5 things: What is the fate of food?

The fate of food: Grocery stores as we know them are an entirely different breed than they were a few decades ago – AI product tags, carts that suggest recipes to you, groceries delivered to your door – yet, the biggest change is something that people take for granted. One look into the produce section, and you’ll find a plethora of fruits and vegetables that, due to global trade expansion, are now available year-round regardless of the climate in which you live. Despite this milestone in agricultural development, most of America’s farms regularly lose profits, and worldwide human displacement and migration have skyrocketed due to food scarcity. Inflation has caused U.S. grocery prices to rise by roughly 21% since 2021, which will likely continue to upsurge due to food scarcity. Climate change has caused global agricultural production to drop by 30-35%, and it will fall further if we can’t create new and innovative ways to farm. Experts suggest that as climate-threatened foods are redesigned or replaced, the current diets will shift. While it’s hard to be certain about the future of food, one thing is for sure – change is inevitable. —Ally MacConchie

Chicago-style grocery: Chicago: home of the deep-dish pizza, the ivy at Wrigley Field, and possibly the only city-owned grocery store in the country. A recent feasibility study created for the city declared a municipal grocery model as necessary, feasible, and implementable for the city’s impoverished South and West sides. The study says the city, which would be the only metro to have a hand in grocery store operations, should offer a bundle of stores — three to be exact — for better overall profit margin. Chicago could partner with a for-profit outfit, a non-profit one, or get involved in a co-op. “In the absence of private sector action or commitment to provide sustainable grocery options, it is necessary for the city to play a role in creating and sustaining grocery services in neighborhoods that lack grocery access.” Should the city be involved in a private sector affair like this? It remains to be seen. —Bill Wilson

The NYC pharmacy graveyard: Multiple chain drugstores that once anchored shopping hubs across New York City continue to remain shuttered despite much of the city’s storefront real estate bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Times writes. What does it all amount to? Basically a pharmacy graveyard — so many boarded up Rite Aids and Walgreens taking up valuable real estate space. And, the Times writes, many could end up staying that way for years to come, due to ironclad leases, difficulty of finding new tenants, and huge shifts in the drugstore business. —Chloe Riley

L.A. gets heated on Kroger, Albertsons: Five Los Angeles city council members recently held a news conference declaring the potential Kroger, Albertsons merger anti-competitive, saying it could affect grocery prices and employment. In California, the proposed $24.6 billion merger would affect 63 stores, primarily in Southern California. The council members said they are “unequivocally opposed.” —CR

The greatest generation in grocery? It’s a generation that plays a lot of video games, and they also have the high score when it comes to online grocery subscriptions. A study from PYMNTS indicates that 15% of all consumers use online grocery subscriptions each week, and, broken down by generation: Gen Z leads the way at 28% followed by Millennials at 25%, Gen X at 12% (as a member of this illustrious group I say being in third is not possible), with Baby Boomers at 4%. What is truly eye-popping? Gen Z are 10% more likely to use online subscriptions than Millennials, 133% more likely than Gen Z, and 525% more likely than Baby Boomers. So when it comes to programs like Target 360 and Amazon Prime? Gen Zers are all over them. Man, and think what the numbers would look like if those services could be used with a joystick. —BW

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Gen Z consumers are 133% likelier than Gen X to use online grocery subscriptions on a weekly basis. Do you have a sense of demographics when it comes to who’s using your pickup and delivery services? Let us know in the comments below.