Welcome to FoodStuff November 30, 2025. Hoping everyone is shaking off the tryptophan. A lot of content. Evergreen topics like inflation, tariffs and food-borne illness. But we can help lift depression, avoid dementia and help you shop for Christmas. So enjoy.
MACRO
- Trump rolls back tariffs on food, fruits and coffee
- The bill that re-opened the government delays food safety and other necessary reforms to the food industry.
- I got burned by a cookie recipe two weeks ago. I don’t know whether it was AI but there are a lot of bad recipes out there being thrown off by LLMs.
RETAIL AND CONSUMER
- Botulism found in infant formula
- 500 Thanksgiving turkeys meant for not-for-profit organization are stolen. Charities step up and collect 500 more.
- Safe cookware. And when to use cast iron and when not to.
- Canned cocktail category continues cooking.
- Campbell’s executive goes off on customers, employees and product quality. Guy who reports it gets fired.
RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE
- Restaurant food prices up 29% YOY! YOW!
- Fast Casual is struggling generally and no one more so than Panera.
- Similarly, Wendy’s is cutting back substanitally
- New McDonald’s Sausage Burrito getting torched by critics.
- The US Foods/PFG merger talks end.
FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
- California farms dump 2,5 million pounds of PFA (forever chemicals) on farmland per years. Trump Administration proposing loosening regulations.
- Menhaden are called the most important fish in the sea. Their populations are declining.
- China buys 10 container loads of soybeans from US, first significant purchase of the season.
- However beef and pork exports teetering on disaster. And for some reason the 50% tariff remains on instant coffee from Brazil even though it has been lifted on green coffee.
- Federal Farm bill loophole closed: hemp drinks to be highly constrained.
DRINKS
- Xmas gifts for drinkers and home bartenders. Conversely, how to find rare or limited edition bourbons..
- Keep a stable head: Belgian brewers discover key to the perfect foam for your beer.
- What is a flip?
- Buying wine, good wine, cheaply, Or just go to Costco.
- The Old Pal. The Million Dollar. Tiny Fragolina. Spiced P.omegranite Martini. New York Sour. The Monk’s Mule
FOOD WEEK November 30 LAGNIAPPE
- Lower your cholesterol eating these meals.
- Nestle creating a genomic library of chocolate species to safeguard future supply.
- Immune system imbalances cause depression. On the other hand, can cheese consumption stave off dementia?
- Not all nuts are created equal.
- Think the US consumes a lot coffee? Not even in the top ten…