Food and Beverage Manufacturing Top Stories

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The transport of food and health/sanitary items such as cleaning supplies and paper towels have placed significant strains on the supply chain. Food distributors have to scrutinize significant preventative measures needed to ensure the health and safety of customers, drivers, and everyone that is in contact with goods that are transported and delivered.

Frozen food sales rose significantly the final week of April, according to new research by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), 210 Analytics, and IRI. The +50.3% increase was the highest since the height of mid-March stockpiling by consumers, when frozen food sales peaked at +94.4% compared to 2019 sales for the same time period. The +50.3% increase translates to $1.3 billion compared to $442 million in 2019.

This week on our From the Cold Corner podcast, I talk washdown motors for food processing with Regal Beloit’s John Calloway. We also discuss how the IoT (Internet of Things) is creating new efficiencies for motors, and how Regal Beloit is pivoting its business strategy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Garden Inspirations by Farm Rich” is a new line of plant-based foods expanding options for flexitarians, vegetarians and anyone looking to reduce meat consumption in their daily diet. This line includes appetizers, snacks and meal solutions made with plant-based meats and other wholesome plant-based ingredients.

The Port of Mobile’s newest refrigerated cargo facility is on track for an early 2021 opening at one of the nation’s fastest growing container ports. The facility is located outside the gates of the seaport’s container terminal operated by APM Terminals and has immediate access to I-10. The distribution center will be one of the largest of its kind in the Southeast. Its proximity to the container terminal and max loading capabilities will not only add value but help customers reduce their carbon footprint by limiting the number of trucks on the road. 

I read the recent quarterly reports from Tyson and Sysco (Q2, and Q3, respectively) and both reflect the deep impact of restaurant, hotel, catering and other volume foodservice shutdowns on each of their businesses (and by extension, the cold foods supply chain) due to COVID-19. Here are my thoughts on the future of foodservice and what companies along the cold chain can do prepare for it. 

Recently, 100 volunteers from Bellisio Foods, the largest employer in Jackson County, shared more than 90,000 meals from drive-through distribution centers at Oak Hill High School, Jackson High School and Vinton County High School. A total of more than 2,500 vehicles each received two cases (or 36 meals), bringing the total number of meals donated to Southern Ohioans by Bellisio Foods in the past month to more than 175,000.

This week on our From the Cold Corner podcast, I spoke with Josh Knott, president of the Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA) and Knott's Fine Foods in Paris, Tennessee. We discussed worker safety, supply chain slowdowns due to COVID-19 precautions, and how panic buying and fear of perceived food shortages by consumers can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The adage, "shoot for the moon and you'll still land among the stars" comes to mind when assessing frozen food sales since early March. The rocket launch of consumer stockpiling created astronomical sales figures that were impossible to sustain, but now that buying has leveled off, the year-over-year numbers look like they'll be hovering around +30% over 2019 sales for weeks to come, if not the rest of 2020, according to new data from the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and 210 Analytics. That means the meteoric sales arc created by panic buying in March has a long way to go before it comes down to normal levels. 

Butterball donated 500,000 meals to The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina today. The donation will help feed those most impacted by COVID-19 in the communities where Butterball team members live and work.