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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Coca-Cola to Join Hard Seltzer Craze

Food Institute Focus – Coca-Cola to Join Hard Seltzer Craze

Meat Workers Seek Safer Working Conditions

Food Institute Focus – Meat Workers Claim Their Safety is at Risk

Changing Food Trends Fuel Pasta Popularity

Food Institute Focus – Changing Food Trends Fuel Pasta Popularity

Retailers Disrupt Milk Processing Industry

Food Institute Focus – Retailers Disrupt Milk Processing Industry

Gen Z’s Influential Food Preferences

Food Institute Focus – Gen Z’s Influential Food Preferences

Investors Bet on Plant-Based

Food Institute Focus – Investors Bet on Plant-Based

Manufacturers Need to Adapt to COVID-19 Conditions

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to affect the manufacturing capabilities of food companies through the end of 2020, but automation, social distancing, and pivoting towards healthier products could provide avenues for future growth. Meatpackers Face …

Food Industry Continues the Fight for Social Justice

Food Institute Focus – Food Industry Continues to Fight for Social Justice

More SKU-Rationalization Hits Manufacturers

Food Institute Focus – More SKU-Rationalization Hits Manufacturers

Food Startups Attract Major Investors

Food Institute Focus – Food Startups Attract Major Investors

Dairy Consolidation Outpaces Most Agriculture

Food Institute Focus – Dairy Consolidation Outpaces Most Agriculture

Shifting Back to Sustainability

Food Institute Focus – Shifting Back to Sustainability

6 Concepts You Should be Thinking About Now – Rick Abraham

I heard a commentator on TV recently describe the coronavirus as an “accelerator.” In his words, the dramatic industry changes we are currently seeing would have happened anyway in a non-pandemic world, just not as …

Key Upcoming Financial Trends in M&A – Farzad Mukhi, CFA

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has had a significant negative impact on our daily lives. It has also had a meaningful impact on transaction activity in the U.S. M&A market. What was shaping up to …

Goya Votes Against Sale

Food Institute Focus – Goya Votes Against Sale