Welcome to Food Week September 27. Coffee prices are up; maybe if people would stop drinking pumpkin lattes.. Wild boars are taking over Rome; maybe chefs can help… Maybe if customers would just calm down and wear masks, we could get back to normal in restaurants… And what is that stuff in Costco fruit spread? Is there anything that Sake can’t do? These and other mysteries explored. Enjoy.
MACRO
- Coffee prices spiking. Argh.
- The U.S. broke 700k in COVID deaths.
- Corporation are acquiring food companies based upon their ability to burnish their sustainability and social good merit.
RETAIL AND CONSUMER
- Amazon was likely losing money on deliveries of Whole Foods orders and now is adding a surcharge to Prime members.
- Like him or not, John Mackey has had quite a run with Whole Foods. He is now retiring.
- The mystery substance in Costco fruit spreads spreads.
- Private label brands depend upon promotions, couponing and side by side comparison. E-tail is not set up for these. This is why National Brands overtook private label.
- I will abstain from coining a new phrase, but food desserts exist on Native Reservations.
RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE
- One of the most renowned restaurants in America – 11 Madison Park – has gone animal free. We believe that the long term trend is for reduced use of animals in cuisine but the quest for analogues to meat dishes leads to strange results.
- Ooh boy. Pumpkin Latte season is upon us. I have ordered precisely one and half imbibed approximately one-half,
- Alt-protein nugget wars are heating up – actually nuggets are an easier analog than burgers and growth may be faster. However pricing needs to get closer. Beyond, Impossible are joining the crowded plant-based chicken market.
- Restaurants are closing, restricting eat-in areas in light of COVID.
- The customer is not always right. In truth, the customer is frequently a disease-riddled jerk. Restaurants and hotels are pushing back against the uptick in customer tantrums.
FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
- The number of container ships waiting outside port of Los Angeles reached a record. This ripples throughout the supply chain, including food.
- Supply chain is a mess everywhere but it is a killer for produce.
- Brexit causes labor problems, too many pigs not enough to people to process them in England.
- Tyson workers at 91% vax rate.
FOOD WEEK LAGNIAPPE
- There are few things in the world of liquor that are as varied and adaptable as Sake. I was privileged enough to be given a tour of the famous sake taverns of Tokyo number of years back and I will never forget it.
- Why do humans share food with animals? They have been doing so for millennia. Why Is That?
- Tempura is a word form Portuguese. There was contact with Portuguese traders before the Japanese closed their ports. In the meantime, the Japanese developed using batter into an artform.
- As President Derbert Doober promised, Pot In Every Chicken! To be true this seems like a lot of work to add pot to schmaltz. Focus on making good food and have a gummy for dessert.
- Wild Boars mess with Rome – you would think this is an excellent ragu opportunity