News on Food Trends from the United States

August 24, 2011

Portion Control of Growing Interest to U.S. Consumers, Reports NPD

Portion control is a tenet of healthy eating, and it appears that consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of managing the portion size of the foods they eat, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company. For a recent report...

August 23, 2011

Gregg Halverson Receives PAA Honorary Life Membership Award

The Potato Association of America held its annual meeting last week in Wilmington, North Carolina. Each year they recognize leaders in their industry with Honorary Life Membership Awards for both technical and non-technical achievement in their careers...

August 22, 2011

McDonald's names Doug Goare President of McDonald's Europe

McDonald’s Corporation Chief Executive Officer Jim Skinner today announced that Steve Easterbrook will resign as President of McDonald’s Europe effective September 30, 2011. Easterbrook, 44, is joining the privately owned Gondola Group and will assume ...

August 19, 2011

Burger King retires 'The King'

Burger King Corp. on Friday said it is retiring "The King"mascot, a man with an oversized plastic head and creepy smile who in recent years has been shown in ads peeping into people's windows and popping up next to them in bed. The move is a...

Colorado Potato Administrative Committee

August 19, 2011

Colorado potatoes have a steady year

Despite a cold, dry spring with lots of wind, the Colorado potato crop is poised to have a slightly better-than-average year. Jim Ehrlich, Executive Director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, notes that despite the wind, the quality and...

August 15, 2011

Damp weather helps spread of late blight in Maine potato crop

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension says late blight sightings have been confirmed over the last month throughout Aroostook County and the Midcoast areas. Meanwhile, the Maine Vegetable and Small Fruit Growers Association has received reports...

August 15, 2011

US Potato Sales & Utilization estimates by the United States Potato Board

The USPB is pleased to deliver the industry’s sales and utilization estimates for calendar year 2010. The full report is attached following this story.

August 15, 2011

Ralcorp rejects third ConAgra proposal

ConAgra has hinted it could step up its pursuit of Ralcorp after the US food group suffered a third rejection by its quarry of its proposal – improved to $5.2bn – to buy the company. Ralcorp said on Friday it had a rejected the latest $94 a share cash...

August 11, 2011

US Restaurant counts down compared to last year

U.S. restaurant unit counts declined by -2 percent, or a loss of 9,450 restaurants, based on the most recent restaurant census conducted by The NPD Group, a leading market research company. NPD's Spring 2011 ReCount®, which is a census of commercial r...

August 11, 2011

Late blight affects some Maine potato farmers amid rainy weather

The rainy spring and summer have put a damper on the Aroostook County potato growing season, but the head of the Maine Potato Board said Wednesday that the industry remains optimistic about this year’s crop. Don Flannery, executive director of the boa...

August 09, 2011

McDonald's July comparable sales up 5.1%

McDonald's Corporation today announced global comparable sales growth of 5.1% in July. Performance by segment was as follows: U.S. up 4.4% Europe up 5.3% Asia/Pacific,Middle East and Africa up 4.0% "McDonald's continues to deliver great tasting,...

August 09, 2011

US Potato Board Seminars Inspire New US Mashed Potatoes Uses

What can you do with mashed potatoes? Just about anything! That is the message Asia’s food service operators took home from seminars recently conducted by the United States Potato Board (USPB) international marketing program. The mashed potato seminar...

August 07, 2011

Kraft Foods splitst in twee

Kraft Foods gaat de onderneming splitsen. Er komt een bedrijf voor snacks, met een omzet van 22 miljard euro en een half zo groot Noord-Amerikaans levensmiddelenbedrijf. De afgelopen jaren is het portfolio van Kraft veranderd door geografische groei e...

August 04, 2011

Kraft Foods announces its plans to create two independent companies

Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) today announced that its Board of Directors intends to create two independent public companies: A high-growth global snacks business with estimated revenue of approximately $32 billion and a high-margin North American groce...

August 04, 2011

Wal-Mart turns up heat on sustainability goals

Wal-Mart appears to be stepping up efforts to measure sustainability among its produce suppliers and is using some tools developed by the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops. In a recent presentation to some industry members at the 2011 Sustainable ...

August 03, 2011

Diamond Foods Receives Final Anti-Trust Clearance on Pringles Acquisition

Diamond Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq:DMND) today announced that The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has granted its approval to Diamond Foods, Inc. for its pending acquisition of the Pringles business from The Procter &Gamble Company. Earlier this summer ...

August 03, 2011

Idaho Potato Commission sponsors 'Famous Idaho Potato Bowl'

The Famous Idaho® Potato Bowl was unveiled today as the new name for the Humanitarian Bowl which features a top selection from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The nation’s longest-running outdoor cold-weathe...

August 02, 2011

Idaho Potato Commission appoints Jim Tiede as chairman for 2012

The Idaho Potato Commission appointed Jim Tiede, of American Falls, IPC Chairman and Alan Taylor, of Rigby, IPC vice-chairman for 2012 during their monthly meeting in Eagle, ID, on Wednesday, July 27. They will begin their one-year terms at the Septemb...