As recent headlines suggest, the agriculture industry is embracing new forms of automation. Here’s a look at a few companies offering innovative solutions to producers. AUTONOMOUS WEEDING ROBOT Startup Carbon Robotics revealed the latest iteration …
Millennials’ favorite food and beverage brands in 2021 highlight a taste for convenience, comfort, and quality with a focus on affordability. The popularity of private labels and non-traditional retailer formats are also on the rise. …
Most everyone is aware of milk, wheat and peanut allergies, but sesame? About 1.5 million Americans may be allergic to sesame, some of the 32 million Americans who suffer from potentially deadly food allergies overall. …
Restaurants are struggling to win back employees so far in 2021. The Food Institute reported on this issue back in early April when QSRs were finding hiring new workers particularly challenging, and the issue has …
Here are trending economic and food industry data points, as well as major economic and company earnings releases for the coming week: unemployment benefits, global debt, surging commodities, restaurant reservations, Coca-Cola (COKE), and more Trending …
While COVID-19 has kept celebrities off the red carpet, a number of product collaborations, endorsements and corporate finance endeavors have kept them in the spotlight. And while star power has certainly proven to be a …
The demand for private label grocery products remained strong throughout the pandemic, with higher-end premium lines driving sales for traditional grocers, clubs, and mass merchandisers. Now, Kroger plans to add 660 items to its private …
“Every moving thing lifted the dust into the air: a walking man lifted a thin layer as high as his waist, and a wagon lifted the dust as high as the fence tops, and an …
Amazon-owned grocery stores are poised for a technology upgrade, specifically in checkout. AUTOMATION Amazon is bringing automated checkout technology to full-size supermarkets, reported Bloomberg (April 22). Planning documents for a store under construction in Brookfield, …
As sustainable practices become increasingly important to today’s consumers, food brands are making their environmental goals and initiatives clear. In honor of Earth Day, here’s a closer look at companies taking steps to become more …
Food is Gen Z’s No. 1 wallet priority at 23%, according to Piper Sandler’s annual Taking Stock with Teens survey. The survey highlights discretionary spending trends and brand preferences from 7,000 teens across 47 U.S. …
Many food companies are raising prices to offset higher costs. Higher commodity costs are pressuring companies’ profits, while some are also starting to lap their surging sales sparked by stockpiling in 2020, reported CNBC (March …
Grilling season started early this year – or maybe it never ended, statistics from market research company NPD Group indicate. NPD reported consumers spent more than $4.9 billion on grills, smokers, camping stoves, accessories, and …
The world’s largest meatpacker is looking to appeal to those who want to eat less meat. Brazil’s JBS will buy Dutch vegetable-based protein company Vivera for $408.1 million, reported Reuters (April 19). Vivera includes a …
While the concept of “food as medicine” has been around for centuries, the philosophy is gaining momentum of late. So much so, in fact, that The Food Institute will highlight the concept and the growing …
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, …
A vegan diet is essentially the strictest form of vegetarianism. That is, in addition to avoiding animal flesh, vegans also cut out dairy, eggs and animal-derived ingredients, such as gelatin whey and casein. And as …
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 …
The Food Industry Association and the Meat Institute Foundation reported that grocery store meat sales increased by 20% last year, with three-quarters of consumers saying meat belongs in a healthy diet. “All protein sales at …
A persistent kink in the global supply chain is getting straightened out – slowly, but relatively surely. The backlog at southern California ports appears to finally be easing, even as imports continue to flood into …
Mushrooms are currently thriving at the intersection of multiple industry trends, including alternative proteins, food as health, and countertop gardening. A recent report by Grand View Research projected that the global mushroom market value is expected to exceed $50 billion in …
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 …
According to a study conducted by Allied Market Research (June 2020), the non-dairy ice cream market was valued at roughly $520 million in 2019 and is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 13.7%. …
Cattle produce approximately 78% of total livestock greenhouse gas emissions and are responsible for 14%–18% of human GHG. But, according to a recent report by Global Change Biology, ranchers who focus on changes to their agriculture production …
Breaking up is hard to do, but Walmart and McDonald’s seem to have made the split on decent terms. McDonald’s recently announced plans to shutter hundreds of its locations positioned within Walmart stores. After the …
Impossible Foods is reportedly planning for a $10 billion public listing within the next year, either through an IPO or a SPAC. The valuation would be substantially higher than the $4 billion the company was worth …
Gluten-free diets are all the rage, but aside from benefitting the small percentage of people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, there is little to no evidence showing that a gluten-free diet is effective …
Free is good, as any customer will tell you, and fast-casual restaurants are beginning to see the benefits of offering free (or virtually free) coffee to drive increased traffic and revenue. In February 2020, Panera …
While plant-based protein still makes up a small portion of the overall protein market, the segment has been gaining significant traction. The plant-based proteins market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.5% through …
The push for the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $15, is pressuring U.S. businesses like restaurants that depend on keeping labor costs in check to survive. QSRs are finding …
On April 1, the USDA announced that it will provide $1 billion per month in additional SNAP food assistance to an estimated 25 million people in low-income households. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack echoed …
Lamb sales are surging. While shoppers used to be wary due to its higher price tag, store sales of lamb jumped 28% year-over-year as of last month, according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, beef sales rose 25.6% …
While the fast-food “chicken wars” have been going on for some time, Taco Bell and Chipotle are now headed for battle on another front. The two largest Mexican-food chains are testing new items and jockeying …
Unilever plans to introduce carbon-footprint details for all 70,000 of its products and is researching best methods for gathering and presenting the information. A key motivator for the company is that brands perceived as sustainable …
Big foodmakers are taking advantage of a pandemic-driven rise in online shopping to track consumer analytics. “For a food brand it’s really no longer about who has the biggest factory, or who has the biggest …
Seafood mislabeling is rampant throughout the industry, accounting for as much as 55% of product sold in some countries with little regulatory framework in place to prevent the practices, an analysis by The Guardian indicated. …
