Member News & Headlines Blog

The Intel Distillery, brought to you by CFBN founding member Bader Rutter, systematically analyzes the most important food industry news, trends and policy issues from the most influential sources. 

The Intel Distillery website is now live! Our comprehensive -- and growing -- content hub features even more resources.

Delivery companies, food stamp eligibility requirements and a bill proposing to raise the minimum wage are the dominant topics of late. Are you staying on top of these issues?

DELIVERY WOES AND FOES: The term "food-delivery war" has become a recurring topic in our news scans. On July 15, The Wall Street Journal tied the slow growth of restaurants offering third-party delivery to the slow growth of the delivery companies themselves. In a separate article, food policy writer Heather Haddon described how delivery companies are "sharing more data and fusing technology more seamlessly with restaurants" to prove their worth to restaurants that may see them as expensive and difficult to use. 

OH, SNAP: On July 23, the USDA proposed a rule that would reform eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, aka food stamps). The policy allows states to circumvent current income limits and automatically enroll households that already receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. Under this change, 3.1 million participants who are currently automatically eligible for benefits would not be. 

WRESTLING WITH WAGES: Influential voices have long debated the costs and benefits of raising the minimum wage. Earlier this month, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecasted that raising the federal minimum wage would "boost workers' earnings through higher wages, though some of those higher earnings would be offset by higher rates of joblessness." On July 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would more than double the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2025. Supermarket Newscontended the bill, known as the Raise the Wage Act, "faces slim-to-none chance in Republican-controlled Senate."

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Mars, Incorporated has selected the inaugural class for their SEEDS of CHANGE™ Accelerator program, designed to help early stage food-focused companies fast-track growth and live their purpose to build a healthier and more sustainable future. The six selected companies are Brooklyn Delhi, Fora, NoBull Burger, Oxtale, Prommus, and True Made Foods. 

The panel selected these six US participants out of the search that focused on companies that share the Mars Food purpose – Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow. – through world flavors, plant-based eating, easy-meal solutions, responsible food and creating with care. The final six companies include

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Last week, the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and The Good Food Institute released data showing that U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods have grown 11 percent in the past year, bringing the total plant-based market value to $4.5 billion. “Given that plant-based food is a growth engine for food industry, growing more than 5x that of total food, retailers are excited to provide as much innovation and variety of delicious-tasting plant-based foods to satisfy their shoppers’ needs,” said Julie Emmett Senior Director, Retail Partnerships at PBFA. That’s good news for 19-year-old Ben Pasternak, a new kid on the food-stuff block who may be poised to take the category to the next level.

Read the full article here 

If you miss the days of sitting in front of the television watching Nickelodeon with a bowl of cereal, Kellogg’s is bringing some much-needed childhood frivolity back to our lives.

On Thursday, the food-manufacturing company announced it has teamed up with Salford Brewery Seven Bro7hers to turn its “less-than-perfect” Rice Krispies and Coco Pops into beer.

Following the success of the brewery’s Throw Away IPA – made from leftover Kellogg’s CornFlakes – the brewers have created a new range of beers made from the grains discarded during the cooking process at the cereal giant’s Manchester factory.

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Check out this cool article from our member Aclara Research about cannabis infusion at home. Click here to download the pdf copy of their research and findings. 

In many cultures around the world, insects and arachnids form a normal part of a person's diet. In the United States and Europe, however, we tend to regard such "delicacies" with mistrust. Can scientific evidence suggesting that insects are more healthful and nutritious than other foods change our minds?

Edible insects have the highest market value in Asia-Pacific regions, according to recent reports. However, the same reports indicate that their value is on the rise in the United States.

Read the full article here 

RXBar is pushing further beyond its protein bar heritage by diving into another category where there’s already plenty of competition: oats.

Yes, the bar company acquired by Kellogg Co. in 2017 is getting into the cereal business. Clearly, it’s aware of PepsiCo’s Quaker Oats and the other products that try to compete against that behemoth. And it’s going into that category anyway.

“Healthy competition is always good,” RXBar Chief Marketing Officer Victor Lee says on the latest episode of Ad Age’s Marketer’s Brief podcast. “If you don’t have competition you start to question well, why are we doing this?”

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MillerCoors is taking another step towards a plastic-free world with their newest product, a fiber, eco-friendly six-pack beer ring. The recyclable, biodegradable and compostable six-pack beer rings are currently only being used in Colorado. The MillerCoors craft brewer, AC Golden, has the fiber rings on their Colorado Native beer. However, a spokeswoman for MillerCoors said if the trial run goes well, the fiber rings could eventually be available in Milwaukee.

Read the full article from WISN here

Nestlé, the largest food company by revenue, announced a pilot program to track its supply chains using blockchain, according to a company statement.

The firm partnered with OpenSC, a blockchain platform, to develop the distributed ledger system which will be separate and distinct from Nestlé’s ongoing participation with IBM Food Trust blockchain.

The pilot will last six months, and success will be determined by the “feasibility, viability and scalability of the system,” as well as how well the system verifies data, according to a Nestlé representative. Once rolled out, the service may involve a QR code, mobile app, and web portal.

Read the full article here 

Part two of our new Founders Series: Sales & Distribution, took place at the beautiful PRE office in the West Loop, downtown Chicago. Our wonderful members from Amica Tea joined us to sample their delicious, signature green tea as attendees started to file into the space. Our panel of experts for the evening included Josh Katt, CEO & founder of KitchFix, Ali Shouman, Senior VP - Business Development, Alex Marx, Director - Growth Solutions at KeHe, Joe D'Angelo, Director of Sales with Norman Distribution, and Joy Tucci, owner of DaCosta Global Inc. 

The panel broke down the logistics of sales and distribution, from early stage start-ups, to established CPG companies on how to best navigate this aspect of your business. Guests for the evening were given the opportunity to learn about unique tactics and strategies that can be used to get the most out of your transactional experiences with your distributor, as well as how to be a great client (which most often results in becoming a "high priority client").The panel also attributed their own personal experiences into how to grow and scale your business, refine your sales and enhance the distribution process. As always, we had a blast with our guests at this Founders Series! Learning and growing as a Network.