JBT Corporation Appoints Robert Petrie as Executive Vice President and President, Protein

JBT Corporation, a global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food and beverage industry, announced today the promotion of Robert "Bob" Petrie effective October 7th to the position of Executive Vice President and President, Protein. He succeeds Paul Sternlieb, who provided notice of his resignation from JBT in connection with his acceptance of the Chief Executive Officer position at an industrial public company, that is not competitive to JBT.

Since 2016, Bob has led JBT's Protein EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) business, and

Sysco Offers New and Innovative Products For Fall 2021 Through Cutting Edge Solutions Platform

Sysco Corporation, the leading global foodservice distribution company, announced today the nationwide launch of eight innovative concepts exclusively for Sysco customers through the company’s Cutting Edge Solutions platform. These chef-tested and exclusive products provide foodservice operators with on-trend menu options such as plant-based ingredients as well as innovative to-go solutions that will help them stand out in the ever-evolving foodservice environment.

“Our Cutting Edge Solutions platform helps our customers stay on-trend and ahead of the competition with new and..."

Meat Institute Joins U.S.-Led Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition, Submits Protein PACT 

The North American Meat Institute today (Thursday) announced that it will join the U.S. government-led multistakeholder Coalition of Action on Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation to be launched by the Biden administration at the UN Food Systems Summit.

The Meat Institute also announced that more than 96 percent of comments received during a public consultation launched in July supported its draft sustainability framework and the Protein PACT for the People, Animals, and Climate of Tomorrow, which the Meat Institute has submitted to...

Walmart Announces Closing of Inaugural $2 Billion Green Bond Issuance

Walmart Inc. today announced that it has closed its previously announced $2 billion inaugural green bond offering. Net proceeds will be allocated to fund current and prospective projects to advance Walmart’s sustainability goals.

The green bond is Walmart’s first offering under the company’s Green Financing Framework, published August 2021, which details the company’s alignment with the 2021 Green Bond Principles, administered by the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA).

“The closing of our first-ever green bond offering directs capital toward projects that will advance our environmental sustainability goals...

White Castle Inducts 68 Into Its 25-Year Club

White Castle, the creator of the beloved Sliders sold at eponymous restaurants and in grocery aisles nationwide, has been celebrating its 100th birthday throughout 2021. The family-owned business has thrown star-studded virtual parties and showered customers with giveaways galore. This month, White Castle shines a light on the people powering the "Crave" — its team members — by continuing a time-honored tradition.

On Sept. 23, White Castle will add 68 team members to its 25-Year Club, an honor reserved for those who have worked for White Castle for...

Metapack Launches New Shipping Plans for Retailers

Metapack, the global leader in ecommerce delivery technology, today announced that it has launched new shipping plans for retailers around the world. From small and medium businesses to large global enterprises, the new transparent pricing models from Metapack have been launched to help retailers expand their business by providing quick and direct access to its Delivery Manager platform.

As the shift to ecommerce becomes more prevalent, it’s essential for all retailers to have access to the right scalable shipping technology and infrastructure to meet the growing delivery experience demands from consumers...

Halloween Spending Soars as Celebrations Near Pre-Pandemic Levels

Consumer spending on Halloween-related items is expected to reach an all-time high of $10.14 billion, up from $8.05 billion in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Plans to celebrate Halloween are up this year compared with last and are close to pre-pandemic levels.

“Americans plan to spend more than ever to make this Halloween a memorable one,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers have implemented a number of measures, such as bringing in Halloween..."

PODCAST: UK Beef Chats Episode 33

UK Beef market expert Mike Nesbitt updates us on Brexit influences on beef imports into the UK, UK trade deals with importing countries, and on the export market.

This Week in Retail: Tight Cold Storage Stocks Keep Prices Elevated for Many Meat Items

Pumpkin spice lovers, rejoice! Yesterday marked the first day of autumn and consumers are gearing up for cooler temperatures and hearty home-cooked meals. As we approach the fourth quarter, retailers are optimistic that fall-oriented demand will help maintain a strong consumer pull for meat and poultry products.  

For hog producers, autumn typically signals a period of seasonal expansion in supplies. Buying interest among packers who purchase hogs in the open market has slowed considerably in recent weeks, according to livestock dealers. This suggests that hog supplies overall are adequate for packers’ needs and current processing capacity, which continues to be strained by labor challenges...

ANALYSIS: Turkey Production Expansionary Expectations Not in the Signals Sent

Last week our analysis focused on the impact variables such as feed costs, poult placements and, ultimately, head count, had and are having on the valuation of breast meat...

PLANT PROTEIN: Get to Know Players in the Plant Protein Market: Dao Foods

Dao Foods is a China-focused impact investment firm whose goal is to ultimately “reduce the consumer demand for industrial animal agriculture” through fueling startups “who are targeting the 400 million millennials in China with new, exciting, and delicious plant-based proteins”. The firm was founded by seasoned investors Tao Zhang and Albert Tseng alongside Beyond Meat investor New Crop Capital and the Good Food Institute.

In October 2020, Dao Foods announced a 3-year plan to invest in 30 Next-Gen Good Food Ventures using...

Sabir Sami Promoted to KFC Division CEO, Effective January 1, 2022

Yum! Brands, Inc. today announced the promotion of Sabir Sami, 54, to KFC Division Chief Executive Officer, reporting to Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer David Gibbs, effective January 1, 2022. Sami, a 12-year veteran of the Company, who currently serves as KFC Division Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of KFC Asia, will succeed Tony Lowings, who is stepping down as CEO at the end of 2021 in advance of his retirement in early 2022. In this role, Sami will assume global responsibility for driving the brand strategy...

PERDUE® THANKSNUGGETS™ Are Back – and Now Available in Select Retail Stores Nationwide

Perdue is bringing back by popular demand its limited time only, PERDUE® THANKSNUGGETS™ just in time for the holiday. Last year it sold out online in record time, in less than three minutes. Now for the first time ever, the white breast meat with sweet potato-seasoned breading turkey nuggets will be available in retail grocery stores nationwide so everyone can get their hands on them this holiday season.

The limited-edition nuggets pair the No Antibiotics Ever turkey consumers love with sweet potato... 

Nathan's Famous Continues International Expansion with European Push to Offer Hot Dogs in France

Nathan's Famous, Inc., the American tradition serving New York favorites for more than 100 years, announces a new collaboration with Tommy's Diner, a 50's throwback American diner based in France, to offer its hot dogs in all locations across the country, making it the first time Nathan's Famous is served in France. This relationship continues Nathan's Famous growth in Europe and beyond.

"Nathan's Famous is known the world over, which is why we've had such great success in recent years growing in the..."

Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen Delivers Opening Keynote at Groceryshop

The Kroger Co. Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen took the stage in Las Vegas at Groceryshop, a leading U.S. event for the retail, grocery, and consumer packaged goods industries, for its annual conference during the opening keynote themed Kroger Delivers the Future of Grocery Shopping Now.

McMullen shared the company's continued focus on leading with fresh and accelerating with digital by leveraging its complementary assets to create innovative solutions for customers, a continually improving workplace for associates, and a more sustainable operation for the planet...

McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys Go More Sustainable

For more than 40 years, kids and families have delighted in Happy Meals for delicious food and great fun. Many of us have fond memories of playtime fueled by a toy found inside that magical box.

Today we’re taking a step to keep the fun going while helping to build a more resilient planet for the next generation.

Starting now, and phased in across the globe by the end of 2025, our ambition is that every toy sold in a Happy Meal will be sustainable, made from more renewable, recycled, or certified materials...

Hormel Foods Shares Food Journey Progress in 15th Annual Corporate Responsibility Report

Hormel Foods Corporation today announced the launch of its 15th annual corporate responsibility (CR) report. The report contains in-depth information about the company's CR progress in fiscal 2020. In addition, the company has launched a new set of CR goals to guide its programs through 2030.

"Our commitment to making the world in which we live a better place has never wavered. We're proud that we surpassed our 2020 nonrenewable energy use, water use, solid waste sent to landfills and product packaging reduction goals, and achieved..."

Giant Eagle Partners with RangeMe to Boost Online Product Assortment

Giant Eagle, Inc. announced the launch of a new initiative to grow its Giant Eagle Marketplace eCommerce channel with a greater assortment of new and emerging products. As one of the nation's largest retailers, Giant Eagle will look to accelerate and scale product sourcing for this initiative by partnering with RangeMe, the industry standard online product discovery platform for retailers and suppliers.

"Giant Eagle Marketplace allows us to extend our aisles and assortments in our established online platform to offer brands and products that previously may not have been..."

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's Continue Hand-Breaded Chicken Innovation with New Hot Honey Chicken Lineup

Today, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are providing a kick of sweet heat to your day with the debut of their Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches, including the Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich, Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken Biscuit and Hot Honey Hand-Breaded Chicken and Waffle Sandwich.

To celebrate the launch, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are teaming up with Adult Swim, adding even more flavor to the Hot Honey lineup release. Beginning Sept. 22 - Nov. 7, fans can make any combo an Adult Swim meal...

Denny's Seasonal Fall Menu Returns

Just in time for fall, Denny's is launching its new limited-time fall menu today, featuring a selection of new and returning favorites, all packed full of seasonal flavors. Whether guests are looking to enjoy traditional autumn spice flavors, chocolatey goodness or classic breakfast dishes, Denny's has options for everyone.

The Pumpkin Pecan Pancake Breakfast is making its autumnal comeback for a limited time as this fall's Spotlight Stack, featuring pumpkin pancakes made with real pumpkin and cooked with pecans, then drizzled with a pecan pie sauce. The meal is served with fresh eggs...

Urner Barry’s Consulting Division to Launch Egg Market Forecasting Report

Urner Barry, the leading provider of protein market news and information in the food industry, is pleased to announce the much-anticipated release of the Egg Market Forecast report.

Brought to you exclusively through Urner Barry Consulting, the report will provide forward-looking data and market intelligence on the egg market—allowing subscribers to identify trends before they happen.

UB Consulting’s Egg Market Forecast will be a subscription-based, bi-weekly report (every two weeks) that projects market conditions six months into the future. The report will feature historical and forecasted data, confidence intervals, charts, and...

Chicken Salad Chick Targets Midwest for Development, Announces Aggressive Franchise Growth Goals

Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only Southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announces aggressive franchise expansion plans for the Midwest. The fast-growing brand has mapped out development goals to add 50 locations to the pipeline for the Midwest in the next four years via strategic franchise partnerships.

These development goals build on the tremendous growth Chicken Salad Chick has experienced this year, with 17 signed agreements year-to-date and 40 locations projected to open by year-end. In addition to this impressive development...

General Mills Reports Fiscal 2022 First-Quarter Results

General Mills today reported results for the first quarter ended August 29, 2021.

“I’m proud of the way our team is performing in a dynamic and challenging operating environment,” said General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Harmening. “Our strong execution in the first quarter enabled us to deliver top- and bottom-line results ahead of our expectations. We delivered these good results while continuing to advance our Accelerate strategy, including making important progress on portfolio reshaping in the quarter.”

General Mills is executing its Accelerate strategy to drive sustainable, profitable...

Zoglo's Incredible Food Corp. to List Products with FreshCo

Zoglo's Incredible Food Corp. is pleased to announce the listing of its IncredibleTM plant-based product line with FreshCo Ltd. ("FreshCo"), broadening its retail footprint in the Canadian market. All of Zoglo's IncredibleTM line which includes consumer favourites such as chicken strips, meatballs and burgers will be available in 96 FreshCo supermarkets across Ontario.

FreshCo, a subsidiary of Sobeys Inc., launched in 2010 with a focus to provide the best low-price grocery shopping experience by offering quality fresh food at low prices, in a bright, easy-to-navigate store and...

Banza Teams Up With Beyond Meat® and Follow Your Heart® to Launch Two New Pizzas

Banza, the rapidly growing maker of chickpea-based comfort foods, today announced that two new varieties of its chickpea pizza are hitting shelves nationwide starting this month. Joining Banza's line of high-fiber, high-protein chickpea pizzas are Supreme, a spin on a traditional sausage pizza featuring Beyond Sausage® Italian Crumbles, and Plant-Based Cheese, a vegan pie made with Follow Your Heart® dairy-free cheese.

The new pizzas offer the same nutritional benefits as Banza's original pizza varieties — more protein...

Jennie-O Turkey Store Shares 2021 Thanksgiving Trends And Predictions

Jennie-O Turkey Store, one of the most beloved turkey brands in the world, today announced its Thanksgiving survey results. The surprising answers revealed how people across the country feel about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, how they plan to celebrate, the dishes they find most intimidating and even how many pounds of food a single person plans to eat during the meal. The survey of 2,000 consumers was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Jennie-O.

CELEBRATION: To Be or Not To Be (In Person)
- The majority of those polled...

U.S. Restaurant Industry Continues Gradual Recovery in August While Dine-in Visits Remain Low

Despite bad weather and the delta variant spread, consumer online and physical restaurant visits in August continued to recover from last year’s steep declines, reports The NPD Group. U.S. restaurant traffic increased by +5% over the -10% decline in August 2020 and declined by -5% compared to the pre-pandemic level in August 2019. Larger average check sizes drove a +13% increase in dollars compared to a year ago and a +3% gain in dollars over the same month two years ago, according...

Chronic Tacos Celebrates National Taco Day with Free Tacos with Purchase of a Drink on Oct. 4

Chronic Tacos, the Southern California taco shop brand, is giving away FREE TACOS with the purchase of a drink on October 4th in celebration of National Taco Day. Customers will receive a free taco by purchasing any Coca-Cola fountain drink at participating locations. Offer available in-store only.

"National Taco Day is our favorite day of the year," said Michael Mohammed, CEO and President of Chronic Tacos. "We are excited to help everyone celebrate with tacos..."

Lightlife Debuts Breakthrough National Campaign, ‘Simple Ingredients for a Full Life’

Lightlife®, owned by Greenleaf Foods, SPC, today unveiled a new integrated marketing campaign that illustrates the company’s belief in simple, delicious, plant-based food. The 30-second spots, aptly named “Thrive” and “Inside,” will air across a variety of television, online video and social channels in North America, and feature the distinctive voice of award-winning actor Awkwafina. Set against breathtaking nature scenes, the films encapsulate Lightlife’s ethos in living well, eating clean, and keeping things simple.

“At Lightlife, we believe that eating delicious, clean food and keeping..."

Subway® Restaurants' Historic Brand Refresh Results in Positive Sales Momentum

Subway® fan brand love is stronger than ever following the launch of Eat Fresh Refresh™, a campaign debuting the biggest menu changes in the brand's history.

Sales momentum has steadily been building since the beginning of 2021, including positive same store sales in Q2 of 2021, versus Q2 of 2019, and the Eat Fresh Refresh launch accelerated this momentum, with August sales the strongest Subway has experienced since 2013.

Overall U.S. restaurants sales in August are up more than 4%, compared to the same period in 2019...

Cracker Barrel Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year Fiscal 2021 Results And Quarterly Dividend

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 ended July 30, 2021.

Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2021 Highlights

- Total revenue in the fourth quarter of $784.4 million was approximately flat compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 total revenue of $787.1 million.
- Compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019, comparable store restaurant sales decreased 6.8% and comparable store retail sales increased 18.2%.
       - Comparable store off-premise restaurant sales grew 108.6% compared to the...

Blue Apron Files Registration Statement for Fully Backstopped Rights Offering

Blue Apron Holdings, Inc. today filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its previously announced proposed fully backstopped equity rights offering, which represents $45.0 million of its planned $78.0 million capital raise.

As part of the $78.0 million capital raise, the company previously disclosed a planned $30.0 million investment by RJB Partners LLC, an affiliate of Joseph N. Sanberg, and a $3.0 million investment by Matthew B. Salzberg, Blue Apron’s co-founder and former board chair, on the same terms as...

Chipotle Launches Smoked Brisket In The United States And Canada

Chipotle Mexican Grill today announced Smoked Brisket will be available at U.S. and Canada restaurants for a limited time. Made with Responsibly Raised® beef, the new protein is smoked to perfect tenderness, charred on the grill, and seasoned with Mexican spices, including fire-roasted jalapenos and chipotle chili peppers. The protein is hand-chopped and finished with a new Brisket sauce made with smoky chili peppers.

Brisket: The Chipotle Way
Brisket has been consistently among the top requested menu items by Chipotle guests. Over the past two years, Chipotle's...

GOOD Meat, Raises $267 Million, Adds Former USDA Secretary to Advisory Board

Eat Just, Inc., a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods, announced today that its GOOD Meat division has secured $97 million in new funding, adding to the initial $170 million publicized in May. The overall $267 million fundraise is the largest to date in the burgeoning cultivated meat sector, which analysts predict could become a $25 billion global industry by 2030.

New and previously announced investors include UBS O’Connor, a hedge fund manager within...

Amazon Opens First Fulfillment Center in North Dakota

Amazon’s new fulfillment center in Fargo is up and running. Employees started work within the new one million-plus square foot facility on Sunday, Sept. 19. The new center is the largest structure in the State of North Dakota (in terms of square footage) and will be the workplace of hundreds of associates in the months and years ahead.

“North Dakota welcomes this significant investment, which will bring high paying jobs to our state, further connect North Dakotans into the global commerce system and increase the speed of delivery of products..."

New Plant-Based Protein Options Needed to Capture the Meat-Lovers Market

When Burger King launched its Impossible Whopper nationwide in collaboration with Impossible Foods back in the summer of 2019, it marked the beginning of wave of efforts from restaurant chains and CPG manufacturers to court the shopping dollar of vegans, vegetarians, and part-time vegetarians known as "flexitarians". But now two years later, the market is seeking the approval of meat-lovers as well—not just the veggie-inclined. Today, vegan meat is appearing on menus 1,320% more than since the global health crisis began...

Better-for-You Snacks Market Rises to $39 Billion

The U.S. food and beverage industry has been impacted heavily by COVID-19. In 2020 especially, more people looked to improve their health to prevent or lessen the severity of illness. Consumers are buying more better-for-you snacks that have health claims or label claims perceived to be healthier to improve health and hopefully ward off illness. Snacks with claims that are better-for-you feature good taste, indulgence, and convenience while being healthier than standard snacks by virtue of nutrition or portion sizes.

In 2020, sales reached $39 billion on the strength of pandemic trends as reported by Packaged Facts' new report Better-for-You Snacks: Market Trends and Opportunities. Snack products in the scope of this report include...

US Foods Fall Scoop Designed to Help Operators Appeal to Gen Z and Millennial Diners

US Foods Holding Corp. announced the launch of Fall Scoop, the company’s 10th annual edition of Scoop. Themed, “Next-Gen Ideas for Next-Gen Diners,” Fall Scoop features 23 products that cater to the next generation of diners, Gen Z and Millennials. More than half of the nation’s total population are now members of the millennial generation or younger, making them the largest age group of diners who can drive important revenue opportunities for operators. This generation of diners is different than their predecessors – they want familiar menu items with a twist, sustainable and meatless items, and social media-worthy presentations. Fall Scoop products deliver on these demands to entice, attract, and delight this younger generation of dining enthusiasts and help operators “Make It.”

“We’re bringing fresh ideas to our operators that provide the labor savings and versatility they need today with the innovation they’ll need moving forward as they cater to the next generation of diners,” said Stacey Kinkaid, vice president, product development and innovation, US Foods. “To support our Fall Scoop theme...

Benson Hill Announces Closing of Acquisition of Soy Crushing Facility Assets 

Benson Hill, Inc., a food technology company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants with its cutting-edge food innovation engine announced the closing today of its acquisition of a soybean crushing facility in Seymour, Indiana.

This investment, announced on September 13, 2021, will further solidify the Company’s position in the value chain to support production of a robust portfolio of proprietary, non-GMO, identity...

Olymel to Permanently Close Henryville Pork Processing Plant 

Olymel management has announced the permanent closure of its Henryville, pork further processing plant in the Montérégie region. This decision will take effect on November 12 under the provisions of Quebec’s Labor Standards Act and will result in the abolition of 29 jobs. The employees affected by this decision, most of whom are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 501, were all informed this morning through a meeting and a personalized letter. All employees will be offered relocation in nearby Olymel facilities in the Montérégie region.

“Closing a facility is always a difficult decision. However, after careful evaluation of our capacities and needs in this production sector, we have concluded that...

PODCAST:Executive Conference 2021: The Return To In-Person Events, Networking, And Market Analytics

This week on Market Digest our host Laura Zinger discusses the return to live events with our very own Nidha Jasrai and CEO Joe Muldowney. Topics include the "back to school" type feeling of going to an in-person event, the chance to golf with all-star athlete Bo Jackson after his keynote speaking session, and the overall superiority of networking in person.

Follow this link to register for the Executive Conference!
https://www.urnerbarry.com/executive/

NPPC Commends House Lawmakers For African Swine Fever Funding Request

The National Pork Producers Council commended seven House members for requesting funding to protect the U.S. swine herd from African swine fever (ASF).

In a letter, the lawmakers urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to prioritize funding for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to address a potential outbreak in the United States of ASF, which recently was detected in the Dominican Republic, the first time in 40 years the disease has been in the Western Hemisphere. Funds are necessary “to ensure that pork producers in our districts and across the country do not suffer the severe consequences of a potential ASF outbreak in the United States...