Food Week October 24 – 30, 2022

Welcome to Food Week October 24 – 30, 2022. Shortages of turkey, mangoes and Ukrainian grain. Restaurant service charges are out of control. Tuna is amazing but Elvis wouldn’t allow it in Graceland. But your Halloween candy is safe. Enjoy.

MACRO

• Interest rates heading to 5%. A probable effect of the the Fed raising interest rates is a recession. Many believe there are benefits to recession, including members of the Fed board. Brad DeLong takes this apart.

• However climate change already causing significant economic losses

• No one is putting fentanyl in candy. That hasn’t stopped people from panicking about it.

RETAIL AND CONSUMER

• A probable outcome of the Kroger Albertson’s merger will be more food deserts.

• I am not a fan of Shark Tank – I think of it as investment porn – so it is nice to see a beverage company that got dismissed finding success. Victoria’s Kitchen Almond Water.

• Sustainability (claims) still driving purchases.

• As we’ve been warning, turkeys will be hard to find and expensive at Thanksgiving this year, thanks to Avian Influenza

RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE

• Crazy high restaurant bills. Service fees have something to do with it. And it is not those giving the service who see the money.

• I’ve collected paper menus for years but even I found this complaint against QR menus whiny as hell.

• And restaurants still not back to pre-COVID hours.

• Chick-fil-A’s tries a three-day work week. I think many people who don’t have child care issues would prefer to work longer hours/fewer days. But if you have to puck up kids from child care/school…

FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

• US suspends mango imports from Haiti due to a lack of safety for inspectors.

• For profit famines. Russia threatens to cut off grain supply again.

• New technology for gauging Avocado ripeness.

• Organized crime stealing trucks of beef.

FOOD WEEK OCTOBER 24 LAGNIAPPE

• An expansive article about Tuna, an amazing species. Did you know they are warm-blooded?

• Jello instead of cranberry sauce? This is spin off to the fresh versus canned debate.

• Elvis hated fish and onions.

• A tour of German breweries.

• Making French Toast right. One of those things that are only worth eating when it is done right.