A new 65,000-square-foot store in Philadelphia, which features an outdoor terrace, restaurants and a beer garden, will help serve as Giant's urban flagship and offer a blueprint for future growth, CEO and President Nick Bertram says. From bolstering its technology and e-commerce footprint to increasing its focus on local offerings, Bertram discusses the new store and what's directly ahead for the Ahold Delhaize USA banner.

Beyond Meat, a major player in growing the popularity of meat and dairy alternatives, has again expanded its retail grocery offerings across the US, giving it a presence at 28,000 stores. The company has added a wider variety of products, such as Beyond Meatballs and its Cookout Classic frozen plant-based burger patties, to grocers including Albertsons, FreshDirect.com, Kroger, Target and Walmart.

Researchers with Mexico's National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research have created a new lemon variety designed to produce higher yields and adapt to growing conditions in different parts of the country. Development of the new variety is part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's plan to expand its role in citrus production.

The FDA has identified cattle and dairy operations as the cause of E. coli contamination in nearby leafy greens operations and ruled that the threat is a "reasonably foreseeable hazard" for California growers, attorney Bill Marler writes. To avoid foodborne illness outbreaks, restaurants need complete transparency about the source of the salad greens they source, he writes.

Lee Delaney, who was named president of BJ's Wholesale Club in 2019 and CEO last year, died suddenly last week at age 49, the company said in a statement. Delaney, who joined BJ's in 2016 as executive vice president and chief growth officer, later helping guide the wholesaler through the start of the pandemic, died of "presumed natural causes," the company said, adding that current Chief Financial Officer Bob Eddy will step in as interim CEO.

The pandemic has pushed more people to cook at home and that "sea change in food consumption" contributed to robust sales for dairy and deli cheeses, which jumped nearly 20% year over year, according to a report from IRI. Cheese served as a comfort food and a protein snack, and was a key ingredient of charcuterie boards and healthy salads, with IRI's Jonna Parker saying cheese "rode the wave across the store."

Electric bicycles designed to pull containers that can hold up to 800 pounds of groceries are being rolled out in New York City and Pasadena, Calif., by URB-E, one of the latest companies to pursue cheaper and more environmentally sustainable delivery methods. CEO Charles Jolley would not say which grocers URB-E was working with, but indicated they were companies that have delivery services but want alternatives to gas or diesel vehicles.

HelloFresh is donating meal kits to help more than 1,000 students at culinary schools in New York City practice their meal preparation skills online or in a blended class setting. The debut of @TheTable is a partnership between HelloFresh, the Food Education Fund and the Fund for Public Schools and is "designed to enrich culinary education and support our future culinary leaders during this very challenging school year," said Uwe Voss, CEO of HelloFresh US.

The wine industry's remarkable adaptation to pandemic-forced upheaval has been well-documented, but less certain is whether the shift in business models will stick once the pandemic has ended. Direct-to-consumer sales hit records in 2020, but analysts say wineries shouldn't assume they'll continue to hold an advantage over retailers.

The aging and bottling of kosher whiskey require careful attention to detail to ensure the product is not exposed to even a trace of non-kosher spirits. Buffalo Trace Distillery followed such protocols when producing its popular kosher whiskeys, which this year are Kosher Rye Recipe Bourbon, Kosher Wheat Recipe Bourbon and Kosher Straight Rye Whiskey.