Sysco has announced the addition of three new toolkits to its Foodie Solutions platform: Brunch, Protecting Your Business and Turning Your Tables. As more restaurants reopen their dining rooms, these are the latest in a series of carefully curated tools to help customers respond quickly to shifting business requirements and trends resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Greenleaf Foods is bringing a new level of flavor exploration to the plant-based hot dog category with the launch of its Field Roast Signature Stadium Dog, a plant-based premium hot dog that is naturally smoked. It is the first plant-based hot dog to be made from pea protein, rather than soy, and will be the first plant-based hot dog to be sold alongside traditional beef dogs when it becomes available in retail stores this spring.

Sysco, the leading global foodservice distribution company, announced the addition of four new toolkits to its Foodie Solutions platform. The Valentine’s Day, Wholesome Dining, Seafood and Greatest Game toolkits are the latest in a series of carefully curated resources that reflect the best ideas from across the foodservice industry for generating additional revenue and meeting consumer expectations for a safe and memorable dining, takeout or delivery experience.

Eat Just, a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods, announced that on the heels of its historic regulatory approval for cultured chicken, it has made the first commercial sale of meat created directly from animal cells for human consumption to 1880, an establishment founded to inspire conversations that change the world. 

US Foods has announced the introduction of its “Make It This Winter” platform. The platform offers a collection of valuable resources, including one-on-one consultations with US Foods experts, informational webinars, new outdoor dining products, and updated online materials and tools for restaurant operators to tackle the ongoing challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fast-casual restaurant chain B.GOOD announced it will serve new Non-GMO and Certified Organic lemonade options from Tractor Beverage Company at participating locations starting today. B.GOOD is excited to offer beverages that use sustainably grown, real ingredients sourced from organic farms, meeting its Food Ethos standards.

US Foods announced the launch of US Foods Ghost Kitchens, a program designed to guide restaurant operators every step of the way when opening their own operation, helping them easily add a new revenue stream. With the addition of this program, US Foods customers now have access to exclusive resources developed to streamline the process of starting a ghost kitchen, including proprietary technology to help identify menu opportunities, a detailed playbook to guide decision making, dedicated marketing support, webinars and one-on-one consultations with US Foods specialists.

Redefine Meat has unveiled the world’s first Alt-Steak plant-based products, with market testing at select high-end restaurants to start later this year. Created using Redefine Meat’s patent-pending 3D meat printing technology, the company’s Alt-Steak products have the texture, flavor and appearance of beef steak and can be produced in the volume and cost to enable large-scale market launch.

“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.