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Top 10: School lunch supplies, H-E-B and Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce

Whole Foods Market's 2022 food trends forecast and Del Taco's labor shortage adjustments also drew in readers.

3 min read

Food

Top 10: School lunch supplies, H-E-B and Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce

H-E-B

The current supply chain delays and the new challenges they’re presenting to school lunch programs were top-of-mind for SmartBrief’s food and beverage readers this week, with stories on the topic filling the top two spots on the most-clicked list. 

School nutrition professionals across the country are reporting inconsistent and canceled deliveries of a range of food items including orange juice, chicken and turkey as well as trays and utensils at a time when demand for school meals is on the rise.  In a survey from the School Nutrition Association, 97% of US school nutrition professionals raised concerns about disruptions due  to supply chain challenges and the USDA has allocated $1.5 billion to help school food programs cope. 

Plans by H.E. Butt Grocery for a 103,000-square-foot central Texas store led in grocery news this week. The location will feature a drive-thru pharmacy and expanded produce, organic and dairy sections and offer curbside pickup and home delivery when it opens in a little more than a year. 

Whole Foods Market’s food trend predictions for 2022 and news that the grocer will launch a Trends Discovery Box featuring products representing the top 10 trends also proved popular with readers. 

In restaurant news, readers clicked on the news that Del Taco has been raising wages in some areas where it operates in the face of labor shortages that have also led the chain to temporarily close some locations and cut back the operating hours in others. 

The announcement that rap star Megan Thee Stallion will become both a spokesperson and a franchisee for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen also made the top 10 this week. The celebrity has partnered with the chain, which is owned by Restaurant Brands International, to launch Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce. 

Read the entire Top 10:

  1. Supply chain leads to uncertainty for school meals
  2. School nutrition pros tackle supply chain challenges
  3. H-E-B going big with new central Texas store
  4. Whole Foods makes its trends predictions for 2022
  5. Freeman: Supply chain issues require national response
  6. How to make squash the centerpiece of the fall dinner table
  7. Del Taco adjusts prices to cover higher labor, food costs
  8. P&G unveils Q1 sales growth, supply chain strategy
  9. Popeyes signs Megan Thee Stallion as a franchisee
  10. PepsiCo lowers injury rate with wearable tech program

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