7-Eleven has followed similar protective measures of other major retailers (i.e. Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger, and Meijer) and will begin installing plexiglass sneeze guards in its 9,000 US locations to protect customers and cashiers during the COVID-19...
The FDA is providing some temporary flexibility to food manufacturers and restaurants in regards to nutrition labeling so that they can sell certain packaged food products directly to consumers and retailers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regulatory uncertainty coupled with the fact that retailers are not focused on onboarding new brands right now make this a tough time for new CBD brands. However, e-commerce sales of hemp-derived CBD have spiked, while a new survey from Brightfield Group...
Clearly, now is not a great time to raise money. But founders shouldn’t despair, said investors in a webinar hosted by FoodBytes! by Rabobank on Wednesday. Raising capital will take longer and investors are being more circumspect, but there is money available...
Consumers are getting back to basics with their online grocery shopping as they use their extended periods of time at home to learn basic cooking skills and recipes such as how to bake a potato, make homemade bread, and how to cook rice, according to...
Businesses across the country are adapting with lightning speed to adjust business plans, and in some cases, change their business model overnight, in order to adapt and survive as large swathes of the population go into lockdown.
Last week, FoodNavigator-USA held its Beverage Trends webinar where we quizzed a panel of beverage industry insiders on what the future holds for the beverage market, especially amid a public health crisis such as coronavirus, which has no firm end date...
Meat giants Cargill Protein and Tyson Foods are flexing their supply chain muscles to adjust to a sudden shift in demand away from foodservice and towards retail as consumers stay at home.
While Americans scramble to stock their pantries amid the growing threat from COVID-19, many more cannot afford to do so – prompting some economic analysts and public health leaders to call on legislators to increase the benefits available under the Supplemental...
PepsiCo is hiring 6,000 new, full-time employees over the next month and is providing additional compensation to the more than 90,000 frontline employees – those who “make, move, and sell” PepsiCo products – at both PepsiCo Beverages North America and...
While many packaged food firms have enjoyed soaring sales this month, startups that had planned to launch new brands, ramp up bricks & mortar distribution, and raise money this year are adjusting plans rapidly, while access to capital will get more...
With the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis only likely to worsen, the federal government is announcing different forms of aid packages. US alcohol associations are now asking for assistance.
An ad-hoc partnership between FMI-Food Industry Association, the International Foodservice Distributors Association, United Produce Association and National Fisheries Institute aims to help overwhelmed grocery retailers keep shelves stocked, stores clean...
Inventory planning is the name of the game right now in packaged staples as brands dealing with sudden surges in demand owing to COVID-19 try to predict how long current buying patterns might last.
We continue to speak with food startups and emerging brands about what’s weighing on their minds as COVID-19 has many cities and communities going into various stages of lockdown, upending typical consumer shopping behavior.
Meal kit services such as Blue Apron, HelloFresh and Sun Basket are reporting a sharp increase in demand as consumers stay home and cook, although it's unclear how much of a boost they will get longer-term if household budgets become more constrained...
In a teleconference held last night the US Food and Drug Administration announced that it is scaling back GMP inspections and is waiving certain FSMA requirements in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.
Should prolonged social distancing measures generate mass unemployment, premium priced natural and organic products will likely not be top of most people’s shopping lists, while private label sales will likely rise, although packaged foods will continue...
Keeping the supply chain moving while protecting employees and projecting a calming tone for consumers is top of mind for executives at General Mills, which has seen a significant sales boost since the beginning of March from panicked US shoppers stocking...
While there may not be a handbook on how to carry on with international expansion amid a global health pandemic, CEO and founder of Eat JUST, Inc. Josh Tetrick is compartmentalizing the endeavor into near- and long-term priorities while taking a page...
While many packaged food brands are enjoying surging sales as shoppers stock up and hunker down as COVID-19 control measures kick in, emerging brands are having to rewrite business plans, modify marketing messaging, and reconsider go-to-market strategies...
With instore demos and sampling events off the table; consumers not in the mood for trying new things; and retailers more focused on keeping shelves stocked than discovering new brands; this isn’t a great time for food startups to raise awareness – or...
The bare grocery shelves that many consumers have encountered over the last few days due to Covid-19-related stockpiling are not a harbinger of long-term shortages or a precursor to store closures, but they could signal a shift in the types of products...
Mobile ordering, mobile pay, and third party delivery food delivery services are expected to accelerate as consumers shift to off-premise dining and contactless modes of ordering their food amid restaurants closures related to COVID-19, according to NPD...
A pulse of supply and production issues caused by the COVID-19 crisis is making its way through the dietary supplement industry. Inventories of botanical ingredients continue to hold up, but unprecedented demand for immunity boosting products is causing...
‘In some cases, retailers have simply canceled the meetings and not rescheduled them as phone calls’
Coronavirus is creating significant challenges and opportunities for the food and beverage industry, with panic buying prompting mayhem in stores and a surge in online sales, while instore demo companies have seen business fall off a cliff and smaller...
In an announcement that will not likely surprise many stakeholders, New Hope has decided to cancel (rather than postpone) the Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim and focus its attention on Expo East in Philadelphia (Sept. 23-26).
Before the threat of COVID-19 prompted Washington, DC, and other US cities to ban large gatherings, nearly 900 school nutritional professionals from across the country converged on the Nation’s capital to brainstorm how vulnerable children can continue...
As shoppers load pantries amid COVID-19 fears, sales over the past two weeks at leading natural products distributor UNFI “resembled our prior year's Thanksgiving holiday week—with the difference being we, our suppliers, and our customers, did not...
The US Food and Drug Administration has sent warning letters to seven companies that have been alleged to have been making COVID-19 disease treatment claims. Among the recipients of the warning letters is a prominent televangelist.
Coronavirus will boost consumption of shelf-stable and frozen packaged foods in the near-term as consumers pantry-load ahead of what could be a large-scale outbreak, predicts a new report from analysts at Bernstein.