News on Food Trends from the Americas

It's not a big surprise that McDonald's first-quarter earnings beat Street estimates on Apr. 22. The fast-food chain is expected to thrive in a recessionary economy where diners are looking to cut costs. But surprisingly, the gains aren't necessarily c...

Yum! Brands Inc. reported a 14-percent drop in first-quarter profit on negative effects of a stronger U.S. dollar and slowed domestic sales, especially at Pizza Hut and KFC.Yum, one of the world's largest restaurant companies, said Wednesday that more ...

Private label growth didn't start gaining momentum in the downturn. Not only have private label brands been gaining share for the past decade, experts say these gains are the single-biggest problem facing branded packaged goods players. House brands,...

Potatoes used for the production of dehydrated potato products was down 15% compared to last year and down 23% compared to the same period two years ago.

Potatoes are 55 per cent more expensive now than a year ago, Statistics Canada says, and grocery prices overall rose more in March than at any time in the past 28 years.Potato prices are particularly hot, but double-digit increases have been recorded f...

The potato industry is backing a bill that would change the 20 year-old national truck weight restriction from a maximum of 80,000 pounds up to 97,000 pounds, which could allow them to ship 19% more potatoes at the same cost.Potato grower-shippers and ...

Members of the United States Potato Board recently elected Maine chip stock grower Tom Qualey as Chairman of the Board, an honor last bestowed upon a Mainer more than two decades ago. It is an achievement not easily earned but rather the result of hard...

SunChips, Frito-Lay’s popular line of multigrain snacks, announced today that in 2010 it will introduce the first fully compostable snack chip bag made from plant-based materials. The change is designed to significantly improve the environmental impact...

After tracing an upward path last year, thanks, in part, to increased fuel prices and global demand, food prices recently have declined. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation keeps tabs on food prices with a quarterly survey of retail prices. ...

Productores y Técnicos de las Agencias Agrarias de la Región Apurimac, convocados por la Dirección Regional Agraria de esa región, visitaron la Estación Experimental Agraria Andenes del INIA en el Cusco, ubicada en el distrito de Zurite de la provincia...

The consumer price stats came out from the Labor Department, showing a slight (0.1) percent decrease from February's levels. Overall prices have been flatlining or declining since last fall, when the bottom fell out of the economy. Much of the decline...

A consulting firm that advises McDonald's franchisees is recommending steeper increases this year than it has in the past, according to documents from a presentation to restaurant owners in February. Price hikes have been a key driver of sales growth...

A 28-year-old man who works at the Cavendish Farms french fry plant in Jamestown was airlifted to the Minneapolis St. Paul burn unit on Thursday evening following a workplace accident, WDAY reported Friday.

It’s all about food lately. Culinary shows like “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen” are all the rage. Tainted peanuts have us worried about what we eat and how to make it better. Books such as “The Omnivore's Dilemma” and “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics...

According to new data from Atlanta-based RBC Capital Markets, fewer consumers plan to cut back on restaurant spending in the next three months and a larger number of consumers than in previous months actually plan to spend more at restaurants. In RBC...

The Colorado Restaurant Association has launched a statewide public awareness campaign to encourage dining in restaurants. A $170,000 promotion, with the slogan “Fork the Recession … Feed the Recovery,” started this month and runs through May, with TV...

Haagen-Dazs's new line of ice cream, Five, doesn't hide the ingredients in tiny type on the back of the carton. Every one -- milk, cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla bean -- is prominently displayed in bright-orange capital letters.

For decades, Burger King has relied on the same conveyor oven technology to provide its signature flame-broiled flavor profile. But that technique, originally designed to cook the brand’s Whoppers, also limited the types of product offerings the chain ...