George Hajjar

5 days ago | foodinstitute.com | George Hajjar

Over the last three years, a basket of eight publicly traded casual-dining stocks has crushed the market. Including dividends, the Standard & Poor’s 500 has returned 49% over that period. But investors in the casual-dining space on average are up 88%. But that average is skewed by the sector’s biggest winner, Brinker International. Last month, we highlighted the incredible turnaround at the owner of Chili’s and Maggiano’s, and that turnaround has driven explosive returns.

1 week ago | foodinstitute.com | George Hajjar

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved three natural dyes for use in food and beverage manufacturing following a move to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services. At the time, many praised the joint initiative, observing that the government was taking crucial steps to enhance domestic health and wellness by aligning its approved additives more closely with those in European and Canadian markets.

1 week ago | foodinstitute.com | George Hajjar

Home>FocusTariff CentralSpread the Pain: Walmart, Competitors Consider Global Price Hikes Some global retailers, apparently trying to keep prices down in the U.S. in the wake of President Trump’s tariffs, reportedly are planning to spread the pain globally.

1 week ago | foodinstitute.com | George Hajjar

Home>MergersDiageo Considers American Brand-Selling Strategy A short phrase in the first quarter trading update from U.K.-based spirits giant Diageo caught investor attention. As part of the announcement of a broader “Accelerate” program to improve performance and results, the beverage and spirits giant disclosed that it was planning “appropriate and selective disposals” of its brands soon.

1 week ago | foodinstitute.com | George Hajjar

In the U.S. global retail sales of plant-based meat, seafood, milk, yogurt, ice cream, and cheese totaled $8.1 billion in 2024, doubling its 2017 values. These categories represent over a quarter of global plant-based retail sales, which recently reached $28.6 billion, according to a recent report from industry group The Good Food Institute.