5@5: Struggling US farmers will determine Trump's fate | Egg producer accused of illegally gouging shoppers

How suffering farmers may determine Trump's fate

In the U.S., small- to mid-sized food producers are being increasingly wiped out by consolidation—a fate which President Trump promised to prevent four years ago while campaigning in the Midwest. After a series of trade wars and a lack of financial support for coronavirus-related costs, many of the states that voted him in are leaning the complete opposite direction this time around. Read more at The New Yorker…

Egg producer Hillandale Farms accused of gouging consumers during coronavirus pandemic

New York's attorney general, Letitia James, filed a lawsuit this week against one of the largest U.S. egg producers for jacking up prices during the high-demand time period after the pandemic hit. Hillandale Farms allegedly "doubled, tripled and even quadrupled prices on eggs" sold in major retailers. The poultry industry has also largely failed to protect its plant workers from COVID-19 and enfoce proper social distancing measures and PPE mandates. Read more at CBS News…

Grocery workers say morale is at an all-time low

Grocery workers nationwide are reporting record-low morale levels as hazard pay ends and the pandemic shows no sign of dissipating anytime soon. An alarming amount of overworked employees are quitting on the job, and many of those who took sick leave at the beginning of the pandemic cannot afford to take unpaid time off now even if they are displaying symptoms of illness. Read more at The Washington Post.…

Walmart's newest Instacart partnership bolsters the retailer's same-day delivery offerings–and takes dead aim at Amazon's Whole Foods

According to recent reports, Walmart and Instacart will now offer same-day delivery options across four markets in California and Oklahoma. Walmart's recent activity, including a subscription service for shoppers, suggests the company is gearing up to challenge Amazon's fulfillment capabilities. Read more at Business Insider…

China launches 'Clean Plate' campaign against food waste

Chinese President Xi Jinping is asking the country's citizens to "maintain a sense of crisis about food insecurity" as COVID-19 and recent flooding of farms have further disrupted the country's food supply chain. In response to this, a new anti-food waste campaign urges restaurants to limit the number of dishes served to groups of diners to one less than the number of people eating. Read more at BBC…