Top 10: News from Kraft Heinz, Costco’s expansion, off-premises dining

SmartBrief’s food and beverage readers were interested in the news that Costco will spend $3 billion in the current fiscal year to open 25 new stores around the globe. The retailer operates 544 stores in the US and is planning another 15. Also in food retail, news of a record-breaking store opening for Wegmans piqued reader interest.

CPG readers were especially interested in news from Kraft Heinz this week, with stories about the company’s pathways to innovation and its new ancient grains mini-meals brand standing out. Kellog’s unveiling of Pretzel Pop-Tarts and new flavors of Cheez-Its also caught readers’ attention, as did a story about Hershey’s agile approach to product introductions.

On the restaurant side, readers were interested in a proposed Labor Department rule that would allow restaurants that don’t include tips when calculating servers’ wages to pool the gratuities and share them with kitchen staff. News of a survey showing that 60% of restaurant dining is done off-premises also whetted readers’ appetites. 

Read the full Top 10:

1. Costco spending $3B to open 25 new stores worldwide 

2. Kraft Heinz’s VP of R&D talks 3 pathways to innovation 

3. Pretzel Pop-Tarts, new flavors of Cheez-It are among Kellogg reveals 

4. Labor Dept. proposes rule that would allow tip pooling 

5. Hershey product launches face agile test 

6. 100th Wegmans store in N.C. breaks opening-day record 

7. Survey shows 60% of restaurant dining is off-premises 

8. Kraft Heinz launches ancient grains mini-meals brand 

9. Chefs discuss their favorite tools to use in the kitchen 

10. How a $1 margarita helped drive turnaround efforts at Applebee’s

Related stories:

• Plant-based meat brands find ways to stand out in a growing field

• Focus on fresh is key when courting today’s grocery shopper

• Bugs for dinner: Behind the latest sustainability trend

Interested in aligning your brand alongside the hot topics of the year? Check out what SmartBrief’s Food & Travel editors have identified as trending content topics for 2019 (download).

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