Foodservice Industry

Industry Roundup

Baked Goods

Chuck E. Cheese announces return of its 2022 Halloween-themed Monster Menu; items include Pumpkin Pepperoni Pizza, Creepy Cupcake, Slime Cookie and Dippin’ Dots Eye Scream
Chew Boom (09/21)

Sonic announces limited-time offering of new Fried Cookie Dough Bites a la Mode; menu item features chocolate chip cookie dough fried to a golden brown; each three-piece pack comes served with a side of real ice cream for dipping
Chew Boom (09/21)

Breakfast Foods

Kellogg's and McKee Foods' Little Debbie brand announce launch of new Kellogg's Little Debbie Nutty Buddy Cereal, featuring peanut butter and chocolate flavors; product comes in 8.2 and 13.1 oz. boxes
PR Newswire (09/21)

Coffee

Costa Coffee raising prices of self-service hot drinks by up to 20%, citing 'inflationary pressures'
The Mirror (09/22)

Brazil's food supply agency Conab lowers its coffee production forecast for 2022 due to adverse weather conditions; production now expected to be 50.4 million 60-kg bags, up 5.6% year-on-year but down from Conab's May projection of 53.4 million bags
Reuters (09/20)

Cold Cuts/Processed Meats

Austria-based Handl Tyrol selects Mondi's monomaterial PP film for its bacon packaging; the film is recyclable in existing recycling streams for mixed polyolefins, provides a 'second skin’ that seals securely with both a high-barrier top and bottom film
Mondi Group (09/22)

Confectionery & Sweet Snacks

Utz Brands, Keebler and Mother's Cookies announce launch of new Sweet & Salty Variety Multipacks; products in the packs include Keebler Fudge Stripes Minis, Mother's Circus Animal Cookies and Utz Mini Cheese Balls
Business Wire (09/22)

Mars announces limited-time offering of new M&M's Packs in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X; packs include a custom 1-lb. blend of pastel colored blue, pink and purple lentils featuring Lil Nas X's face, butterflies and heart graphics
PR Newswire (09/22)

Fries & Hot Sides

Sonic announces limited-time return of Broccoli Cheddar Tots; the menu item was first introduced in fall 2021 and will be available through Nov. 27
Business Wire (09/21)

Fruits, Vegetables & Salads

Campbell Soup debuting FlavorUp, a concentrated flavor addition for use in proteins, grains or vegetables; the flavoring squeeze bottles come in three flavors: Rich Garlic & Herb, Savory Mushroom & Herb, and Caramelized Onion & Burgundy Wine
Food Dive (09/22)

Hot Sandwiches, Wraps & Burgers

Taco Bell and Beyond Meat announce limited-time offering of new Beyond Carne Asada Steak, available at select locations in the Dayton, Ohio, area; menu item will be made available in a quesadilla
PR Newswire (09/21)

Ice Cream/Frozen Treats

Wells Enterprises to lay off 319 employees at its ice cream manufacturing plant in Dunkirk, New York, at the end of the year, as the company scales back operations at the plant to five production lines beginning in 2023
Buffalo News (09/22)

GlobalData: ‘Indulgent’ food categories to be hit hard globally as consumers prioritize spending on essentials amid inflation; segment due to rise by only 2.2% in volume CAGR 2021-2024, and includes chocolate/confectionery, savory snacks, ice cream
GlobalData Plc (09/20)

Pizzas

Del Monte Foods Veggieful brand announces three new pizza-inspired flavors of frozen Veggieful Pocket Pies: Plant-Based Pepperoni Pizza, Plant-Based Sausage & Mushroom Pizza and Four Cheese Pizza
PR Newswire (09/20)

Savory Snacks

Crunchy crispbread brand Wasa launching new packaging that reflects a modern reinvention of the brand while staying true to its Swedish heritage; the packaging features vibrant colors inspired by nature, a large, unique font style, prominent new graphics
PR Newswire (09/21)

Utz Brands' Boulder Canyon kettle-style potato chips brand announces limited-time offering of Boulder Canyon Boulder Batch Yellowbird Habanero kettle-style potato chips, in partnership with hot sauce company Yellowbird Foods
Business Wire (09/20)

Coffee Shops & Juice Bars

Costa Coffee introduces vending machine at its Buckinghamshire, England, that only offers oat milk; company declines to comment on future plans for the oat milk machine
Vending Times (09/22)

Planterra Foods announces that its Ozo Foods' plant-based bacon will be available on sandwiches at Gregory's Coffee and Veggie Grill locations across the US
PR Newswire (09/22)

Quick Service Restaurants (QSR)

7-Eleven announces limited-time offering of new Smokey Cheddar Sausage, featuring real cheddar cheese and a Johnsonville sausage smoked with hardwood chips
Chew Boom (09/22)

Hardee's and Carl's Jr. announce launch of new brand identity; updated designs will been seen through physical restaurant design, uniforms, in-store signage, food packaging and advertising
QSR Magazine (09/22)

Fast-Casual Restaurants

Panera updates its loyalty program to include choice-based rewards; the program will allow members to select their reward from multiple options based on their personal preferences, instead of a single, pre-selected reward
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) (09/22)

FAT Brands announces new development deal to open six new franchised co-branded Fatburger and Buffalo’s Express locations in the Sacramento, California, area over the next six years; first location set to open by end of 2023
Globe Newswire (09/21)

Casual Dining Restaurants

Darden Restaurants reports fiscal Q1 net earnings of US$193M, down from year-ago earnings of US$230.9M; total sales rise 6.1% to US$2.45B, driven by same-restaurant sales increase of 4.2% and sales from 34 net new restaurants
PR Newswire (09/22)

UK consumers looking to mitigate rising food prices by eating out less often and leaning more towards cheaper restaurants when they do eat out, according to survey from LEK Consulting
Grocer (09/20)

Dining Out

Study finds 82% of consumers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, US have less confidence to spend ahead of holiday season amid inflation; Groceries, Gas, Dining Out are top categories hitting consumers: First Insight
Business Wire (09/22)

Foodservice Channel

Datassential introduces new algorithm to help manufacturers and operators understand the 'ever-evolving composition' of plant-based alternatives on menus; algorithm is first being made available to its MenuTrends customers
PR Newswire (09/20)

Foodservice Packaging

Louisiana State University to introduce OZZI reusable to-go boxes as an alternative to PS to-go boxes in its dining halls by fall 2023; OZZI is designed to minimize the effects of single-use containers
The Reveille (Louisiana State University) (09/22)

Koehler Paper to launch Koehler NexPure Wrap packaging paper for fast-food products at upcoming FachPack trade fair in Germany; Koehler NexPure Wrap has a grammage of 29.5, uses natural raw materials for the barrier function
Koehler Oberkirch GmbH (09/20)

On-Demand Local Delivery

Survey finds 61% of Americans prefer shopping at retailers that offer delivery over those that do not; results include 68% of Gen Z respondents, 75% of millennials, 49% of those aged 55 or older, 45% of those 65 or older: OnFleet, Harris Poll
PR Web (09/22)

Michigan Senate Agriculture Committee approves plan aiming to allow small businesses to offer new labeling and delivery options for cottage food products
Michigan Watchdog (09/21)

Single-Use

Suzano-commissioned survey at Rock in Rio festival in Brazil finds 67% of respondents consider paper to be the most sustainable product for packaging, disposable products; 77% say they are very willing to change consumption habits to protect environment
Suzano SA (09/20)

Food & Beverage Distributors

Fonterra says it will retain its entire Australian business following promising profits in fiscal 2022, says retaining full ownership of the business is the best path forward for continued growth and return on investment
Australian Associated Press (09/22)

Restaurants

Marco's Pizza announces appointment of Gerardo Flores as chief development officer; Flores most recently served as VP of real estate at Tropical Smoothie Cafe
PR Newswire (09/20)

Jack in the Box announces limited-time offering of new Basic Witch Shake, its first-ever pumpkin spice Oreo cookie shake, available from Oct. 3-Nov. 30
Chew Boom (09/20)

Carvel announces new lineup of limited-time fall menu items featuring Reese's and KitKat; items include Reese’s & Kit Kat Duo Sundae Dasher, Reese’s Thick Shake, Kit Kat Thick Shake and Reese's Flying Saucer
Chew Boom (09/20)

 Stock