New Feeding the Economy Report Highlights Food, Agriculture Industry Strength

America’s food and agriculture industries generated more than $10.4 trillion in economic value in 2026, accounting for nearly 20% of the U.S. economy, according to the 10th annual Feeding the Economy report released by 35 food and agriculture groups. The new farm-to-fork study also found the sector supports 48.7 million jobs nationwide, including 24.3 million direct jobs across farming, food manufacturing, processing, distribution, retail, and foodservice.

The report points to continued resilience despite inflation, trade uncertainty, and ongoing pressure on farmers and producers. It found food and agriculture generate more than $3 trillion in wages and $1.35 trillion in tax revenue, while U.S. exports totaled $177.3 billion. At the same time, the study flagged softer areas to watch, including flat direct employment in production agriculture and food manufacturing, along with a year-over-year decline in exports. For the food and beverage industry, the report reinforces just how deeply agriculture remains tied to jobs, supply chains, and broader economic stability.

Source:
Tenth Annual “Feeding the Economy” Report Demonstrates Strength and Resilience of the American Food and Agriculture Industries Amid Ongoing Economic Pressures — Feeding the Economy via PR Newswire
Further information:
Feeding the Economy

View the original press release on PR Newswire

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California’s Fresh Brothers Pizza Opens Franchise Opportunities Nationwide

Fresh Brothers Pizza is taking its next step beyond Southern California, opening franchise opportunities nationwide with backing from Craveworthy Brands. For Foodie News readers, the story is less about another pizza chain expanding and more about how a California-born concept is trying to stand out in one of America’s most crowded food categories: by leaning hard into ingredient quality, hospitality, and menu flexibility.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2008 by Scott Goldberg and his family, Fresh Brothers has grown to more than 20 locations across California. The brand says its appeal starts with handmade dough produced daily, vine-ripened tomato sauce, 100 percent pure mozzarella, and a menu that goes beyond pizza to include salads, baked wings, knots, sliders, pastas, and sandwiches. It also built an early reputation for inclusive options, offering vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free choices at a time when many pizzerias were slower to adapt. That positioning helped Fresh Brothers earn a spot on Pizza Marketplace’s 2026 “Top 100 Movers & Shakers” list.

Now, with operational support from Craveworthy Brands, Fresh Brothers is targeting growth markets including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and Texas. According to the company, franchisees will receive support in real estate, training, supply chain, marketing, technology, and operations. The brand is also showcasing its model at the 2026 International Pizza Expo and Conference in Las Vegas from March 24 to 26. For restaurant watchers, this is one to keep an eye on: Fresh Brothers is betting that a quality-first, Midwest-style pizza concept can travel well beyond its California base.

Source:
Fresh Brothers Bakes Franchise Opportunity, Bringing a Fresh Take on America’s Favorite Food Across The U.S. — Craveworthy Brands via PR Newswire

Further information:
Fresh Brothers Pizza
Craveworthy Brands

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Easter Is for Adults Now, Too

Ferrero’s latest survey suggests the holiday candy aisle is no longer just about kids. It is also about nostalgia, self-indulgence, and adults openly claiming a place in traditions they were once expected to outgrow.

At some point, adults stopped pretending they were only buying Easter candy for the kids.

Ferrero North America’s latest Easter Candy Survey leans hard into that reality, arguing that the “Adultoween” energy the company has been tracking around Halloween has now fully crossed into spring. According to the survey, 66% of North American adults say they deserve an Easter basket just as much as children do. If that sounds less like a shocking revelation and more like a formal acknowledgment of what has already been happening in grocery store checkout lines for years, that is probably because it is.

The bigger story here is not just that adults like candy. Of course they do. It is that brands are becoming much more comfortable marketing nostalgia, ritual, and seasonal indulgence directly to grown-ups. Easter, once framed mostly as a family holiday centered on children, is increasingly being recast as a shared cultural event where adults are not just participating politely. They are fully in it.

The Easter Bunny Has Entered the Group Chat

Ferrero’s survey of 1,000 adults in the United States and Canada paints a picture of Easter as a holiday that now comes with brunch plans, premium baskets, personal candy stashes, and a surprising amount of competitive behavior. Seventy percent of respondents said Easter is the best time of year for both adults and kids to indulge in candy together. Nearly half said they are likely to host or attend an adult Easter brunch, party, or gathering.

Then there are the confessions, which are really the heart of the whole thing. More than one in three adults said they have eaten their children’s Easter candy without telling them. More than one in four said they have competed with their own kids to find Easter eggs first. Eighteen percent admitted to cheating to win.

None of this is exactly noble, but it is revealing. The modern holiday experience is less about adults facilitating magic from the sidelines and more about everyone wanting in on the fun. Ferrero is smart to recognize that. Seasonal candy marketing has traditionally leaned on childhood wonder. What it is leaning on now is something slightly different: the idea that adulthood is stressful, nostalgia sells, and nobody really wants to age out of joy.

Candy as Culture, Not Just Confection

The survey also suggests that adults are not treating Easter candy as an afterthought. More than half of respondents said they would pay extra for a premium Easter basket, spending an average of $23 on a chocolate bunny or specialty treat. Dark chocolate, peanut butter candy, and chocolate eggs topped the wish lists. More than half also said Easter candy tastes better than Halloween candy, which feels like the kind of claim that could start arguments at a family gathering.

What matters more than the specific rankings, though, is what they signal. Holidays are increasingly being marketed as lifestyle moments rather than fixed traditions. The basket is no longer just for children. It is a seasonal self-care package, a joke, a nostalgic ritual, and a low-stakes luxury purchase all at once.

That shift says something broader about consumer culture. Adults are being invited to reclaim the symbols of childhood not because society has become less serious, but because modern life often feels serious all the time. A chocolate bunny is cheap therapy. A private stash of mini eggs is a coping mechanism with pastel packaging.

Why This Trend Matters

It would be easy to dismiss all of this as clever branding wrapped around survey data, and to be fair, Ferrero clearly knows how to turn consumer behavior into a seasonal narrative. But the company is tapping into something real. The line between kids’ traditions and adult participation has been softening for a while, whether that shows up in Halloween, themed merchandise, collectibles, or holiday food culture.

Easter now appears to be joining that list. Not because adults suddenly discovered candy in 2026, but because they are increasingly willing to admit that these rituals still mean something to them. Not everything has to be optimized, productive, or age-appropriate in the most boring sense of the phrase. Sometimes people just want the basket.

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Ferrero’s Easter lineup this year includes products from Butterfinger, CRUNCH, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, Nutella, Mother’s Cookies, Keebler, and Tic Tac, among others. The survey was conducted by Golin in partnership with Dynata between January 13 and January 27, 2026, among 1,000 respondents in the United States and Canada, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.

External Related Links

• Ferrero North America
• Ferrero Rocher Easter Products
• Kinder Easter Candy Collection
• Nutella Products and Brand Information
• PRNewswire Consumer Lifestyle News

Source: Ferrero North America via PRNewswire

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