Food Week September 12 – 19, 2022

Welcome to Food Week September 12. A short week with the holiday but a lot of stuff on innovations. New antioxidant tomato, a huge new vertical farm, White Castle rolling out burger bites and a new Guinness NA. Innovations in self checkout aren’t really working as planned. And the inventor of $2 Chuck has gone to the big wine box in the sky. Enjoy!

MACRO

• Job market remains red hot.

• But inflation is also red hot and causing shifts in eating patterns. But is the cure for inflation worse than disease? More interest rate hikes on the way.

• Railroad strike diverted.

RETAIL AND CONSUMER

• Wegman’s has to give up on scan and go service due to shoplifting losses.

• Grocery delivery still not profitable, despite claims that that was its focus.

• The inventor of two buck Chuck has died.

• Probably aided by inflation, Aldi has risen to be the 4th largest supermarket chain in UK.

• Hurricane Kay messed up produce shipments. Even higher prices on the way for items coming from Mexico and Central America

• EDITORIAL: Costco’s self checkout is an unpleasant experience. The large sizes make then hard to scan, the registers are too close together and requires help from employees anyway. I love Costco but I surely hope that don’t significantly reduce regular registers.

RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE

• I stan Popeye’s although their inconsistency – location to location- holds them back from being a truly reliable go-to. But many chefs state it is the best fried chicken, bar none.

• White Castle rolls out mini-burger bites. Because, really, who can eat a whole slider?

• Native American cuisine is having its moment.

• The back story on the invention of Buffalo wings.

• Fentanyl addiction is ravaging restaurant kitchens.

FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

• The anti-GMO was animated by Anti-Monsanto. The next generation may be able to talk to consumers about benefits. A GMO Purple Tomato is coming that will have the same antioxidant benefits as berries.

• Food safety is on the wane as manufacturers struggle.

• Plenty is making a $300 million investment in Richmond VA to build a vertical farm campus.

• Supply chain and inflation means $13 beers at Oktoberfest this year.

• Police in Alameda County improve community relations through running an urban farm.

FOOD WEEK SEPTEMBER 12 LAGNIAPPE

• The best food neighborhoods in the US.

• Information about achiote and how to use it.

• Do you like aged cheese? How about 2600 year old cheese found in a necropolis in Egypt? Didn’t think so.

• You should be using coffee grounds as fertilizer.

• Recipes inspired by TV shows and movies.

• Finally, Guinness non-alcoholic beer is the closest anyone has come to recreating it’s original product. It is excellent and refreshing and even cascades like the genuine article. Try it!