New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows food service sales lagged the pace of broader economic recovery in June. Total retail sales increased 7.5 percent from the prior month and marked a 1.1 percent increase from June 2019. Conversely, food service sales increased 20 percent from May as states eased lockdown requirements and vacationing started over Memorial Day weekend. However, food service sales are still down 26 percent from June 2019. Grocery store sales fell 1.5 percent from May as consumer stockpiling eased and high meat prices curtailed consumption but remained 11.6 percent above year-ago levels.
Relevant for WPI clients is the implication that meat packers will continue to focus on producing products for the gro...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year. September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements sett...
Total Red Meat & Poultry September 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 1.97 billion pounds, down 1.4 percent from August despite typically increasing 0.8 percent during the month, and were 1.5 percent below September 2025 levels. The decline pushed total inventories to a new five...
