Brands Compete on Value, Experience and Summer Promotions in Foodservice

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Rising prices, shifting consumer expectations and seasonal marketing pushes are shaping the latest moves across foodservice. From affordability and customer satisfaction trends to global expansion, soccer-themed promotions and summer menu innovation, restaurant brands are refining how they attract traffic, build loyalty and compete for consumer spending.

With fast-food costs climbing and value under greater scrutiny, new studies highlight how affordability and customer satisfaction are shaping consumer choices.

A new WalletHub study finds fast food is becoming less affordable, with sharp state-by-state differences...

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ANALYSIS: US April Shrimp Imports Down 16% as India Volumes Retreat Sharply

April's official US shrimp imports totaled 129.0 million lbs on an adjusted basis, landing within the product-type Expana model range of 124.8–144.4M lbs.

The headline figure held, but the composition across product types offers additional context. Peeled came in at 68.7M lbs, fractionally above the upper model estimate of 68.0M lbs. Shell-on landed at 34.0M lbs, at the lower bound of the projected range. Breaded at 11.4M lbs fell within range. Cooked was the notable deviation at 12.8M lbs, below the lower model estimate...

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Wild Alaskan Company to Directly Operate Kasilof Buying Station for 2026 Salmon Season

Wild Alaskan Company will directly operate the Kasilof buying station for the upcoming salmon season, reversing its original plan to bring in an outside operator after acquiring the facility in February.

The company said it has committed the capital, personnel, and operational resources needed to prepare the facility for the 2026 season. The Kasilof station serves Alaska's second-largest sockeye salmon fishery and plays a key role in access, logistics, and value creation across the region.

"While it wasn't our original plan, we chose...

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NOAA Directs $123.6M in Fishery Disaster Funds to Alaska, West Coast, and Squaxin Island Tribe

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NOAA Fisheries used commercial revenue loss data to determine how funding will be distributed across the eligible disasters. Funds can be deployed for a range of recovery activities, including fishery infrastructure...

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Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Britt Urge USDA Action on Catfish Virus Threats

US Senators Roger Wicker, Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) are calling on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to act before two highly contagious viruses can reach farm-raised catfish operations in Mississippi and other states.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the senators urged prompt action to assess and mitigate the impacts of Yellow Catfish Virus (YcCV) and Channel Catfish Virus (CCV), warning that an unchecked outbreak could severely damage the domestic industry...

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CDC Report: Tuna and Reef Fish Behind Most US Seafood Toxin Outbreaks Over 13-Year Span

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that marine toxins were responsible for 402 foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States between 2011 and 2023, resulting in 1,280 illnesses, 96 hospitalizations, and one death, with tuna and tropical reef fish at the center of most cases.

Published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the analysis represents the first national summary of all foodborne outbreaks caused by marine toxins across that period. Scombroid toxin poisoning and ciguatoxin together accounted...

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Expana's Weekly Top 10

This week’s Top 10 highlights the key risks, policy developments and market shifts shaping the agri-food landscape, from biosecurity threats and farm labor reform to fertilizer costs, cocoa competition and resilient consumer demand. From the spread of New World screwworm in the US and proposed changes to the H-2A program, to private label growth, Father’s Day meat promotions and climate risks facing West Coast fisheries, these are the stories driving markets this week. This list is in no particular order.

Find archived recaps here.

10. Private labels continue...

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Russian Crab Exports Hit Record High in First Five Months of 2026

Russian crab exports reached record levels in the first five months of 2026, driven by stable demand and a generally favorable market environment.

According to the Russian Federal Center for Agroexports — the agency responsible for monitoring agricultural exports from Russia — shipments from January through May totaled nearly 34,000 tons (live, fresh, chilled, and frozen), up 11% compared to the same period in 2025. Export revenue climbed 26% to $930 million. Both figures set records for the January–May period...

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Norcod Secures Exclusive Five-Year Juvenile Supply Deal with Havland

Norwegian cod farmer Norcod has signed a five-year agreement with juvenile supplier Havland, under which Havland will supply all of its cod juveniles exclusively to Norcod.

The deal deepens a relationship that stretches back to 2018, when the two companies began working together to rebuild cod farming in Norway. In 2021, they entered a joint venture to establish a cod hatchery in Florø, supporting the next phase of growth for the sector.

"Havland has for many years been, and continues to be, an important partner for Norcod...

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Brands Compete on Value, Experience and Summer Promotions in Foodservice

With fast-food costs climbing and value under greater scrutiny, new studies highlight how affordability and customer satisfaction are shaping consumer choices.

A new WalletHub study finds fast food is becoming less affordable, with sharp state-by-state differences...

Full Story »

Aysén Agencies, Salmon Farmers Test HAB Mass Mortality Response in Joint Simulation

Chile’s Aysén region is stepping up contingency planning for large-scale aquaculture emergencies, with the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) participating in a simulation tied to a salmon mass mortality event caused by a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB).

The exercise, organized by the Inter-Institutional Committee on Environmental Contingencies (CIICA), brought together public agencies and local salmon farming companies to test how the sector would respond to a complex event involving logistical constraints, high mortality management and communication...

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Boudreaux's Brand Owner Sues Former Licensee Over Trademark Counterfeiting and UPC Code Theft

Gulf Marine Products Co., Inc. (GMP), the Westwego, Louisiana-based owner of the Boudreaux's seafood brand and crawfish importer, has filed a federal lawsuit against a former business partner, alleging trademark counterfeiting and the deliberate misappropriation of its retail product codes after a two-decade licensing relationship collapsed.

The complaint, filed June 12 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, names A La Carte Specialty Foods, L.L.C. (ALC) and its sole member Karl D. Turner as defendants. GMP is seeking...

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Trump Arctic Official Pitches Greenland Annexation as Lifeline for Red Lobster

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King Oscar Expands Premium Tinned Seafood Portfolio with New Smoked Mussels

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The Scottish Government has welcomed the deal as an example of cross-sector collaboration in support of wild salmon recovery. An independent firm will administer the scheme, with directors drawn from both the aquaculture and wild fisheries management sectors...

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ANALYSIS: Chile Controls 70% of US Fresh Salmon Imports as Norwegian Supply Falls 35%

Chile controls more than 70% of US fresh salmon fillet imports, Norwegian supply is down more than a third year-over-year, and a 12.5% tariff deadline is six weeks out. Despite all of that, the fresh benchmark is drifting lower and buyers are hesitant to commit. The frozen market, running below a three-year average in volume, is the steadier of the two. Understanding why requires looking past the price series and into how Chilean producers get paid...

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