Merry Christmas to all. Our fork pitch Christmas update has our weekly final assertion on the Kellogg’s strike (until next week), explanations about butter prices, port conditions and greenwashing, shorter menus, besieged Cheesecake Factories and rocks that look like food. Enjoy
MACRO
Food Week December 20 had everybody getting what they wanted. Or at least wanted to buy: Christmas supply chain breakdown never materialized as retail inventories were 3% higher than last year.
The largest telescope ever – by a long shot – went into space. By a long shot.
RETAIL AND CONSUMER
I hope I get it right this time: the Kellogg’s strike is over.
Churn in the butter industry. (Sorry.) Short term changes caused by COVID and longer changes wrought by declining consumer consumption of milk has led to price volatility as manufacturers reallocate the supply. For now prices are going up. Long term the entire industry needs to be re-thought. Short shelf life milk is no longer a key source of nutrition for the public so the role of co-ops and government needs to be reassessed.
What ‘humanewashing’ is and how it works. This relates to the FTC, labeling and claims as much as anything else, allowing companies to mislead about their practices.
What food inflation looks like in France. The daily baguette has gotten pricey.
RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE
Menus are getting shorter. Chefs are cutting back on high end proteins, desserts, etc. because of labor shortages but also supply chain. It is not just commodities that are in short supply.
A Food Week December 20 highlight was outer-borough idiots in New York decided their constitutional right to eat at fast casual is being violated and started attacking Cheesecake Factories.
The speed with which Omicron spreads means entire restaurant staffs are getting infected overnight.
TikTok makes new partnership as it moves into trying to cash in on selling hamburgers (and other things) in the meat space.
FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
A link to a full report on port congestion. While improving, particularly in US, there are nagging problems and those problems hit perishable goods hardest,
Like many other sectors, ingredient manufacturers saw a lot of mergers and acquisitions. Established players look to both expand offering and hedge bets on coming trends developed by innovators. Here is a rundown.
Europeans stop buying Brazilian beef over de-forestation concerns.
