Gourmet News

US Agricultural Exports in ’25 Forecast at $170B

Published December 2, 2024

U.S. agricultural exports in fiscal year 2025 are forecast at $170 billion, up $500 million from the August forecast. This projection is primarily driven by increases in livestock and dairy exports.

Beef exports are projected $400 million higher to $8.8 billion as higher volumes offset lower unit values. Dairy exports are raised $300 million to $8.4 billion based on increased U.S. price competitiveness for a number of products.

Overall livestock, poultry, and dairy exports are forecast to increase by $700 million to $39.3 billion. Grain and feed exports are forecast at $36.5 billion, up $200 million from the August forecast, as higher exports of corn and sorghum more than offset moderately lower wheat and feed and fodder exports.

Horticultural exports are projected at $41.7 billion, up $200 million from August due to increases in fresh and processed fruit and vegetable exports. Oilseed and product exports are projected at $33.5 billion, down

$500 million due to lower soybean and peanut volumes. Cotton exports are forecast down $200 million to $4.3 billion due to lower volumes. The forecast for ethanol exports is lowered by $100
million to $4.2 billion, as falling export unit values offset slightly higher volumes.

Exports to Mexico, the top U.S. agricultural market, are forecast $700 million higher from the August projection to $29.9 billion, driven by continued robust demand for a range of products.

The export forecast for Canada is $300 million higher to a record $29.2 billion, supported by a strong economic outlook. Agricultural exports to China are forecast at $23.3 billion, down $700
million from the August projection.

U.S. agricultural imports in FY 2025 are forecast at $215.5 billion, up $3.5 billion from the August projection, led by increases in horticultural as well as sugar and tropical product imports.

The forecasts in this report are based on policies in effect at the time of the Nov. 8 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates release. Click here for the full report.

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Legacy Food Group Promotes President/COO Miller to CEO

Published December 2, 2024

Legacy Food Group has promoted President and COO John H. Miller to chief executive officer effective Jan. 1. In his new role, Miller will help lead expansion efforts while continuing his focus on operational efficiencies as LFG continues to bring together regional independent foodservice distributors. Already this last year, John has helped integrate and coordinate the efforts of new five divisions, all of which came into the organization.

Miller’s promotion marks the next step in his impactful leadership journey at LFG, where he has already made a significant imprint on the company’s operations by leveraging his deep industry expertise and strategic mindset to accelerate the company’s growth, streamline operations, and enhance profitability across divisions.

“I’m honored to take on the role of chief executive officer at Legacy Food Group,” said Miller. “I look forward to leading this exceptional team as we continue to drive growth, strengthen our partnerships, and deliver value across the organization.”

Current CEO Steve Push will transition to the role of executive chairman, also effective Jan. 1, where he will remain actively involved in shaping the company’s long-term vision and strategic direction, focused on acquisitions initiation.

“This is the logical next step in the evolution of the LFG Leadership team. When we conducted a nationwide search to fill John’s current position, we interviewed a few dozen qualified candidates. We wanted to make sure we hired someone who could quickly ascend to the CEO role. John has done that. John’s track record of driving growth, fostering innovation, collaboration and leading with integrity makes him the ideal CEO for our next chapter. His ability to navigate complex challenges with a strategic and people-focused approach has already had a tremendous impact on our organization,” said Push. “I, and the rest of the LFG Board of Directors have full confidence that under his leadership, Legacy Food Group will continue to thrive and reach new heights.”

Miller’s background over the past 25 years is rooted in executive leadership across food distribution, logistics, acquisitions, risk management, and finance. He has cemented his reputation as a strategic leader through key restaffing efforts, operational expansions, and consistent financial growth. Miller also importantly has experience running both a large family-owned independent distributor in Glazier Foods Company and multi-billion-dollar operations within Sysco Corporation, which offers him a balanced perspective as the LFG platform continues to evolve with organic growth and additional acquisitions. His results-driven approach and ability to lead diverse teams through change has been a hallmark of his career.

“I’m excited to build on our success and guide Legacy Food Group into its next phase of expansion, innovation, and growth,” said Miller.

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Circana Hires Outgoing Kroger Exec Aitken as President, CEO

Published November 26, 2024

Stuart Aitken

Circana, a leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior, has named Stuart Aitken president and CEO, effective Jan. 1. He will succeed Kirk Perry, who has decided to retire from his role as president and CEO at Circana and will continue to serve as a member of the Circana board of directors. Aitken will also join the board as a director.

Aitken joins Circana from Kroger, where he has served as chief merchant and marketing officer since 2019. Aitken helped to transform Kroger with a strong focus on people and culture, data and insights, and shopper transformation, leading to significant value creation for Kroger and its partners. Aitken also developed a more customer centric approach to merchandising and marketing at Kroger with a focus on driving high margin digital revenue streams including data/analytics and retail-media.

Tod Johnson, chair of the Circana board, said, “As part of the company’s succession planning process, Kirk and the rest of the Circana Board have been focused on identifying the ideal candidate to lead Circana well into the future, and we are confident we have found that in Stuart. His passionate leadership, strategic and innovative mindset, and extensive experience across the retail, technology, and data/analytics industries will create value for our company, our people, and the clients we serve globally.”

Aitken said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Circana team and work together with colleagues across the globe to build upon Circana’s position as an industry leader. As a longtime partner to Circana, I have a deep appreciation for the power of its platform and critical role Circana plays across the consumer ecosystem. With best-in-class technology, data, and expertise, Circana will continue to drive growth and innovation across a wide breadth of global clients and industries.”

Johnson continued, “As CEO, Kirk helped spearhead the transformative merger between two world-class brands to create Circana as a leading advisor on consumer behavior across all retail and position the organization for sustained success. His focused dedication elevated both the client and employee experiences while delivering outstanding results year-over-year. On behalf of our Board, I thank Kirk for his leadership and ongoing commitment to Circana.”

Perry said, “It has been a true honor to lead this organization through a transformative period in its history. I am proud of the remarkable progress we made over the past four years, and forever grateful to our talented teams, clients, and partners that made Circana what it is today. I am confident that Stuart is the right leader for Circana’s next stage of growth, and I look forward to working closely with him alongside the rest of our distinguished Board members.”

Aitken brings extensive experience leading teams across retail, marketing, and analytics. In his most recent role as Kroger’s Chief Merchant and Marketing Officer, Aitken was responsible for the grocery retail leader’s sales, pricing, planning, promotion, execution, analytics, ecommerce, digital merchandising, and private brands strategy.

Aitken joined Kroger after serving as CEO of 84.51°, Kroger’s data analytics arm, and its predecessor, dunnhumby USA. Previously, Aitken acquired many years of marketing, academic and technical experience across a variety of industries and held various leadership roles including at Michael’s Stores and Safeway, Inc. He started his career in the tech space at ASA, Inc and Platinum Technology International.

Originally from Scotland, Aitken holds a bachelor’s degree with distinction from Queen Margaret University and a master’s degree in Information Management from the University of Strathclyde. He serves on the Boards of InvenTrust, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Food Marketing Institute.

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