Food and beverage items will occupy a prominent place on the list of products consumers are expected to spend money on during the 2019 holiday shopping season, according to Deloitte’s 34th annual holiday retail survey. The survey polled more than 4,400 consumers from throughout the United States.
Food-related findings from the survey include the following:
In addition, two-thirds (66%) of shoppers say they will spend money on socializing away from home, and for 59% of them that includes dining at restaurants. The average holiday spend on restaurant dining is expected to be $280.
The study showed that online shopping is gaining momentum among shoppers of all age groups. On average, survey respondents said they expected online purchases to account for 59% of their holiday spending, up from 51% in 2015; 54% said they preferred online shopping to shopping at a bricks-and-mortar retailer.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is seeking feedback from interested parties on its scientific opinion about public health risks related to the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in food.
Hodgson Mill has announced a voluntary national recall of specific lots of its Unbleached All-Purpose White Wheat Flour (5 lb).
A study published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling suggests that approximately one-third of edible California produce is left in the fields to rot.
The FDA, along with the CDC, and state and local partners, are investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A illnesses in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin potentially linked to fresh conventional (non-organic) blackberries from the grocery store, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market.
