Articles by Michael Costa

“The average restaurateur makes about 4 cents for every dollar, and now with decreased traffic and increased costs, it’s even more challenging for them,” says Jim Osborne of US Foods--one of the giants of foodservice distribution to restaurants, hotels, catering, schools and more. On the latest From the Cold Corner Podcast, I talk with Osborne about US Foods’ latest initiative—the Restaurant Reopening Blueprint—to help restaurateurs navigate new guidelines for service, staffing, and customer behavior due to coronavirus.

“What does the next normal look like, and when does it become the new normal?” A quote that applies to nearly everything right now, but in this instance, it’s referring to marketing frozen and refrigerated foods. On this week’s From the Cold Corner Podcast, I talk with Jeff Rumachik, EVP and COO of the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) about promoting cold foods to consumers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because 2020 is Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 30-year anniversary, we take a look back at the evolution of technology in lift trucks, and what current trends will shape the future of forklifts.

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods catches up with Palermo Villa to see how the company has grown since it was named our 2016 Frozen Foods Processor of the Year, and learn more about its latest pizza innovations for the freezer aisle in 2020.

See what best practices companies like Hormel, KanPak, and A M King have implemented to improve sustainability and achieve real results.

In this exclusive excerpt from Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ From the Cold Corner podcast, Lowell Randel from the GCCA details how the cold chain pivoted to meet retail demands and protect workers during the crucial early days of COVID-19.

Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa details the cold chain's historic disruption and opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

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.