Week in Review: What Do Thieves, Catfish & Bruised Bananas Have in Common?

Cargo thieves are officially playing chess while everyone else plays checkers, and the latest H1 2025 data proves it. But here’s the thing about supply chains: for every problem, there’s a wild solution, like how the USDA plans to use invasive blue catfish. Or how Fresh Del Monte and CMA CGM plan to keep bananas bruise-free on their journey to the grocery store. Meanwhile, the FDA’s pumping the brakes on Sarepta’s gene therapy Elevidys after safety concerns, while P&G goes all-in on slashing emissions across its massive supply chain. Let’s get into it.

The Latest H1 2025 Cargo Theft Data Is In (& It’s Not Pretty)

America’s cargo criminals kept busy during 2025’s first half, with theft incidents climbing 10%. Overhaul recorded 525 thefts in Q2 alone—up 4% from Q1 and a staggering 33% from last year’s Q2. Is there any hope in sight?

The Bad Guys Get Creative  

Today’s cargo criminals have diversified like savvy investors. More than half of Q2’s reported thefts were pilferings: thieves cherry-picked choice items rather than hauling off entire trucks. Full truckload heists dropped to less than a quarter of all thefts, while 7% involved “deceptive pickups” where criminals essentially con their way into legitimate cargo. The Southwest claimed 40% of Q2 thefts (Southern California’s ports being prime hunting grounds), while the Southeast grabbed 38%. California, Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Illinois topped the theft charts, with apparel and footwear making up 20% of Illinois’ stolen goods and 11% of California’s haul. Fashion theft proved particularly fickle, accounting for 9% of all stolen cargo in Q2—up 11% year over year, but down 32% from Q1.

Silver Linings & Schedule Shifts

Here’s something to smile about: Overhaul initially projected cargo theft would surge 22% year over year compared to 2024, but it has adjusted second-half predictions down to 15%. Don’t get overly optimistic though. Much of this is because organized rings have hit their limit and can’t steal more without expanding operations. In the meantime, criminals have discovered work-life balance. Previously, Fridays and Mondays saw most action. But now, theft spreads evenly across the workweek: Wednesdays peaked at 18% of Q2 thefts, while Mondays and Fridays each saw 17%.

When Life Gives You Invasive Catfish, Make Fish Sticks

The USDA just decided to turn a swimming ecological nightmare into a supply chain solution. It’s dropping $6 million to help seafood processors transform blue catfish, the Chesapeake Bay’s most invasive fish, into everything from fillets to fake leather—and the silver bullet needed to strengthen food infrastructure.  

An $8 Million Supply Chain Experiment 

Blue catfish were introduced into the Chesapeake back in the 1970s for recreational fishing—and now they’re about to become the backbone of a radical food system overhaul. The USDA’s $6 million grant program targets the weakest link in seafood supply chains: processing capacity. Money flows directly to facilities for equipment upgrades, technology adoption, and worker training to create the infrastructure needed to handle massive volumes of these predators. Add the $2 million pilot program that connects fishermen to regional processors to food banks, and you’ve got a complete supply chain built on ecological destruction.  

Pest to Processing Plant to Plate: America’s Newest Supply Chain

Processors already convert blue catfish into fillets, nuggets, fishcakes, animal feed, fish oil, pet food, even fake leather—but current facilities can’t handle the volume needed to make a real dent. The USDA’s modernization push creates processing hubs that turn ecological crises into reliable protein streams for food banks and grocery stores. Every upgraded facility strengthens regional food networks, every trained worker adds resilience, and every new technology increases throughput. These underwater bullies eat everything native while multiplying like crazy, but that abundance makes them perfect for stabilizing seafood supplies.

Fresh Del Monte & CMA CGM Link Up to Chill the Ride & Sweeten the Bite

You want fruit that lands shelf-ready, not shelf-shy. And that’s exactly why Fresh Del Monte and CMA CGM teamed up to rebuild the run from the Philippines to Northeast Asia with steady cold, fewer touches, and reliable timing. The goal is to make sure that whatever produce that leaves Davao arrives in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, Moji, or Busan with color, bite, and margin.

Breakbulk Bruises to Boxed Chill: The 2-Route Upgrade

Breakbulk means loading loose pallets and crates straight into a ship’s hold, where temperature swings and extra handling beat up the fruit. Containers, though, quiet the ride. Dedicated box ships keep bananas and pineapples sealed in controlled air from Davao to the aisle, and CNC—CMA CGM’s Intra-Asia specialist—runs the two lanes that matter: JP8 for fast, direct calls to Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe; and Moji, BMX for a stable weekly Davao-to-Busan loop. Customer satisfaction starts long before the fruit reaches the shelf, so the sheer scalability and quality of this container model is a big win for retail partners across Asia.

Climactive On, Guesswork Off: Cold Rooms with Real-Time Receipts

Each container works like a mobile cold room, holding a consistent, temperature-controlled bubble that trims spoilage and waste. CMA CGM’s Climactive controlled-atmosphere tech slows ripening and preserves nutritional value, while innovative tools stream real-time insights your team can act on. You see where the load sits, how it’s breathing, and when it hits port—so promos and shelf sets line up cleanly. Less damage means lower shrink and a smaller carbon hit tied to dumped product. No wonder Bo Wegener, CEO of CMA CGM Asia Pacific, calls the partnership a shared push for innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.

Sarepta’s Elevidys Hits a Supply Chain Red Light

The green light for Sarepta’s gene therapy, Elevidys, is about to flash red. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to ask the company to voluntarily stop all shipments, which will, in effect, halt its entire supply chain, put distribution on ice, and threaten the entire company’s reputation. 

A Tragic Glitch in the System

Agency scrutiny sharpened dramatically after three patients died during trials, creating a devastating roadblock. Two teenage boys treated with Elevidys and a 51-year-old man in a related trial all died from acute liver failure, and both therapies used the same delivery vehicle: an adeno-associated virus vector. Sarepta now has the full attention of regulators, and the FDA commissioner pulled no punches. He flat out said he was “taking a hard look” at whether the gene therapy should remain available at all.

When Corporate Credibility Craters

The news sent Sarepta’s stock plummeting over 40% to $12.81, a low it hadn’t touched in nine years. Investors grilled CEO Doug Ingram over why the company announced 500 layoffs for financial reasons but failed to disclose the third patient death at the same time. He called the death “neither material nor central” to the restructuring update, a move that analysts warned could torpedo management’s credibility.

P&G’s Sustainability Goals: Making Less of an Impression on the Planet

You see P&G products everywhere, but do you know how much work goes into going net zero? P&G is working to achieve this ambitious goal across its entire supply chain by 2040—from the moment of sourcing a raw material to the moment a finished product arrives at a store.  

Sweating the Small Stuff (& the Big Stuff)

P&G is hyper-focused on significantly reducing absolute GHG emissions. It plans to cut its direct emissions by 65% compared to a 2010 baseline by 2030—an even bigger goal than the previous target of 50%. P&G is also aiming for 100% renewable electricity by 2030, with over 99% of its global electricity already sourced from renewables. Waste reduction is also a key player in this strategy, with plans to lower virgin petroleum plastic in consumer packaging by 50% per unit of production versus a 2017 baseline, and to design all packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030.

A Little Help From Our Friends

P&G knows it can’t achieve this massive goal alone: it’s working with suppliers to improve transportation efficiency and reduce their carbon footprints, aiming for a 40% reduction in Scope 3 emissions per unit of production versus a 2020 baseline. P&G is even helping suppliers make their own climate progress through the P&G Climate Unlock Program, created in 2023. For emissions that can’t be eliminated, P&G will explore natural or technical solutions that remove an equivalent amount of GHG from the atmosphere. And in further evidence that P&G is putting its money where its mouth is, it’s collaborating with environmental nonprofits to support projects that restore and protect forests.

Innovation: The Supply Chain’s Best Defense

Cargo thieves playing chess, catfish becoming supply chain solutions, and bananas arriving picture perfect—today’s supply chain is interesting to say the least. But everything shares a common thread: whether you’re using real-time tracking to outsmart criminals or real-time shipment visibility to protect precious cargo, staying ahead in this environment means thinking outside of the box.

Arm yourself with innovation: let Tive lead the way in transforming your supply chain operations. Embrace the future of logistics—get started with Tive today.