Food follows production beyond the farm gate into processing, packing, distribution and retail. Coverage includes processor margins, cold chain and logistics costs, private label and supply agreements, food safety compliance, and the demand shifts that change what buyers will contract for next year. For growers selling into these channels.
The Food Traceability Rule's compliance date moved to July 20, 2028. Here's what that changes — and doesn't — for farms on the Food Traceability List.
Gabriela Montoya · August 15, 2026
Fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts are hand-picked by a workforce that is mostly seasonal and foreign-born, and labor costs now set the floor under much of the produce aisle.
Gabriela Montoya · August 1, 2026
The same consolidation that emptied rural creameries is now producing giant specialized plants, and the new capacity map redraws where milk is worth the most.
Gabriela Montoya · July 9, 2026
Direct recall costs, lost sales, litigation, and long-term brand damage add up to billions a year across the food system, and the economics push safety investment upstream.
Gabriela Montoya · June 16, 2026
The National School Lunch Program moves billions of dollars of food a year through USDA Foods, state distributions, and district-level bids, and each door has different rules.
Gabriela Montoya · May 25, 2026