Food Week June 27, 2025

Welcome to Food Week June 27, 2025. Off to the Fancy Food show in New York. The trend of consolidation and gigantism in the food industry proceeds. There is some good news about solutions to the plastic – both PFA and micro-plastic – problem. And a whole lot more. Enjoy!

MACRO

• Financial markets resilient regardless of the news.

• Land of the Giants: Protein – and a lot of other things -titan JBS lists on the NYSE. And Mars acquisition of Kellanova gets US regulatory approval.

• Apparently the fear of being abducted by masked men will hurt restaurant sales.

RETAIL AND CONSUMER

• Fewer choices: C&S to acquire Spartan-Nash in a consolidation of distributors.

• At some point the name means nothing: Dollar General raising prices on a bunch of items.

• More brand giants phasing out artificial dyes.

• Will blended meats – part animal, part…not – help consumers reduce their meat consumption?

• GLP-1 drugs not only change the amount that people eat, they change the choices as well.

RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE

• The McDonald’s Krispy Kreme partnership was shorter than a drunken Las Vegas marriage.

• Roy Rogers restaurants resurrected recently.

• Are non- syrup drinkers subsidizing syrup drinkers at Starbucks?

• The Maid Rite sandwich found only in Midwest diners

FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

• A couple hundred miles away from RFK Jr. doing shots of raw milk there is a Campylobacter outbreak from… raw milk.

• Congress and the Administration double down on ethanol, which will only accelerate climate change, while gutting wind and solar programs.

• A possible breakthrough on dairy methane emissions from New Zealand.

• Senate Parliamentarian rules SNAP can’t be switched to states.

DRINKS

• More on Guiness as a cocktail ingredient.

• The genesis of the sour beer trend.

• Home bartending mistakes.

• An ultimate Mai Tai, The Spaghett. The Porn Star Martini. The Fuzzy Navel

FOOD WEEK June 27 LAGNIAPPE

• Blueberries are pretty close to miraculous.

• The difference between hot dogs, wieners and frankfurters. Bet you thought there wasn’t a difference.

• Introducing Umeboshi Acidulate, a Japanese fermented condiment with multiple beneficial impacts on gut health.

• Drinks stored in glass bottles also contain micro-plastics. However some good news (at last) on PFAs: a bacteria that can break them down. Also a plastic/bacteria process to relieve pain. Finally, progress is being made in converting shrimp shells into packaging.