Movie theater closures lead to popcorn surplus

As the pandemic cancels events and nudges people home, sales of some snacks have suffered. Case in point: Nationwide movie theater closures have resulted in silos filled with hundreds of millions of pounds of unsold popcorn. The kernels belong to Nebraska’s Preferred Popcorn collective, which relies on half of its sales going to theater chains (along with festivals and concert events). Stuck with the excess and with no setup for retail sales, the company reached out to Misfits Market (MM) and found a partner in the subscription service known for their “ugly” foods. “The food supply chain has been disrupted in meaningful ways by the pandemic,” MM founder Abhi Ramesh told The Washington Post.

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