Mintec's 2024 US Easter Index

Mintec’s US Easter Index measures price fluctuations across key food commodities that are typically consumed in the US during the Easter period. The US Easter Index compares the commodities’ prices in March 2024 against March 2023 to determine whether consumers will be hypothetically better or worse off this Easter. The Index is comprised of three sub-indices: the US Easter Protein Index represents a selection of meats, fish and eggs that will typically be eaten as part of a main Easter dinner; the US Easter Chocolate Index compares the main...

REPORTER: Bird Flu, Strong Retail Demand Send Egg Prices Soaring

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine. 

After more than five weeks of no change, the shell-egg market began its seasonal ascent in the penultimate week of October, as it often does, on a combination of strengthening retail demand and mounting confidence in the lead-up to Thanksgiving. Days later, that upward momentum got kicked into overdrive, following reports that the bird flu had broken out on a commercial layer farm for the first time in 11 months...

REPORTER: The Difficult Road to Cage-Free Eggs in the EU

This article was originally featured in the WINTER 2024 Edition of Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine.

With nearly 390 million laying hens in 2022, the European Union is one of the top regions of the world to produce table eggs and egg products. It is also among the first to engage with cage-free regulations, with a deadline of January 2027 for the total disappearance of cages in egg farms. However, since the law was adopted in 2021, we have seen the emergence of global high inflation, a consequence of...

Mintec Releases "Christmas Dinner Index 2023" Report

The Retail Rundown: Feasting on Holiday Features

Thanksgiving is here and the retail segment is teeming with all things turkeys, sides, sweets, and treats!

Fittingly, turkey leads the protein category with 31.1% of total feature volume, up from 22.5% the week prior. Pork follows with 22.8%. Seafood narrowly overtakes beef for the third spot, with 18.8%. Beef claimed 17.4%, nearly flat with last week.

Mintec recently took a look at the components that make up the traditional holiday dinner in its "Thanksgiving Dinner Index 2023" report. The index, which measures price fluctuations across key food commodities that make up a...

Urner Barry’s Market Briefing Provides Insights on Commodity Protein Markets

Urner Barry is the leading provider of protein market news and information in the food industry. Through daily canvasses of the trade and an unrivaled historical database, our analysts are uniquely positioned to report on the underlying conditions and significant disruptors to the market. In this Market Briefing, Urner Barry reporters outline the latest action in the commodity protein markets, highlighting seasonal factors, disruptors, and current supply and demand fundamentals.

Click HERE to view the latest report...

The Retail Rundown: Tuning in to Holiday Turkey Features

For this week's retail rundown, we're tuning in to holiday turkey features as Thanksgiving inches closer. Grocers are making room for the big bird in their meat cases and freezers for the millions of turkeys that will be gobbled down in two weeks. 

Seafood maintains the top spot among protein ads with 23.8% of features this week. Turkey ads captured nearly 9% of protein features this week, up from 6.9% the previous week. Within the turkey complex, frozen whole turkey features account for 56.5% of features, up from 25% a week...

The Retail Rundown: Keeping a Watchful Eye on Bird Flu

The threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has resurfaced, with USDA reporting detections among commercial turkey flocks in South Dakota, Utah, and Minnesota earlier this month and again last week.

The fall migration of wild birds as they head south for winter could bring a new wave of infection, renewing concerns among market participants about the potential supply and trade implications of bird flu. The latest detections were on Friday, October 13, on two WOAH Non-Poultry operations located in North Dakota and Montana along with one commercial turkey...

Carrabba's Italian Grill Unveils Four New Recipes to Celebrate National Pasta Month!

Carrabba's Italian Grill, home of authentic Italian cuisine for generations, is setting the table for a special National Pasta Month celebration this October. Linguine lovers, fettucine fans and other pasta-ficionados will be treated to new chef-inspired pasta dishes Oct. 2-29 as the restaurants reveal a new dish each week. Guests can also show their pasta love for a chance to win prizes by entering the #PastaLoversChallenge.

The 'Four Weeks of Pasta' will feature off-menu entrées highlighting new recipes and insider secret...

The Retail Rundown: Egg-celerated Features Boost Spending

School is already in session for some students, giving consumers a sense of urgency to embark on one last vacation before August wraps. For the retail grocery sector, the lead-up to September will be used to promote back-to-school shopping along with grilling must-haves for Labor Day weekend. 

Last-minute getaways support foodservice spending as consumers flock to tourist destinations and dine out. For grocers, back-to-school shopping typically drives store traffic as families restock on breakfast, lunch, and snack items. Eggs, a quintessential breakfast staple, have seen...

The Retail Rundown: Most Protein Indices Are Below Last Year

A breakdown of this week's retail buying opportunities shows that seafood features make up about 30% of total protein ad volume this week, while beef claims about 25%. Pork follows with 18.2%, down about two points from the week prior. Chicken features account for 16.1% of total protein ads, compared to 17.5% last year. Boosted by back-to-school buying, egg feature volume more than doubled from the week prior to 7.2%.

For this week's retail rundown, we'll take a look at how the various protein indices are performing in...

FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Fresh Salads and Wraps with Meat and Poultry 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert due to concerns that ready-to-eat (RTE) salads and wraps with meat and poultry may contain contaminated lettuce. The lettuce, which is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), may be contaminated with deer feces. FSIS is issuing this public health alert to ensure that consumers are aware that this product should not be consumed.

The RTE salad and wrap products were produced on August 1, 2023...

Urner Barry’s Market Briefing Provides Key Insights Across the Protein Trade

Urner Barry is the leading provider of protein market news and information in the food industry. Through daily canvasses of the trade and an unrivaled historical database, our analysts are uniquely positioned to report on the underlying conditions and significant disruptors to the market. In this Market Briefing, Urner Barry reporters outline the latest action in the commodity protein markets, highlighting seasonal factors, disruptors, and current supply and demand fundamentals.

Applegate Launches Frozen Frittata Bites at Sprouts

Applegate Farms LLC, the nation’s leading natural and organic meat brand, today announced its expansion within the breakfast category with the launch of APPLEGATE NATURALS™ Frittata Bites, the industry’s first and only Certified Humane® frozen egg bites. These 100% natural, high protein breakfast bites feature real, recognizable ingredients, including two of Applegate’s best-selling items: chicken breakfast sausage and bacon. The launch represents a shift for the brand as it moves into a new category for the first time: handheld, frozen breakfast predominantly featuring eggs as an ingredient... 

NAMI Hosts Prop 12 Webinar With California Department of Food and Agriculture

On Monday, the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) along with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) hosted a webinar exploring enforcement, documentation, and transition ahead of Proposition 12, which is set to go into effect July 1.

Speakers included Dr. Elizabeth Cox, who currently leads the Animal Care Program for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Dr. Anette Jones, Director of the Animal Health and Food Safety Services at CDFA.

Proposition 12 is a California law first approved by California voters...

Handsome Brook Farms Partners with Soil Carbon Initiative to Implement Regenerative Agriculture 

Handsome Brook Farms, a leading national pasture-raised organic egg producer, is partnering with Green America’s Soil Carbon Initiative (SCI) to accelerate regenerative agriculture on layer hen farms across the country.

Launched in 2022, SCI’s Go-To-Market Pilot Program supports and incentivizes farmers to adopt regenerative practices at increasing scale. Regenerative agriculture refers to farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, build soil health, increase biodiversity above and below ground, and reduce agricultural nutrient runoff.

Handsome Brook Farms joined Soil Carbon Initiative’s Pilot Program as a...

What's Next for Massachusetts Question 3 Following Prop 12 Ruling?

The future of a Massachusetts state law called Question 3 (Q3), a 2016 ballot initiative originally set to go into effect last summer, remains in the balance now that Proposition 12 has been upheld. 

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court backed California's Proposition 12 in a 5-4 decision. Proposition 12 requires veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens to be housed in systems that comply with specific housing standards.

Question 3 is similar to California’s Proposition 12 and would ban any uncooked whole pork sold in the state that...

UB Consulting: How Volatile is the Egg Market Right Now?

Eggs have been a popular topic of conversation for some time now. Earlier this year, headlines highlighted the price surges consumers faced in retail. High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has played a significant role over the last year in prices, so much so that prices on the wholesale level reached record levels. Thus far, the market has experienced a massive correction post the Easter holiday buying season. Recent price swings have had many market participants labeling the last year or so as the most volatile market in history...