Gourmet News

Gas, Groceries, Dining Out Top List for Rising Costs

Published April 13, 2022

Gasoline, groceries, and dining out top a list of the 12 most acute inflation pain points for consumers today, according to First Insight’s latest study detailing the impacts of inflation on consumer spending.

“Soaring gas and food prices are just the tip of the iceberg for consumers today,” said Greg Petro, CEO. “Record high prices on essential items will negatively impact both consumers’ confidence and their spending power. Some categories, such as apparel, footwear, accessories, travel and entertainment may struggle as consumers cut back on discretionary spending. It will be critically important for companies to remain close to their customer base to predict how they are going to respond to all the changes out there.”

The top 12 categories affecting consumers’ daily lives the most include:

Gas
Groceries
Dining
Vehicle Prices
Household Goods
Rent/Mortgage
Apparel, Footwear & Accessories
Entertainment & Recreation
Healthcare
Education
Travel, Hotels, Flights, Vacations
Childcare

This study is the first in a series of reports which will reveal the influence inflation is having on various consumer groups and demographic segments such as people who are returning to the office. The reports also present deep dives into specific concerns by generation, regions and other demographic groupings.

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Wiley Wallaby Kicks Off Tour on National Licorice Day (April 12)

Published April 11, 2022

Wiley Wallaby, a popular soft-and-chewy licorice, is celebrating National Licorice Day by hosting the inaugural stop of its 29-city mobile marketing tour Apr. 12 in New York City. The five-month tour will cover more than 10,000 miles and distribute more than 500,000 samples of delicious Wiley Wallaby licorice in 17 flavors.

“We take care to create licorice that everyone will love. Snacking always brings people together, and our mobile marketing experience will celebrate not just the quality of our product, but the moments it helps create,” said Jadi Anderson, director of marketing & product development. “We invite everyone to look for our colorful, red Wiley Wallaby van at their favorite events this summer, stop by, say hi, and share a snackable moment with us.”

The Wiley Wallaby Mobile Tour kicks off April 12 in New York City at 8 a.m. The experience – located in Midtown Manhattan at West 49th St between 5th and 6th Avenues – will contain various engagement elements, including moments designed to surprise and delight consumers.

The tour features:

Sampling opportunities for select flavors
Photo opportunities and social media engagements
Custom charm bracelets
Facts and learnings about licorice and the Wiley Wallaby story

Wiley Wallaby Licorice is available for purchase at wileywallaby.com, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Hy-Vee, 7-11, Circle K, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Whole Foods Market, HEB, Giant, Cub Foods, Coborns, Schnucks and Meijer.

Click here to track the tour.

Want to find out where the Wiley Wallaby Mobile Tour is headed next? Visit WileyWallaby.com to track the tour and make plans to meet us on the road.

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Cedar’s Foods Donates $100K to World Central Kitchen for Ukraine Relief

Published April 11, 2022

Cedar’s Foods, a Haverhill, Mass.-based company with national distribution of hommus and Mediterranean products, has donated $100,000 for Ukraine relief, to World Central Kitchen to help feed refugees.

Since military operations began in Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes to stay in western Ukraine or other countries and WCK is serving millions of fresh meals to displaced families. Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals within hours of the initial invasion, and are now serving round-the-clock dishes at eight border crossings across the country.

Additionally, WCK is supporting local restaurants preparing meals in cities across Ukraine including in Odessa, Lviv and Kyiv. WCK teams are also on the ground serving thousands of meals every day in Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, and Spain.

As part of Cedar’s with Heart, the company’s non-profit initiative to invest and honor its employees, communities, and consumers, the national leading hommus brand in the natural and organic grocery channels is committed to fighting food insecurity both in its community and around the world.

“At Cedar’s, we believe in the power of sharing better in the form of authentic, honest foods. Cedar’s with Heart extends that mission to not only share better with the world, but do better for the good of our community and our planet,” said Charles Hanna, CEO and president. “We hope to lead by example through our acts of service and our commitment to promote positive change for the next generation and generations to come. The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is one of the worst that we have seen in decades. Our commitment to fight food insecurity transcends borders and when we heard of the great work WCK is doing, we wanted to help.

“Knowing better means doing better not only for our community, but for our global community as well. No family should have to worry about where their next meal will come from, especially after fleeing their homes and making the daunting journey to refuge,” Hanna said. “Food is a human necessity, a common ground among us all. It provides comfort and a sense of hope and stability. As a leader in the food industry, we are proud of the work WCK is doing on the frontlines and honored to be able to support them in feeding Ukrainian refugees.”

World Central Kitchen is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. When disaster strikes, WCK’s Chef Relief Team mobilizes to the frontlines with the urgency of now to start cooking and provide meals to people in need. By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of food trucks or emergency kitchens, WCK provides freshly made, nutritious meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively.

Is your specialty food company contributing to Ukraine relief? Let our Senior Editor, AJ Flick, know by emailing her at aj_flick@oser.com and subscribe to Gourmet News for updates!