October 30, 2023 • 25 mins
Could the Thanksgiving dinner table become a battleground for supermarket giants? That's the question we're exploring today as we delve into the fierce competition between retail titans Walmart, Aldi, and Costco. We'll cover everything from meal packages to slashed prices, and assess what this means for your holiday shopping. The conversation doesn't stop there, we also unpack the Farm Bureau's report on the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal and Cargill's Future of the Turkey Study to understand the holiday meal trends.
The second half of our episode takes a decidedly serious tone as we dissect the controversial lawsuit against Meta. With allegations of addictive features impacting children's mental health, the stakes couldn't be higher. We also shift gears to discuss the diet and nutrition of Travis Kelce, with insights from his personal chef Kumar Ferguson. How does an athlete eat for optimal performance and how can brands stay authentic when aligning with athletes? We'll answer all this and more, ending with a deep dive into current marketing trends from SupermarketGuru. It's a jam-packed episode, so buckle up and get ready for an enlightening discussion!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Phil (00:05):
Welcome to the Lemp Report Live.
Happy almost Halloween.
Now, I'm not sure if you caughtSNL this weekend, but if you
didn't, they had a great skitparroting brand dresser who's
the president of SAG Aftra onher request for kids not to
dress up like characters in themovies in order to support the
(00:25):
strike.
As a member of SAG Aftra, I cantell you that I do support the
strike, but think she's gone abit too far when it comes to
Halloween costumes for kids.
Again, check out the clip onYouTube or just in our show
notes and judge for yourself.
A quick programming note nextweek, TLR will broadcast live on
(00:47):
Tuesday, November 7.
On today's episode, Walmart,Aldi and Costco begin the battle
over Thanksgiving.
Hybrid food halls are a thing.
A panel of so-called scientistsare defending ultra-processed
foods.
Really?
And on Food not Phones, Metafaces a lawsuit in fact a couple
(01:09):
lawsuits over our kids' mentalhealth.
And, on the bullseye, a newbrand of Kansas barbecue foods
that Swifties will love.
Let's get started.
So, Sally, when we look,Thanksgiving is right around the
corner.
Walmart, Aldi and Costco want tostart a rumble.
First, Walmart came out andthey said 92% of their customers
(01:34):
are concerned about inflationand the impact on the holidays.
As a result, what they'resaying is not necessarily what
they're doing.
What they're saying is they'regoing to remove inflation from
two traditional Thanksgivingmeal package options that you
can buy either online or instore.
And when I say remove inflation, yes, they're doing it on these
(01:57):
two packages, but not acrossthe board.
We're on that in a minute.
One of the options comes withingredients to create a
Thanksgiving meal from scratchand the other comes with
ready-to-bake options.
They're available startingNovember 1st, this Wednesday
through December 26th.
And also Walmart included thenotice that they're going to
(02:19):
close their stores onThanksgiving for the fourth year
, on the road to give theiremployees time to celebrate.
Costco has gone even further,where they're selling a huge
Thanksgiving dinner includesfive-pound turkey breast,
stuffing, mashed potatoes,turkey gravy, mac and cheese,
sweet corn, green beans, dinnerrolls, cranberry relish and
(02:41):
apple pie.
It sells for $199.99.
Works out to roughly $25 aperson.
If you have eight people now,you've got to place an order for
it by November 5th and the kitswill be delivered between
November 8th and 17th.
Lot of food, and Thanksgivingis not till the 25th.
(03:02):
So where are you going to storethat if you get it on November
8th?
Good luck, I'm not sure.
I'm not sure that it's really agreat deal, except if you have
lots of storage room.
My choice and then I want toget your opinion, Sally is what
Aldi is doing.
Aldi has announced that it'sslashing prices on Thanksgiving
(03:27):
items by up to 50%.
What I like about this, versusthe meal kit idea, is you can
pick and choose what you wantwith these kids.
You've gotta take what they'vegot in it and in the case of
Aldi, everything from pumpkinpie mix to pie crust, to
(03:48):
cranberries, to prosciutto, tocheddar cheese and so on.
So I think it's reallyinteresting.
But the good news is, accordingto the Farm Bureau, that we
should be able to pay less forThanksgiving turkey this
November because there's animproved supply.
If you remember, lastThanksgiving we had the problem
(04:11):
with bird flu.
60 million birds had to beculled.
This year so far there is abird flu epidemic.
It hasn't hit strong yet it'sin the hundreds of thousands of
birds, which is very containable.
So if in fact, it doesn'tproceed.
What the Farm Bureau is sayingis the price is down so far 22%
(04:36):
this year over last year and itcan go down even further.
The full details on what aThanksgiving feast according to
the Farm Bureau and they've donethis, I wanna say, for like 27
years.
It'll be released on November15th.
Last year they compared forthree years.
(04:57):
It's an average cost of 10people.
In 2020, it was $46.90.
In 2021, $53.31.
In 2022, $64.05.
And hopefully it'll be downless.
And what they include, verydifferent than Costco or Walmart
(05:18):
a 16 pound turkey, 14 ounce bagof stuffing mix.
Two frozen pie crusts, half apint of whipping cream, one
pound of frozen peas I didn'teven realize people still ate
peas A dozen dinner rolls,miscellaneous ingredients to
prepare the meal, a 30 ounce canof pumpkin pie mix.
(05:39):
One gallon of whole milk.
Three pounds of sweet potatoes,one pound veggie tray.
And cargill just issued theirreport Cargill's Future of the
Turkey Study, and what theyfound is 86% of consumers report
that they're planning topurchase whole turkey birds for
Thanksgiving meals.
(05:59):
This year, previous year,previous two or three years.
It wasn't the whole turkey, itwas part, and they identified
that 47% of consumers areworried about having too many
leftovers when they buy a wholeturkey.
So don't buy the whole turkey.
If you're concerned about usingthe leftovers, why buy the
turkey?
(06:19):
So what do you think of thesedeals?
Are we gonna have a war betweensupermarkets on Thanksgiving?
Sally (06:26):
Well, it sounds like there's going to be a lot of
options out there.
And I mean, who doesn't loveleftovers?
That's the best part aboutThanksgiving.
In our house we love it.
First off, I really find itvery hard to believe.
You know, according to thisFarm Bureau report, that you can
actually only spend $6.50 aperson for a Thanksgiving meal.
(06:51):
We are finding that hard to doright now for just a regular
meal that a family is having.
So that seems a littleunrealistic to me.
But I think that the Walmartoption I'm excited to see what
they have to offer.
I haven't seen what it's gonnacost and exactly what is going
(07:11):
to be in it.
The Costco package like yousaid, you need storage for that,
but for someone who doesn'treally like to cook all of these
items from scratch, this couldbe a great deal.
But I'm with you, phil, on Aldithe 50% across the board on a
lot of the items that they'reselling during the holidays.
(07:34):
A lot of those items are thingsthat you can use to bake their
ingredients either it's butter,it's vanilla, it's things that
you need to cook your own food,and seeing those items
significantly lower than theynormally are, I really believe
it's gonna be very appealing toconsumers this year and that
(07:55):
they're gonna end up saving alot more money going that route.
Phil (07:59):
I agree with you.
And also, what I'm gonna do isI'm gonna go to Aldi and not
just get those ingredients forThanksgiving, but there's other
things that I can buy at 50% offand keep them in the cupboard.
Or even with butter, I'llfreeze butter, I'll wrap it in
aluminum foil, then put it in afreezer bag Ziploc freezer bag
(08:23):
and then you can put it in yourfreezer.
And with these kind ofdiscounts, why not stock up?
It's a great time to stock upas well.
So from the Wall Street Journalcome to report that food halls
are rapidly multiplying in thesuburbs as developers aim to
capitalize on the rise of hybridwork and the foodie culture.
(08:45):
Now, what's interesting?
Unlike what you find inshopping malls, these food halls
are basically not, you know,franchisees of Burger King or
Anteanis or Cinnabon.
These are local restaurantsthat are participating in these
food halls.
(09:05):
And what's interesting is lastyear there were about 120 of
these food halls throughout thenation.
Now there's at least 364,according to Kushman and
Wakefield, the realtor group,and a lot of them used to be in
New York and now you have themin Omaha, Nebraska, Grapevine,
(09:29):
Texas, Reno Public Market, Selma, North Carolina.
And what's so interesting aboutthis is unlike their typical
food hall.
There's been focused on lunch.
They're really focused ongetting young families for
dinner.
Sally (09:49):
Yes, this is really cool.
You know, we've heard talkabout when the shutdown happened
and more people started workingfrom home or in hybrid
situations, that these foodhalls in the suburban area
started to appeal to thosepeople that are working from
home.
And imagine you're all of asudden working from home and you
(10:11):
want to go out and have somelunch.
You might want to be in thatenvironment.
That feels like a community andit feels like people.
You're in other people,absolutely yes, they're sharing
seating and so it does soundvery appealing in that way and
for families.
I know as a mom myself who haschildren that eat very.
(10:33):
My two children eat verydifferently.
I have one that's a vegetarianand one that's not, and so it's
fun for us to go to the foodhall.
Here in Nashville we have areally great one called Assembly
Food Hall, and it's fun for usto go there because there is
something for everyone there.
Phil (10:49):
It is, it's convenient, it's less expensive and what
this report also pointed out issome punsents are saying that
when people go out they wantwhite tablecloth experiences.
Well, not everybody does,especially if you've got kids,
and also that white tableclothexperience costs a lot more than
the white tablecloth experience.
And it costs a lot more thangoing to a food hall.
(11:12):
And I was just in Philadelphiafor Expo East, and across the
way from the convention hall isone of the most famous food
halls in Philadelphia and whenyou walk into it there's a lot
of excitement.
It's great.
You have all these aromas, youhave all these people enjoying
(11:34):
food.
So, to your point, it's a lotabout the community as well.
All these food halls remaintrue to their community and have
local restaurants and localfoods.
I think it's going to continueto grow.
Once they start bringing in theDunkin' Donuts franchises, it
(11:55):
goes downhill.
So I am mortified from a reportin the Guardian.
There was just a panel ofscientists.
Three out of five scientists onan expert panel suggest that
ultra processed foods are beingunfairly demonized and they have
(12:16):
ties to the world largestmanufacturers of the products.
So you know we've talked aboutit here.
There's been a lot of studiesthat have linked these ultra
processed foods, including icecream, sodas, ready meals to
poor health, including anincreased risk of cancer, weight
(12:37):
gain and heart disease.
The global consumption is onthe rise of these products and
these products now make up halfof the average diet both here in
the US and in the UK, and thisgroup that was organized by the
Science Media Center hadheadlines like ultra processed
(12:58):
foods good as homemade fare.
Ultra processed foods can begood for you, say nutritionists.
Ultra processed foods cansometimes be better for you,
experts claim.
And then they go on to talkabout the fact that these three
experts have been funded bymajor food companies.
Seriously, how can they getaway with this?
(13:21):
Because it's just confusing toconsumers.
We've got the science.
We see consumers moving awayfrom ultra processed foods,
which is great.
We see food brands moving awayfrom ultra processed foods and
cleaning up their labels andtheir ingredients and their
processes, and then you havesomething like this that
(13:43):
consumers are probably justsitting there scratching their
heads saying what's going on.
So, Sally, what's going on?
Sally (13:55):
Right, phil.
It is a shame to hear expertsspeak this way about these foods
, especially since lately wecan't get away from research and
studies that are coming outthat are in the news that are
about how highly addictive ultraprocessed foods are.
Some science is saying that thatultra processed foods are as
(14:16):
addictive as smoking, so that'spretty serious.
We're hearing about how theycontribute to a range of
diseases, including heartdisease, including diabetes,
including chronic obesity, so weknow that these foods are not
playing a great role in ourlives and in our diets.
(14:37):
On the other hand, processedfoods can play a role, sometimes
in our diets, in moderation,and sometimes they are necessary
and affordable for somefamilies that cannot afford to
purchase more expensive products, and sometimes these processed
foods are fortified withingredients that make them a
(14:59):
little bit better.
But to hear scientists sayingthat ultra processed foods are
not bad for you, that they canbe better for you than other
foods, is irresponsible andreckless, and we need to make
sure that consumers understandwhere this information is coming
from and to be able to know howcredible that information is.
Phil (15:21):
Absolutely.
And our friend Marion Nestle,on Food Politics in her
newsletter every day talks aboutthe need for, whether it's a
research study or a panel likethis, that really is very
upfront about who's funding it.
And she does that every singleday and I have to tell you
(15:42):
something we need people likeMarion Nestle out there really
exposing who's paying thesedollars to get this information
out there for them, to yourpoint, being able to determine
whether or not this is qualityinformation or it's certainly
somewhat skewed.
On Food Not Phones.
(16:02):
Today we're reporting anddiscussing the fact that 41
states are suing Meta,previously Facebook, claiming
that Instagram and Facebook areaddictive.
What's up with this lawsuit?
Sally (16:17):
Yes, Phil.
41 states and DC are suing Metaand they are saying that they
have built in features that areaddictive for children and
unhealthy for children, thatthese features are contributing
to mental health issues amongyoung people.
One specific mental healthissue pointed out through
(16:40):
Instagram is the rise in eatingdisorders in particularly young
girls, by what they are seeingon Instagram and Facebook.
These claims are saying thatthe company was aware of what
the consequences could be ofthese actions they were taking
(17:00):
in these features and how theywere collecting data and
children's privacy was beingexploited.
They're saying that the companyknew and moved forward
regardless.
Phil (17:16):
And when we look at this complaint, it's a federal
complaint 233 pages.
It alleges that the companyengaged in a scheme to exploit
young users for profit.
In all fairness, in 2021, whenthat Facebook whistleblower
exposed these reports, they'veunveiled numerous policy and
(17:37):
product changes intended to makeits apps safer for kids,
including giving parents toolsto track activity, building in
warnings that urge teams to takea break from social media and
implementing stricter privacysettings for default for young
users.
But the reality is, how manypeople are looking at that?
(17:58):
How many parents are reallyusing these kinds of tools?
And, if nothing else, thislawsuit will hopefully bring all
of social media into a realm oftrying to help parents, not to
worth them.
And we have another Food notPhones event coming up, don't we
(18:19):
?
Sally (18:20):
Yes, we do, and I'm very excited for this challenge
because I've been prepping myfamily.
We are already in the habitfill of no one using their
phones when we have dinnertogether, and which was really
harder for the adults, actually,than it was the children, but
very excited about Thanksgivingcoming up because we're gonna
(18:41):
have some other family membersjoining us and we're gonna put a
little basket up on our counterand we're just gonna have
everybody put their phones inthat basket and then enjoy our
meal together.
Phil (18:52):
That's great.
So if you want more informationabout Thanksgiving challenge,
just go to FoodNotPhones.
com or check us out on socialmedia to get the latest
information on the Next Food NotPhones Challenge.
Thanks, allie.
On today's bullseye, KansasCity's barbecue roots can be
traced back to the early 20thcentury, when Henry Perry, known
(19:16):
as the father of Kansas Citybarbecue, began selling smoked
meats from a cart in the garmentdistrict.
His operation eventually movedto a permanent location,
becoming the city's firstbarbecue restaurant.
Unlike other barbecue traditionsthat may focus on a set of meat
for example in Texas, if notall about beef brisket, Kansas
(19:38):
City barbecue is known for itsdiverse range of smoked meats,
including pork, beef, chickenand even fish.
One of the most distinctivefeatures of Kansas City barbecue
is the sauce.
It's typically thick,tomato-based and both sweet and
tangy.
Often made with molasses andbrown sugar, this sauce is
(19:59):
liberally applied to the smokedmeats.
Following Henry Perry'spioneering establishment, many
other barbecue joints opened upand Kansas City soon became the
major hub for barbecueenthusiasts.
In fact, the American RoyalWorld Series of Barbecue hosted
every year in Kansas City is theworld's largest barbecue
(20:21):
competition.
It attracts teams from aroundthe world and has been
instrumental in promoting thecity's barbecue culture.
While Kansas City barbecue hasdeep-rooted traditions, many
modern-day chefs and pitmastershave introduced innovative
techniques and flavors.
Today we even find dishes thatincorporate global flavors while
(20:43):
maintaining the essence oftraditional barbecue.
When we walk up and down theaisles and scour the supermarket
shelves, we find tons of KansasCity barbecue sauces from
restaurants Gates Barbecue,Arthur Bryant, Joe's Kansas City
by the way, that's TravisKelce's favorite.
More on him in a bit Fiorello'sJack Stack, Burnt Finger and
(21:07):
brands like Cowtown and, ofcourse, KC Masterpiece, which
was originally founded in KansasCity but is not associated with
any restaurant.
Entered Travis Kelce, you knowthe guy who's become a
multimedia sensation both forhis football prowess as well as
dating Taylor Swift, and he'sintroduced a new line of
(21:28):
refrigerated entrees TravisKelce's kitchen.
It's inspired by Kansas City'smost iconic flavors and
exclusively being sold at selectWalmart stores.
The new line features sevendishes, including bacon, mac and
cheese, which is a Kansas Cityclassic, with jumbo macaroni
(21:49):
noodles coated in a decadentcheddar cheese sauce infused
with bacon morsels, brisket,burnt ends and barbecue sauce
that has cuts of beef slowcooked, caramelized and topped
with a signature Kansas Citybarbecue sauce.
Barbecue, baked beans with burntends, baked black beans and
(22:10):
white kidney beans topped withbrown sugar, bacon and onions
that are then paired withseasoned beef brisket burnt ends
.
Then there's brisket burnt endswith mac and cheese, which is a
combination of jumbo macaroniand a cheddar cheese sauce,
complemented with charred andseasoned beef brisket burnt ends
.
They're big on burnt Slicebrisket in barbecue sauce, which
(22:34):
is brisket infused with therich and smoky aroma of Kansas
City style barbecue sauce.
Then there's barbecue bakedbeans with sausage, baked black
beans, sorry and white kidneybeans, which are enhanced with a
smoky barbecue flavor,sweetened with brown sugar and
enriched with bacon and aromaticonions, then complemented by
(22:56):
tender pork sausage.
Then there's sausage andmeatball marinara with peppers
and onions, sliced pork sausagewith cheesy pork and beef
meatballs in a marinara saucewith bell peppers and red onions
.
Now they retail between $8.17and $12.78 each, depending on
(23:18):
the variety.
I have to be fair.
I haven't tasted the entrees.
This was just announced lastweek so I can't comment on the
flavor or taste.
I just received a couple hoursago the ingredients and the
nutritionals.
More on those in a bit.
But based on the current fervorover the swift Kelsey romance
and seeing what it's done to theattendance and viewership of
(23:41):
Kelsey's games, not to mentionthe viewership spike for SNL's
guest appearances.
I would say this is a brilliantmove by Walmart.
This past April, Kelce alsohosted and curated Kelce Jam, a
food and music festival thathighlighted the best food
vendors in Kansas City and, ofcourse, a special from his go-to
(24:03):
Joe's Kansas City barbecue.
If Walmart promotes theseproducts properly, I can only
imagine the new Swiftiesobsessed coming into Walmart
perhaps for the very first time.
Here's the problem and potentialdownside.
The athlete's well-known dietconsists of steaks, chops and
(24:24):
chicken and, according to hispersonal chef, Kumar Ferguson,
everything he eats is for fuel,comfort, hydration and nutrition
.
Kelsey even told the FoodNetwork that Ferguson, who's a
childhood friend, has helped himkeep on the right path by
eating three fresh meals a dayand has helped him in nutrition
(24:45):
and being able to eat better,cleaner and the right
ingredients.
His personal diet criteriadoesn't translate to these fresh
meals.
The mac and cheese, the firstone that I described back panel
that I received shows that oneserving, which is 8 ounces half
of the 16 ounce package contains350 calories.
(25:07):
That's great, but it has 18grams of fat, 1130 milligrams of
sodium, 32 grams of carbs.
The good news is that it alsohas 13 grams of protein and no
added sugars, but I wish thatthe recipe stuck to Travis' own
diet regimen and clean up theingredients, especially as they
(25:29):
put his picture on the back ofthe package.
If they do that, the brandcould be you.
Authenticity is key.
Sally (25:38):
Be sure to visit SupermarketG uru.
com for the latest marketinganalysis, issues and trends.
Don't forget to join us backhere next Monday at 2.30 pm
Eastern for more.
Welcome to the Lemp Report Live.
Happy almost Halloween.
Now, I'm not sure if you caughtSNL this weekend, but if you
didn't, they had a great skitparroting brand dresser who's
the president of SAG Aftra onher request for kids not to
dress up like characters in themovies in order to support the
(00:25):
strike.
As a member of SAG Aftra, I cantell you that I do support the
strike, but think she's gone abit too far when it comes to
Halloween costumes for kids.
Again, check out the clip onYouTube or just in our show
notes and judge for yourself.
A quick programming note nextweek, TLR will broadcast live on
(00:47):
Tuesday, November 7.
On today's episode, Walmart,Aldi and Costco begin the battle
over Thanksgiving.
Hybrid food halls are a thing.
A panel of so-called scientistsare defending ultra-processed
foods.
Really?
And on Food not Phones, Metafaces a lawsuit in fact a couple
(01:09):
lawsuits over our kids' mentalhealth.
And, on the bullseye, a newbrand of Kansas barbecue foods
that Swifties will love.
Let's get started.
So, Sally, when we look,Thanksgiving is right around the
corner.
Walmart, Aldi and Costco want tostart a rumble.
First, Walmart came out andthey said 92% of their customers
(01:34):
are concerned about inflationand the impact on the holidays.
As a result, what they'resaying is not necessarily what
they're doing.
What they're saying is they'regoing to remove inflation from
two traditional Thanksgivingmeal package options that you
can buy either online or instore.
And when I say remove inflation, yes, they're doing it on these
(01:57):
two packages, but not acrossthe board.
We're on that in a minute.
One of the options comes withingredients to create a
Thanksgiving meal from scratchand the other comes with
ready-to-bake options.
They're available startingNovember 1st, this Wednesday
through December 26th.
And also Walmart included thenotice that they're going to
(02:19):
close their stores onThanksgiving for the fourth year
, on the road to give theiremployees time to celebrate.
Costco has gone even further,where they're selling a huge
Thanksgiving dinner includesfive-pound turkey breast,
stuffing, mashed potatoes,turkey gravy, mac and cheese,
sweet corn, green beans, dinnerrolls, cranberry relish and
(02:41):
apple pie.
It sells for $199.99.
Works out to roughly $25 aperson.
If you have eight people now,you've got to place an order for
it by November 5th and the kitswill be delivered between
November 8th and 17th.
Lot of food, and Thanksgivingis not till the 25th.
(03:02):
So where are you going to storethat if you get it on November
8th?
Good luck, I'm not sure.
I'm not sure that it's really agreat deal, except if you have
lots of storage room.
My choice and then I want toget your opinion, Sally is what
Aldi is doing.
Aldi has announced that it'sslashing prices on Thanksgiving
(03:27):
items by up to 50%.
What I like about this, versusthe meal kit idea, is you can
pick and choose what you wantwith these kids.
You've gotta take what they'vegot in it and in the case of
Aldi, everything from pumpkinpie mix to pie crust, to
(03:48):
cranberries, to prosciutto, tocheddar cheese and so on.
So I think it's reallyinteresting.
But the good news is, accordingto the Farm Bureau, that we
should be able to pay less forThanksgiving turkey this
November because there's animproved supply.
If you remember, lastThanksgiving we had the problem
(04:11):
with bird flu.
60 million birds had to beculled.
This year so far there is abird flu epidemic.
It hasn't hit strong yet it'sin the hundreds of thousands of
birds, which is very containable.
So if in fact, it doesn'tproceed.
What the Farm Bureau is sayingis the price is down so far 22%
(04:36):
this year over last year and itcan go down even further.
The full details on what aThanksgiving feast according to
the Farm Bureau and they've donethis, I wanna say, for like 27
years.
It'll be released on November15th.
Last year they compared forthree years.
(04:57):
It's an average cost of 10people.
In 2020, it was $46.90.
In 2021, $53.31.
In 2022, $64.05.
And hopefully it'll be downless.
And what they include, verydifferent than Costco or Walmart
(05:18):
a 16 pound turkey, 14 ounce bagof stuffing mix.
Two frozen pie crusts, half apint of whipping cream, one
pound of frozen peas I didn'teven realize people still ate
peas A dozen dinner rolls,miscellaneous ingredients to
prepare the meal, a 30 ounce canof pumpkin pie mix.
(05:39):
One gallon of whole milk.
Three pounds of sweet potatoes,one pound veggie tray.
And cargill just issued theirreport Cargill's Future of the
Turkey Study, and what theyfound is 86% of consumers report
that they're planning topurchase whole turkey birds for
Thanksgiving meals.
(05:59):
This year, previous year,previous two or three years.
It wasn't the whole turkey, itwas part, and they identified
that 47% of consumers areworried about having too many
leftovers when they buy a wholeturkey.
So don't buy the whole turkey.
If you're concerned about usingthe leftovers, why buy the
turkey?
(06:19):
So what do you think of thesedeals?
Are we gonna have a war betweensupermarkets on Thanksgiving?
Sally (06:26):
Well, it sounds like there's going to be a lot of
options out there.
And I mean, who doesn't loveleftovers?
That's the best part aboutThanksgiving.
In our house we love it.
First off, I really find itvery hard to believe.
You know, according to thisFarm Bureau report, that you can
actually only spend $6.50 aperson for a Thanksgiving meal.
(06:51):
We are finding that hard to doright now for just a regular
meal that a family is having.
So that seems a littleunrealistic to me.
But I think that the Walmartoption I'm excited to see what
they have to offer.
I haven't seen what it's gonnacost and exactly what is going
(07:11):
to be in it.
The Costco package like yousaid, you need storage for that,
but for someone who doesn'treally like to cook all of these
items from scratch, this couldbe a great deal.
But I'm with you, phil, on Aldithe 50% across the board on a
lot of the items that they'reselling during the holidays.
(07:34):
A lot of those items are thingsthat you can use to bake their
ingredients either it's butter,it's vanilla, it's things that
you need to cook your own food,and seeing those items
significantly lower than theynormally are, I really believe
it's gonna be very appealing toconsumers this year and that
(07:55):
they're gonna end up saving alot more money going that route.
Phil (07:59):
I agree with you.
And also, what I'm gonna do isI'm gonna go to Aldi and not
just get those ingredients forThanksgiving, but there's other
things that I can buy at 50% offand keep them in the cupboard.
Or even with butter, I'llfreeze butter, I'll wrap it in
aluminum foil, then put it in afreezer bag Ziploc freezer bag
(08:23):
and then you can put it in yourfreezer.
And with these kind ofdiscounts, why not stock up?
It's a great time to stock upas well.
So from the Wall Street Journalcome to report that food halls
are rapidly multiplying in thesuburbs as developers aim to
capitalize on the rise of hybridwork and the foodie culture.
(08:45):
Now, what's interesting?
Unlike what you find inshopping malls, these food halls
are basically not, you know,franchisees of Burger King or
Anteanis or Cinnabon.
These are local restaurantsthat are participating in these
food halls.
(09:05):
And what's interesting is lastyear there were about 120 of
these food halls throughout thenation.
Now there's at least 364,according to Kushman and
Wakefield, the realtor group,and a lot of them used to be in
New York and now you have themin Omaha, Nebraska, Grapevine,
(09:29):
Texas, Reno Public Market, Selma, North Carolina.
And what's so interesting aboutthis is unlike their typical
food hall.
There's been focused on lunch.
They're really focused ongetting young families for
dinner.
Sally (09:49):
Yes, this is really cool.
You know, we've heard talkabout when the shutdown happened
and more people started workingfrom home or in hybrid
situations, that these foodhalls in the suburban area
started to appeal to thosepeople that are working from
home.
And imagine you're all of asudden working from home and you
(10:11):
want to go out and have somelunch.
You might want to be in thatenvironment.
That feels like a community andit feels like people.
You're in other people,absolutely yes, they're sharing
seating and so it does soundvery appealing in that way and
for families.
I know as a mom myself who haschildren that eat very.
(10:33):
My two children eat verydifferently.
I have one that's a vegetarianand one that's not, and so it's
fun for us to go to the foodhall.
Here in Nashville we have areally great one called Assembly
Food Hall, and it's fun for usto go there because there is
something for everyone there.
Phil (10:49):
It is, it's convenient, it's less expensive and what
this report also pointed out issome punsents are saying that
when people go out they wantwhite tablecloth experiences.
Well, not everybody does,especially if you've got kids,
and also that white tableclothexperience costs a lot more than
the white tablecloth experience.
And it costs a lot more thangoing to a food hall.
(11:12):
And I was just in Philadelphiafor Expo East, and across the
way from the convention hall isone of the most famous food
halls in Philadelphia and whenyou walk into it there's a lot
of excitement.
It's great.
You have all these aromas, youhave all these people enjoying
(11:34):
food.
So, to your point, it's a lotabout the community as well.
All these food halls remaintrue to their community and have
local restaurants and localfoods.
I think it's going to continueto grow.
Once they start bringing in theDunkin' Donuts franchises, it
(11:55):
goes downhill.
So I am mortified from a reportin the Guardian.
There was just a panel ofscientists.
Three out of five scientists onan expert panel suggest that
ultra processed foods are beingunfairly demonized and they have
(12:16):
ties to the world largestmanufacturers of the products.
So you know we've talked aboutit here.
There's been a lot of studiesthat have linked these ultra
processed foods, including icecream, sodas, ready meals to
poor health, including anincreased risk of cancer, weight
(12:37):
gain and heart disease.
The global consumption is onthe rise of these products and
these products now make up halfof the average diet both here in
the US and in the UK, and thisgroup that was organized by the
Science Media Center hadheadlines like ultra processed
(12:58):
foods good as homemade fare.
Ultra processed foods can begood for you, say nutritionists.
Ultra processed foods cansometimes be better for you,
experts claim.
And then they go on to talkabout the fact that these three
experts have been funded bymajor food companies.
Seriously, how can they getaway with this?
(13:21):
Because it's just confusing toconsumers.
We've got the science.
We see consumers moving awayfrom ultra processed foods,
which is great.
We see food brands moving awayfrom ultra processed foods and
cleaning up their labels andtheir ingredients and their
processes, and then you havesomething like this that
(13:43):
consumers are probably justsitting there scratching their
heads saying what's going on.
So, Sally, what's going on?
Sally (13:55):
Right, phil.
It is a shame to hear expertsspeak this way about these foods
, especially since lately wecan't get away from research and
studies that are coming outthat are in the news that are
about how highly addictive ultraprocessed foods are.
Some science is saying that thatultra processed foods are as
(14:16):
addictive as smoking, so that'spretty serious.
We're hearing about how theycontribute to a range of
diseases, including heartdisease, including diabetes,
including chronic obesity, so weknow that these foods are not
playing a great role in ourlives and in our diets.
(14:37):
On the other hand, processedfoods can play a role, sometimes
in our diets, in moderation,and sometimes they are necessary
and affordable for somefamilies that cannot afford to
purchase more expensive products, and sometimes these processed
foods are fortified withingredients that make them a
(14:59):
little bit better.
But to hear scientists sayingthat ultra processed foods are
not bad for you, that they canbe better for you than other
foods, is irresponsible andreckless, and we need to make
sure that consumers understandwhere this information is coming
from and to be able to know howcredible that information is.
Phil (15:21):
Absolutely.
And our friend Marion Nestle,on Food Politics in her
newsletter every day talks aboutthe need for, whether it's a
research study or a panel likethis, that really is very
upfront about who's funding it.
And she does that every singleday and I have to tell you
(15:42):
something we need people likeMarion Nestle out there really
exposing who's paying thesedollars to get this information
out there for them, to yourpoint, being able to determine
whether or not this is qualityinformation or it's certainly
somewhat skewed.
On Food Not Phones.
(16:02):
Today we're reporting anddiscussing the fact that 41
states are suing Meta,previously Facebook, claiming
that Instagram and Facebook areaddictive.
What's up with this lawsuit?
Sally (16:17):
Yes, Phil.
41 states and DC are suing Metaand they are saying that they
have built in features that areaddictive for children and
unhealthy for children, thatthese features are contributing
to mental health issues amongyoung people.
One specific mental healthissue pointed out through
(16:40):
Instagram is the rise in eatingdisorders in particularly young
girls, by what they are seeingon Instagram and Facebook.
These claims are saying thatthe company was aware of what
the consequences could be ofthese actions they were taking
(17:00):
in these features and how theywere collecting data and
children's privacy was beingexploited.
They're saying that the companyknew and moved forward
regardless.
Phil (17:16):
And when we look at this complaint, it's a federal
complaint 233 pages.
It alleges that the companyengaged in a scheme to exploit
young users for profit.
In all fairness, in 2021, whenthat Facebook whistleblower
exposed these reports, they'veunveiled numerous policy and
(17:37):
product changes intended to makeits apps safer for kids,
including giving parents toolsto track activity, building in
warnings that urge teams to takea break from social media and
implementing stricter privacysettings for default for young
users.
But the reality is, how manypeople are looking at that?
(17:58):
How many parents are reallyusing these kinds of tools?
And, if nothing else, thislawsuit will hopefully bring all
of social media into a realm oftrying to help parents, not to
worth them.
And we have another Food notPhones event coming up, don't we
(18:19):
?
Sally (18:20):
Yes, we do, and I'm very excited for this challenge
because I've been prepping myfamily.
We are already in the habitfill of no one using their
phones when we have dinnertogether, and which was really
harder for the adults, actually,than it was the children, but
very excited about Thanksgivingcoming up because we're gonna
(18:41):
have some other family membersjoining us and we're gonna put a
little basket up on our counterand we're just gonna have
everybody put their phones inthat basket and then enjoy our
meal together.
Phil (18:52):
That's great.
So if you want more informationabout Thanksgiving challenge,
just go to FoodNotPhones.
com or check us out on socialmedia to get the latest
information on the Next Food NotPhones Challenge.
Thanks, allie.
On today's bullseye, KansasCity's barbecue roots can be
traced back to the early 20thcentury, when Henry Perry, known
(19:16):
as the father of Kansas Citybarbecue, began selling smoked
meats from a cart in the garmentdistrict.
His operation eventually movedto a permanent location,
becoming the city's firstbarbecue restaurant.
Unlike other barbecue traditionsthat may focus on a set of meat
for example in Texas, if notall about beef brisket, Kansas
(19:38):
City barbecue is known for itsdiverse range of smoked meats,
including pork, beef, chickenand even fish.
One of the most distinctivefeatures of Kansas City barbecue
is the sauce.
It's typically thick,tomato-based and both sweet and
tangy.
Often made with molasses andbrown sugar, this sauce is
(19:59):
liberally applied to the smokedmeats.
Following Henry Perry'spioneering establishment, many
other barbecue joints opened upand Kansas City soon became the
major hub for barbecueenthusiasts.
In fact, the American RoyalWorld Series of Barbecue hosted
every year in Kansas City is theworld's largest barbecue
(20:21):
competition.
It attracts teams from aroundthe world and has been
instrumental in promoting thecity's barbecue culture.
While Kansas City barbecue hasdeep-rooted traditions, many
modern-day chefs and pitmastershave introduced innovative
techniques and flavors.
Today we even find dishes thatincorporate global flavors while
(20:43):
maintaining the essence oftraditional barbecue.
When we walk up and down theaisles and scour the supermarket
shelves, we find tons of KansasCity barbecue sauces from
restaurants Gates Barbecue,Arthur Bryant, Joe's Kansas City
by the way, that's TravisKelce's favorite.
More on him in a bit Fiorello'sJack Stack, Burnt Finger and
(21:07):
brands like Cowtown and, ofcourse, KC Masterpiece, which
was originally founded in KansasCity but is not associated with
any restaurant.
Entered Travis Kelce, you knowthe guy who's become a
multimedia sensation both forhis football prowess as well as
dating Taylor Swift, and he'sintroduced a new line of
(21:28):
refrigerated entrees TravisKelce's kitchen.
It's inspired by Kansas City'smost iconic flavors and
exclusively being sold at selectWalmart stores.
The new line features sevendishes, including bacon, mac and
cheese, which is a Kansas Cityclassic, with jumbo macaroni
(21:49):
noodles coated in a decadentcheddar cheese sauce infused
with bacon morsels, brisket,burnt ends and barbecue sauce
that has cuts of beef slowcooked, caramelized and topped
with a signature Kansas Citybarbecue sauce.
Barbecue, baked beans with burntends, baked black beans and
(22:10):
white kidney beans topped withbrown sugar, bacon and onions
that are then paired withseasoned beef brisket burnt ends
.
Then there's brisket burnt endswith mac and cheese, which is a
combination of jumbo macaroniand a cheddar cheese sauce,
complemented with charred andseasoned beef brisket burnt ends
.
They're big on burnt Slicebrisket in barbecue sauce, which
(22:34):
is brisket infused with therich and smoky aroma of Kansas
City style barbecue sauce.
Then there's barbecue bakedbeans with sausage, baked black
beans, sorry and white kidneybeans, which are enhanced with a
smoky barbecue flavor,sweetened with brown sugar and
enriched with bacon and aromaticonions, then complemented by
(22:56):
tender pork sausage.
Then there's sausage andmeatball marinara with peppers
and onions, sliced pork sausagewith cheesy pork and beef
meatballs in a marinara saucewith bell peppers and red onions
.
Now they retail between $8.17and $12.78 each, depending on
(23:18):
the variety.
I have to be fair.
I haven't tasted the entrees.
This was just announced lastweek so I can't comment on the
flavor or taste.
I just received a couple hoursago the ingredients and the
nutritionals.
More on those in a bit.
But based on the current fervorover the swift Kelsey romance
and seeing what it's done to theattendance and viewership of
(23:41):
Kelsey's games, not to mentionthe viewership spike for SNL's
guest appearances.
I would say this is a brilliantmove by Walmart.
This past April, Kelce alsohosted and curated Kelce Jam, a
food and music festival thathighlighted the best food
vendors in Kansas City and, ofcourse, a special from his go-to
(24:03):
Joe's Kansas City barbecue.
If Walmart promotes theseproducts properly, I can only
imagine the new Swiftiesobsessed coming into Walmart
perhaps for the very first time.
Here's the problem and potentialdownside.
The athlete's well-known dietconsists of steaks, chops and
(24:24):
chicken and, according to hispersonal chef, Kumar Ferguson,
everything he eats is for fuel,comfort, hydration and nutrition
.
Kelsey even told the FoodNetwork that Ferguson, who's a
childhood friend, has helped himkeep on the right path by
eating three fresh meals a dayand has helped him in nutrition
(24:45):
and being able to eat better,cleaner and the right
ingredients.
His personal diet criteriadoesn't translate to these fresh
meals.
The mac and cheese, the firstone that I described back panel
that I received shows that oneserving, which is 8 ounces half
of the 16 ounce package contains350 calories.
(25:07):
That's great, but it has 18grams of fat, 1130 milligrams of
sodium, 32 grams of carbs.
The good news is that it alsohas 13 grams of protein and no
added sugars, but I wish thatthe recipe stuck to Travis' own
diet regimen and clean up theingredients, especially as they
(25:29):
put his picture on the back ofthe package.
If they do that, the brandcould be you.
Authenticity is key.
Sally (25:38):
Be sure to visit SupermarketG uru.
com for the latest marketinganalysis, issues and trends.
Don't forget to join us backhere next Monday at 2.30 pm
Eastern for more.
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