Capacity utilization in U.S. food manufacturing slid to mid-80s levels in 2026 because the industry added space faster than it added output. Plants report too few orders far more often than labor shortages, and standard absorbed-cost metrics can hide the real contribution of filling idle hours.
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Among plants running below full capability, most cited too few orders, while labor ranks fifth.
Register for an account your email your username A password will be e-mailed to you. Password recovery Recover your password your email A password will be e-mailed to you. Among plants running below full capability, most cited too few orders, while labor ranks fifth.
So if your plant feels emptier, it's because the industry added space faster than customers filled it. If it rolls all three into unplanned downtime, there may be a demand problem inside a maintenance review for a year before someone notices. Succession Planning in Food Manufacturing 24% of Food and Beverage Dollars Now Go to Private Label.
Food Plants Haven't Run This Empty Since 2021. Get help Create an account Create an account Welcome! The monthly version of the same series inched down to 82.9% in August.
It's not exactly a "food desert" but just another sign of bad management, a rough consumer environment at play and the TRUISM that local government can't even run a grocery store . . . Check-it: Read more at tonyskansascity.com
According to a report from Fox News, shoppers this year are finding empty spots where familiar juices, ice creams and snacks used to sit, as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo slim their lineups and other brands quietly pull cult flavors. Some 2026 exits are confirmed. Others have been flagged by food outlets and customers. Coca-Co
August 31, 2026 | Source: WGLT.org | by Abigail Bottar On a hot summer day, John Williams is walking through the vegetable farm he manages in central Illinois. “All these white tubes coming up are tree tubes,” he said, “so they’re little protections for newly planted trees.” Hazelnut, apple and pear trees The post U.S.
Headline after headline. Goodbye post after goodbye post. News of shuttered plant-based restaurants doesn't seem to end. But while the crisis is real, so is the determination. We spoke to the vegan restaurateurs working to hang on about what's happening and what it'll take to survive.
The 2027 synthetic dye deadline is signed. The natural color supply chain isn't ready. This week we're also covering tariff inflation at 3.3% PCE and a GS1 US survey showing 67% of consumers now avoid entire product categories after a recall.
September 22, 2026 | Source: Friends of the Earth United States Food is abundant. So is money. Yet despite record production of industrial commodity crops, hunger remains widespread while billions of dollars flow to agribusiness corporations and their shareholders. Industrial agriculture doesn’t only fail to feed peopl
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