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Longtime Goya Foods president and CEO Robert Bob Unanue has published a bizarre press release about his recent departure from the company, leaving a lot of unanswered questions about what is happening behind the scenes at the Hispanic family-owned food and beverage company. Here’s what to know about Goya’s public drama. A vague press release reveals leadership in turmoil Unanue, who has led the Jersey City-based brand since 2004, said he’s unclear about his current employment status after being informed that the board voted him out. As Unanue’s self-published press release stated: “As to the nature of the decision and the rationale behind it, Unanue currently has no real answers, noting the company also has not publicly indicated that Unanue is no longer a leader of Goya Foods.” Unanue then took to X for a series of oddly worded posts, making seemingly unrelated statements including: “No board decision can shake my resolve. I remain fully committed to raising awareness, holding traffickers accountable, and ensuring a safer future for our nations children. Join me in this fight against one of the greatest evils of our time. GODS CHILDREN ARE NOT FOR SALE!” That post garned 140,000 likes, many from politically conservative accounts, while another post received 1.5 million views: “I recently received news that came as a big surprise. . . . While the decision has left many questions unanswered, one thing is certainI will not waver in my fight against child trafficking.” For some background, the company has a long history of charitable work, including its Goya Cares and Goya Gives programs. Goya Cares is dedicated to fighting and raising awareness about human and child trafficking, abuse, and online exploitation, and advocates for children’s mental health. Goya Gives is a corporate social-responsibility program that includes disaster relief and food donations. Goya Foods said its decision has nothing to do with charity work or politics. A recent decision regarding a change in leadership has absolutely no connection to politics, media appearances, nor has it impacted our vital work in protecting children and addressing food insecurity through our Goya Cares and Goya Gives initiatives, read a Goya Foods statement reported by CNN. Fast Company has reached out multiple times to both Goya Foods and Unanue for comment. A lawsuit airs a family’s dirty laundry The press release isn’t the only drama. Earlier this month, Goya board member and executive Francisco Frankie Unanue filed a lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court against Bob Unanue (his cousin), alleging that Bob engaged in a clandestine agreement with his friend Suvajit Basu, by hiring Basu to head up Goya’s IT department without telling the board. This hiring resulted in Basu mismanaging and damaging the IT functions, alleges the lawsuit, as reported by CNN. It then went on to allege that Bob Unanue tried to interfere with the company’s attempt to resolve the issue, while Bob deflected his own responsibility. It also alleges that Bob refused to participate in an important board meeting for an independent investigation into the matter. Goya Foods originally filed a lawsuit against Basu in October 2024; Frankie Unanue joined the case as a plaintiff on February 5. Any allegations against Mr. Unanue are frivolous, absurd, and have absolutely no merit whatsoever,” a representative for Bob Unanue told CNN. “The allegations are both a smokescreen and defamatory and will be addressed accordingly. Basu has since filed a counter complaint, alleging a hostile work environment citing his Indian heritage. Goya said in a statement to CNN that it denies all of the allegations in Basus counter claim and third-party complaint. Bob Unanue, a Trump supporter, has faced criticism in the past from fellow Latino leaders for supporting the president during his first term, even prompting a social media backlash that called people to #BoycottGoya. Last year, Unanue appeared in Houston to endorse Trump in the 2024 presidential race. Founded in 1936 by Spanish immigrants, Goya Foods is the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States and a source for authentic Latin cuisine, according to its website. Goya sells more than 2,500 food and beverage products, including such staples as beans, rice, seasonings, tortillas, olive oil, and olives, bearing the popular tagline, If its Goya, it has to be good.”
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The U.S. lobster industry’s catch keeps sliding as fishermen contend with the northward migration of the valuable crustaceans. The industry is based mostly in Maine, where lobsters are both a cultural signifier and the backbone of the coastal economy. The state’s haul of lobsters has declined every year from 2021, when it was nearly 111 million pounds, to 2023, when it was less than 97 million pounds. That decline extended into 2024, when the haul was about 86.1 million pounds, according to data released by state regulators on Friday. That is the lowest figure in 15 years. A series of major storms that damaged waterfront communities and disrupted fisheries was a key factor in the reduced catch, officials said. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, praised the industry for its perseverance. During a year shaped by unprecedented storms and damage to our working waterfronts, Maines commercial fishermen, aquaculturists, and seafood dealers once again delivered a major economic benefit to our state, she said. Last years catch was still historically high, as Maine fishermen never exceeded 80 million pounds prior to 2009. Hauls in the 2000s were typically between 50 million and 80 million pounds. Hauls in the mid-2010s were routinely above 120 million pounds. The fishery remained economically strong in 2024. Maine fishermen took home more than $528 million at the docks, and that was the highest total since 2021, state officials said. Demand for the product, one of the most expensive seafoods, remained high, and the price per pound was one of the highest on record. The state is meeting the challenges of climate change head-on, said Patrick Keliher, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The governor has secured funding to “help rebuild damaged coastal infrastructure, make it more resilient to the effects of climate change, and protect critically important waterfront access for those who make a living on the water, he said. But numerous environmental and economic challenges threaten the industry’s future. One of the biggest is the decline in the number of baby lobsters settling off New England. The young lobsters have to take shelter and grow to legal size to sustain the future of the fishery. Scientists have said the lobster population is migrating north to cooler habitats as oceans warm. The Maine lobster industry is also linked to Canadas seafood industry and could be disrupted by new tariffs. Canadian fishermen harvest the same species of lobster as American fishermen, and much of the processing capacity for the seafood is in Canada. Tariffs are likely to increase prices on both sides of the border, members of the industry have said. Another major challenge is the possibility of new rules to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, which are vulnerable to entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Fishing groups have engaged in protracted court cases against the government over stricter fishing rules. Other states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, also have lobster fishing industries, but Maine’s is by far the largest, and the size of the Maine harvest gives a firm indication of the health of the American lobster industry at large. Maine accounted for about 78% of the country’s total lobster haul in 2023. Patrick Whittle, Associated Press
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TikTok and Instagram are flooded with reels of food influencers hyping already viral restaurants or bringing hundreds of thousands of eyes to hidden gems. With sauce-stained lips, exaggerated chewing, and that signature hooked finger over their mouth, they urge viewers to run, dont walk to these must-try spots. But how trustworthy are these glowing reviews? Platforms like Yelp and Google Reviews long ago opened the door for anyone with an internet connection to play food critic. But the rise of short-form video has democratized the food-reviewing game to a whole new level. OnTikTok and Instagram, driving engagement is the name of the game, and posting hyperbolized reviews is one way to gain views and grow an audience. Its a formula that works, but its also drawn backlash. This month, the U.K.s Guild of Food Writers called out these influencers, urging them to offer more honest reviews. Vice president of the Guild of Food Writers, Chetna Makana London-based food creator herselftold BBC News NI that she doesnt trust the majority of online food videos, largely because its become increasingly difficult to distinguish between genuine reviews and gushing collab posts. But judging by the size of some of their followings, plenty of others do seem to trust these influencers. Right now, perhaps the U.S.s most famous restaurant critic is a Las Vegas resident named Keith Lee, who has 17 million TikTok followers but no official food or cooking credentials. In the days when legacy media controlled the flow of news and opinions, editors acted as gatekeepers, ensuring content met certain standards. But as Pete Wells, recently retired restaurant critic for the New York Times, told the Washington Post, The everyman critic is more trusted than somebody who knows what theyre talking about. Makan said that much of todays influencer-driven food content is over the top, lacking the depth, context, and culinary knowledge traditional food critics bring to the table. More to the point, restaurants frequently invite influencers for free meals in exchange for Instagram posts and TikTok videos. Beyond free meals, creators also can land lucrative brand deals, in which companies pay them directly to feature and promote products. According to Makan, some influencers are supporting every brand under the sun. While the future of TikTok in the U.S. may still be in limbo, theres no doubt that influencers and the platforms they populate will continue to play a huge role in food media. And as Makan bemoaned, “There are fewer food critics in print media because there is not much print media left.”
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