Welcome to Food Week August 8 -14, 2022. A little stats heavy this week, at least as a topic. Everyone is talking about inflation but there seems to be confusion about where it is headed. Food, however, is a big problem and the mayonnaise index is letting us down. In other news, Popeye’s is in China, Domino’s is out of Italy and Yelp is in the restaurant award business. Finally Ina tells you the secret to great lemon pound cake. Enjoy!
MACRO
Actual signs that inflation is moderating? Gas falls below $4.
How about core inflation at 0% for July? Lies and damned statistics.
COVID still kills hundreds a day in the US. But only 1 in 3 consider it a bigger threat the monkeypox, which has killed 114 total worldwide to date. I don’t know if people are worse at understanding risk or statistics.
RETAIL AND CONSUMER
Food is the one area in which inflation remains stubbornly higher. Additionally the increases are highest in America’s bread basket. And mayonnaise is a leading indicator for inflation. Or is it?
Could 7-Eleven figure out food delivery?
Trader Joe’s stores being unionized, one by one.
PlantX is the first all vegan supermarket at supermarket scale.
Grocers embracing food waste programs to reduce costs.
RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE
Where and What calculator on the rising costs of your restaurant meal from NYT. If you don’t care about that here is a list of the 8 most expensive restaurants in the US
‘The Bear’ and the Beef: hit series puts the spotlight on a Chicago sandwich icon.
Inconceivable! Apparently Italians think Domino’s doesn’t really know what the word pizza means.
Ghost kitchens increasingly appear to be a mostly pandemic phenomenon.
KFC has had huge success in Japan for years. Popeye’s hoping to do the same in China.
Introducing the Servies, the restaurant award from Yelp, the worse place in the world from which to judge restaurants.
FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
Rainwater no longer safe to drink?
500 year drought in Europe is devastating crops and killing off fish.
Among other things, supply chain disruption has left us with a shortage of cold storage.
Using ancient farming techniques in Mexico to help save an historic wetlands.
New climate change legislation does nothing about livestock, a major contributor to greenhouse gases. But it does help farmers in other ways, mostly on climate and drought.
FOOD WEEK AUGUST 8 LAGNIAPPE
Our old friend Ina Pinkney tells you how to make the perfect lemon pound cake.
Four types of ultra-processed foods that affect memory and cognition. You won’t like what they are.
Fancy foods that weren’t fancy, at least originally.
On the other hand, fancy liquors are losing there steam.
The relationship of fried chicken to slavery and Africa.