COVID-19 Disruptions Create New Areas of Opportunity and Risk for the Poultry Industry 

Covid-19 is disrupting the business in ways the global poultry market had never planned for, creating new areas of opportunity and risk. The impacts of Covid-19 are spread very unevenly between regions and between companies.

“Company leaders and investors need to constantly review market conditions and adjust company positioning to optimize growth and returns. There will be bigger differences between winners and losers, which will lead to a process of accelerated capital investments, consolidation, and internationalization in the coming years,” according to Nan-Dirk Mulder, Senior Analyst – Animal Protein.

Rabobank has identified three stages of Covid-19’s impact on the global poultry industry...

2021 Food Label Trends Deliver Safety and Security for Consumers and Retailers

As U.S. consumers turned to takeout, food delivery and online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, food and beverage labeling took on fresh importance. Citing a 15-20% increase in grocery industry sales this year, and e-commerce sales up 43%, sustainable label leader UPM Raflatac found its grocery and restaurant delivery customers want to provide an increasingly safe experience with labels that provide visible safeguards for human health and protections for the environment.

"We knew packaging needs would change for our food industry customers given the COVID-19 shopping impact, and we are encouraged to see...

Global Food Commodity Prices Rose To a Nearly Six-Year High in November

Global food commodity prices rose sharply in November to their highest level in nearly six years, according to a benchmark United Nations report released today.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 105.0 points during the month, up 3.9 percent from October and 6.5 percent higher than its value a year earlier. The monthly increase was the sharpest since July 2012, putting the index at its highest level since...

Instacart and ALDI Announce New Pilot For EBT SNAP Online Payment

Instacart announced its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT SNAP) integration in partnership with ALDI. For the first time, EBT SNAP participants will be able to access fresh food and pantry staples from ALDI via Instacart's same-day delivery and pickup services. The multi-phased launch will begin in Georgia in the coming weeks across more than 60 ALDI stores, with anticipated plans to expand to more than 570 stores across Illinois, California, Florida and Pennsylvania in the coming months.

The introduction of Instacart's EBT SNAP payments comes at a time when food insecurity in the U.S. has compounded as the nation continues to be impacted by COVID-19. According to Feeding America, due to the effects of the pandemic, more than 54 million people may experience...

China Declares War on Waste in Food Catering

Ongoing anti-food waste campaigns in China aim to reduce food loss in catering. Although China seems to have no immediate worries about food shortage, the coronavirus pandemic, the geopolitical turmoil, and the escalating trade tensions with leading exporters have the potential to restrict China’s access to edible oil and protein meals. China is highly dependent on these imports, often in the form of oilseeds, which are then domestically processed.

Based on Rabobank’s analysis, eliminating waste in food catering (including restaurants, group dining and food deliveries) could make up to 5% of the nation’s soybean imports (5m metric tons) and 6% of the palm oil imports (0.4m metric tons) unnecessary. In addition, 10m metric tons of feed grains, mostly corn, could also be ‘saved’ this way. As China’s corn is experiencing...

Maple Leaf Foods Releases 2019 Sustainability Report

Maple Leaf Foods, Inc., announced the release of its 2019 Sustainability Report, outlining the company's key programs and achievements during the past year, as well as future initiatives and priorities supporting Maple Leaf Foods' purposeful journey to be the most sustainable protein company on earth.

In 2019, Maple Leaf Foods continued its commitment to sustainability and made meaningful progress, including becoming the first major carbon neutral food company in the world and setting science-based greenhouse gas emissions targets. Maple Leaf Foods' commitment to the environment comes from a recognition that producing nutrient-dense protein takes...