The HEINZ United States of Saucemerica program plans to utilize our iconic HEINZ sachets and turn them into state-related collectible tokens! 50 new designs, similar to the below, will be rolling out across Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo, Tartar, BBQ, and Ranch from June – August 2023, roughly. Each case of product will host anywhere from 1 to 4 different states at a time, and over the summer, the state assortments will change twice – roughly once per month. This approach of assortment release will encourage continued consumer engagement.

The HEINZ United States of Saucemerica promotion incentivizes consumers to collect as many packets as possible, throughout the summer, for a chance to win a cash prize – but that’s not all, operators who purchase any of these impacted SKUs will also have a chance to win! More details to come on operator & consumer contest and prizing

Following the close of the campaign in August, packaging graphics will begin to return to their normal, current designs, though Saucemerica product will still be valid even after the contest close. All impacted SKUs are listed on the pages following.

Please reach out to your Kraft Heinz Away From Home representative with any questions.

​Affected IFD Items: 
#58340 - HNZ YELLOW MUSTARD SS500 .2OZ
#58300 - HNZ YELLOW MUSTARD SS200 .2OZ
#58660 - HEINZ TARTAR SAUCE SS200 12GM
#107249 - 9G HNZ KET SMPHNZ SS 1000
#58220 - HEINZ KETCHUP SINGLE SERVE 1000 9GM
#58180 - HEINZ KETCHUP SINGLE SERVE 500 9GM
#105019 - HNZ BARBECUE SAUCE SS200 12GM
#105569 - HNZ REAL MAYONNAISE SS500 12GM S/O
#58700 - HNZ REAL MAYONNAISE SS200 12GM

Orange juice futures are hitting record highs because of bad weather and a nasty citrus disease. That could mean higher prices at the grocery store. In recent weeks, prices in the OJ futures market have topped $3 per pound. Around this time last year, prices were hovering at around $1.81 per pound. The price increase has been fueled primarily by short citrus supply around the globe.

Click here to read more. 

Mayonnaise forms the foundation for numerous delightful sauces. From tangy tartar sauce to lemony aioli to spicy Sriracha mayo, it can be easily customized to suit your taste preferences. The thick condiment welcomes all, effortlessly enhancing the flavor profiles of burgers, grilled meats, and especially seafood dishes.

​Click here to read the Summer Edition of Kraft Heinz Taste Trends.

FLAKY, GOLDEN PERFECTION IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME
There’s no thawing. No proofing. No preparation stress. Just delicious, flaky, fresh Pillsbury croissants every single time.

Croissants are delicious on their own, but they’re also the perfect canvas for culinary creativity! Get started with a free recipe book filled with 12 irresistible recipes your customers will love — from Orange Almond Croissant Sticky Buns to Steak Frites Croissants with Blue Cheese Crumbles.

Check out General Mills Croissant Recipe Book!

Irked by California’s Proposition 12, seven farm-state senators announced legislation on Thursday to prohibit states from regulating agricultural production in other states. Virtually anyone — producer, distributor, trade group, transporter, consumer, and laborer were named in the bill — would be empowered to challenge such regulatory infringement in court and seek financial compensation.

Click here to read the article. 

In 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the leisure and hospitality industry in the United States suffered more job losses than any other sector. The majority of layoffs were in foodservice, with around 5.5 million chefs, waiters, and cashiers forced out of their jobs.
As restaurants continue to recover, the main focus is on attracting customers while keeping costs down. However, the widespread labor shortage in the United States is making it difficult for foodservice companies to thrive and meet all-important revenue targets. The shortage is having a significant impact from small towns to major foodie cities including Orlando, New Orleans, and San Francisco.

Click here to read the full article. 

Cold storage and logistics company Americold reportedly has been dealing with IT issues since a network breach last week. 
​
The company contained what may have been a ransomware attack and is investigating the incident, which, based on customer and employee reports, has affected operations, according to the story on a popular information security and technology site, BleepingComputer.com.

Americold has not issued an official statement about the incident. Neither did the company provide details in a memo reportedly sent to customers. Americold did tell customers that it expects its systems to remain out of operation until mid-week this week, the report said.

"In the meantime, it is requested that you cancel any inbounds out past" this week. "Outbounds will continue to be very limited in manual capabilities, so we would like to request that any non-critical outbounds be pushed out and rescheduled with your site SR at a later date," BleepingComputer quoted the memo as saying. "Critical outbounds should include product that have potential to reach an expiration date."

"As we continue to work to understand the level at which data will be recovered, we will be able adjust our anticipated timeline for restart and will provide updates accordingly," the memo reportedly said

The company did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Americold has locations across the world and provides temperature-controlled storage all along the animal protein supply chain.

​USDA’s Animal Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the state of Illinois involving commercial turkeys.
The infections in Wayne County affected 18,200 turkeys and represented the first confirmed HPAI outbreaks in Illinois since Dec. 21 and bring the number of commercial and wild birds affected by HPAI to approximately 27,210 since March of last year.
Meanwhile, a total of 111,300 birds in Pennsylvania tested positive for HPAI in the last week, including 97,700 commercial broilers in Lancaster County, APHIS reported. The agency’s totals include 9,400 birds in Pennsylvania confirmed with HPAI since Feb. 23.

It’s never been easy to operate a restaurant, and in recent years it’s been even harder.
In 2020, Covid restrictions ground the nation’s bustling restaurant industry to a halt. Since then, there have been significant signs of a rebound: Dining rooms have reopened and customers have returned to cafes, fine-dining establishments and fast food joints.
But there are fewer US restaurants today than in 2019. It’s not clear when —if ever — they’re coming back. Click here to read the full article. 

​The worst-ever outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza continued, with the virus affecting flocks in the U.S. and abroad. 
United States
On Feb. 21, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced an HPAI outbreak in a commercial broiler production flock in Lancaster County, Pa. The USDA stated that 97,700 birds were affected, and the outbreak is still considered active.
That is the third commercial broiler outbreak so far in 2023. On Jan. 20, a detection in Weakley County, Tenn. affected 267,800 birds, and a Feb. 7 outbreak in Leake County, Miss. affected 89,800 birds. 
Canada
Like the U.S., Canada is also grappling with historic HPAI outbreaks. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, approximately 7.2 million domestic birds in Canada have been affected in the last year, with 3.7 million cullings in British Columbia alone. The Globe and Mail notes that more than $82 million has been paid, to date, as compensation for cullings. 
South America, Caribbean cases
HPAI was recently declared "endemic" by world health experts, and the virus has continued its spread to other countries.
In the last week, both Argentina and Uruguay confirmed their first cases among wild birds, according to Poultry World. Currently, Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname are the only South American countries without detections. Argentina’s secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Juan José Bahillo, blamed migratory birds for the country's detection; the secretary called an emergency meeting to address matters.
Additionally, WATT cited WOAH reports that three birds at Cuba's Jardín Zoológico de La Habana zoo in Havana died from HPAI. The detection resulted in the culling of 82 birds in the zoo's area.

Positive customer engagement can build long-lasting connections between customers and your brand. However, if you're not doing it right, customers will disengage, negatively affecting your overall revenue. Click here to read the full article. 

The burgeoning influence of Generation Alpha, whose oldest members will start hitting their teens this year, will have a growing effect on food trends in the coming years, Datassential's Samantha Des Jardins writes. Other factors expected to drive food trends in 2023 include artificial intelligence, greater risk-taking with menus, and a broadening of the definition of "third place" as more people shift to working from home.
Datassential, the leading food and beverage insights platform connecting the dots between consumers and the food industry, has unveiled the tentpole themes and macro trends that will impact the food industry in the coming year. Click here to read the full article. 

Higher ingredient costs will continue to plague restaurant operators in 2023, forcing them to streamline menus, according to several foodservice industry experts. Click here to read more. 

USDA confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial turkey farm in Virginia, the second such incident in the space of a week. 
The latest HPAI outbreak affected 10,700 turkeys at a farm in Rockingham County, Va., and is the second in the Shenandoah Valley at a commercial turkey farm in January, USDA reported.
The earlier outbreak, also in Rockingham County, affected 25,300 birds, according to a report from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that also was confirmed by USDA. The turkeys in that incident were culled to prevent the spread of the virus and represented the first such HPAI outbreak in the state.
Unlike the 17 states where USDA has confirmed at least one HPAI outbreak since late 2021, the Virginia outbreaks have affected only commercial poultry operations as infections nationwide continue to show only moderate signs of slowing down.

Historic storms have hammered California for more than two weeks, causing widespread flooding, road closures, power outages and evacuations in numerous counties.
As the state received roughly five times its average rainfall, the deluge offered water relief for drought-stricken farmlands. But the storms also inflicted a harsh toll on agriculture. Click here to read the full article. 

Even with eggs in short supply nationwide and prices climbing to new heights, it has not been enough to keep a 100-year-old egg farm from going out of business.
John Lewis Jr., president of Farmer John Egg Farm in Bakersfield, confirmed that the family operation will close its doors by the end of the month. The move comes as commercial poultry farms across the country have been pummeled by avian influenza, which has led to bird losses topping 57 million and shoppers facing sticker shock on eggs. Click here to read the full article. 

Legislators in Virginia and Washington state have introduced bills that aim to provide universal free meals to students. The Washington Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act would offer all 1.1 million students in the state free breakfast and lunch at school.
Meanwhile, in Virginia, HB 1967 would require schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students unless they receive written instruction from a student’s parent or guardian to not offer the meals. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Education. Click here to read the full article. 

Only 54% of QSR employees reached 90 days of working before quitting in 2022, according to an HourWork report emailed to Restaurant Dive that is based on surveys of employees at over 8,000 QSR restaurants. Prior to the pandemic, the segment’s 90-day retention rate hovered at 58%. Click here to read the full article.