Some 72% of consumers consider just two to four brands when making a purchase and 80% report being either very loyal or somewhat loyal to brands they buy, per an infographic from Wavemaker and BuzzFeed. The top element that spurs brand loyalty is a product being worth its price (30%), followed by superior quality (24%) and a brand delivering on its promises (22%).

Bonuses, prizes, college scholarships and higher pay are being offered by US restaurants such as Checkers, McDonald's and Dave & Buster's in a bid to fend off employee turnover. Industry wages are projected to increase by 4.7% this year, according to National Restaurant Association data.

Nashville, Tenn.; Charleston, S.C.; and Atlanta are three cities where multiple restaurants have opened in what once were gas stations or automotive garages. The locations are in high-traffic areas, and the existing decor can inspire menu items and architectural elements.

Delivery accounts for 63% of restaurant activity in cities and other urban areas, according to National Restaurant Association data, but not all trends are so uniform. For instance, cities with limited mass transit have a high density of quickservice options, while mass transit hubs such as New York City and Los Angeles are packed with fast casual options.

Restaurant brands such as &pizza and Marco's Pizza realize they can't cut out third-party delivery providers, but they can work with those companies to ensure quality and, in some cases, move certain deliveries in-house. Marco's holds monthly meetings with such third-party providers, says President and Chief Operating Officer Tony Libardi.

Internet of things devices can help reduce food waste by connecting businesses along the food supply chain and monitoring products for quality and safety. A Boston Consulting Group study found that using IOT would also benefit food retailers and producers financially.

Kraft Heinz's technology branch, Evolv Group, has developed a meal-planning app powered by artificial intelligence. Meal Hero creates personalized meal suggestions and interactive shopping lists that connect to Instacart.

According to the mid-July USDA Crop Progress report, based in part on visual inspections by crop scouts, soybean and corn crops are in the worst condition in seven years. About 58% or 53 million acres of planted corn was in good-to-excellent condition at the time of the report, the second-lowest amount for the last decade, behind only the 2012 drought year.

NCIS' new interactive map shows the specifics of how each individual state is affected by crop insurance. For instance, 38 million acres of Texas land is protected by crop insurance, while Iowa logs the highest crop value covered by the crop insurance program at almost $12 billion.

The USDA Aug. 12 Crop Production report will contain more comprehensive data than previous reports, National Agricultural Statistics Service Crops Branch Chief Lance Honig says. The report will include resurvey, satellite and Farm Service Agency certified acre data.