CHICAGO, April 13, 2026 - Welcome to a new feature recapping the latest food-away-from-home-related developments at convenience and grocery stores.
That’s what the Seattle-based retail giant is claiming. Tucked in the middle of CEO Andy Jassy’s 2025 shareholder letter, released this week, is the tidbit that Amazon’s grocery business grew to more than $150 billion in gross sales in 2025. Jassy noted that Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market now has more than 550 locations, with 100 more planned for the next few years. Plus, he said, adding perishables to Amazon’s same-day delivery offerings in 2,300 cities has given fresh food sales a significant boost. There’s no dispute about who the country’s largest grocer is: Walmart U.S. reported $276 billion in new grocery sales during the last fiscal year. Kroger, meanwhile, reported $147.6 billion in total company sales last year. Warehouse retailer Costco also reported about $147 billion in total food sales in 2025.
Foodservice sales increased 16.4% in 2025 over the prior year at AWG, the country’s largest cooperative food wholesaler for independent grocers. The wholesaler, in its annual report, said it focused on simplifying execution and lowering labor complexities to drive sales. The company expanded its high-tech Picadeli salad bar platform to 80 new store locations. In 2026, AWG said it intends to add a sushi program as well as launching a new fresh sandwich and salad offering plus a partnership with Rich’s on a line of pizzas.
Altoona, Pennsylvania-based convenience-store retailer Sheetz, known for its robust prepared foods program, is planting its flag in Indiana in a big way. The retailer announced plans this week to build 100 stores over the next 10 years in the Hoosier State, a nearly $1 billion investment. The first stores are slated for the Indianapolis metro area in 2027, with the c-store retailer calling the expansion “a significant step in the company’s long-term Midwest growth plans.” Sheetz boasts a customizable menu of made-to-order foods it claims can be crafted into more than 1 million different combinations, from breakfast sandwiches to appetizers to salads, burgers, pizzas, hot dogs and much more. The chain operates more than 830 locations in Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina.
Convenience chain Casey’s is the newest entrant onto the S&P 500 stock market index, considered the crème de la crème listing of publicly traded companies. The Ankeny, Iowa-based retailer, one of the country’s largest sellers of pizza, will replace a medical company that went private on the gold-standard financial index. Casey’s operates more than 2,900 stores.
Ready to sample 35 tacos? Convenience chain Rutter’s is. The c-store retailers new South of the Border menu includes 27 taco varieties, along with eight limited-time taco offers. The made-to-order tacos feature proteins like chicken, pulled pork, steak, taco meat, shrimp, fish, crab cakes and new beef barbacoa. Specialty LTOs include Old Bay Fish, Sweat Heat Shrimp, BBQ Pulled Pork, Fried Chicken Bacon Ranch and more. “Our goal is to deliver restaurant-quality options quickly and conveniently, while letting guests personalize every bite,” said Philip Santini, the York, Pennsylvania-based chain’s senior director of foodservice and bar strategy.
Heather Lalley is the director of communications for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. A lifelong journalist, Lalley has previously worked with industry publications including Restaurant Business, CSP Daily News, Supermarket News and Foodservice Director.
The annual unofficial celebration of cannabis culture is kicking into high gear, with chains like Jimmy John’s, Wingstop, Insomnia Cookies and more joining with punny marketing and menu items.
The former manager of Microsoft’s foodservice operations wants to air solutions to common problems across the six siloed sectors of “everyday foodservice.”
The Supply Chain Resiliency Hub will help U.S. manufacturers find new and alternative suppliers while flagging disruption risks, according to the University of New Haven.
The surcharges, imposed after the Supreme Court rejected the Administration’s first round of duties, have been challenged by 24 states.
Welcome to a new feature recapping the latest food-away-from-home-related developments at convenience and grocery stores.
A roundup of regulatory developments affecting the food-away-from-home business, including policy changes that are part of the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative.