Wendy’s International Inc. has announced a partnership with the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) to help advance sustainability efforts throughout the U.S. beef value chain. Joining the USRSB is expected to offer Wendy’s an active role in discussions about the beef industry’s environmental, social and economic sustainability. [node:read-more:link]
Amazon is opening its first food store without checkouts! Walmart opens its first grocery pick-up and gas station concept!Lidl and Aldi are trading up and will each open 2,000 grocery stores!My previous predictions are quickly coming true—the food retail industry is rapidly changing due to new technology and new entries into the marketplace. With big plans to operate smaller stores featuring a convenience food assortment at very low prices in many parts of the U.S., the roll out of these small stores by these retail behemoths will profoundly impact the traditional grocery chains. [node:read-more:link]
President of Tyson Foods says company can offer customers ‘exactly what they want,’ and they want chicken raised without antibiotics.Hayes, who was named Tyson’s president in June and will take over as its CEO at the conclusion of 2016, discussed Tyson’s venture into NAE chicken while participating in the Bernstein Consumer Summit on December 7.“The consumer’s looking for certainly more antibiotic-free (chicken) and we have a line that is no antibiotics ever. [node:read-more:link]
Food prices are expected to increase above the acceptable inflation rate, Dalhousie Univ. said in its 7th edition of Canada’s Food Price Report. The report forecasts food prices to rise between 3 percent and 5 percent. This translates to a potential increase of C$420 in Canadian family food expenses in 2017.“The biggest factor will be the falling Canadian dollar,” explained Sylvain Charlebois, Ph.D., lead author of the report and Dean of the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie Univ. [node:read-more:link]
Matthew Kenney is a pioneer of high-end plant-based cuisine. He won America’s Best New Chef Award from Food & Wine magazineand was twice nominated Rising Star Chef by the French Culinary Institute. He guides a fast-growing lifestyle brand that trains chefs to cook sustainably. And, he may be about to be very, very rich. Recently, he announced the exciting expansion of his culinary education programs to the international market, launching a series of pop-ups across Europe and Australia in 2017. Starting in New York City, it will move on to Sydney, Paris, Barcelona, and London. [node:read-more:link]
The US Department of Agriculture has proposed revisions to the regulations on nutritional labels for meat and poultry that would bring the sector in line with changes already pushed through by the country's Food and Drug Administration. Earlier this year, the FDA updated its nutrition regulations to reflect current scientific thinking on dietary recommendations. [node:read-more:link]
A 14 percent decline in U.S. consumer meat consumption over the past decade has caused alarm with one Texas A&M AgriLife scientist who warns the effects could be dire for overall human health and child development. Dr. Guoyao Wu, distinguished professor in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University, said U.S. consumers have been overwhelmed with misinformation about protein and fats in meats, which in turn has led to many consuming less meat or no meat at all.“Obesity rates have gone up the last 20 years, while consumption of meat has declined,” Wu said. [node:read-more:link]
Tyson Foods announced it has launched a venture capital fund focused on investing, among other things, “commercializing delicious, safe and affordable alternative proteins.” Tyson will make available $150 million to the fund, which has been named Tyson New Ventures LLC. [node:read-more:link]
The way Americans view how food is created, prepared and consumed has the potential to affect the nation’s social, economic and political future, according to a new Pew Research Center report.With public tastes shifting and polarizing in the last 20 years, the research center noted that how consumers view organic and genetically modified (GM) foods are demonstrated in key behaviors and attitudes on food in general.The Pew survey found that 55 percent of Americans believe that organically grown product is healthier than conventionally grown produce, with 41 percent saying that there is no di [node:read-more:link]
The GOP majority on the House Agriculture Committee released a two-year review of the program that stops short of making specific policy recommendations, but hints at areas where Republicans could focus: strengthening work requirements and perhaps issuing new ones, tightening some eligibility requirements or providing new incentives to encourage food stamp recipients to buy healthier foods. "There's nothing off the table when it comes to looking at solutions around these areas where we think improvements need to be made," the committee chairman, Rep. [node:read-more:link]
