I’m holding a sesame seed bun stuffed with tomato, lettuce, pickles, onion, ketchup, mustard, mayo, American cheese, and a classic-looking burger patty: This is the McDonald’s McPlant burger, and it looks a lot like the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe—although the patty is made from ingredients, such as peas, rice, and potatoes. With the caveat… read more
Food & Beverage News
Why Freshii Doesn’t Think Healthy Food is Going Away Any Time Soon
“At Freshii, our mission is to make healthy eating, working, convenient and affordable to really the citizens of the world,” said Adam Corrin, chief operating officer of the fast-casual restaurant chain. Being in 13 countries, Freshii is certainly trying to make its mission happen quickly. The 384-unit franchised business is once again growing and ready to take… read more
Organic No Longer a Niche Market
This sentiment was expressed by several stakeholders from the organic industry at the recent US Department of Agriculture’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum. One of those stakeholders, Ryan Koory, vice president of economics at Mercaris, a data mining and trading platform company for the organic industry, said during the forum’s Organic Outlook session that organic food… read more
Menu Price Inflation Hit a 41-Year High in February
Restaurants continued to increase at historically high rates in February as operators continued using their pricing power to offset higher costs for food and labor. Overall food-away-from-home prices increased 4% in February, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was the lowest rate since August, but it’s also coming on a… read more
Beyond Meat Loses Some Early Restaurant Fans as Others Double Down
Even as Beyond Meat Inc. gains new deals to develop meatless menu items, enthusiasm is fading at some of the company’s earliest restaurant backers, raising questions about the staying power of plant-based meat. Almost three years after Del Taco Restaurants Inc. became one of the first major chains to sell Beyond’s plant-based protein products in… read more
Consumers, Restaurant Operators Feel the Pinch of Rising Prices
The U.S. inflation rate is at its highest point in 40 years, and basic commodities like gas and food have seen the highest rising prices. That’s causing a painful shift in the food industry that’s likely to be felt for some time. The stunning increase has made consumers hyper-aware of the pinch on their wallets,… read more
McPlant is Coming to More McDonald’s Locations
The burger giant on Thursday said it plans to expand its McPlant test to some 600 locations in the San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth areas starting Feb. 14. The move is designed to give the company a better sense of consumer demand for the product. “After planting the seed with a small-scale McPlant test in… read more
Food and Restaurant Trends for 2022 Include Robots, Sustainability
As 2021 draws to a close, food and restaurant experts are making their predictions for the trends that will shape the way we eat in the coming year. This past year was another difficult one for restaurants as the pandemic continues to stir up uncertainty around everything from safety protocols to supply chains. Some of… read more
Restaurants, Food Brands Find a Partner in Veganuary
Veganuary turned nine this month with a record of inspiring a growing number of consumers to go vegan for the month. Last year, 582,000 people from 209 countries signed up for the 31-day pledge to leave animal products off their plates. The Veganuary campaign launched as a nonprofit organization in the UK in 2014 to… read more
How Will Americans Eat in 2022? The Food Forecasters Speak
Trend forecasters say that laksa, a slurpable noodle soup served across parts of Southeast Asia, may rise in prominence in the United States in 2022. Last year at this time, optimistic trend forecasters predicted that the cork would burst from the bottle by summer. With vaccines in arms, food culture would vibrate in a robust economy. American… read more