5 things: Grocery and restaurant aggregators push for corporate snack and meal business

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

 1.    Sharebite/Instacart deal highlights growth of grocery and restaurant aggregators in corporate food market

Meal benefits platform Sharebite has announced a partnership with the grocery technology company Instacart through which Sharebite clients receive a free one-year Instacart Business account, enabling snack and grocery ordering for offices, as grocery and restaurant aggregators alike compete for employers’ meal and snack spending. Last year, for instance, DoorDash announced a partnership with co-working space provider WeWork to be the exclusive delivery provider for events in the U.S. and Canada while Uber Eats already has its Uber for Business arm that provides in-office meals as well as stipends and vouchers for meals for remote employees and virtual events, and Grubhub has its Corporate Accounts, with similar B2B solutions for group orders, individual meals for in-office or remote workers and catering.

Read more: Instacart Partners With Sharebite to Target Corporate Food Spend

 2.    Hawaii looks to expand local food in its schools

The Hawaii Department of Education has invited local farmers to offer feedback on its food plan for the next school year as it seeks to make progress toward a legally mandated goal of increasing local ingredients in school meals. Farm-to-school advocates called it a promising development but said many obstacles remain.

Related:5 things: House passes bill allowing whole milk in schools

Read more: Hawaii Education Department Takes ‘Big First Step’ To Increase Local Food In Schools

 3.    Compass takes over Amazon food production facility

Amazon has finalized a deal with Compass Group USA to transfer the operational responsibilities of a food production facility in Renton, Wash., according to information released by the company. The 164,480 sq.ft facility has supported Amazon Fresh grocery and Amazon Go convenience stores since its full operational launch in early 2022.

Read more: Compass Group Takes Over Operations at Amazon Food Production Facility in Renton in $12MM Deal

 4.    Minnesota to study impact of universal free school meals

As Minnesota school districts near the halfway point of the academic year, plans are taking shape to study the effectiveness of no-cost meals for all students that had received legislative approval this past spring and Hunger Solutions Minnesota has received a federal grant to measure how this approach is faring. A key focus will be the impact on Black, American Indian and Latino students in whether they have enough time to eat the meals and if enough culturally appropriate foods are being offered, says the group's associate director, Rachel Holmes.

Related:5 tech things: NFL stadium opens two Verizon 5G “On the Fly” cashierless shops

Read more: MN's no-cost school meals draw interest from research community

 5.    Sysco to sever ties with Chinese seafood firm over human rights allegations

Sysco has stopped purchasing product from and has severed its U.S. broadline operation’s direct business relationship with Shandong Haidu “following a months-long investigation into allegations of forced labor and other human rights abuses that violate Sysco’s values and supplier code of conduct.” Shandong Haidu is a subsidiary of the Chishan Group, a major Chinese seafood firm responsible for producing as much as 17% of processed squid imported by the U.S. from China.

Read more: Sysco pledges to sever ties with Chishan Group due to alleged use of Uyghur labor

Bonus: Chartwells K12 Unveils Top Ten Food Trends for Kids in 2024

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]