Not surprisingly, half of this week’s most-read food-and-beverage stories were about some aspect of the coronavirus outbreak, starting with a Bernstein report forecasting temporary spikes in sales of shelf-stable and frozen foods as consumers stocked up. Concerns about the outbreak also seem likely to spur demand for online grocery shopping, the report found.
Two stories sharing information from the federal government on how districts with school closings can help feed students who rely on the meals they receive at school also made the Top 10 list. In one, the Agriculture Department offered guidance to districts and schools in response to a request from the School Nutrition Association to waive restrictions on serving meals at community locations and closed schools.
In another school-related story, a Massachusetts district made the decision to end cafeteria meals served buffet styles to avoid spreading the disease.
In grocery news, Target and Kroger announced plans to limit sales of hand sanitizer, cleaning suppliers and other staples that consumers were stocking up on amid the outbreak.
Not all of this week’s most popular stories were related to the outbreak. Chipotle Mexican Grill’s news that Steve Ells would step down as executive chairman 26 years after founding the company, and hand the title to CEO Brian Niccol. Niccol, the former head of Taco Bell, took the chief executive reins from Ells two years ago.
And Albertsons’ plans to try and go public a second time topped this week’s top 10 list. The news of a planned IPO that could value the grocery chain at around $19 billion broke just as global stock markets began to slide, and on Thursday the Dow Jones Industrial Average had its biggest one-day drop since 1987.
Read the entire Top 10:
- Albertsons plans new IPO
- Hy-Vee moves online order fulfillment back to stores
- Chipotle CEO Niccol adds chairman role as Ells steps down
- Report: Coronavirus fears will help online, frozen food sales
- What coronavirus closings mean for school meals
- USDA gives guidance on student meals amid closures
- Target, Kroger limit sales of antivirus staples
- Schools adjust cafeteria operations due to virus
- Hershey debuts new Pirate’s Booty, SkinnyPop snacks
- US Foods plans purchase of Smart Foodservice Warehouse Stores
Related stories:
- How restaurants are reacting to the coronavirus outbreak
- How grocery retailers are coping with the coronavirus outbreak
- How plant-based meat makers put down roots for their brands
_____________________________________
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for Restaurant Smartbrief to get news like this in your inbox, or check out all of SmartBrief’s food and travel newsletters as we offer more than 30 newsletters covering the food and travel industries from restaurants, food retail and food manufacturing to business travel, the airline and hotel industries and gaming.