While many of us are soaking up the last of summer’s sun and fun, food manufacturing supply chains are readying for the upcoming holiday food rush.

Have you ever noticed a lot of our favorite memories are surrounded by food? When we go to celebrate something like a birthday, anniversary, or special achievement, it usually involves food. It’s no surprise then that over the holiday season, nearly 165 million consumers across the U.S. purchase food and beverages to celebrate, according to a study from Cornell. As the holidays soon approach, food consumption surges, with the average American indulging up to an extra 440 calories per serving!

The increased demand and tight holiday deadlines can present challenges for many food and beverage companies with their logistics. This is in addition to already facing a competitive peak shipping season! However, by understanding the dynamics of this unique period of time, shippers can ensure success is ahead of them. First, let’s dive into some fascinating facts and insights about food during the holiday season. Then, we’ll follow that with some essential tips so your company can be prepared for the holiday food rush!

Holiday Food Supply Timeline & Stats

The Holiday Food Surge Begins with Fall

The holiday food rush first begins with the arrival of fall flavors. Pumpkin spice, now seen as the quintessential flavor of fall, has seen a 47 percent increase in sales, as reported by The Guardian, within the past five years. In 2023 alone, Datassential reported 144 new limited-time offers that featured pumpkin on major restaurant menus. From the infamous Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSLs) to pumpkin soups and ravioli, this flavor dominates the season. But we can’t forget another fall favorite – apple. Food and beverage items with caramel apple were one of the highest-indexing flavors last fall.

Halloween Signals Significant Holiday Food Consumption Increase

Halloween is a major milestone in the holiday food timeline, with 65 percent of consumers participating in the festivities. In fact, of all 172 million that celebrate the spooky season, 95 percent of them purchase candy. Even more staggering is that a quarter of all the candy sold annually comes from Halloween sales. It’s not all about the sweets, though! Pizza is the most popular dinner staple on All Hallow’s Eve, according to Grubhub. There’s also the annual tradition of carving a pumpkin, with Statista reporting roughly 154 million Americans partaking in the activity in 2023.

Dia de Los Muertos Celebrations Begin to Trend

Datassential reports that 10 percent of consumers in the U.S. report celebrating Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. This holiday is gaining popularity, which means so are the celebratory foods associated with it! Pan de Muerto is one traditional sweet bread that’s essential to the celebration.

Thanksgiving Continues to Drive Food Supply Chain Demand

Thanksgiving remains the most popular fall holiday, with 83 percent of Americans celebrating the tradition. A whopping 46 million turkeys are consumed each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Other top holiday staples include cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin and apple pies. That’s a lot of food to prepare for a meal, so 23 percent of consumers will buy a full, ready-made meal from a restaurant. Another 22 percent will supplement with some food from restaurants for part of their feasts.

Sweets, Candy & Chocolate Build Holiday Food Demand at Christmas & New Year’s

Leading up to Christmas, many enjoy hot cocoa, cookies, and other treats. 1.76 billion candy canes, a holiday staple, are made annually for this joyous time of the year. 70 percent of Americans make Christmas desserts, with frosted sugar cookies being the top ones consumed annually. Don’t forget the eggnog! 122 million pounds of it is poured and drunk each year.

When it comes to Christmas dinner, pork dishes are the most popular globally, but turkey still trumps all for the U.S. Other winter feast staples include roasted or mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, gravy, stuffing, shrimp, and lots of Christmas pudding, cookies, and pies. Sweet tooths rejoice as 83 percent of consumers fill stockings with treats like candy and chocolate.

Christmas and New Year’s are among the busiest holidays for restaurants. Both holidays also see a spike in alcohol consumption, with New Year’s Eve being the second most alcohol-associated holiday behind Mardi Gras. Champagne is the fan favorite for those ringing in the New Year.

Logistics & SHipping Tips for Holiday Food Shipping

The holiday season often brings those in logistics the gift of increased demand and decreased capacity. Like most Americans, truck drivers aim to be home for the holidays, trimming the number of available carriers down. Freight of all kinds can increase during the period, further cutting the number of trucks available. Shippers with more specialized requirements, like temperature control, can find even less capacity. Shippers also have tighter deadlines to meet at this time to make the most of the seasonal business.

Overall, the holiday season can be a time of heightened stress and disruption. Given these unique challenges, it’s crucial for food and beverage shippers to prepare thoroughly to appease customers.

Five Tips for the Best Holiday Food Shipping Logistics Outcomes

Tip 1: Keep Inventory Stocked

Running out of stock during the holiday season is a surefire way to lose customers. Track your inventory levels closely and replenish supplies early to ensure you’re well-stocked. By keeping orders moving consistently, you’ll be able to meet consumer demand and avoid causing any disappointment.

Tip 2: Have Backup Shipping Plans Ready

The chances of any disruptions or delays happening during this season are increased. Having backup shipping plans already prepared is essential to keep your goods moving.

Build relationships with multiple carriers and suppliers, or even a third-party logistics provider (3PL). This way, you’ll have known contacts ready in case you need any help. 

Look at alternate modes of transportation and be prepared to quickly shift plans should something happen. Exploring multimodal options can be a great way to diversify risk, add capacity, and protect your freight budget. Having this flexibility available and ready can help you stay on track and your supply chain running smoothly.

Tip 3: Real-Time Visibility is Needed for Success

In today’s supply chains, having access to the visibility you need is crucial. You should either work with a provider that offers it or invest in your own technology, like a Transportation Management System (TMS).

A TMS can be very helpful during the holiday season. It can help you with routing decisions by matching your freight with the best carriers, lanes, and rates. In addition, it will allow you to optimize the in-house processes of your transportation network – which can be helpful during busy and slow seasons. By selecting the best carriers and optimizing your routes, you’ll not only increase your service but reduce your risk.

Using a TMS also gives you data-driven insights to better manage disruptions, reduce downtime, and budget your logistics spend. Data analytics can help you recognize which carriers are most likely to have the capacity, saving you time arranging your shipments.

Tip 4: Communication and Collaboration

Effective communication is key to a successful holiday season. Regularly communicate with all stakeholders, including suppliers, carriers, and customers. Collaborating with your partners during the seasonal planning phase can provide valuable insights and help you identify potential issues before they arise.

Tip 5: Partner with a 3PL

Working with a 3PL can be a game-changer during the holiday season. A 3PL offers access to a larger network of carriers, advanced technology, and expertise in managing complex logistics challenges. With their support, you can ensure your supply chain remains resilient, even in the face of unexpected disruptions.

Treat Yourself with Easier Logistics This Holiday Season

Navigating the holiday food rush can be overwhelming, and that’s why Trinity Logistics is here to be your guide. Like Santa, we’ve been around a while, with 45 years of experience handling logistics during holiday seasons.

Right away, you’ll gain access to our large network of vetted, quality carrier relationships to cover your shipments. But that’s just the start! There are many more benefits to working with Trinity, including:

• Multiple modes of transportation to find the best bang for your buck, support your business growth, or just have a backup plan ready
• Best-in-class technology and customized Managed Transportation solutions available, giving you the exact visibility and data you want
• 24/7/365 support, so no matter what day or time it is, you’ll have the help you need

One benefit that tends to shine above all else? Our exceptional People-Centric service. It’s the trait that makes Trinity different from other 3PLs and keeps our customers returning time and time again. It’s truly our care, compassion, and communication that you’ll notice and appreciate.

Everyone wants to enjoy the holiday season. Why not let Trinity focus on the logistics for your business, so you can go back to doing what you enjoy – helping consumers savor holiday treats and create memorable moments with your product.

Are you a Freight Agent that stumbled across this article?

One of the unique aspects of Trinity Logistics is our value of servant leadership. We believe it’s not just about what you accomplish, but who you lift up, who you make better, and how you give back. Trinity Logistics has always been heavily involved in our local communities throughout the years, so one year, we decided to streamline our efforts. In 2005, we formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization named the Trinity Foundation. 

HOW THIS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION IS UNIQUE

The Trinity Foundation is somewhat unique, as it’s entirely operated by Trinity Team Members. Trinity’s Team Members are passionate about serving others, and the Trinity Foundation strives to benefit causes they believe in. All community service and charitable giving from Trinity Logistics funnel through our non-profit organization, the Trinity Foundation.

While all Team Members have the opportunity to serve their time or make monetary donations to the Trinity Foundation, there is a subset group, or Board of Team Members, who organize the Trinity Foundation’s fundraising events and giving, which are fueled by the desire to better our local communities. These Team Members apply for a position and are voted in to serve two-year terms on the Trinity Foundation Board and Sub-Board.

THE TRINITY FOUNDATION’S CORE FOCUS AREAS

Every organization has a powerful purpose, and our purpose is reflected through our three core focus areas that guide our efforts to continually improve the lives of others by serving and investing in our communities. Those core focus areas are;

Health and Wellness

This focus area is to encourage and aid in good health and wellness among our community members. This can involve efforts such as holding our annual 5K promoting movement and heart health or holding blood drives to support our medical community. 

Youth Leadership Development

Youth leadership development supports aiding in the growth of leadership and building a future of strong community members by helping our youth and promoting continued education. This can include efforts such as building relationships with local schools and assisting in their needs, sponsoring camps, offering scholarships, or hosting leadership conferences. 

Community Necessities

Community necessities is a focus area in which we invest and donate to those in need. We aim to improve and strengthen our local communities through efforts such as monetary donations or sponsorships made to support local organizations, providing a monthly meal or much-needed goods to shelters, and providing gifts and necessities to families in need during the holiday season.

OUR MAIN EFFORTS AND FUNDRAISERS

While we host many different events and fundraisers to support our core focus areas, we have several large efforts that we take part in annually. 

Thanksgiving For All

Every November, we partner with the Food Bank of Delaware and Love Inc of Mid-Delmarva to provide Thanksgiving meals to our local community members in need. 

We purchase boxes of non-perishable Thanksgiving-themed items from the Food Bank, Perdue donates roasting chickens, and our Team Members help pack the boxes and distribute them.

On average, we help 300 families a year.

Christmas Families

Each year around the holidays, and with the help of Love Inc of Mid-Delmarva, we adopt families for our Team Members to shop for gifts for them. The adoptees are kept anonymous, and Team Members buy presents based on the wants and needs of family members.

In 2021, we adopted 23 families, and every child received a coat, a pair of shoes, outfits, and four to five toys. 

Heart and Sole 5K

This fundraising event started back in 2010 by a small gathering of runners to raise money for a worthwhile cause. In the early years, funds were raised for Tidalhealth’s cardiac rehabilitation efforts. In the past few years, we were presented with opportunities to help raise funds for family members of Trinity Logistics Team Members battling cancer. 

Big Pink Volleyball

Big Pink Volleyball is an annual fundraising event that we began in 2014 to raise funds for breast cancer charities. Trinity Team Members and any local participants can sign up to compete in a volleyball tournament as teams. But wait, there’s a fun catch! THE BIG PINK BALL. It’s a fun day for all.

Golf Tournament

This fundraising event started in 2005 and has remained our largest fundraising event each year since. Trinity Team Members and any local participants can sign up to compete in a golf tournament locally held at Heritage Shores in Bridgeville, Delaware. 

In 2021, we were able to raise $30,000 with funds going towards our efforts to continue our mission of improving lives by serving and investing in our communities.

Servant Leader Scholarships

One way we support our core focus area of Youth Leadership is through our annual Servant Leader Scholarships for graduating high school seniors. This scholarship aims to give young people – the leaders who will build and shape our communities while displaying Servant Leadership – every opportunity to be prepared for the future. This scholarship is one way we strive to engage youth in their communities to continuously improve their self-esteem, develop a sense of citizenship and an ethic of service, and become stronger leaders of our future. Recipients are chosen by a committee of Trinity Foundation members and are granted one scholarship to go towards their post-secondary school tuition.

Other Efforts

All of Trinity’s Regional Service Centers are encouraged to take part in this non-profit organization and suggest or offer other community efforts that support our core focus areas. In addition to our main initiatives, we also accept donation requests and because of this, there is so much more that we do beyond these annual events. For example, the Trinity Foundation has helped local schools with supplies, packed and donated bags of essential supplies for the homeless, volunteered at homeless shelters, made and donated peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to local shelters, sent boxes of goodies to soldiers, and more. 

Operation: Trinity cares is where the Trinity Foundation collects and sends boxes of goodies to those serving overseas during the holidays.

The Trinity Foundation hosting a blood drive.

The Trinity Foundation participating in Wreaths Across America.

The Trinity Foundation bought and collected donations of school supplies to fill backpacks to support our local schools. 0

To stay on top of what the Trinity Foundation has been up to lately, or to get involved, visit our Facebook page. 

WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

We place emphasis on the fact that our non-profit organization belongs to the entire company and is comprised of each and every Trinity Logistics Team Member. However, it doesn’t stop with our Team because we couldn’t do everything we do without our community supporters! 

Each event and fundraiser’s purpose is to make a positive impact on our communities and help our friends and families locally. Many of our neighbors and corporate partners look forward to these opportunities to give back, and we have plenty of those available! 

Ways to Support Trinity’s Non-profit Organization, the Trinity Foundation

Support us while you shop! Select the Trinity Foundation (located in Seaford, DE) as your AmazonSmile charity!

Stay up to date on what the Trinity Foundation is currently working on and how you can get involved, whether that includes donating much needed items, signing up to participate, or becoming an event sponsor!