News on Food Trends from the United States

October 08, 2012

Full Service Restaurant visit losses continue, finds NPD Group

Consumers pulled back from visits to midscale and casual dining restaurants in the April, May, and June quarter continuing a four-year streak of visit losses for the full service segment, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company. ...

October 07, 2012

Nontraditional competitors threaten restaurant market share

Foodservice operators are busy looking over their shoulders to guard against other restaurateurs who are threatening to grab market share from them, but they may be turning a blind eye to another equally aggressive form of competition in the form of gr...

October 03, 2012

US Potato Exports Projected to Benefit from World Supply Situation

For the recently completed marketing year, the volume of US potato and potato product exports grew 10 percent to the fresh weight equivalent of 65,271,616 hundredweight. This is equal to 16 percent of total US potato sales for the year. For the past 10...

October 03, 2012

Snack Manufacturers Snyder's-Lance and Inventure Foods enter Distribution Agreement

Snyder's-Lance, Inc. (Nasdaq-GS: LNCE) and Inventure Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq-GS: SNAK), today announced completion of a strategic distribution agreement that will expand the Snyder's-Lance IBO route distribution system in Arizona and offer increased access...

October 02, 2012

Indiana-brand Popcorn recalled due to Listeria concerns

Dale and Thomas Popcorn is voluntarily recalling a limited number of ready-to-eat bags of select flavors of Popcorn, Indiana-brand popcorn products because of possible contamination by Listeria monocytogenes.

October 01, 2012

Reducing acrylamide levels in french fries

The process for preparing frozen, par-fried potato strips — distributed to some food outlets for making french fries — can influence the formation of acrylamide in the fries that people eat, a new study has found. Published in ACS’ Journal of Agricult...

October 01, 2012

Mondelez International announces spin-off of Kraft Foods Group, Inc

Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ), formerly Kraft Foods Inc., announced today that it has completed the previously announced spin-off of its North American grocery business, Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRFT).

September 27, 2012

Food Informants: A Week In The Life Of Carolyn Ottenheimer, Kettle Brand Chip's Chief Flavor Architect

Carolyn Ottenheimer is the Chief Flavor Architect for Kettle Brand Chips in Salem, Oregon.She's responsible for developing and defining the flavor and quality attributes of all Kettle Brand products -- the base snack and the seasoning blends that are a...

September 27, 2012

McCain Foods USA renovates Burley Idaho French Fry Plant

McCain Foods USA has announced it will begin a major capital improvement and renovation project for its Burley 2 potato plant in Idaho. The project is slated to begin this fall and will be completed over the next 2 years. The renovation of Burley 2 w...

September 26, 2012

J.R. Simplot acquires Florikote slow release fertilizer technology

Florikan, a specialist in polymer-coated fertilizer technologies for the agriculture and horticulture industries, has sold its patented Florikote technology to the J. R. Simplot Company, a leading global supplier of crop nutrient and specialty fertiliz...

September 24, 2012

Last call for Lays 'Do us a flavor' contest in the US

The Lay's brand today announced a last call for submissions for the next great Lay's potato chip flavor. Lay's, one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, kicked off its "Do Us A Flavor"contest in July to invite fans to subm...

September 20, 2012

Popcorn Consumer awarded $7.2 million in diacetyl flavouring lawsuit

A U.S. federal court jury on Wednesday awarded a Colorado man $7.2 million in damages for developing a chronic condition known as popcorn lung from a chemical used in flavouring microwave popcorn. Jurors agreed with the claims by Wayne Watson, 59, tha...

September 19, 2012

ARS Restores $209,000 in Potato Research Grants

USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) announced it has restored half of the FY 2012 potato research funding it originally cut as a way to meet its obligated savings requirements.

September 18, 2012

Mike Madsen elected commissioner at Washington State Potato Commission

Mike Madsen has been elected as the newest commissioner for the Washington State Potato Commission (WSPC). The election took place during the WSPC’s quarterly meeting on September 6, 2012. Mike will fill the WSPC’s vacant at-large position and begi...

September 17, 2012

Why Soda Ban Will Work In Fight Against Obesity

On Thursday, New York City’s Board of Health voted near unanimously to cap the size of sugary drinks to no more that 16-ounces at movie theaters, restaurants, mobile food carts, and sports arenas. The ban, which will take effect from March 12 and won’...

September 17, 2012

Bosch Optimizes Online Spare Parts Logistics

At PACK EXPO 2012 in Chicago, Bosch Packaging Technology builds upon its services portfolio with two new features that simplify spare parts logistics – the Open Catalog Interface (OCI) and the Corporate Portal.

September 15, 2012

Are you getting enough Potassium? Probably not...

A study published in the September edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that only 2% of the U.S. population is meeting its needs for potassium. Two percent! While we spend an endless amount of energy discussing reducing sodium, ...

September 13, 2012

McDonald's USA Adding Calorie Counts To Menu Boards

McDonald's USA President Jan Fields announced today that, starting next week, the company will list calorie information on restaurant and drive-thru menus nationwide to further inform and help customers and employees make nutrition-minded choices. In ...