Michelle Cheng

Parmigiano Reggiano, known as the “King of Cheeses,” is so prized that it has inspired a counterfeit market.

Restaurants in the US have faced ingredient shortages for most of the pandemic. Supply chain snags and surging food prices have forced operators to get creative with what they had on hand, from grilling foods typically served raw or fermenting ingredients to extend their shelf life.

Four years ago, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink was forced to confront his gun problem.

Would you rather have this?

From Taco Bell to Applebee’s, NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are cropping up in the food world. Although they have mostly been associated with collecting and trading digital art, brands have also been using NFTs to drive loyalty and engagement—somewhat like a new form of rewards points.

The US restaurant industry’s bad rap only got worse with the pandemic. Restaurant workers quit en masse in 2020, complaining about low pay, obnoxious customers, lack of benefits, and the risk of covid.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed large restaurant chains including McDonald’s, KFC, and Starbucks to halt operations in both countries.

The Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, where 10 people were murdered on Saturday (May 14), will remain closed until further notice. An 18-year-old white man has been accused of killing 10 people and injuring three others at the grocery store according to law enforcement officials, who described the attack as racially motivated. Most of the people who were shot were Black.

Meat has been one of the foods most affected by inflation, but despite high prices, a new survey found that 37% of participants said they would support an extra 10% meat tax to cut consumption.

For months, baby formula has been in short supply in the US.

Should I take the job? Should I buy a house in the suburbs or the city? Do I go with the blueberry muffin or the raspberry donut? What should I wear to the party?

Starbucks announced yesterday that it will roll out credit card and debit card tipping by late 2022. Previously, tipping was only allowed via Starbucks cards, which customers can use to redeem points and rewards. 

Inflation hasn’t stopped consumers from treating themselves to Toblerone chocolates and San Pellegrino water.

Even as it fences off apartment buildings to keep residents in, Shanghai has been easing restrictions on businesses to restart the city’s economy after weeks of lockdown.

Emmanuel Macron became the first French president to win a second term in 20 years, but the win appears to be more of a rejection of his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen than a vote of confidence for the 44-year-old centrist.

For Amazon, it’s a post-wallet world.

Just Eat Takeaway, an Amsterdam-based food delivery company, said today (pdf) it is thinking of selling Grubhub, its US division, after completing a deal to buy it for $7.3 billion last June. The potential sale highlights the challenges of the US food delivery market as the pandemic delivery boom slows.

Panera announced today that it is launching an unlimited beverage subscription for all self-serve drinks, a deal that arrives as food prices creep up. As pandemic restrictions continue to lift, Panera and other restaurants aim to lure more customers into stores with subscriptions for everything from lemonade to tacos.

Throughout the pandemic, restaurants and supermarkets have increasingly turned to automation and robots to deal with ongoing labor shortages in the service industry.

High prices in the US have been reshaping what shoppers buy, including switching to more affordable options, like store brands. Now inflation, which is at a 40-year high, is also changing how often people go to the grocery store.

Lactaid, a brand of lactose-free milk, is missing from the shelves of supermarkets like Costco and Publix. The reason: A cyberattack.

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn intends to nominate two candidates to the board of Kroger and called out the largest US supermarket chain for the “unconscionable” wage gap between its CEO and the average employee.

Delivery of just about everything became mainstream during the pandemic, and has rapidly evolved to include the so-called ultrafast delivery. But now that market is faltering.

About a third of Applebee’s and Olive Garden customers are now eating their riblets and fettuccini alfredo at home.