How Much is Theft Impacting Retail Shrink?

Retail theft accounts for about $45 billion in annual losses for retailers these days, according to The Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail. That figure is up $15 billion from a decade ago and has …

Kombucha Gains in Popularity as Functional Beverage Market Growth Continues

Amid the growth of the “better for you” beverage category, one drink in particular has experienced massive gains. The kombucha category grew from $1 million in sales in 2014 to $1.8 billion in sales in …

Chew on This: Gum Sales Plunge Amid Pandemic; Sugar-Free Chocolate Surges

Joanna Lepore feels consumers these days are experiencing a “massive moment of introspection.” The coronavirus pandemic, she explained, has made most people pause, examine what they want out of life, and search for moments of …

Oklahoma City Most Likely to Lead Restaurant Recovery Charge: Report

As the U.S. restaurant industry pushes towards pandemic recovery, a new report from Lending Tree shows some cities are bouncing back faster than others. For the study, researchers examined four key metrics from the 50 …

Coffee Innovations Hitting Higher Gear

Coffee’s popularity in the U.S. shows no signs of slowing. More than half of Americans over 18 years old drink coffee daily, with the average coffee drinker consuming three cups of coffee per day, as …

Will Food Companies Follow Cathay Pacific’s Lead on Firing Unvaccinated Crew?

With the FDA granting full approval for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, and the highly contagious delta variant spreading around the nation, several businesses are mandating that all or some employees provide proof of vaccination. Recently, Cathay …

Major Food Companies Turning to Unprecedented Measures to Find New Hires

Dealing with a shallow labor pool, major companies are increasingly turning to creative – and, in some cases, controversial – measures to attract new hires. Here’s a look at some unique moves made recently along …

Teatime and Beyond: A Look at the Future of Tea

Unilever Plc has reportedly kicked off the sale of large parts of its tea business, which begs the question: What’s next for the traditional drink, which has a history that dates back nearly 5,000 years …

Ag Update: Tesla-like Tractors Coming Soon

A number of startups are ready to unleash a new crop of electric tractors designed to revolutionize field production and help with other tasks. Bloomberg reported (Aug. 18) a pair of Monarch 12-foot, self-driving tractors …

The Keys to Moving from the Great Resignation to the Great Retention

Higher pay. Flexible work hours. A retirement account. What more do workers want? The answer is: plenty. The pandemic changed the way a lot of people think about work, and employers are not only scrambling …

Employment at Grocers, Restaurants Down in August Despite Net Employment Gains

Ahead of Labor Day Weekend, the labor situation for grocers and restaurants is anything but rosy. Although both the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and ADP showed a net gain in jobs for August, hiring …

Fresh Food, Health Care Likely to Spur More Dollar Store Growth

Of the approximately 7,300 U.S. stores opened, or planned to open in 2020 and 2021, 43% are dollar stores, according to Coresight Research. Dollar General opened 1,000 new stores in 2020 and has 1,050 more …

Oregon McDonald’s Hiring Workers as Young as 14 Amid Labor Shortage

Food companies have had to get creative to attract workers during the ongoing labor shortage. An Oregon McDonald’s is now even looking to hire teen workers as young as 14, according to a report from …

Worker Shortages Spurring Rash of Labor Unrest

Chronic labor shortages and mandatory overtime appear to be fueling union unrest as the economy bounces back from the pandemic, with workers realizing they aren’t as powerless as they once were. “With the pandemic and …

Rising Food Costs Heighten Financial Insecurity Among Seniors

Food price spikes across the U.S. are forcing many senior citizens to visit food pantries or cut back on the number of meals they eat per day. In a recent survey by The Senior Citizens …

Report: Eating at Home Trend Here for the Long Haul

The COVID-19 pandemic simply accelerated Americans’ shift to a home-centric lifestyle, according to a new report by The NPD Group. But the tendency to largely hunker down at home was already apparent prior to the …

What Does the Future Hold for Delivery Apps?

It seems like every few weeks food delivery apps are finding themselves in hot water. Most recently, Chicago officials accused both DoorDash and Grubhub of harming city restaurants and customers through high fees and other deceptive …

Is the U.S. Cattle Oversupply Finally Cleared?

After a tumultuous year of COVID-related meat processor backlogs, is the U.S. beef supply finally evening out? One banking and financial services company thinks so: the U.S. oversupply of beef appears to have “finally cleared,” …

Loyalty Programs Gain in Food Industry; Grocers Align With Subscriptions

Loyalty programs continue to gain traction across the food industry as restaurants and retailers implement new offerings to capitalize on customer allegiance. The increase is widely tied to pandemic-induced spikes in digital commerce along with …

Bojangles’ New Approach Amid Labor Issues: Taking Two Days Off

Bojangles closed all of its company-owned stores today and will do so again on September 13 in an effort to give its employees and managers a “well-deserved break.” However, employees will not be paid for …

Robotics Emerging in Food Industry as Labor Shortage Persists

Are robots about to take over? A quick glance at headlines recently makes one wonder. Elon Musk recently unveiled plans for life-like humanoid robots designed to take over “boring” work from humans, for instance. Though …

(WITH VIDEO) Scientists Produce First-Ever 3D-Printed Wagyu Steak

Japanese scientists have taken alternative meat to the next level. A group of scientists led by Osaka University recently used stem cells isolated from Wagyu cows to 3D-print an alternative form of steak. This alternative …

Aquaculture Industry on the Rise as Wild Fishery Production Slows

Global fish consumption continues to rise faster than other proteins, driven by a growing and increasingly prosperous world population that recognizes the health benefits of eating seafood. In fact, since 1961, the average annual 3.1% …

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 …

Amid Record Heat and Drought This Year, Midwest Producers Hopeful for 2022

The West Coast may be receiving the bulk of U.S. media coverage on record heat and drought conditions, but it is not the only region contending with extreme weather: the Midwest is also in the …

Latest Salvo in Chicken Wars Includes Taco Bell Hybrid Item

Taco bell is no stranger to unusual combinations (think Naked Chicken Chalupa, Doritos Locos Tacos), but its latest might take the cake. The chain is launching a Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco on September 2. The …

Sports and Energy Drinks Ascending Thanks to Health-Conscious Consumers

Sports and energy drinks have seen significant sales growth over the past year. Sales of sports drinks were up 14.3% on a dollar basis to almost $5 billion in the 52 weeks ended Aug. 8, …

National Dog Day: Food Companies Catering to Pets Like Never Before

As the calendar turns to National Dog Day, it’s apparent as ever that food and beverage companies are catering to pets these days. BEER BRANDS CATERING TO DOGS Is American beer going to the dogs? …

Labor Shortages Continue to Drive Supply Chain Woes

Massive supply chain disruptions continue to pervade the U.S. food sector, with labor challenges triggering shortages from raw materials and ingredients to packaged goods. Some of the largest U.S. food distributors, including United Natural Foods …

New Albertsons Offering Illustrates Strong Demand for Online Shopping

Albertsons Cos. has begun piloting an Instacart-powered online grocery pickup service in six major cities. The new click-and-collect service, which is currently available in 40 stores, will work in tandem with Albertsons’ Drive Up & …

‘Whoa Nellie’: College Football Stars Landing Big Restaurant Endorsement Deals

Lately, the term “hitting pay dirt” has taken on new meaning for college football stars. On July 1, the NCAA moved to allow college athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness. And that …

Consumer Study: Diet, Nutrition and Navigating Immunity-Driven Lifestyles

On the heels of the pandemic, more consumers across the globe are gravitating towards nutritious diets and immunity boosting products to bolster healthier lifestyles. A recent report based on Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: …

Walmart Makes Major Play in Last-Mile Delivery

Walmart plans to open up its in-house delivery platform, Spark Driver, to other businesses. The retailer is doing so to allow the independent contractors out delivering Walmart merchandise to make additional deliveries along the way, …

Dietitians Weigh in on Reducing Ultra-Processed Foods in Children’s Diets 

Drinking just one soda could shorten your life by 12 minutes and eating one hot dog could claim an additional 36 minutes, according to a new study. These findings are even more unsettling on the …

How Rural Population Decline Impacts U.S. Agriculture

Rural populations showed further signs of decline in the recent release of the 2020 U.S. census. The data reflects shifting demographics and signals continued labor shortages across the nation’s farming and ranching regions. A Stateline …

Trucking Industry Looks to Address U.S. Driver Shortage Over the Long Haul

Amid the pandemic, supply chain woes have been front and center. And while port constraints have dominated headlines, one of the biggest problems in the shipping industry has been the shortage of U.S. truck drivers. …