Value, Convenience Drive Restaurant Choice as Consumers Pull Back on Spending

Restaurant operators may be seeing modest improvement in consumer spending, but diners remain highly price-conscious and increasingly selective about where and how they spend. A new report from Popmenu found U.S. consumers are spending an average of $100 per week on restaurants, up from earlier in 2026 but still $15 below June 2025 levels.

The report underscores a key challenge for operators: consumers still want to dine out, but they are actively looking for ways to spend less. According to Popmenu...

ALDI Invests in Even Lower Prices this Fall, Offering US Shoppers $86 Million in Savings

Starting today, ALDI is helping shoppers stretch their grocery budgets even further this fall, delivering an estimated $86 million in savings through additional price investments on the season's fresh favorites.¹ With the addition of the lower prices, nearly one-third of the everyday in-store assortment² at ALDI is priced lower than last year.

"At ALDI, value is a year-round promise, not a promotion," said Scott Patton, ALDI Chief Commercial Officer. "Customers trust us to help them make the most of their grocery budget...

Nobody Can Define “Ultra-Processed.” Washington Wants to Regulate It Anyway.

No agreed-upon definition. No consistent science. Just a new label – and higher costs at the grocery store.

Can’t Regulate What You Can’t Define

There is no single agreed-upon, science-based definition of “ultra-processed food.” Not among researchers. Not among regulators. “Ultra-processed” is a grab-bag term that throws wildly different foods into one bucket, and you don’t build a federal mandate on a term nobody can pin down.

Regulating a Turkey Sandwich the Same as a Slice of Cake Makes...

Study Finds Reinstating mCOOL Would Cost Consumers & Meat Supply Chain More Than $1 Billion Annually

The Meat Institute today announced a new economic analysis by Decision Innovation Solutions finds that reinstating Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (mCOOL) for beef and pork would impose significant costs, more than $1 billion annually, across the U.S. meat supply chain, increasing expenses for livestock producers, meat processors, retailers, and consumers while providing little evidence of increased consumer demand for labeled products.

“This study proves there are real and significant costs to mCOOL which would raise the price of meat for...

Day 59 of Iran War: Trump Floats Phone-Based Negotiations; Hormuz Traffic Stays Low

Iran has intensified diplomatic efforts to end the war with the United States, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveling to Russia today.

Araghchi is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin, with talks set to focus on bilateral relations and broader regional developments, including the US-Israel war on Iran.

US President Donald Trump said Iran could begin negotiations by phone if it wants to end the two-month war. Key sticking points remain Iran’s nuclear program and access to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively...

Day 32 of Iran War: US–Israel Strikes Continue Across Iran, Trump Issues New Threats

US and Israeli forces carried out fresh air strikes across Iran on Tuesday as the war entered its 32nd day.

US President Donald Trump warned that Washington might strike Iran’s key energy infrastructure, including its main oil export hub at Kharg Island, oil wells, and power plants, if no deal is reached and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.

Following Trump's comments, Iran set ablaze a Kuwait‑flagged crude oil tanker off Dubai. The fire was extinguished with no reported oil spill or crew injuries...