President Donald Trump defended his actions to end a “bottleneck” in the food supply, but legal experts differed over whether an executive order aimed at ensuring meatpackers keep operating amid the coronavirus pandemic could override state and local objections or make companies immune from lawsuits. (Agri-Pulse)  

Sales of snacks have surged as people confined to their homes by coronavirus lockdowns turn to grazing on processed food to get through the day, food companies say—a reversal of a trend toward healthier, fresher food—but it’s unclear how long it will last. (Forbes)

The Trump administration is weighing whether to extend by one year some China tariff exclusions, a move that would offer some relief for U.S. businesses navigating the fallout from the pandemic. (Politico)

– A day after Donald Trump’s unprecedented executive order to keep meat plants running, one more shut down. Another opened back up — but only to cull animals that can’t be processed. Those are the latest indications that the sweeping order is anything but a quick fix for supply-chain woes. (Bloomberg)

Feeding America is launching an ad campaign urging Congress to include an across-the-board food stamp benefit increase in the next Covid-19 relief package as more and more Americans file for unemployment amid the coronavirus outbreak. (Politico)  

The increase in online food purchases that has accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown will likely persist, affecting the cold storage sector, according to a new report from the commercial real estate company CBRE Research. The report said that U.S. consumers increasingly have groceries delivered directly to their home or are buying online and picking up in store. The long-term effects of COVID-19 will change the cold storage sector in five ways, according to CBRE. (The Packer)