged, owners now have growing concern that their bottom line will look far less rosy in …
Tracking the Success of Wendy’s Breakfast Relaunch
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 …
Foodservice Distributors Heavily Impacted by COVID-19
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 …
With Little to Celebrate This Year, Catering Companies Are Facing a Crisis
The coronavirus pandemic, and its subsequent restrictions, sent a shockwave through the U.S. job market in 2020, causing a ripple effect felt through much of the labor force. In short order, many jobs shifted, creating …
What the Food Industry Needs to Know About COVID-19 Relief
After months of uncertainty, 2021 looks more promising than one might assume for the food industry. For starters, Congress’s recent COVID-19 relief bill should provide a measure of assistance to restaurants and beer manufacturers alike. …
Pandemic and Brexit Leading to U.K. Chaos Ahead of Christmas
A new variant of COVID-19 and increasing concerns about the country’s exit from the European Union are causing significant problems in the U.K. days before Christmas. NEW COVID-19 VARIANT PUTS LONDON IN LOCKDOWN London and …
Hope for Restaurants on the Horizon Under New Deals
There is no doubt that restaurants have been beaten down during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 110,000 restaurants have closed permanently or for a long period of time throughout the U.S., while others face uncertainty as many …
Food Industry Groups Want Priority Vaccinations for Workers
With limited quantities of the COVID-19 vaccine available, many groups a seeking priority for their employees—including the food industry. Administration of the vaccine began on Dec. 14 in the U.S. with early doses being set …
In-Store COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts Prepped by Drugstores, Grocers
Despite reaching a sobering coronavirus milestone earlier this week, U.S. drug stores and grocers are increasingly optimistic that they will be able to support in-store COVID-19 vaccination efforts as supplies become available at their stores. …
Will Consumers Be Attracted to Buy Restaurant Gift Cards this Holiday Season?
Weak gift card sales could be an obstacle to full recovery for restaurant chains, reported The Wall Street Journal (Dec. 1). As COVID-19 cases rise, more restrictions are being placed on restaurants and less people …
Walmart Continues to Advance its Businesses During the Pandemic
Walmart has made several business moves recently that involve a delivery acquisition and a COVID-19 testing-related investment. Walmart acquired select assets of JoyRun in a bid to incorporate its peer-to-peer food and drink delivery service …
As COVID-19 Cases Rise, How are Grocers Helping with Testing?
As COVID-19 cases rise across the U.S., grocery stores are doing their part to ramp up testing. The Kroger Co., Walmart, Albertsons, Safeway, and Hy-Vee are among the grocers offering different options for testing, with …