Food Week October 4 showed signs of a slowing economy, improvement in the supply chain and more vaccines. Workers have had it with Kellogg’s – another strike against a large CPG – and people have about had it with paying huge fees for delivery. Coffee might protect against Parkinson’s and the CEO of Chobani approaches sainthood. Enjoy!
FOOD WEEK OCTOBER 4 MACRO
Food Week October 4 saw a mediocre jobs report and a less than mediocre week for financial markets.
Supply chain and other issues driving inflation – not structural – but not expected to resolve itself for at least a year.
Delta fading in most states and vaccines increasing.
RETAIL AND CONSUMER
Growth in subscriptions for food have stagnated as the pandemic recedes.
The pressure on baby food manufacturers is increasing as most of their investments have been in marketing. Congress will exert even more pressure after reports of arsenic.
A tight labor market emboldens workers to assert demands as workers at all of Kellogg’s U.S. cereal plants go on strike.
Blue Zones are areas where the populations are particularly healthy well into old age. There is correlation with diet and now Bush’s Beans is trying to leverage that correlation.
RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE
One can see no fee/low fee eating substantially into Door Dash and GrubHub biz for no other reason than the resentment restaurants feel towards those 2. ChowNow offers this through an app.
Restaurant employment actually fell in August, even though restaurants are still desperate for workers. Short term the problem is Delta but the underlying cause is that workers have simply left the sector.
Sifted is a concept that splits the difference between catering and bricks-and-mortar B&I feeding. It will disrupt the older paradigms.
It feels kind of inevitable but it may dovetail nicely with urban planning goals and efforts at traffic quelling; Restaurant owners nationwide push to make street-side dining permanent.
FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
Perhaps some signs of relief as the Port of Oakland is back to shipping produce to Asia at normal level.
Relatedly here is your grocery shortage update: 9 key items shortages at local grocers are having a hard time stocking.
