Agricultural Exports to China Surging

Lately, U.S. farmers are shipping record volumes of crops and meats across the Pacific. A key factor at play: three years after the beginning of a trade war, China is reviving its trade relations with …

Traditional CPGs Can No Longer Use COVID-19 Purchasing Trends as a Crutch for Growth

Throughout the pandemic, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies benefitted from purchases of classic CPG items like canned vegetables, pasta, and coffee, as consumers stocked up during quarantine. However, as the country opens back up, CPG …

Global Food Prices Hit Six-Year High

Global food prices are the highest they’ve been in six years, with the price of agricultural commodities traded on the global stage rising 50% since the middle of 2020, according to economists at Rabobank. Additionally, …

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 …

California School District Shifts to Serve 100% Organic Meals

Non-profit organization Conscious Kitchen recently shifted an entire California school district’s food supply chain to 100% organic. The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) and Conscious Kitchen provided their first 100% USDA-certified organic weekly …

Consumers Expected to Wake Up to Higher Coffee Prices Soon

U.S. coffee processors are reporting significant cost increases in their operations, mostly related to transportation, and expect to raise retail prices soon. Mid-sized and smaller roasters have been hit hardest, but even larger companies say …

World Celebrates Women’s Day as Gender Equality Lagging in Food Industry

Today is International Women’s Day (IWD), a day created in 1911 to celebrate the achievements of women. These days, IWD is largely viewed as an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of women in areas such …

Narrowing the Divide Between Food Insecurity and Food Waste

While the gap between food insecurity and food waste is significant, increased government, industry and community efforts can narrow the divide. But with global food demand projected to rise anywhere between 59% to 98% by 2050 …

Trying Year Ahead for Texas Farmers After Staggering Storm Damages

Agriculture-related losses from the recent winter storm in Texas are estimated to total at least $600 million, according to the Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service, reported The New York Times (March 4). Here’s a breakdown …

Breaking Down Bill Gates’ Synthetic-Beef Climate Solution

Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates recently proposed that shifting beef consumption in wealthier countries to 100% synthetic alternatives could significantly reduce carbon emissions in the long term, reported MIT Technology Review (Feb. 14). But …

As States Roll Back COVID-19 Restrictions, Restaurants Weigh Next Move

President Biden denounced state leaders who are choosing to relax COVID-19 restrictions and protective measures at businesses including restaurants. Biden called the moves “Neanderthal thinking” and “a big mistake,” reported The Hill (March 3). His …

Danone Feels Pressure from COVID-19 and Weaker Sales

Danone is being pressured on three fronts: nondairy substitutes are failing to compensate for a slowdown in yogurt consumption, demand for bottled water has wilted, and infant formula sales have weakened due to slowing birthrates. …

Earnings Update: Sales Rising for Retailers Publix, Dollar Tree, and Grocery Outlet

Several retailers have released results for their final quarters of 2020, as well as their fiscal years. Among the noteworthy takeaways were the following: Publix says the pandemic increased fiscal 2020 sales by 12.1% Dollar …

Today’s Young Workers Demand Employers Focus on Sustainability

A mentoring session from nearly six months ago still sticks in the mind of Talita Ramos Erickson. When speaking with a recent business school graduate, Ramos Erickson was informed the fledgling professional wouldn’t even consider …

Vertical Farming Will Be Key for Supporting Sustainable Produce

Fruit and vegetable production, like all agricultural practices, must adapt to climate change. That is, producers –  already experiencing soil depletion and water supply issues – will also have to contend with severe weather disruptions …

Dairy Farms Decline as Milk Alternatives Go Mainstream

The latest USDA data shows that dairy farms are on the decline, while plant-based milk alternatives are growing in popularity. DAIRY FARM NUMBERS DECLINE USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s latest Milk Production report shows another …

Plant-Based Meat Trend Continues to Grow Among Major Industry Players

Plant-based companies are finding a home in fast-food, as demand for meat-free options grows among consumers. About one-third of consumers said their consumption of various meat alternatives has increased over the past year, according to …

New Alternative Proteins Set to Go Mainstream

The combination of wanting to eat a healthier diet and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change has led to a meteoric rise in meat alternatives. But while consumers are increasingly incorporating plant-based proteins …

U.S. Seafood Suppliers Facing Major, Problematic Backlog

An influx of imports, plus work forces being affected by the pandemic, are causing backlogs at major U.S. seafood ports leaving stranded containers of frozen fish on ships and docks. Freezers in key port cities …

Consumers Are Turning to Plant-Based Diets, But Are They Eating Enough Produce?

Plant-based diets have grown in popularity in recent years, but new research indicates consumers still aren’t eating enough produce. DECLINING FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION Research from the Produce for Better Health Foundation shows fruit and …

Does McDonald’s Have an Image Problem?

With a 90-day protest unfolding at McDonald’s headquarters, the fast food giant is contending with allegations that it set Black franchise owners up to contend with higher overhead costs for security, insurance, employee turnover, and …

Technomic’s Freier Says Chicken Sandwich War Is Beneficial for All Parties Involved

Lizzy Freier, senior research manager of menu at Technomic, spoke with The Food Institute’s Susan Choi about the so-called chicken sandwich wars in the quick service restaurant segment, the impact of the pandemic on sales, …

Ag Update: 2021 Projections Largely Encouraging for Farmers

The U.S. could plant 92 million acres of corn, 90 million acres of soybeans, and 45 million acres of wheat in 2021, according to data presented at USDA’s Outlook Forum. That would represent an increase …

Online Grocery Sales Reach $9.3 Billion in January

Online shopping is reaching new heights amid the pandemic – and likely won’t be going away anytime soon. ONLINE SALES UP IN FIRST MONTH OF 2021 Total U.S. online grocery sales reached $9.3 billion in …

Examining the Viability of Virtual Restaurant Brands

On February 18, The Food Institute, in conjunction with DMA, hosted a webinar that examined the recent explosion of ghost kitchens and virtual brands. The event, which featured executives from Denny’s, Kitchen United, and Lettuce …

Walmart, Kroger and Other Retailers Continue to Innovate

Walmart is tapping automation to help its store fleet handle last-mile grocery delivery, adding local fulfillment centers (LFCs) that will turn parts of them into mini warehouses and speed up fulfillment for local customers. The …

Food Industry Part of `SPACtacular’ Shift in Capital Markets

The food industry is one of many accelerating the use of special purpose acquisition companies. But with SPACs positioned to quadruple this year, are these companies poised to become the next Internet bubble or subprime …

Winter Storm Causing Chaos for Food Industry in Texas

Food businesses including grocers, restaurants  and farmers, are faced with major issues due to this week’s severe winter weather in Texas. GROCERS AND RESTAURANTS Power outages and supply problems linked to the nearly unprecedented cold …

The Ongoing Problem with Brand Accelerators in the U.S.

This article is the first in the FI Quarterly Series on Emerging Consumer Brands.  The continuing problem with corporate and independent accelerators is two-fold: the screening process and the mentors available to each cohort. An …

Earnings Update: Walmart and Ahold Delhaize Post Strong Quarterly Sales

WALMART Walmart beat expectations for same-store sales growth, as an early start to the holiday season and a boost from stimulus money late in the fourth quarter drove demand for electronics, toys and groceries, reported …

New City Farming Projects Aim to Address Economic, Climate Crises

A new series of projects will build multistory greenhouses inside affordable housing developments to provide jobs that pay $15 an hour. FRESH PRODUCE AND AFFORDABLE LIVING Vertical Harvest, the company behind the affordable housing concept, …

Farmers Likely to Take a Hit Following a Profitable 2020

Prior to this week’s extreme weather in the south, the USDA was already projecting that U.S. farmers wouldn’t see another year as profitable as 2020 for at least a decade. USDA FORECASTS LOWER PROFITS DESPITE …

Nestle’s Sale of Water Brands Signifies Key Change in Philosophy

Nestle has agreed to sell its regional spring water brands, purified water business and beverage delivery service in North America to One Rock Capital Partners, in partnership with Metropoulos & Co., for $4.3 billion. The sale includes …

Rising Costs Pushing Meat Producer Prices Higher

The world will soon pay more for meat as food inflation deepens. Livestock farmers are getting hit with the highest corn and soybean prices in seven years, raising the cost of feeding their herds by …

The Newest Plant-Based Innovation: A Vegan KitKat

Next Valentine’s Day, plant-based consumers will have even more chocolate options, thanks to Nestle’s latest development: a vegan KitKat. NESTLE TAKES PLANT-BASED CHOCOLATE MAINSTREAM A plant-based candy bar, called KitKat V, will be Nestle’s first …

New Bills Could Provide Assistance to Black Farmers

Each February, Black History Month not only celebrates the achievements of African Americans, but also highlights some of the mistreatment African Americans have endured over the course of our history. Perhaps it’s appropriate, then, that …