From ‘Beef Is Back’ to PowerMac and the Shopper You're Losing

From Washington to Tehran to center store, the push for more protein, rising fertilizer and fuel costs, and a new wave of fortified products are reshaping what shoppers buy and what they leave behind

The USDA projects that food-at-home prices will rise more slowly than restaurant prices in 2026 — which should theoretically be a tailwind for grocery retail (depending in part on how long the Iran War continues). But that advantage evaporates if retailers don’t meet shoppers where they are: stretched, savvy, still connected, and making hard tradeoffs every time they open a cart.

In the latest issue of The Lempert Report on Substack, I dig into three converging forces reshaping the food economy right now:

???? America's protein obsession is at an all-time high

???? The Iran War is hitting your grocery bill

???? A new national consumer survey should stop the industry cold

Read the entire issue of The Lempert Report on Subtack