All Food & Beverage Articles
  • Mosquitoes are eating people and plastic, bringing materials up the food…

    Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & Environmental

    As humans, we often think of mosquitos as blood-sucking parasites that do nothing but buffet lunch on us, cause us pain and irritant to our skins, and leave us itching and sometimes bloody when we squash them between our hands. But, the little flying blood buzzards are more than that, including plastic-ingesting insects that are polluting their own bodies while they gnaw on the man-made material and bring it up the food chain. Authors of a paper — published in The Royal Society journal Biology Letters — found that when a mosquito larva eats microplastic, that plastic can remain in the insect's body into adulthood. So, the microplastic can then be transferred to whatever might eat that mosquito, including birds.

  • Vending machines poised to take retail to a new dimension

    Katherine Radin Retail

    As long-standing merchants such as Sears and Toys R Us shutter, retailers continue to feel the pressure to perform "in person." When we discussed this topic more than a year ago, commercial landlords were turning to restaurants and food markets to help fill the void. Now, it seems that a more technological approach could be seen in the future — with the use of vending machines. A beloved vendor of chips, chocolate bars, and carbonated beverages, the humble vending machine has dished out a more diverse lineup of products for sale over the years, from makeup, to books, to electronics.

  • Negotiating commercial leases: Renewal rent reductions

    Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield Retail

    For many commercial tenants, negotiating a good lease or lease renewal against an experienced agent or landlord can be a challenge. While an entrepreneur focuses on marketing and managing, savvy real estate agents and brokers are specialized salespeople. Their job is to sell tenants on leasing their location at the highest possible rental rate. Whether you are leasing a new location for the first time or negotiating a lease renewal for your business, here are two money-saving tips.

  • McDonald’s workers strike against sexual harassment in several major…

    Michelle R. Matisons Food & Beverage

    A lot has changed in labor organizing as the Fight for $15 campaign, which seeks to raise the minimum wage, and the #MeToo movement addressing workplace sexual harassment recently merged to target workplace sexual harassment against McDonald’s workers. On Sept. 19, McDonald’s workers in 10 cities — including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Orlando, Durham, and Kansas City — hit the streets demanding better sexual harassment training programs, a better employee complaint process, and a sexual harassment complaint committee.

  • Not just pumpkin: Fall food and beverage trends hit the retail sector

    Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

    Fall deals are springing up everywhere, and the retail space is putting up some exciting offers. Among these, the food and beverage segment is creating quite a wave. Retail marketing sees new trends and styles come up all the time, at times seasonal and at times event-based. This is one of those times where marketing strategies evoke more seasonal cravings than usual. Even before the season has truly set in, there have been some interesting products unveiled for consumers, both in retail stores and food establishments.

  • Katrina McGhee continues to empower women on new tour

    Simma Lieberman Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    Katrina McGhee is the founder of "Loving On Me," a global movement to empower women to love themselves, support each other and take self-leadership of their lives. A former executive of the American Heart Association and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Katrina uses her own life experiences to help women who have the talent but not necessarily the confidence, self-esteem or strategy to go past the limits they’ve set for themselves, and have the life and career they want.

  • Serving up logistics: How QSRs and supply chains are working together

    Delany Martinez Food & Beverage

    Call it a hunger for fast, convenient food: the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry in the U.S. is projected to surpass $223 billion in the next two years. Part of that success is driven — in most cases, quite literally — by robust logistical networks that tie far-flung franchises to their distributors through ever-evolving methods. With large chains like Wendy's and Chipotle touting their fresh, never-frozen fare, cold chain technology and accountability are more important than ever.

  • Cause-driven changes are affecting the food and beverage market

    Bambi Majumdar Food & Beverage

    The food and beverage industry is witnessing a significant shift in strategies. Most leading brands are focusing in part on cause-driven strategies for future business growth. We recently discussed how changing consumer habits are driving growth for specialty sodas. Beverage giants and traditional food producers are feeling the heat of these changes while smaller players are adapting fast.

  • Study: Human waste could be resource-rich fertilizer for global agriculture

    Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & Environmental

    Well, if this isn’t a load of … then nothing is. But, that’s what we’re talking about: human waste. While the subject is often taboo, human waste actually is full of nutrients that can be recycled into products to promote agricultural sustainability and better economic independence for some developing countries. Used properly, our own waste may be nothing more than the animal manure that makes the foods we grow so abundant, and our gardens so strong and attractive.

  • The evolution of the school lunch menu

    Brian Stack Education

    For anyone in their 30s or older, it comes as no surprise that over the past two decades, America’s palate has evolved and diversified. Tuna casserole and meatloaf dinners have been replaced with meals that have much bolder flavors and are influenced by many ethnic backgrounds. As you might expect, the changing palate for adults also means a new palate for kids, and that has had a big impact on school lunch programs from coast to coast.