January 24, 2023
Quarterly Report:

Supply Chain Stability, But at What Cost? | Top Ten Topics 2022

Report preview

The pandemic may have eased, but 2022 saw no shortage of disruptions. Supply chains have adapted, innovated and recovered, but many of those changes come at a cost.

Highlights from this report on the top conversations in food, beverage and agriculture include:

  • The immediate impacts of extreme weather drove up food costs.
  • Agriculturalists and policymakers considered the long-term costs and benefits of stewardship practices and climate change.
  • Tight supplies of workers, protein and fertilizer all raised production costs. Many brands passed these costs along to consumers.
  • Inflation factored into rising food insecurity, where policy changes proved to be a mixed bag.
2022 Top Ten Topics

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Withering Weather | Top Ten Topics Q3 2022

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  • Views on the intertwined topics of extreme weather, climate change and farm stewardship practices.
  • Policy efforts to ensure food safety, reduce hunger, and boost nutrition and health.
  • Ongoing supply chain innovation in niche and international markets.
Top Ten Topics Q3 2022

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Quarterly Report:

Overlapping Crises | Top Ten Topics Q2 2022

2022 Q2 report preview

In the second quarter, intertwined topics rose to the top of conversations among the leading voices in food, beverage and agriculture production:

  • Ongoing effects of the pandemic resurfaced as concerns about workforce strains, food insecurity and protein prices continued.
  • Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted international trade, limiting options for fertilizer and meeting global food demand.
  • Long-term plans manifested in the trifecta of stewardship, weather and climate change.
Top Ten Topics Q2 2022

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War and Price | Top Ten Topics Q1 2022

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  • Water drove discussions of stewardship practices, particularly around World Water Day.
  • Drought led concerns about weather ahead of planting season
  • Fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upset international trade and drove up food prices.
Top Ten Topics Q1 2022

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Gearing Up for Global Challenges | Top Ten Topics – 2021 in Review

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  • Policymakers and the private sector pursued stewardship practices to minimize food production’s impact on the planet.
  • Extreme weather events stymied crop growth and disrupted food distribution.
  • Vaccines prompted conversations about worker safety; meanwhile, worker shortages further complicated supply chain problems.
2021 Top Ten Topics

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Weathering Supply Changes | Top Ten Topics Q3 2021

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  • Drought across the western United States stymied crops and forced farmers to reconsider water management.
  • Commentaries on protein production contrasted meat industry consolidation with alternative protein startup expansion.
  • Corporate, national and global policies juggled food security, climate change and the pandemic.
Q3 2021 Spaghetti chart

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Returning to Abnormal | Top Ten Topics Q2 2021

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  • Drought spread across the West, dimming outlook for the nation’s food supply.
  • A tight labor supply limited the ability for food companies to resume normal operations.
  • Increasing demand for protein brought chicken wing shortages and encouraged investment in meat alternatives.
Top Ten Topics Q2 2021

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It’s Been a Long 12 Months | Top Ten Topics Q1 2021

We’re proud to share our first-quarter 2021 report.

After four quarters, the fingerprints of the pandemic are still all over the Top Ten Topics. Workforce, protein and health all reflected discussions of food’s role in the well-being of Americans. Meanwhile, the arrival of a new administration elevated climate change and meatless foods — a different facet of protein conversations.

2021 Q1 Top Ten chart

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Quarterly Report:

The COVID Shuffle | Top Ten Topics of 2020

We’re proud to share our 2020 year-in-review report.

In a turbulent year, influential voices shifted discussion to previously quiet topics, including workforce, hunger and niche production practices. Meanwhile, several trends continued in spite of the pandemic. Notably, consumer-facing brands continued to partner with producers on stewardship goals and protein remains the hot topic in diet and nutrition.

See how food industry leaders reacted to the pandemic’s disruption in our latest report, “The COVID Shuffle.”

Top Ten Topics 2020

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Top Ten Topics: Third-Quarter 2020

We’re proud to present our third-quarter report.

The coronavirus crisis continued to drive leading conversations within the food, beverage and agriculture industry, favoring topics like food security and worker safety. However, other topics snuck into the mix. Extreme weather events and farm sustainability also emerged as trending topics.

Additionally, we attached a pre-election guide for presidential candidates’ stances on key agriculture policies.

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