This Week's Top Five Stories in Supply Chain

Could Bird Flu Threaten Turkey Supplies this Holiday Season?

Whatever your wintertime celebration, a bird is most likely on the table – with all the trimmings.

But now the rise in avian influenza cases across the UK is putting pressure on supply chains that move turkeys, chickens and ducks into the Christmas market.

Traders, wholesalers and hospitality buyers alike are following the spread closely, because every case affects the flow of birds through transport, processing and distribution networks that must run without interruption to meet seasonal demand.

These systems are vital as Americans consume around 22 million turkeys on Christmas Day and nearly 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, in the UK 10 million turkeys are consumed every holiday season. Any disruption to this could mean a disruption to celebrations – and, of course, retailer brand reputation. 

How is AI Preventing HelloFresh Bottleneck Concerns?

Global meal kit provider HelloFresh has deployed an AI-powered system to address a major production bottleneck in its supply chain, specifically within its recipe card creation process.

HelloFresh, which operates across 18 countries, delivers millions of meals quarterly and was facing constraints that delayed its ability to bring new dishes to market quickly across its global operation.

The new technology compresses the production timeline for recipe cards from several months to a matter of hours.

Q&A: Manosij Ganguli on World Sustainable Transport Day

Aramex centres its sustainability work on its supply chain and fleet as it links global markets.

The company adopts a light-asset model, which means it relies on partners for many transport assets rather than owning them and this lets it adjust its network with less waste and lower emissions. It places climate action, renewable energy and fleet transition inside its market plans so each country team owns delivery.

Group Chief Sustainability Officer Manosij Ganguli leads this work across strategy and daily operations. His aim is to embed sustainability in every link of the chain so it supports competitiveness and resilience for Aramex and for customers.

He applies experience from the Energy Transitions Commission and the Mission Possible Partnership, where he shapes net zero pathways for aviation, shipping and road transport, as well as his earlier roles at BP, Shell and in strategy consulting.

Manosij focuses on scale. He states that “connecting the world” and “net zero by 2050” are goals that reinforce each other, so fleet and logistics choices must match both.

Budget 2025: Will it Strengthen UK Trade and Infrastructure?

The UK Government's 2025 Budget has positioned trade, logistics and supply chain resilience at the heart of its economic strategy.

With the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasting average real GDP growth of 1.5%, the fiscal plan addresses both immediate operational challenges and long-term structural transformation.

The OBR has drawn attention to persistent global trade risks, including potential tariff escalations from the US, reinforcing the urgency for the UK to strengthen its domestic capabilities and trading infrastructure.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has framed the Budget around the ambition "to match private enterprise with public ambition," placing particular emphasis on scale-up firms, which Reeves notes currently generate half of Britain's jobs.

Her assertion that "we want them here not elsewhere," signals a clear policy intent to retain and nurture growing businesses within the UK.

Reeves declares: "If you build here Britain will back you." For the logistics sector, fiscal policy decisions carry profound implications.

How CH Robinson is Responding to US-Mexico Nearshoring

CH Robinson is expanding its North American cross-border operations, adding more than 450,000 square feet of warehousing and cross-docking space in El Paso, Texas, which lifts its total footprint on the US–Mexico border to more than two million square feet. This larger network supports an environment in which trade between the United States and Mexico grows and where companies want dependable cross-border solutions.

The expansion takes shape at a time when Chihuahua, across from El Paso, is Mexico’s top export state. Chihuahua reached US$47.551bn in export value in Q2 2025, a 35.7% rise over the same period in 2024.

Mexico’s manufacturing exports rise by 13.5% year-over-year, with high-tech products leading the country’s export categories. Chihuahua sits at the centre of this trend, especially in computer and communication equipment manufacturing. High-tech manufacturing needs a strong logistics base and the company now positions itself to support that base.