Urner Barry is on the cusp of releasing the latest edition of its Reporter Magazine!  

Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine is a quarterly publication that has been in circulation for 16 years and is read by over 14,000 food industry professionals.  

The Spring 2022 issue will be available soon and it is chock-full of vital content and analysis for the protein sector. Making its return is the 'State of the Seafood Industry' Annual Review curated by Urner Barry’s talented team of seafood market reporters and UB Consulting. 

The team took a look at the year that was with a breakdown of trends domestically and around the globe while reporters took a look at what path key species took throughout 2021 including salmon, tilapia, lobster and crab!  

“2021, was a banner year for many seafood items. While a similar statement was probably said in 2021 regrading 2020, the trend continued. Such a trend accounted for pricing and demand components, like a consistently strong consumer demand despite the end of government stimulus, and supply factors, such as further constrained supply chain issues and labor shortages. Key to all of this is the inflation factor, which, to a degree, helped many higher-priced items—or at least consumer-perceived higher-priced items—enjoy such a banner year. While we are aware this is not news to anyone, the question remains as to how long this situation will last.”  

The Reporter will also feature an interview with Emma Hernan, star of Netflix’s Selling Sunset where she discussed her plant-based empanada line, Emma’s Empandas. Hernan spoke with Urner Barry’s Andraia Torsiello about her inspiration for the brand and the success it has had early on. Don’t forget to scan the QR code in the story to see what UB “Watch US Eat!” co-stars Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione had to say about Emma’s Empanadas! 

Take a step into the future of grocery shopping with a look at what major retailers are doing to help bring grocery shopping into the 21st century. From online orders to delivery and new-look checkout lines, grocery shopping will be a different experience thanks to the pandemic.  

Speaking of grocery shopping, can you smell the rotisserie chickens, or is it just us? Urner Barry poultry market reporter Matt Busardo took a deep dive into what is behind the rotisserie chicken craze that is sweeping the nation. 

“We’ve all been there. Last-minute grocery shopping after a long exhausting day at work and dreading having to cook when you finally get home. Then, right there past the deli, you walk by your savior.”  

“Demand for such a great meal option has arguably never been higher, which for sellers is great news. The problem is, these chickens have extremely specific weight specifications, and if they get just a little bit too large, they no longer fit on the rotisserie spit and become essentially unusable. That’s not exactly what processors want to hear with the “growing problem” being at the forefront of their minds the past few years. Pandemic-related labor issues have only exacerbated their fears and created more obstacles in the form of plant worker shortages. This inevitably lowers the number of chickens able to be processed, which leaves some out in the field to grow larger, and out of their desired weight class.” 

This is just a pinch of what Urner Barry’s Reporter magazine has to offer. Be sure to check out the Reporter online on March 4, click here to receive the free quarterly magazine in the mail. 

Ryan Doyle
Urner Barry
1-732-240-5330
rdoyle@urnerbarry.com