Ilan Brat writes about agriculture from the WSJ’s Chicago bureau. He focuses on stories relating to fresh produce, dairy, fertilizer and seafood as well as the broader farm economy. He has covered Midwest manufacturing, the garbage industry and packaged-food makers. Most recently, he spent three years working from the Madrid office writing about a broad array of economic and political themes.
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Niche players to large companies are rushing to meet consumers’ increasing demand to know more about what’s in their food. Firms are using websites and special codes that showcase where ingredients come from.
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The supermarket chain, which has long given local managers and regional bosses broad discretion, is whittling away at some of that autonomy in an effort to reduce costs and boost its clout with suppliers.
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Whole Foods Market said profit declined in its latest quarter as the natural-and-organic grocer continues to try to reinvigorate sales and manage costs.
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Boss Talk: Whole Foods Markets has spent much of the past year fighting slower growth and negative headlines. In an interview, co-CEO Walter Robb discusses its candid culture and what’s ahead for the grocery business.
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Same-store sales and pricing will be in focus when Whole Foods reports first-quarter results Wednesday.
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Kroger has started a booze-fueled brawl with the alcohol industry with a plan to change how the country’s largest supermarket chain organizes beer, wine, and liquor on its store shelves.
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Dole Food has suspended production at an Ohio plant and is withdrawing packaged salads produced there after a multistate listeria outbreak has resulted in the hospitalization of 12 people over the last six months.
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Supervalu reported a worse-than-expected 2.6% decline in third-quarter revenue as the supermarket chain continues to face increased competition.
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Supermarket chain Supervalu Inc. on Thursday filed with regulators plans to spin off its hard-discount division Save-A-Lot as a public company, the latest move for Supervalu as it struggles to cope with big changes reshaping the food-retail sector.
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Kroger lifted its earnings outlook for the year again as third-quarter profit grew more than expected on controlled expenses and strong core sales growth.
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Kroger is expected to announce its fiscal third-quarter earnings before the market opens on Thursday. Here’s what you need to know.
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Kroger agreed to buy Milwaukee-based Roundy’s Inc., expanding the supermarket giant into one of the few states where it doesn’t already compete.
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Whole Foods Market Inc.’s fourth-quarter profit fell sharply as the natural-foods grocer continues to struggle with a sales slowdown.
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Snyder’s-Lance agreed to buy Diamond Foods, the maker of Emerald almonds and Kettle potato chips, in a $1.27 billion deal that highlights how big food makers are racing to add simpler, less-processed foods to their portfolios.
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Drenching rains have curbed the U.S. harvests of canning pumpkins and sweet potatoes, dealing farmers a blow and leading to tighter supplies—and potentially higher prices—for the holiday-feast staples.
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Albertsons Cos.’ postponed initial public stock offering marks a setback for the beefed-up rival to supermarket leader Kroger Co., as it seeks to pare debt and invest in store upgrades to woo fickle U.S. shoppers.
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California dairy farmers are retrenching amid falling prices and drought in the largest milk-producing state, a shift that could further reshape the U.S. industry by enabling farmers in other states to expand.
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Fertilizer maker Mosaic reached an agreement worth more than $800 million with federal and state environmental regulators to clean up hazardous waste from manufacturing operations in Louisiana and Florida.
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Consumer concern has grown so strong that some vendors are paying for non-GMO labeling even though their products aren’t among the small number of crops that are genetically modified in the U.S.
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