Holiday Spending Outlook Puts Value and Convenience in Focus for Foodservice

US consumers are expected to spend slightly less this holiday season as higher costs pressure household budgets. For foodservice operators and retailers, the outlook suggests consumers still plan to celebrate, but will be more selective about where holiday dollars go.

According to Circana’s 2026 US Holiday Purchase Intentions Study, consumers plan to spend an average of $779 during the 2026 holiday season, down from $796 in 2025. The survey of 3,534 US consumers found most shoppers expect to spend about the same as...

NHL and DoorDash Announce Multiyear Partnership Across Canada and the United States

DoorDash and the National Hockey League (NHL®) today announced a multiyear North American partnership naming DoorDash the Official On-Demand Delivery and Pick Up Partner of the NHL in Canada and the United States. The exclusive deal begins immediately and marks DoorDash's first partnership with the NHL.

Under the agreement, DoorDash gains a broad set of marketing rights and NHL designations, including use of League marks, broadcast-visible branding through Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards during nationally televised games, integration across NHL tentpole...

Americold Opens New Cold Chain Hub at Port Saint John, Expanding Global Trade Connections

Americold Realty Trust has opened a new import-export hub at Port Saint John, strengthening links between North American producers and international markets while advancing temperature-controlled logistics in Canada.

Unveiled during Port Days 2026, the facility was developed with DP World and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). The project combines cold storage, maritime logistics and rail transportation in a single location, creating what the companies describe as the first integrated operation of its kind globally...

Distinguished Programs Opens Marine Cargo Program for Business With Allianz Capacity

Distinguished Programs (“Distinguished”), a national MGA and insurance program manager, today announced that its Marine Cargo program is officially open for business.

The program provides coverage for physical loss or damage to goods in transit and storage. Coverages include Stock Throughput, Ocean/International Transit, Domestic Inland Transit, Foreign Inland Transit, and Contingent Cargo, addressing complex global supply chains and specialized logistics exposures across a range of industries.

The program is led by Ralph Salce, who brings more than 30 years of...

Aurora and McLane to Launch Driverless Trucking Operations in Texas

Aurora Innovation and McLane Company are expanding their autonomous trucking partnership with plans to begin driverless freight operations in Texas.

The companies announced an agreement to launch driverless hauls using the Aurora Driver, an SAE Level 4 self-driving system built for long-haul trucking. McLane, one of the largest distributors in the US serving chain restaurants, convenience stores, and mass merchants, will use the technology to move supplies and perishable food more efficiently across the state.

The move builds on a supervised autonomy...

Autonomous Trucking to Put $9 Billion Back in US Consumers’ Pockets Annually by 2035

Aurora Innovation, Inc. today highlighted findings from a new report revealing that autonomous freight is already a multi-billion dollar bolster for the $1 trillion dollar U.S. trucking industry, with even more economic opportunity over the next ten years.

The analysis, commissioned by Aurora and conducted by the Steer Group, highlights that autonomous trucking, despite being in early stages of deployment, currently supports 17,000 jobs and $3.3 billion in total economic output.

The report projects that by 2035, the...

GCCA Joins Forces with Food Industry FSMA 204 Collaboration to Enhance Food Safety Awareness

The Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) has joined the Food Industry FSMA 204 Collaboration to increase awareness of the United States (US)  Food And Drug Administration's (FDA's) Food Traceability Rule, a key part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) focused on improving food tracking systems.

FSMA Rule 204 requires thorough tracking of high-risk foods on the FDA's Food Traceability List (FTL) to enhance outbreak response and supply chain transparency. With supply chains growing complex, the cold chain sector plays a vital role in ensuring not...

Container Trades Statistics is Tracking Towards a Record-Breaking Year

Revised figures for August 2025 now show global liftings at 16.8 million TEUs, marking the highest monthly volume ever recorded in the CTS database. This new record surpasses the 2nd previous high set in July 2025 by more than 220,000 TEUs.

As expected, September 2025 volumes eased month on month, falling 5.6% from August’s exceptional levels. Despite this decline, global volumes for September still reached a solid 15.86 million TEUs, representing a 5% increase compared with September 2024. This brings the third quarter of 2025 to a close with a...