Year: 2024

Online grocery prices decline in August at fastest pace in a decade: report

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Dive Brief:

  • Online grocery prices dropped by nearly 4% in August compared with the previous month, according to data released Tuesday by Adobe Analytics.
  • Grocery e-commerce prices were up last month by 0.5% year over year, Adobe said.
  • Adobe’s figures come as annual grocery inflation dropped below 1% in August to its lowest point in more than three years.

Dive Insight:

The 3.7% monthly decline in online grocery prices Adobe recorded last month through its Digital Price Index was the largest drop in that metric since the company started monitoring e-commerce prices in 2014. By comparison, the second-biggest month-over-month drop in online grocery prices Adobe recorded was in July 2019, when prices moved down by 1.8%.

On an annual basis, online grocery prices were up modestly in August, compared with a more than 4% year-over-year increase in July and a spike of over 14% in September 2022, when inflation was surging, according to Adobe.

Overall, prices for goods sold online have declined on an annual basis for 24 months in a row, with a 4.4% drop coming in August, Adobe said.

Adobe’s data about online prices reflects an analysis by the company of more than 100 million SKUs across 18 categories, which include books, computers, toys and office supplies in addition to groceries. Adobe’s research reflects the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index.

Grocery inflation continues to drop

Food-at-home prices rose by less than 1% in August, their slowest rate of increase since June 2021, according to U.S. government data.

The BLS said Wednesday that food-at-home prices were up by 0.9% in August compared with the same period in 2023. By comparison, grocery prices saw a 1.1% year-over-year increase in July. Grocery inflation last came in below 1% in June 2021, when overall inflation was en route to the four-decade high it recorded in June 2022. Grocery inflation was flat on a monthly basis in August, the BLS reported.

Overall inflation came in at an annual rate of 2.5% in August, down from a 2.9% increase in July, the BLS said.



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Researchers Evaluate Combined Strategies to Increase Sow Milk Production – Swineweb.com

 

Farmscape for September 12, 2024

Research underway through Swine Cluster-4 is exploring the potential of combining multiple strategies for stimulating increased sow milk production.
As part of research being conducted with support from Swine Innovation Porc scientists have been evaluating a variety of strategies aimed at increasing sow milk yields, including phase feeding, the addition of fibre to the diet, the use of lysine and prolactin and others. Dr. Chantal Farmer, a research scientist in sow lactation biology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Sherbrooke, says we’ve increased litter size over the past 30 years by a lot and, although we’ve managed to increase sow milk yields, that increase hasn’t kept pace and each piglet is getting less milk intake today.

Quote-Dr. Chantal Farmer-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Sherbrooke:
What I’m really curious about and what my next swine cluster-4 will be looking at are additive or synergistic effects. What I’m wondering is, OK I can stimulate mammary development of the gilt at the end of gestation with lysine. Now, if I stimulate mammary development and I also increase prolactin during lactation, will this lead to a greater effect than one or the other of these treatments? So, can I have a synergy between two different treatments or is there a maximum amount of milk that’s produced or a maximum amount of mammary development that can be achieved and then that’s it. So, we can tell producers it’s worth to try to increase it up to a certain point or no, yes, it means you can go on and try to increase it further.

I have a project looking at treatment at the end of gestation coupled with a treatment in lactation and I have two other projects where, at the end of gestation, I have two different treatments that could increase mammary development. One is lysine but then I will couple it to either to an increase in a growth factor that is called Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, so IGF-1, which in itself also stimulates mammary development.

Or I will couple it with nucleotide treatment, but basically I want to know, can I have a greater effect if I add on another treatment at the end of gestation or not in terms of mammary development.

Dr. Farmer says we need to increase the amount of milk the sow can produce to make sure each piglet gets as much milk as it needs.

For more visit Farmscape.Ca. Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers



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Report Reveals ‘Digital Divide’ in F&B Supply Chains

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According to a study released Tuesday, antiquated, “legacy” approaches plague the food and beverage industry, leaving suppliers inadequately prepared for the next major disruption, not to mention regulatory changes.

TraceGains, a provider of networked compliance and innovation solutions in the F&B industry, gathered responses from 483 global industry suppliers and found a “digital divide” among businesses.

“With increasing regulatory pressures and shifting consumer demands, widely used, outdated methods are putting companies at risk,” said Paul Bradley, TraceGains’ senior director, product marketing, in a press release.

The study found that nearly 48% of all suppliers commonly rely on legacy approaches to many communications with F&B buyers. Meanwhile, more than two-thirds (71%) of respondents admitted that such methods cause issues like data entry errors (39%).

Regulatory and Consumer Pressures

Compliance with regulatory change was among the top reasons suppliers want to modernize their software. Requirements such as the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Rule for Traceability (204) – set to take effect in January 2026 – will impose stricter traceability requirements for certain food materials. And, in Europe, existing mandates such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive already require time-based sustainability reporting.

Nevertheless, TraceGains’ research revealed that one in four suppliers remain unfamiliar with the technologies available to modernize their operations.

Sustainability and Cost Are Key Factors

Nearly nine in 10 (89%) suppliers said it’s at least somewhat important for new technologies to align with their company’s corporate sustainability objectives. Over half (53%) consider that alignment to be highly important.

Cost, however, remains the largest factor influencing software purchasing decisions, with 77% of suppliers citing it as their top consideration, followed by ease of implementation (65%).

Among the key motivators for modernizing internal software are:

  • Faster responsiveness to consumer preferences (58%)
  • Better agility to manage supply chain disruptions (42%)
  • Ability to adopt tech advancements like AI (33%)

“As regulatory requirements intensify and consumer demand for supply chain transparency grows, suppliers are looking for new ways to remain competitive,” TraceGains wrote. “While cost is a concern, the benefits for modernizing operations – enhanced efficiency, reduced errors, and improved compliance – are clear.”

The Food Institute Podcast

Restaurant results for the second quarter weren’t stellar, but people still need to eat. Are they turning to their refrigerators, or are restaurants still on the menu for consumers? Circana Senior Vice President David Portalatin joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss the makeup of the current restaurant customer amid a rising trend of home-centricity.



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Updated nutritional guidelines for cats and dogs






The newly revised document​​ addresses key nutritional considerations for pet food manufacturers, offering comprehensive guidance based on life stages, health conditions, and activity levels of pets.

This update is the result of extensive peer review by FEDIAF’s Nutrition Working Group and Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), which consists of independent nutrition scientists from both academia and private consulting firms across Europe.

The revised guidelines offer several important updates. Notable revisions include guidance on balancing high fat and protein levels in dog food and adjustments to the footnote on inorganic phosphorus for cats. That particular amendment references new research relative to the long-term feeding of cats, Alice Tempel Costa, deputy secretary-general of FEDIAF, tells us. 

“These guidelines incorporate the latest scientific research, including data from the National Research Council (NRC), providing a practical framework for manufacturers to develop both complete and complementary pet food recipes,” she continues.

She maintains that an improved layout makes the guidance easier to read: “The document also includes a glossary of key terms, explanations of ingredients, and detailed information on energy requirements, along with annexes on body condition scoring and the risks associated with certain human foods for pets.”

FEDIAF represents national pet food associations from the EU, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK, covering approximately 150 pet food companies, which account for 95% of the pet food market in Europe.  

Key objectives of the guidelines​

The FEDIAF guidelines aim to achieve several key objectives:

  • Support the production of nutritionally balanced pet food: The guidelines are designed to ensure that pet food manufacturers create nutritionally sound products in compliance with EU regulations on animal nutrition.

They incorporate the latest scientific knowledge on cat and dog nutrition to:

  • Offer practical nutrient recommendations for formulating products tailored for adult maintenance, growth, and reproduction.
  • Assist manufacturers in evaluating the nutritional quality of pet foods for healthy animals.

FEDIAF says the guidance should serve as the primary reference for pet nutrition in Europe:

The document is intended as a key resource for EU and local authorities, consumer organizations, pet care professionals, and consumers.

Another aim is to promote collaboration within the industry. By providing scientifically grounded information on pet food formulation and assessment, the organization says the guidelines foster cooperation between manufacturers, pet care experts, and regulatory bodies.

They are also meant to complement existing FEDIAF resources, with the guidelines working alongside FEDIAF’s Guide to Good Practice for the Manufacture of Safe Pet Foods and the Guide to Good Practice for Communication on Pet Food.




Exclusive news and research on the wine, spirits and beer business




Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter Vodka Sodas Make National Push With Southern Glazer’s

September 11, 2024

This spring, celebrity entrepreneur Kylie Jenner entered the spirits-based RTD business with Sprinter, a line of fruit-flavored vodka sodas. The brand got off to a fast start, shipping 140,000 cases in the first month before aligning nationally with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits in August. The company, helmed by Constellation veteran Mike Novy, is bullish about the brand’s future with SGWS. In addition, Sprinter and 818 Tequila, the brand founded by Kylie’s sister Kendall, have reorganized under the umbrella of the Calabasas Beverage Company—led by Novy as CEO—newly formed to streamline sales and marketing operations for the two brands.

Sprinter comes in an 8-can variety pack with Black Cherry, Peach, Grapefruit, and Lime flavors, retailing at $20. The 4.5% abv brand has initially proved popular in its home market of Southern California, as well as key states like Texas, Florida, and Illinois, says Novy. With the national alignment with Southern, Sprinter will look to build upon its current stable of roughly 16,000 accounts. A few months after launch the brand is already among the top 25 best-selling spirits-based RTDs in Circana channels. “That puts us in some very good company,” Novy says. “And it’s with one SKU, against brands that can have 30 or more.

“When you start to peel it back to pockets of growth, we see Massachusetts and Maryland,” he adds. “Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, for example, and Columbus, Ohio, too. Basically places that are young intellectual hubs.” Novy adds that given the brand’s focus on consumers aged 21-35, he expects some shifting pockets of growth depending on whether college students are on large campuses or at home.

While Sprinter’s launch was significantly boosted by its famous founder, Novy says the next step is establishing Sprinter as a repeat purchase for its core demographic. “As we go forward, Kylie will always be a part of the communication of the brand and, quite frankly, management of it,” says Novy. “You’ll also see us do more experiential events. We want consumers to engage with and be a part of the brand.”

Joining forces with 818 Tequila (also aligned with SGWS), says Novy, was driven by demand from across the three-tier system. Utilizing one team for both brands made activation planning easier and simplified the brands’ positions within the distributor portfolio. “Sprinter gets the immediate benefit of the team that’s been able to live through the launch and the development of 818,” he says. 818’s U.S. volume is expected to rise to around 160,000 cases this year, after the brand adjusted pricing to meet its core 21-35-year-old consumer.

Early next year, Sprinter will release its second SKU, another variety 8-pack featuring four new flavors, as it looks to keep up its early momentum. “Our forecast is to continue developing into a significant player and get into that multimillion-case tier,” says Novy.—Shane English

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Posted on Author Categories Alcohol

Beer Institute Reports Domestic Beer Shipments Down 3.5% in July – ProBrewer





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The Beer Institute has published its monthly estimate of domestic tax paid shipments by beer brewers for July 2024 which showed that beer shipments were down yet again with a decrease of 3.5% compared to July 2023. Year-to-date shipments are down 2.5% through July compared to the same period last year.

Only two months this year have shown an increase in shipments, February and May which were up 9.6% and 5.7% respectively.

The report follows dismal news from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) which recently released the Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) for August 2024 that showed “a downshift in distributor sentiment to a more cautious outlook for the beer industry heading into the end of summer,” according to the NBWA.

The estimate for July 2024 volume shipments was 12,800,000 barrels, compared to 13,257,969 barrels in July 2023.

The Beer Institute gathers its estimates from the tax paid shipments by all U.S. beer brewers reported by the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

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Posted on Author Categories Alcohol

EPA recommends BPI, GreenScreen, other ecolabels in food service ware procurement

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Dive Brief:

  • The U.S. EPA wants to expand the scope of sustainability certifications it recommends for guiding federal purchasing of food service ware products.
  • In a proposed update Tuesday, the agency outlined additional standards and ecolabels covering reusable, certified recyclable and certified compostable food service ware, including certain ones promulgated by Clean Production Action and the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. EPA said it would accept comments on the proposed updates for 30 days.
  • In a newly published resource, EPA also ranked the best choices when selecting sustainable food service ware. It said the top option is reusables (those “used in a system that enables repeated collection, washing, and return”), followed by those that are certified compostable and then certified recyclable. EPA said recyclable was the last choice because food service ware products like utensils have low recycling rates due to food contamination or small size.

Dive Insight:

The agency had not evaluated additions to the official Recommendations of Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing in nearly 10 years, EPA reported.

EPA initiated the update process in November 2022, when it invited standards development organizations, ecolabel programs and conformity assessment bodies to apply for potential assessment, it said. EPA evaluates standards against a framework that considers the process for developing and managing the standard, along with its environmental effectiveness and other factors. 

“With hundreds of ecolabels in the marketplace, EPA’s Recommendations cut through the clutter and give federal purchasers and other sustainability-conscious consumers confidence when making purchasing decisions,” said Jennie Romer, deputy assistant administrator for pollution prevention in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, in a statement. “The ecolabels and standards that EPA includes in the Recommendations have demonstrated that they can truly help us achieve sustainability at scale.”

EPA’s existing recommendations cover compostable options for food service ware, having added the BPI standard in September 2015. The agency is now proposing the following labels for food service ware categories:

Reusable: GreenScreen Certified Standard for Reusable Food Packaging, Food Service Ware, & Cookware; Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard

Certified compostable: GreenScreen Certified Standard for Single-Use Food Service Ware & Thermal Paper; Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard (Platinum Level in Product Circularity); BPI Commercial Compostability Certification Scheme

Certified recyclable: GreenScreen Certified Standard for Single-Use Food Service Ware & Thermal Paper; Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard (Platinum Level in Product Circularity)

The Biden administration also announced this year a goal to phase out federal procurement of single-use plastics — from food service packaging, operations and events by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035 — and replace those choices with reusable, compostable and “highly recyclable” products. The 2024 action built on a 2021 executive order pushing for net-zero procurement by 2050. EPA noted federal procurement accounted for more than $700 billion in spending in 2023.

The EPA update also comes as the Federal Trade Commission is considering an update to the Green Guides, or guidelines for environmental marketing claims for products that sellers may want to deem “recyclable,” “compostable” or the like.



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Gambia Ports Authority selects Prodevelop’s Port Management Information System

The Gambia Ports Authority has reinforced its commitment to digitalize its operations by selecting the Spanish company Prodevelop, in partnership with local firm Lasting Solutions, to implement the Port Management Information System (PMIS), Posidonia Management.

For Gambia Ports Authority it is crucial to optimize internal port management. Prodevelop’s PMIS is a tool for digitalizing and streamlining the port’s internal processes. Through this system, the Gambia Ports Authority will enhance the efficiency of its internal operations, enabling it to provide superior services to its customers, including its concessionaire.

The implementation of Posidonia Management will offer several benefits to the Port Authority, including optimizing vessel and cargo handling, reducing vessel turnaround times, bolstering security measures within Gambia port facilities, ensuring compliance with international maritime regulations, and improving data management and reporting capabilities.

Additionally, hosting the system on AWS will provide the port authority with several advantages, including easy scalability, enhanced cybersecurity from Amazon, reliable backup generation, and swift implementation without the need for on-premises installations of additional software.

The agreement also covers technical support and maintenance services, ensuring that the Gambia Ports Authority will receive comprehensive support from Prodevelop. This includes corrective, preventive, evolutionary, adaptive, and perfective services, guaranteeing the smooth operation of the program.

Prodevelop continues its mission to assist African clients in enhancing their outcomes and digitizing their operational processes, thus streamlining and optimizing their daily operations.




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U.S. Federal Court upholds Massachusetts Question 3 – Swine news

A federal court judge upheld Massachusetts Question 3, which, like California Proposition 12, bans the sale of pork from hogs born to sows raised in housing that doesn’t comply with the state’s prescriptive standards.


Missouri-based meatpacker Triumph Foods sought to block enforcement of the initiative, arguing that the Federal Meat Inspection Act preempted Question 3. However, Judge William Young of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled the law only bans the sale of non-compliant pork and does not regulate how meatpackers operate. This follows a ruling earlier this year, in which Judge Young agreed with Triumph and struck down an exemption within Question 3 for sales that took place at federally inspected processors within the state. Judge Young found that provision to unconstitutionally discriminate against out of state processors.


Separately, at the urging of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) recently clarified that ground and comminuted – diced, chopped, or cut into very small pieces – pork is not covered by Question 3 and that the state “temporarily” will not enforce Question 3 regulations banning transshipment of non-compliant pork through Massachusetts for delivery to other states. That decision by MDAR came under a settlement agreement with NPPC and a coalition of groups representing New England restaurant and hospitality businesses.

July 26, 2024/ National Pork Producers Council/ United States.
https://nppc.org



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Posted on Author Categories Meat

Norway’s Akvafuture kicks off work on first closed-containment salmon farm in BC

Norwegian aquaculture company Akvafuture is set to establish its first closed-containment salmon farm in British Columbia, Canada, having secured an agreement with the Quatsino First Nation to assess a potential site for the project […]

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Posted on Author Categories Seafood
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