The COVID-19 pandemic forced the food retail industry to innovate faster in 2020 than ever before, but also meant “windfall profits” for many food retailers as people stocked up on food and restaurants closed their doors. According to a Brookings Institution report published in late 2020, top retailers earned an average of 40% higher profits in 2020 over 2019, and stock prices…
A Moral Imperative and an Economic Opportunity According to the nonprofit ReFED, one third of all food produced in the U.S. is wasted. That is equivalent to roughly 2% of the U.S. GDP. Globally, 931 million metric tons of food are wasted annually. According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report 2021, 61% of…
We all know that plastics are a problem – and grocery stores are positioned to help solve it Images of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and stories of microplastics found in the bodies of sea life…
Food retailers are already dealing with the effects of climate change on their businesses. Increased dramatic weather events—more intense and more frequent hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and extreme snow and rain—damage property and impact just-in-time supply chains that keep shelves stocked and communities fed. Some industry actors have been working to up…