Winter Wheat Health Plummets in Five Key States
🌾Five of the top U.S. winter wheat states (63% of the 2026 planted area) carry concerning health ratings. The shares of wheat rated poor or very poor in these five states are well above recent averages. But more notably, conditions have taken a nosedive since the fall. https://t.co/9LcEV5VMmQ
USDA Reports 295k Tons U.S. Corn Sold for 2025/26
USDA confirms the following sales of U.S. corn for delivery in 2025/26: ▪️100,000 metric tons to Colombia ▪️195,000 metric tons to unknown destinations
Beef Industry Under DOJ Probe Amid Greedflation Surge
Greedflation is so back, you guys: "Beef industry faces Trump DOJ criminal investigation, reports say" https://t.co/ynas3I3X8d https://t.co/4uWtgUr9P6
Sapporo Sells Stone Brewing to Firestone Walker, Duvel USA
M&A news: Sapporo is selling Stone Brewing to Firestone Walker + Duvel USA. Link to the story on @Brewbound in the comment below 👇 https://t.co/FNwtffMViK
Malaysia Sits on Trillion‑dollar Halal Market Goldmine
Halal, a trillion dollar market globally and we, Malaysia are sitting on a gold mine. I being paying attention to this for years. If you are in this sector, lets connect and chat. I want to learn more. https://youtu.be/ipBJt9dhQmk?si=ZOqvQ5QqHZosQYd6
Food Safety on Trial: Litigation, Regulation, Innovation Explored
🎤 New Episode of the Smarter Food Safety Podcast - dropping this week You’ve probably heard Bill Marler before…But not like this. In “Food Safety on Trial: Litigate, Regulate, or Innovate?”, we ask probing questions, challenge assumptions, & explore what really moves...
Foodservice Market Hits $50B Across Schools and Restaurants
Big implications for #restaurants for sure, but also #foodservice sales in K12 and college/universities, which when combined represents over $50 billion in spending.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Myth or Weight‑Loss Reality?
In recent years, vinegar, and in particular apple cider vinegar, has been hailed and promoted for its weight loss properties. Is there some truth in these claims? Read the blog to find out more: https://t.co/pDA85IH7fx https://t.co/VPQGqKJUw0
Corn Leads Export Inspections, Soybeans Follow
Export inspections for the week ending April 16 (mln bu): #corn 65.7, grain sorghum 8.0, #soybeans 27.5, #wheat 19.0 #oatt
Chain Restaurant Sales Slow to 3%, Coffee, Chicken Defy Trend
Chain restaurant sales slowed last year, growing 3%, the lowest rate of growth (non-pandemic) since the Great Recession. Weakening sales are pressuring unit economics. But there were some strong pockets of growth, like coffee and chicken. https://t.co/SbjC4xYbLk https://t.co/vkjYWyxlvf
From $125k Loan to $12B Franchise Empire
Jersey Mike’s founder Peter Cancro sold majority of sub chain to Blackstone for $8B in 2024. In 2025, Wingstop's former CEO took top job and has filed to go public. Details on Cancro skipping college and turning $125k loan into...
China's Q1 Grain Imports Rebound, yet Lag Recent Highs
🇨🇳China’s Q1 2026 grain imports rebounded sharply on the year but remained below the bigger volumes seen in recent years. Still, it's a supportive trend for exporters. However, soybean and pork imports weren't quite as robust as in Q1 2025. https://t.co/NEI8MRwGDR
Authentic Founder Replies Outshine Formal Campaigns
The most powerful content I’ve ever posted wasn’t a campaign. It was a reply. No agency. No script. Just a founder who genuinely cares, sees what customers are saying, and actually does something about it. In the restaurant industry, the guest experience...
First‑Gen Black Restaurateurs Face Disproportionate Criticism
Why do Black-Owned Restaurants get such high criticism? Many business owners are first-generation, meaning they are learning operations, finance, marketing, HR, legal - without seeing how it was run first.
Industry's Structural Shift Stumps Even Proven Leaders
This tells you just how hard the structural shift is within this industry given Connolly's prior successes at Hillshire, $CPB, $PG. https://t.co/RNWeMNXWQ9
Burger Prices Surge, Imports Rise, Exports Fall.
"Burgers approach luxury territory as beef prices remain high" https://t.co/kxMtibg3NB "Imports are rising to fill the gap, while exports are falling as domestic supply tightens." https://t.co/U23joP278Z
Drone‑delivered Cakes Now Available in Shenzhen Parks
Hungry in the park in Shenzhen? No worries - just order a drone delivery and wait for your cakes to come. https://t.co/f5uV4MF5MA
Science Shows Seed Oils Aren’t the Health Villains Claimed
How Seed Oils Became Controversial—And What the Science Really Says A food scientist debunks the vilification of seed oils on social media and explains what research says about them. https://t.co/3vkvSpmBod | @sciam https://t.co/MuRLtmBi7U
Robotic Pods Bring Autonomous Food Delivery to Tables
#Robot Pod Restaurant: #Autonomous Food Delivery to Every Table by @amazingthings_ #Innovation #EmergingTech #Tech #Technology https://t.co/jxF1VBvrr1
Gum Arabic Powers Sudan Conflict Amid Global Demand
How gum arabic – the ingredient that puts the gloss in Coke, Pepsi and M&Ms – is fuelling the conflict in Sudan (from Jeune Afrique). Find out more in the Chartbook Top Link of today. https://t.co/qwSPakGyT4
Yunnan Cuisine: America's Next Underrated Food Wave
Nope. It's already widespread and good. My two-cents: Yunnan food is THE most underrated cuisine in America so if you are Hunan'ed, Sichuan'ed, and Xi'an'ed out, it's time for a Yunnan restaurant wave across America.
America's Summer Soda Revival Highlights Birch Variants
The tea leaves are becoming more clear regarding regional summer sodas. 🇺🇸 The great tastemaker Joe Weisenthal has set the tone with root beer. Let's raise the stakes. What is going on in Kutztown, PA? Birch beer AND white birch beer? Sarsaparilla? Red Cream? Clearly...
Peruvian Elixirs Offer Alcohol‑Free Beach Vibes
What if there was an alternative to alcohol at the beach this summer? Jharixa Ureña drew heavily on her Peruvian roots when launching Huanchaco Lounge in the OBX. She has a menu of Pachamama Elixirs infused with fruits like purple corn,...
McDonald’s Hits 25‑year High in U.S. Openings
McDonald’s opened the most new U.S. locations in a quarter century. Why that period has been really good for the brand and its franchisees. https://t.co/r50QTfHQpF
Seafood Labels Overload Leaves Consumers Confused
You shouldn’t need a decoder ring to order seafood. The industry has layered on labels, certifications and guidance in an attempt to help, but the result has been the opposite. Consumers are overwhelmed by competing signals and left without a clear...
McDonald's Beverage Push Taps Booming, Resilient Cold Drinks Market
I tend to agree with @jonathanmaze here on the impact of @McDonalds getting heavier into the beverage space. This is a category (cold beverages in particular) that has shown tremendous resilience and indeed is outperforming all restaurants and foodservice in...
Trump Administration Targets Big Egg Amid Collapsing Egg Prices
Komrade Kamala jokes aside (sigh), it's hilarious that the Trump admin is going after BIG EGG now that US egg prices have collapsed. https://t.co/V22pe8h7EJ
Questioning Big Food’s Authority on GRAS Safety
I don't trust big-food companies to decide what is safe (GRAS) to put in our food? Do you?
OpenTable Finally Embraces Experience Model, Still Flawed
This OpenTable article is very funny... it took six years for them to adopt the "experience" language, deposits, and prepayments. Now they are literally buying back key customers who are shortsighted. And by 'people' she means me: https://t.co/F5xIWOYYp2 Still a lousy system https://t.co/P6QhlDpdaW
Moutai Profits Dip as Consumers Tighten Spending
Kweichow Moutai’s Annual Profit, Revenue Fall for First Time—Moutai’s appeal has been waning as consumers become more cautious with their spending @QinSherry @ivy_jiahuihuang https://t.co/a4euTT2CbN https://t.co/a4euTT2CbN
Critical 0‑90 Days Determine Food Crisis or Stagflation
The supply gap is just beginning. If a peace deal comes within days, we’re still in a critical 0–90 day window: markets could absorb the shock, fertilizer flows resume, and a global food crisis be avoided. If not, risks escalate...
Jardine Matheson Poised to Dominate Hong Kong Grocery Market
Jardine Matheson is in talks to acquire CK Hutchison's supermarket business ParknShop and merge it with Wellcome. Competition in Hong Kong's grocery industry would go down significantly, with the combined entity controlling >50% of the market. https://t.co/4MD3n7ptN1
McDonald’s Shanghai Introduces Humanoid Robots for Service
McDonald’s in Shanghai Deploys Humanoid #Robots to Serve Customers by @CyberRobooo #Robotics #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/z86oqGjpAZ
LEGO Coffee Factory Automates Your Morning Brew
Someone built a LEGO Coffee Factory that takes your order on a smartphone app, brews it through a Keurig, disposes of the pod, and puts the lid on. Mornings just got an upgrade. https://t.co/ltZi3Ddh0T
Technomic Top 500 Report Sets Benchmark for US Chain Restaurants
The @Technomic Top 500 report was issued this week. Always one of our most popular reports, it sets the bar for highest quality data on the US chain #restaurant market. 1/ https://t.co/cpazRO0Kx4
Hainan Jones Opens Counter at DeKalb Market
Hainan Jones has a counter in DeKalb Market, read about it tomorrow in my Substack: https://t.co/mAymqyqsvv
Excited for Peanut Nutella’s Upcoming Costco Bulk Bucket
can’t wait until Peanut Nutella makes it to Costco in the industrial bucket size https://t.co/r2c7d0IXvy
Strait of Hormuz Tensions Threaten Food Supply Chain
Lisa Anderson quoted in ConfectioneryNews: Strait of Hormuz disruption is escalating into a food supply chain issue - watch tier-2/tier-3 dependencies (ingredients, packaging, logistics). https://t.co/EvyHNyYObG #SupplyChain #FoodAndBeverage #RiskManagement
Trust Outweighs Taste in Organic Food Choices
Choosing to buy organic food depends more on trust than taste – what our new study in the UK and Japan shows https://t.co/BEYetT9k5O https://t.co/kcJEOByvR8
From Instacart’s Rise to Investor Lessons
For this episode of Uncapped I got to sit down with my close friend @Max, cofounder of Instacart 🥕 We talked about the key moments of Instacart...how it got started, critical wins, tough losses, competitive dynamics, earned insights, going public, and...
US Corn Exports Surge; China Still Owes 2025/26 Soybeans
🇺🇸Last week's U.S. corn export sales remained above average, led by Japan, South Korea & Mexico. Soybean volumes were relatively modest. China's 2025/26 soybean purchases stood at 11.5 mmt as of April 9 with 1.9 mmt left to ship. 1.56...
Restaurant Spending Rises While Profits and Locations Fall
Consumers spend more at restaurants as a percentage of their total retail and food spending than ever. And yet per-restaurant profitability is down, big chains are closing locations. And bankruptcies are common. https://t.co/pSx8JKgQII https://t.co/20E9hd71pf
Big Chocolate Makers Likely Buying the Cocoa Dip
who's buying the dip in cocoa prices? (i mean i hope @Nestle @Hersheys are)... https://t.co/57SRUqV4cu
Sysco‑Restaurant Depot Merger Threatens Local Restaurant Margins
Fabulous article by @biketrouble on the $29 billion Sysco-Restaurant Depot merger and its impact on local restaurants. https://t.co/qGv4I6Q1bN
Delivery Apps Undermine Restaurant Economics, Rival Sysco's Power
A decade after the emergence of third-party delivery, the services have damaged restaurant industry economics. Also, while everybody is complaining about how powerful Sysco is there is little attention at how powerful delivery companies have become. https://t.co/9CxUbZLrQ1
Cut MSG, Seed Oils, Colors to Eliminate Brain Fog
Unlabeled MSG in your food is why you crash after lunch, why you crave sugar, and why your brain feels like static by 3pm. Cut MSG, seed oils, and artificial colorings and watch your brain fog disappear. https://t.co/MUpFZfSEbO
First All‑Gluten‑Free US Hotel Brings Relief
My aunt shared a link to the first US hotel that's all Gluten Free. The relief of knowing that I could go to hotels and not get sick (or go hungry). More of this please.
DoorDash Pilots Reusable Containers as Waste Concerns Rise
Disposable packaging at restaurants is becoming a big issue as sustainability demands and regulatory pressures increase. "Reusable" containers have been around for a while but haven't gained much traction, but DoorDash is testing reusable containers in the Bay area. 1/ https://t.co/fElzeWcgxn
French Corn Acreage May Drop 10‑15% Amid Cost Surge
🇫🇷Corn area in France could fall 10-15% on the year amid high fertilizer and energy costs. France's annual corn plantings are only about 4% of what the USA plants, but it plays an important role regionally, accounting for around one-fifth of...
Science Enables Viable Alternative to Inefficient Meat Production
For 12,000 years, we've been cycling crops through animals to make meat. It's one of the least efficient production systems on Earth, and also one of the most consequential: climate, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, pandemic risk. @BruceGFriedrich has spent a decade building the...