The Food Institute

3 days ago | foodinstitute.com | Kelly Beaton

Podcasts In this week’s food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the fast-casual dining sector’s surprisingly strong start to 2025. This week’s podcast also touches on how the 50% levy on foreign steel and aluminum could create problems for the food industry, as they’re key components of packaging design and are likely to result in unintended ripple effects, according to a recent report.

4 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 | Kelly Beaton

In recent weeks, Canadian business leaders have expressed concern and unease amid trade tensions with the U.S. That said, even as tariff threats have been volleyed back and forth across the border – and even as Canadians boycott some American products – the relationship between the two countries isn’t completely fractured. A new poll conducted by the Leo & Dragon consultancy found that, despite Canadian consumer patriotism, opportunities continue to exist for U.S. brands.

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.