Food Week March 28 – April 3, 2022

Welcome to Food Week for March 28. The poultry industry is featured heavily with Avian Influenza, price fixing and salmonella misinformation. We are still tracking inflation and its partner, supply chain issues. Finally, if you want to eat your tiger or zebra without feeling guilty about it, we have a solution for you. Enjoy.

MACRO

• For Food Week March 28, unemployment fell to 3.6% as economy added another 431,000 jobs in March.

• Nonetheless people don’t feel great about economy, fearing inflation is going to continue.

• The repercussions for global hunger of an extended war (invasion) in Ukraine are staggering.

RETAIL AND CONSUMER

• New plant-based meats offer exciting varieties like tiger, panther, lion, and zebra, without harming endangered species. And how do you know if they don’t get it right?

• Grocery workers at Ralphs, Vons, Pavilions & Albertsons in Southern California have voted to authorize a strike. This is a very significant pct. of the grocery outlets in So Cal.

• Eggs need to be refrigerated (US model) or hens need to be heavily monitored, tested and vaccinated (European model). Just because warm eggs work slightly better in certain recipes doesn’t make salmonella go away. This is not an ‘expert.’

• Many people who use food stamps also struggle with mobility and transportation. Coordinating use for on-line ordering has proved tricky but Walmart, Amazon and Target have figured it out.

RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE

• Organizing Starbucks workers into unions seemed like a long shot. Here’s how they did it.

• Maison Premiere features absinthe and oysters in the heart of Brooklyn and has been a favorite for over ten years.

• COVID loosened long stagnant thinking about how restaurants interface with the street. Now cities are trying to figure out what parts to keep. Should they stay or should they go?

• Pizza Hut has a new promotion using the expression “Struggle Bus‘. I am not sure this is a good idea…

FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

• One of the main ways that inflation is being driven by the supply chain is because of shortages in packaging materials.

• Government still trying to prove price-fixing in the poultry industry.

• Avian Influenza is chronic right now, bringing volatility to egg and poultry markets. If detected, birds must all be slaughtered and then the facility goes thru a substantial sanitization. Brings it off-line for months. If this continues much longer, your thanksgiving turkey is going to be $$$.

• The pork industry has a lot to answer for…. environmental, labor, humane issues, etc. All for cheap bacon.

• More on regenerative agriculture.

FOOD WEEK LAGNIAPPE

• About the 4 course meal that Lay’s is serving at Coachella: I realize I am not even close to the target audience here but this seems stretchy and sketchy.

• Tinned fish – sardines, anchovies, etc. are very old school but now very trendy. Sales have doubled over the last two years. They are versatile and healthy.

• Ancient huts in Japan used by women diving for shellfish: Ama Hut Hachiman Kamado.

• I am not a fan of the dirty martini – little subtlety – but in reading this article I learned about the existence of Botanist Islay Gin which sounds fascinating.