September 11, 2023 • 27 mins
Could you imagine a world where food companies make bold moves to combat theft? What if we told you that going vegan could actually reduce your food costs? This episode is packed with riveting insights, as we tackle these topics and more. We'll also explore Tyson's autonomous food trucks, and discuss the World Resource Institute's playbook for a plant-rich diet. Plus, gear up with us for the National Food Not Phones Day coming September 19th, 2023
Buckle up as we journey into the mind of Dan Buettner, the trailblazer behind the concept of Blue Zones. We'll dive into the impact of cell phone usage on longevity, and get a sneak peek into his latest Netflix series 'Live to 100, Secrets of the Blue Zones'. As we maneuver into the legal landscape, we break down FTC's lawsuit against Amazon and its potential implications for the grocery industry, and examine responses from competitors like Walmart, Target, and Costco. Lastly, we pick apart Kraft Heinz's strategy to engage kids through snacks and question if healthier options weren't a better choice. Tune in for an episode pulsating with thought-provoking discussions!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Phil (00:05):
Welcome to the Lempert Report LIVE.
Now, I hate to say I told youso, but when last October we
reported on the Paqui ChipChallenge, we warned how
dangerous it was.
Now guess what happened?
Last week I got an importantmessage regarding our order from
Amazon.
We have learned of apotentially safety issue
(00:29):
regarding certain products thatour records indicate you
purchased through the Amazonwebsite.
For more details on what youshould do, please contact Paqui.
And now on their website theyhave the one chip challenge is
intended for adults only, withclear and proven labeling
(00:50):
highlighting that chip is notfor children or anyone sensitive
to spicy food, whereas foodallergies, is pregnant or has
underlying health conditions.
If you remember, at that pointin time, a lot of schools were
banning the product.
We've seen an increase in teensand other individuals not
heeding these warnings as theresult, while the product
(01:10):
continues to adhere to foodsafety standards, out of an
abundance of caution, we'reactively working with our
retailers to remove the productfrom shelves.
We are also offering refunds onour single serve one chip
challenge product.
Seriously, do we need thisstuff?
I don't think so.
(01:31):
On today's broadcast GiantFood's bold move to deter theft
doesn't have CPG brands veryhappy.
Generation Z continues tochange the food world.
Is Tyson's autonomous foodtrucks the solution or a problem
?
The World Resources Instituteplaybook to urge people to paint
(01:51):
to eat plant rich diets?
Can being vegan reduce yourfood costs?
On Food Not Phones, it's how toa live to be a hundred years old
.
And on the Bullseye, it's allabout Kraft Heinz trying to
bribe kids to read more bygiving them snacks.
Un healthy ones at that.
(02:12):
Please check out FoodNotPhones.
com and join us for NationalFood Not Phones Day coming up
real soon, on September 19th.
We also had an anniversary toshare.
Sally Smithwick celebrates 21years today.
On the Supermarket Guru team.
Sally, thank you, let's getstarted.
(02:33):
So Giant Food has decided,because of the theft problem
that they've got in theirWashington DC store, to remove
many national brand health andbeauty care products from its
shelves.
They're replacing them withprivate label items at an effort
to deter theft.
(02:54):
So what's confusing to me,Sally, is that, yes, store
brands are slightly cheaper thanname brands, with their
removing is , but I'm not surethat this solves the problem of
(03:22):
theft.
They're also hiring guards tocheck your cash register receipt
as you leave the store.
What do you think about allthis?
Sally (03:32):
Well, we have been hearing a lot and we've reported
on it here about theft and howthis is continuing to be a
problem, particularly withself-checkout being the main way
that people are paying fortheir groceries in the
supermarket, so it isn'tsurprising to hear this.
What is confusing to me as wellis, yes, how does replacing
(03:54):
with a private label a productthat is really not that much
cheaper and probably asdesirable, how does that solve
the problem?
Or is this just an opportunityto eliminate the competition by
putting your private label?
There is one thing that Iwonder, but it is something that
(04:15):
we all need to be payingattention to.
I believe, in the food industry,that people are stealing more,
and they are stealing morebecause they can't afford these
items.
And, Phil, I was looking at, Idon't know if you ever look at
Reddit, but I was looking atReddit, which is a popular site
where people talk about allkinds of things, and I actually
(04:36):
searched the topic peopleshoplifting, and there are so
many threads on there of peopleconfessing that they are
stealing items at the grocerystore and they are stealing
these items even though theyfeel bad and they feel like it
is wrong.
They are doing it because theyjust can't make their pay checks
stretch enough to get what theyneed to get for their family.
Phil (04:59):
So maybe what we really need to do if the CPG companies
are going to be serious aboutstaying in business maybe don't
give their CEOs hundred milliondollar bonuses and don't have
the record profits that theyhave been having since the
pandemic.
Maybe the way around this islower your prices.
Sally (05:24):
Yes, and I also think people are a little frustrated
with self-checkout, that it hasnow become their job to check
out and bag their own groceries,and so you know that, right,
there is presenting not only anavenue for people to steal, but
also just something that thecustomer is frustrated and
(05:45):
feeling a little cheated about.
Already, your prices are high,but you want me to do the work,
you want me to check out thegroceries and you want me to bag
them?
So these are things to consider.
Phil (05:56):
Yes, and in certain stores whether it be ice cream or some
of these products they are nowbehind Plexiglas, so you have
got to go find somebody tounlock it, Then they bring it to
the cash register for you, andit is just a downward spiral
that we have got to get out of.
So there is a new report thatjust came out that found that
(06:23):
Generation Z is leading theplant-based movement.
70% of the age group ofGeneration Z responded they
would continue to pursue a vegandiet within the next five years
.
They consider themselvestech-savvy, socially conscious,
entrepreneurial in spirit, andprimarily vegan, and 50% of
(06:46):
vegans polled, chose thelifestyle because of its health
benefits, which is reallyinteresting.
But the other thing that isleading for them is how
environmentally friendly aplant-based diet can be.
They are getting more fiber,more antioxidants, rich in
(07:11):
potassium, magnesium, folate,vitamins A, C and E.
So the question is are we goingto really start to see veganism
get even more popular?
Sally (07:24):
I believe we are, Phil, and you know it is interesting
to see that Mark Stephany, theVP of Food Surface and Sales for
Just Egg, who is quoted in thisarticle, says that in the last
year, the number of college anduniversity campuses bringing our
products into dining halls hasgrown 45% to include 115 schools
(07:45):
.
Now, that's just one company,but we think about all of the
universities, and not just theuniversities but the public
school systems.
We think about what New YorkCity has been doing within their
public school system inoffering vegetarian and vegan
options now to these youngergenerations, and so they are
being exposed to these foods alittle bit more and so they are
(08:09):
more willing to accept them aspart of their diets.
Whereas I think of growing upwhen I was a kid if someone had
put tofu in front of me, youknow I would have never tried it
.
Phil (08:23):
Absolutely.
Sally (08:24):
So, yes, it is an interesting, very fast movement
lately that we are seeing ofpeople into the vegan and the
vegetarian world, and I dobelieve that this climate
conscious society is happeningright now is a big part of the
reason.
Phil (08:43):
And also the other side of Generation Z.
According to another survey byFlavorStream found that
Generation Z is endingrelationships with others over
arguments about dining choices.
Survey was called Diner Habits.
Study Finds America'sRelationship turmoil.
(09:05):
There were 1500 Americans thatwere surveyed.
68% of people have ended arelationship over arguing where
to eat.
Seriously, you know, maybe youdidn't want to be in that
relationship to begin with.
If you know, just arguing overfood is going to get you to stop
(09:30):
that relationship, it justseems kind of weird to me.
Sally (09:36):
Yes, I wonder what those arguments about.
I think about my children, andthey can't really end their
relationship with each other,they are brother and sister for
life, whether they like it ornot?
They will definitely argue if weare going out to eat or what we
are choosing to order in.
You know they will have anargument about what we are
having, but maybe this hassomething to do with the way
(09:59):
that people are eatingdifferently and how much weighs
on it for them.
You know, for those that wejust talked about that are
moving into vegan diets andvegetarian diets, you know it's
health reasons, but it's alsobeing climate conscious, it's
also because of cruelty toanimals or it's about saving
money, and those are all veryweighty issues on young people
(10:22):
right now.
So maybe that's what's makingthese arguments mean so much
more than you think they would.
Phil (10:29):
And probably what you need to do is, before you get into a
relationship, find out whatfoods the people like, and that
will determine whether or notyou know you are going to have a
good relationship.
So another very strange storythis week, Tyson has a pilot
(10:51):
program to autonomously shipTyson Foods products between
Dallas and San Antonio, Texas.
The reason for it is theshortage of truck drivers, and
they go on and on and on talkingabout how these autonomous
trucks can be a huge benefit.
I disagree with this.
What do you think?
Sally (11:13):
I've been on the fence about this, Phil.
It seems like this could bevery useful, particularly in
situations where we don't havethe drivers and we need to get
things across the country andget food to people.
It's slightly frightening to mefrom a safety standpoint, and
so it's concerning.
(11:33):
But you know what?
I looked up some statistics onthis and I found out that
autonomous vehicle accidentsrecord a slightly lower rate of
accidents compared toconventional cars, so right now
they're showing that they are alittle bit safer and that most
of those accidents happen fromhuman error.
(11:54):
I also read that by 2025, thatwe are expecting 8 million
autonomous or semi-autonomousvehicles to be on our roads.
So if that's true, it's comingand it's something for us to
start learning to accept and getused to, I suppose.
Phil (12:12):
So part of it for me where it all falls apart is when you
can have a truck that can driveitself, but somebody still has
to load that truck with theTyson products.
Somebody still at thesupermarket level or at the
wholesaler level has to unloadthe truck.
(12:34):
So typically that's the truckdriver.
When I see them here deliveringto restaurants, I mean it's the
guy in the truck who then opensup the back, takes the stuff
out, brings it into therestaurant.
So I'm not sure how they'regoing to automate that.
(12:55):
Or are they just going to haveto hire more people to do that,
because we already have thismajor shortage of people working
in supermarkets.
Now if the truck driver can'tdeliver the product, this
supermarket's gonna have to hiremore people that they can't
hire now.
Sally (13:18):
Yes, we'll have to see how this plays out, and I'm not
sure how the Truckers Union aswell is going to feel about this
.
Phil (13:25):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
So there's a new playbook.
Back to talking about plantrich diets.
There's a new playbook out thattalks about how, in food
service, restaurants have to getpeople to eat more plant-based.
And they've got what they callthe five P's product
(13:47):
interventions that focus onmodifying the dish or product
itself.
Placement interventions thatinvolve changing food displays.
Presentation interventions thatoutline ways to redesign food
menus.
Promotion interventions thatfocus on how to price and market
plant rich meals moreeffectively.
(14:08):
And People interventions thatengage staff members to
influence diners choices.
So when we talk aboutGeneration Z being planned
forward, when we talk about howthis playbook coming out that's
teaching, we're trying to teachrestaurants how to sell
plant-based.
I really agree with you that Ithink veganism and vegetarianism
(14:35):
is gonna get a lot moreattention than it's ever gotten
before.
Sally (14:41):
Yes, and these are really great strategies that the World
Resource Institute has puttogether in this playbook.
If you are in the food industry, if you are a food service
provider, if you are a retailer,if you have a restaurant, if
you are a chef, get thisplaybook and take a look at some
of the suggestions andstrategies in here on how to
(15:04):
encourage more plant-rich diets,which we all know that we all
need, whether we continue to eatmeat or not.
We all know that only 10% ofAmericans are eating enough
fruits and vegetables and so weneed those.
And some of these strategiesare very simple, like reduce the
(15:25):
amount of meat in a dish whileincreasing the amount of plants,
and you can do that in verysmall proportions, gradually.
So the strategies are notcompletely renovating your
restaurant and turning it into avegan restaurant from a
meat-eating restaurant.
These are just ways to sort ofbring those plants together with
(15:49):
the foods that you're alreadyserving and let them all
co-exist front and center.
Phil (15:56):
Exactly, and some other good news.
Again, it seems like today allwe're talking about is
plant-based and vegan, butthere's a new study that found
that a vegan diet lowers foodcosts by 16% for overweight
adults.
So one of the issues that'salways discussed is how a
(16:19):
plant-based diet is moreexpensive, but this clinical
trial in the Journal of AmericanMedical Association found that
it can actually lower foodexpenses.
They did a sample size of 200overweight adults between the
ages of 30 and 55, over asix-month period and basically
(16:44):
going vegan.
Saying that doesn't sound likea lot of money, but that's not
the point.
You could save about $1.51 perday compared to the control
group that ate the way theynormally did.
Now I know that $1.51 doesn'tsound like a lot, but the
(17:05):
reality is that it reallydisputes that whole argument
that says that being plant-basedis more expensive than not.
Sally (17:16):
Exactly, and I'm not exactly sure how we came to
believe that being on a vegandiet or a vegetarian diet was
more expensive, except I wonderif it's because we used to have
those.
There were certain types ofstores that were specialty, that
(17:37):
were vegetarian stores orhealth food stores, and they are
more expensive, those specialtystores, and so maybe that's
where the idea comes from thatpeople associate those types of
stores and having to shop thereif they're going to eat vegan.
But your regular supermarket isfull of produce and full of
(18:02):
beans.
We're gonna talk about DanBuettner in a moment and we'll
talk about the importance ofbeans, but he talks about how
beans are about $2 a pound, sothat's a very inexpensive way to
get a very healthy food in yourdiet daily is what he
recommends, and also it's notmore expensive to eat this way,
(18:23):
but you are making hugeimprovements in your body mass
index and lowering yourcholesterol and preventing
diabetes.
Phil (18:33):
And also researchers from the Massachusetts General
Brigham Healthcare System foundthat providing plant-based foods
could be a useful strategy toprevent childhood obesity in
kids from food insecure familiesand then set them up for better
health when they become adults.
(18:54):
And it's really importantbecause right now, 41.9% of
Americans are obese 41% so wereally need to do something if
we're going to change this.
So, on Food Not Phones, todaywe've all heard about the blue
(19:14):
zones that Sally just referredto those areas where people live
to a hundred years old or more.
Today we're going to explorehow most people hope that
they'll live a long, healthy andhappy life, but still are able
to travel the world and attemptto reverse engineer the formula
for longevity.
(19:35):
That's exactly what DanBuettner did, beginning in the
early 1980s.
He collaborated with NationalGeographic and scoured the globe
in pursuit of places wherepeople live much longer than
average and created the conceptof blue zones.
And there's an impact on cellphone usage as well.
(19:55):
Sally, as you said, you're afan of blue zones.
What do we need to know?
Sally (20:02):
Well, Phil, I just watched this Netflix series how
to Live to 100 Wherever you Arein the World that Dan has just
released, and it is absolutelyfantastic.
I highly recommend anyonewatching it.
It's very inspirational.
He goes to these communitiesthroughout the episodes that he
(20:22):
has studied where the longestliving adults can be found and
the highest concentration ofcentenarians, and throughout the
series he walks us through fourkey components.
They are eating wisely,primarily a plant-based diet,
moving naturally, like gardeningand walking.
Having a positive outlook,which also kind of includes
(20:44):
having purpose in life, and forsome it means having a
faith-centered life.
But here's the last one, andthis is one that really stood
out for me and it really stoodout for Dan too.
He said many times throughoutthe series it's not just the
diet, it's really more the humanconnections that you make with
(21:05):
people, and I love the story heis telling within these
communities.
One of my favorites, Phil, wasin Okinawa, where we have many
of these older people living.
They have a tradition offorming Maoi's, and Maoi's are
socially committed groups thatget together on a regular basis.
(21:26):
They sing and dance to it.
They sing and dance together,they play games, they have
conversation, but the otherthing they do is that they pool
their money together so that ifanybody runs into any hardship
for any reason, then this littlesocial circle gives the money
that they pull together to helpthem.
(21:46):
And to me that is such a shiningexample of community and also
helping people to not becomelonely, to not become isolated,
which in this series DanBuettner talks about the
epidemic of loneliness that wehave here in America, and he
(22:07):
talks about it as basicallytaking years and years off of
your life In fact, 15 years,taking 15 years off of your life
.
So we obviously can take someinspiration from these
communities that it is importantfor us to connect with our
families and our friends, andwhat we are trying to do here
through our initiative Food NotPhones is we're trying to
(22:29):
encourage people, when theygather around for mealtimes just
at that time of the day, to putyour phone down and to have
face to face interaction and seewhat sort of impact that has on
how you feel all day andprobably a significant impact on
your physical health as well.
Phil (22:50):
Absolutely.
And you know we're all in thistogether and that's the most
important thing.
And when I say all in this,it's life, and the more that you
can join with others, more youcan celebrate with others the
best.
And you know, don't forget FoodNot Phones.
First day is September 19th.
(23:10):
Join with us, along with theindustry leaders, the FMI
Foundation's Family MealsMovement, acosta Group, Hy-Vee,
FreshDirect, That's it,Shuttlerock, and the Association
of Retail and ConsumerProfessionals.
For more information, go tofoodnotphones.
com.
Thanks, Sally.
(23:31):
On Lost in the Supermarket, Isat down with the CEO of the
Chamber of Progress about themonumental FTC lawsuit against
Amazon and what it could meanfor every grocer in America.
For the complete episode, justgo to SupermarketGuru.
com.
Click on Lost in theSupermarket and you can hear the
(23:51):
whole episode.
But here's just a little bitabout what he had to say.
If we take a look at Amazon,Amazon sells a lot of grocery
products both on Amazon.
com and obviously with WholeFoods.
I just have to wonder if it isso linked to Amazon Prime that
(24:16):
the effect that Walmart Pluswill have Hy-Vee Plus.
All these grocery retailershave basically copied Amazon
Prime and put in their ownproducts, if you would, that
offer delivery, that have otherservices bundled with their $99
(24:38):
or $129 package for all thesegroceries as well.
If the FTC is able to do thiswith Amazon, is the next step
for FTC to go to Walmart andeverybody else that has these
kinds of programs and try to dothe same thing there.
Adam (24:55):
I don't think that's their agenda, but I think you're
raising a really interestingpoint, which is that Amazon's
competitors in kind of this megaretailer space if you think of
it as a market but I think it'sprobably Amazon's competitors
are broader than that.
They're all doing somethingsimilar Walmart, target, costco,
they all have their version ofAmazon Prime.
You sign up for Walmart Plus.
(25:16):
You get access to things yes,you get all the Walmart benefits
but then you get access toParamount Plus streaming service
, which is roughly analogous tohaving access to Amazon Prime
Video.
I think these bundles arecompeting with each other.
They're understandably tryingto vie for customer loyalty and
make their bundles sooner andmore attractive than the other
(25:38):
bundles.
The fact that they arecompeting with each other
frankly undercuts the FTC's casethat there's something about
the Amazon Prime bundle that'santi-competitive.
If it was anti-competitive, youwouldn't see Walmart and Target
competing with Prime.
Phil (25:56):
On today's Bullseye.
Kraft Heinz, in my opinion, hascrossed the line.
They say that they want to helpkids read while eating snacks.
According to Mashed, thecompany has created fundamental
textbooks and the best part isthat they're free.
That's the good news.
The company has books withsnacks tucked away on the inside
(26:17):
.
That's the bad news.
For instance, theirJiggleometry book, a play on
geometry, teaches kids aboutshapes and non-shapes.
Tucked inside of the book is acontainer of Jell-O.
The book Nibbolonomy is aboutastronomy, helping kids learn
about the universe.
Inside this book is a cup ofKraft macaroni and cheese.
(26:40):
Not sure what that has to dowith the universe.
There's a book calledStackonomics about economics and
has a lunchable inside of it.
Slurp Story, a funny book abouthistory, has a slurpable Capri
Sun inside.
Kraft Heinz is donating $10 tothe non-profit organization.
First Book, every fundamentaltextbook that's ordered and
(27:03):
again, keep in mind they're free$10 goes to the non-profit.
Kraft Heinz is also donating$50,000 to the organization.
Yes, I think that Kraft Heinzis doing a service for our kids,
but seriously, can't they do itwith healthier, better for you
foods?
There's no reason, with theirvast portfolio, that they
(27:24):
couldn't choose foods that areless processed and that kids
would still like, Seriously,Jell-O.
Thanks so much for joining usand we'll see you back here next
week same time, same place andhave a great week.
Sally (27:40):
Be sure to visit SuperMarketGuru.
com for the latest marketinganalysis issues and trends, and
don't forget to join us backhere next Monday at 2.30 pm
Eastern for more.
Welcome to the Lempert Report LIVE.
Now, I hate to say I told youso, but when last October we
reported on the Paqui ChipChallenge, we warned how
dangerous it was.
Now guess what happened?
Last week I got an importantmessage regarding our order from
Amazon.
We have learned of apotentially safety issue
(00:29):
regarding certain products thatour records indicate you
purchased through the Amazonwebsite.
For more details on what youshould do, please contact Paqui.
And now on their website theyhave the one chip challenge is
intended for adults only, withclear and proven labeling
(00:50):
highlighting that chip is notfor children or anyone sensitive
to spicy food, whereas foodallergies, is pregnant or has
underlying health conditions.
If you remember, at that pointin time, a lot of schools were
banning the product.
We've seen an increase in teensand other individuals not
heeding these warnings as theresult, while the product
(01:10):
continues to adhere to foodsafety standards, out of an
abundance of caution, we'reactively working with our
retailers to remove the productfrom shelves.
We are also offering refunds onour single serve one chip
challenge product.
Seriously, do we need thisstuff?
I don't think so.
(01:31):
On today's broadcast GiantFood's bold move to deter theft
doesn't have CPG brands veryhappy.
Generation Z continues tochange the food world.
Is Tyson's autonomous foodtrucks the solution or a problem
?
The World Resources Instituteplaybook to urge people to paint
(01:51):
to eat plant rich diets?
Can being vegan reduce yourfood costs?
On Food Not Phones, it's how toa live to be a hundred years old
.
And on the Bullseye, it's allabout Kraft Heinz trying to
bribe kids to read more bygiving them snacks.
Un healthy ones at that.
(02:12):
Please check out FoodNotPhones.
com and join us for NationalFood Not Phones Day coming up
real soon, on September 19th.
We also had an anniversary toshare.
Sally Smithwick celebrates 21years today.
On the Supermarket Guru team.
Sally, thank you, let's getstarted.
(02:33):
So Giant Food has decided,because of the theft problem
that they've got in theirWashington DC store, to remove
many national brand health andbeauty care products from its
shelves.
They're replacing them withprivate label items at an effort
to deter theft.
(02:54):
So what's confusing to me,Sally, is that, yes, store
brands are slightly cheaper thanname brands, with their
removing is , but I'm not surethat this solves the problem of
(03:22):
theft.
They're also hiring guards tocheck your cash register receipt
as you leave the store.
What do you think about allthis?
Sally (03:32):
Well, we have been hearing a lot and we've reported
on it here about theft and howthis is continuing to be a
problem, particularly withself-checkout being the main way
that people are paying fortheir groceries in the
supermarket, so it isn'tsurprising to hear this.
What is confusing to me as wellis, yes, how does replacing
(03:54):
with a private label a productthat is really not that much
cheaper and probably asdesirable, how does that solve
the problem?
Or is this just an opportunityto eliminate the competition by
putting your private label?
There is one thing that Iwonder, but it is something that
(04:15):
we all need to be payingattention to.
I believe, in the food industry,that people are stealing more,
and they are stealing morebecause they can't afford these
items.
And, Phil, I was looking at, Idon't know if you ever look at
Reddit, but I was looking atReddit, which is a popular site
where people talk about allkinds of things, and I actually
(04:36):
searched the topic peopleshoplifting, and there are so
many threads on there of peopleconfessing that they are
stealing items at the grocerystore and they are stealing
these items even though theyfeel bad and they feel like it
is wrong.
They are doing it because theyjust can't make their pay checks
stretch enough to get what theyneed to get for their family.
Phil (04:59):
So maybe what we really need to do if the CPG companies
are going to be serious aboutstaying in business maybe don't
give their CEOs hundred milliondollar bonuses and don't have
the record profits that theyhave been having since the
pandemic.
Maybe the way around this islower your prices.
Sally (05:24):
Yes, and I also think people are a little frustrated
with self-checkout, that it hasnow become their job to check
out and bag their own groceries,and so you know that, right,
there is presenting not only anavenue for people to steal, but
also just something that thecustomer is frustrated and
(05:45):
feeling a little cheated about.
Already, your prices are high,but you want me to do the work,
you want me to check out thegroceries and you want me to bag
them?
So these are things to consider.
Phil (05:56):
Yes, and in certain stores whether it be ice cream or some
of these products they are nowbehind Plexiglas, so you have
got to go find somebody tounlock it, Then they bring it to
the cash register for you, andit is just a downward spiral
that we have got to get out of.
So there is a new report thatjust came out that found that
(06:23):
Generation Z is leading theplant-based movement.
70% of the age group ofGeneration Z responded they
would continue to pursue a vegandiet within the next five years
.
They consider themselvestech-savvy, socially conscious,
entrepreneurial in spirit, andprimarily vegan, and 50% of
(06:46):
vegans polled, chose thelifestyle because of its health
benefits, which is reallyinteresting.
But the other thing that isleading for them is how
environmentally friendly aplant-based diet can be.
They are getting more fiber,more antioxidants, rich in
(07:11):
potassium, magnesium, folate,vitamins A, C and E.
So the question is are we goingto really start to see veganism
get even more popular?
Sally (07:24):
I believe we are, Phil, and you know it is interesting
to see that Mark Stephany, theVP of Food Surface and Sales for
Just Egg, who is quoted in thisarticle, says that in the last
year, the number of college anduniversity campuses bringing our
products into dining halls hasgrown 45% to include 115 schools
(07:45):
.
Now, that's just one company,but we think about all of the
universities, and not just theuniversities but the public
school systems.
We think about what New YorkCity has been doing within their
public school system inoffering vegetarian and vegan
options now to these youngergenerations, and so they are
being exposed to these foods alittle bit more and so they are
(08:09):
more willing to accept them aspart of their diets.
Whereas I think of growing upwhen I was a kid if someone had
put tofu in front of me, youknow I would have never tried it
.
Phil (08:23):
Absolutely.
Sally (08:24):
So, yes, it is an interesting, very fast movement
lately that we are seeing ofpeople into the vegan and the
vegetarian world, and I dobelieve that this climate
conscious society is happeningright now is a big part of the
reason.
Phil (08:43):
And also the other side of Generation Z.
According to another survey byFlavorStream found that
Generation Z is endingrelationships with others over
arguments about dining choices.
Survey was called Diner Habits.
Study Finds America'sRelationship turmoil.
(09:05):
There were 1500 Americans thatwere surveyed.
68% of people have ended arelationship over arguing where
to eat.
Seriously, you know, maybe youdidn't want to be in that
relationship to begin with.
If you know, just arguing overfood is going to get you to stop
(09:30):
that relationship, it justseems kind of weird to me.
Sally (09:36):
Yes, I wonder what those arguments about.
I think about my children, andthey can't really end their
relationship with each other,they are brother and sister for
life, whether they like it ornot?
They will definitely argue if weare going out to eat or what we
are choosing to order in.
You know they will have anargument about what we are
having, but maybe this hassomething to do with the way
(09:59):
that people are eatingdifferently and how much weighs
on it for them.
You know, for those that wejust talked about that are
moving into vegan diets andvegetarian diets, you know it's
health reasons, but it's alsobeing climate conscious, it's
also because of cruelty toanimals or it's about saving
money, and those are all veryweighty issues on young people
(10:22):
right now.
So maybe that's what's makingthese arguments mean so much
more than you think they would.
Phil (10:29):
And probably what you need to do is, before you get into a
relationship, find out whatfoods the people like, and that
will determine whether or notyou know you are going to have a
good relationship.
So another very strange storythis week, Tyson has a pilot
(10:51):
program to autonomously shipTyson Foods products between
Dallas and San Antonio, Texas.
The reason for it is theshortage of truck drivers, and
they go on and on and on talkingabout how these autonomous
trucks can be a huge benefit.
I disagree with this.
What do you think?
Sally (11:13):
I've been on the fence about this, Phil.
It seems like this could bevery useful, particularly in
situations where we don't havethe drivers and we need to get
things across the country andget food to people.
It's slightly frightening to mefrom a safety standpoint, and
so it's concerning.
(11:33):
But you know what?
I looked up some statistics onthis and I found out that
autonomous vehicle accidentsrecord a slightly lower rate of
accidents compared toconventional cars, so right now
they're showing that they are alittle bit safer and that most
of those accidents happen fromhuman error.
(11:54):
I also read that by 2025, thatwe are expecting 8 million
autonomous or semi-autonomousvehicles to be on our roads.
So if that's true, it's comingand it's something for us to
start learning to accept and getused to, I suppose.
Phil (12:12):
So part of it for me where it all falls apart is when you
can have a truck that can driveitself, but somebody still has
to load that truck with theTyson products.
Somebody still at thesupermarket level or at the
wholesaler level has to unloadthe truck.
(12:34):
So typically that's the truckdriver.
When I see them here deliveringto restaurants, I mean it's the
guy in the truck who then opensup the back, takes the stuff
out, brings it into therestaurant.
So I'm not sure how they'regoing to automate that.
(12:55):
Or are they just going to haveto hire more people to do that,
because we already have thismajor shortage of people working
in supermarkets.
Now if the truck driver can'tdeliver the product, this
supermarket's gonna have to hiremore people that they can't
hire now.
Sally (13:18):
Yes, we'll have to see how this plays out, and I'm not
sure how the Truckers Union aswell is going to feel about this
.
Phil (13:25):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
So there's a new playbook.
Back to talking about plantrich diets.
There's a new playbook out thattalks about how, in food
service, restaurants have to getpeople to eat more plant-based.
And they've got what they callthe five P's product
(13:47):
interventions that focus onmodifying the dish or product
itself.
Placement interventions thatinvolve changing food displays.
Presentation interventions thatoutline ways to redesign food
menus.
Promotion interventions thatfocus on how to price and market
plant rich meals moreeffectively.
(14:08):
And People interventions thatengage staff members to
influence diners choices.
So when we talk aboutGeneration Z being planned
forward, when we talk about howthis playbook coming out that's
teaching, we're trying to teachrestaurants how to sell
plant-based.
I really agree with you that Ithink veganism and vegetarianism
(14:35):
is gonna get a lot moreattention than it's ever gotten
before.
Sally (14:41):
Yes, and these are really great strategies that the World
Resource Institute has puttogether in this playbook.
If you are in the food industry, if you are a food service
provider, if you are a retailer,if you have a restaurant, if
you are a chef, get thisplaybook and take a look at some
of the suggestions andstrategies in here on how to
(15:04):
encourage more plant-rich diets,which we all know that we all
need, whether we continue to eatmeat or not.
We all know that only 10% ofAmericans are eating enough
fruits and vegetables and so weneed those.
And some of these strategiesare very simple, like reduce the
(15:25):
amount of meat in a dish whileincreasing the amount of plants,
and you can do that in verysmall proportions, gradually.
So the strategies are notcompletely renovating your
restaurant and turning it into avegan restaurant from a
meat-eating restaurant.
These are just ways to sort ofbring those plants together with
(15:49):
the foods that you're alreadyserving and let them all
co-exist front and center.
Phil (15:56):
Exactly, and some other good news.
Again, it seems like today allwe're talking about is
plant-based and vegan, butthere's a new study that found
that a vegan diet lowers foodcosts by 16% for overweight
adults.
So one of the issues that'salways discussed is how a
(16:19):
plant-based diet is moreexpensive, but this clinical
trial in the Journal of AmericanMedical Association found that
it can actually lower foodexpenses.
They did a sample size of 200overweight adults between the
ages of 30 and 55, over asix-month period and basically
(16:44):
going vegan.
Saying that doesn't sound likea lot of money, but that's not
the point.
You could save about $1.51 perday compared to the control
group that ate the way theynormally did.
Now I know that $1.51 doesn'tsound like a lot, but the
(17:05):
reality is that it reallydisputes that whole argument
that says that being plant-basedis more expensive than not.
Sally (17:16):
Exactly, and I'm not exactly sure how we came to
believe that being on a vegandiet or a vegetarian diet was
more expensive, except I wonderif it's because we used to have
those.
There were certain types ofstores that were specialty, that
(17:37):
were vegetarian stores orhealth food stores, and they are
more expensive, those specialtystores, and so maybe that's
where the idea comes from thatpeople associate those types of
stores and having to shop thereif they're going to eat vegan.
But your regular supermarket isfull of produce and full of
(18:02):
beans.
We're gonna talk about DanBuettner in a moment and we'll
talk about the importance ofbeans, but he talks about how
beans are about $2 a pound, sothat's a very inexpensive way to
get a very healthy food in yourdiet daily is what he
recommends, and also it's notmore expensive to eat this way,
(18:23):
but you are making hugeimprovements in your body mass
index and lowering yourcholesterol and preventing
diabetes.
Phil (18:33):
And also researchers from the Massachusetts General
Brigham Healthcare System foundthat providing plant-based foods
could be a useful strategy toprevent childhood obesity in
kids from food insecure familiesand then set them up for better
health when they become adults.
(18:54):
And it's really importantbecause right now, 41.9% of
Americans are obese 41% so wereally need to do something if
we're going to change this.
So, on Food Not Phones, todaywe've all heard about the blue
(19:14):
zones that Sally just referredto those areas where people live
to a hundred years old or more.
Today we're going to explorehow most people hope that
they'll live a long, healthy andhappy life, but still are able
to travel the world and attemptto reverse engineer the formula
for longevity.
(19:35):
That's exactly what DanBuettner did, beginning in the
early 1980s.
He collaborated with NationalGeographic and scoured the globe
in pursuit of places wherepeople live much longer than
average and created the conceptof blue zones.
And there's an impact on cellphone usage as well.
(19:55):
Sally, as you said, you're afan of blue zones.
What do we need to know?
Sally (20:02):
Well, Phil, I just watched this Netflix series how
to Live to 100 Wherever you Arein the World that Dan has just
released, and it is absolutelyfantastic.
I highly recommend anyonewatching it.
It's very inspirational.
He goes to these communitiesthroughout the episodes that he
(20:22):
has studied where the longestliving adults can be found and
the highest concentration ofcentenarians, and throughout the
series he walks us through fourkey components.
They are eating wisely,primarily a plant-based diet,
moving naturally, like gardeningand walking.
Having a positive outlook,which also kind of includes
(20:44):
having purpose in life, and forsome it means having a
faith-centered life.
But here's the last one, andthis is one that really stood
out for me and it really stoodout for Dan too.
He said many times throughoutthe series it's not just the
diet, it's really more the humanconnections that you make with
(21:05):
people, and I love the story heis telling within these
communities.
One of my favorites, Phil, wasin Okinawa, where we have many
of these older people living.
They have a tradition offorming Maoi's, and Maoi's are
socially committed groups thatget together on a regular basis.
(21:26):
They sing and dance to it.
They sing and dance together,they play games, they have
conversation, but the otherthing they do is that they pool
their money together so that ifanybody runs into any hardship
for any reason, then this littlesocial circle gives the money
that they pull together to helpthem.
(21:46):
And to me that is such a shiningexample of community and also
helping people to not becomelonely, to not become isolated,
which in this series DanBuettner talks about the
epidemic of loneliness that wehave here in America, and he
(22:07):
talks about it as basicallytaking years and years off of
your life In fact, 15 years,taking 15 years off of your life
.
So we obviously can take someinspiration from these
communities that it is importantfor us to connect with our
families and our friends, andwhat we are trying to do here
through our initiative Food NotPhones is we're trying to
(22:29):
encourage people, when theygather around for mealtimes just
at that time of the day, to putyour phone down and to have
face to face interaction and seewhat sort of impact that has on
how you feel all day andprobably a significant impact on
your physical health as well.
Phil (22:50):
Absolutely.
And you know we're all in thistogether and that's the most
important thing.
And when I say all in this,it's life, and the more that you
can join with others, more youcan celebrate with others the
best.
And you know, don't forget FoodNot Phones.
First day is September 19th.
(23:10):
Join with us, along with theindustry leaders, the FMI
Foundation's Family MealsMovement, acosta Group, Hy-Vee,
FreshDirect, That's it,Shuttlerock, and the Association
of Retail and ConsumerProfessionals.
For more information, go tofoodnotphones.
com.
Thanks, Sally.
(23:31):
On Lost in the Supermarket, Isat down with the CEO of the
Chamber of Progress about themonumental FTC lawsuit against
Amazon and what it could meanfor every grocer in America.
For the complete episode, justgo to SupermarketGuru.
com.
Click on Lost in theSupermarket and you can hear the
(23:51):
whole episode.
But here's just a little bitabout what he had to say.
If we take a look at Amazon,Amazon sells a lot of grocery
products both on Amazon.
com and obviously with WholeFoods.
I just have to wonder if it isso linked to Amazon Prime that
(24:16):
the effect that Walmart Pluswill have Hy-Vee Plus.
All these grocery retailershave basically copied Amazon
Prime and put in their ownproducts, if you would, that
offer delivery, that have otherservices bundled with their $99
(24:38):
or $129 package for all thesegroceries as well.
If the FTC is able to do thiswith Amazon, is the next step
for FTC to go to Walmart andeverybody else that has these
kinds of programs and try to dothe same thing there.
Adam (24:55):
I don't think that's their agenda, but I think you're
raising a really interestingpoint, which is that Amazon's
competitors in kind of this megaretailer space if you think of
it as a market but I think it'sprobably Amazon's competitors
are broader than that.
They're all doing somethingsimilar Walmart, target, costco,
they all have their version ofAmazon Prime.
You sign up for Walmart Plus.
(25:16):
You get access to things yes,you get all the Walmart benefits
but then you get access toParamount Plus streaming service
, which is roughly analogous tohaving access to Amazon Prime
Video.
I think these bundles arecompeting with each other.
They're understandably tryingto vie for customer loyalty and
make their bundles sooner andmore attractive than the other
(25:38):
bundles.
The fact that they arecompeting with each other
frankly undercuts the FTC's casethat there's something about
the Amazon Prime bundle that'santi-competitive.
If it was anti-competitive, youwouldn't see Walmart and Target
competing with Prime.
Phil (25:56):
On today's Bullseye.
Kraft Heinz, in my opinion, hascrossed the line.
They say that they want to helpkids read while eating snacks.
According to Mashed, thecompany has created fundamental
textbooks and the best part isthat they're free.
That's the good news.
The company has books withsnacks tucked away on the inside
(26:17):
.
That's the bad news.
For instance, theirJiggleometry book, a play on
geometry, teaches kids aboutshapes and non-shapes.
Tucked inside of the book is acontainer of Jell-O.
The book Nibbolonomy is aboutastronomy, helping kids learn
about the universe.
Inside this book is a cup ofKraft macaroni and cheese.
(26:40):
Not sure what that has to dowith the universe.
There's a book calledStackonomics about economics and
has a lunchable inside of it.
Slurp Story, a funny book abouthistory, has a slurpable Capri
Sun inside.
Kraft Heinz is donating $10 tothe non-profit organization.
First Book, every fundamentaltextbook that's ordered and
(27:03):
again, keep in mind they're free$10 goes to the non-profit.
Kraft Heinz is also donating$50,000 to the organization.
Yes, I think that Kraft Heinzis doing a service for our kids,
but seriously, can't they do itwith healthier, better for you
foods?
There's no reason, with theirvast portfolio, that they
(27:24):
couldn't choose foods that areless processed and that kids
would still like, Seriously,Jell-O.
Thanks so much for joining usand we'll see you back here next
week same time, same place andhave a great week.
Sally (27:40):
Be sure to visit SuperMarketGuru.
com for the latest marketinganalysis issues and trends, and
don't forget to join us backhere next Monday at 2.30 pm
Eastern for more.
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