News that the tight labor market took a bite out of Iowa’s school lunches grabbed readers’ attention this week and topped the list of most-clicked food-and-beverage stories. The labor shortage led Tyson Foods to stop producing certain items that are popular with Iowa’s school kids, including a stuffed tortilla called the Crispito.
Restaurant stories also caught readers’ eyes, starting with the news that Restaurant Brands International, the parent of Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons, has vowed to reach net zero emissions by 2050 by building greener restaurants, switching to electric vehicles and working with suppliers to help cut emissions throughout the supply chain.
A story about celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s mission to perfect the vegan cheeseburger and the planned passing of Chick-fil-A’s CEO reins from Dan Cathy to son Andrew Cathy also drew in readers.
On the grocery front, a report from FMI detailed a 50% jump in demand last year due to the pandemic, which fueled a 15.8% same-store sales increase at chains with more than 100 locations.
“Food retailers experienced significantly higher sales and transaction sizes during 2020, but expenses have also surged and impacted financial performance,” FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin told Supermarket News. “And that situation continues in 2021.”
Walmart’s creation of a “Built for Better” tag that will be attached to products deemed healthier for people or better for the environment also landed on this week’s Top 10 list.
In CPG news, Kellogg’s debuted a Tailgating Stack promotion for its Pringles brand to kick off football season. The brand created 32 flavor combinations of its chips, with each representing the hometown of one of the 32 NFL teams.
Mission’s addition of tortillas made from almonds and cauliflower also made the list, as did Haribo’s launch of new gummy mixes for Halloween.
Read the entire Top 10:
- Labor shortage affects popular school meal items
- Burger King parent revs up efforts to cut emissions
- Pringles stacks 32 flavor combos in honor of NFL teams
- FMI report: Pandemic increased sales and costs in 2020
- How Guy Fieri perfected the vegan cheeseburger
- Mission adds almond, cauliflower tortillas to lineup
- Walmart to tag healthy, sustainable products
- Chick-fil-A’s Dan Cathy to pass CEO role to his son
- Haribo unveils Halloween lineup
- Shift to free school meals could affect funding
Related stories:
- Restaurants turn to tech tools to streamline vaccine requirements, verification
- How the pandemic is reshaping restaurant real estate
- Restaurants embrace plant-based meat alternatives tailored to their brands
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