News on Food Trends from the Americas

The rainfall in November, December, and January in the western and central parts of Cuba made it impossible for Cuban farmers to achieve a crop yield similar to the one they got last year, when they harvested 120,000 tons of potatoes.

Market research company IRI highlights the foods that see a sales lift before the Superbowl. Salty snacks constitute the leading category by units.

Casual dining chain Red Robin Gourmet Burger and Brews introduces taste bud-tingling Voodoo Fries that will leave guests spellbound!

Cargill Texturizing Solutions is offering manufacturers a successful replacement for monoglycerides, which are sometimes made from PHO

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) announced today the completion of the sale of its private label operations to TreeHouse Foods for proceeds of $2.7 billion in cash, excluding transaction-related expenses and subject to post-closing adjustments.

Arcos Dorados, la franquicia más grande de McDonald’s del mundo, que opera la marca en Latinoamérica, anunció el lanzamiento de una nueva promoción de papas por tiempo limitado: un nuevo tamaño más grande de sus famosas papas fritas.

A meeting date of February 26, 2016 is set for the vote of the stockholders of Diamond and Snyder's-Lance to vote on approving the recently announced acquisition of Diamond Foods by Snyder's-Lance, Inc.
Snyder's-Lance also announced estimated preliminary unaudited net sales for the full year of $1.66 billion

Idaho State University researchers have found high-tech cameras mounted on drones flying 60 meters above potato fields can effectively detect individual diseased and stressed plants.

The United States Potato Board (USPB) unveiled its first Spud Nation™ Food Truck at POTATO EXPO 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is an entirely new, proactive and aggressive demand-building approach for potatoes.

At the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2016 Annual Meeting, held January 14-15 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jim Tiede from James Tiede Farms of American Falls, Idaho, was elected to serve as NPC’s president for 2016 and to lead the council’s Executive Committee.

El investigador e ingeniero agrónomo, Guillaume Lacavé, está estudiando cómo reaccionan las papas (patatas) nativas sometidas a estrés hídrico y su producción de antioxidantes y otros bioactivos.

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that according their independent analyses, Earth's surface temperatures in 2015 were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880.

Neil Gudmestad, a potato pathologist with North Dakota State University, has been awarded the 2015 Potato Man for All Seasons award by produce magazine The Packer.

The softening Canadian dollar has in many cases driven up the cost of imported produce and this is being reflected in grocery store prices. However, one staple vegetable that has not experienced the same jump in prices is Prince Edward Island Potatoes.

Los científicos sostienen que la producción indiscriminada de cultivos (como la papa) están deteriorando las cuencas hídricas que nacen en los páramos. Sin embargo, si estos son conservados y protegidos para garantizar que el recurso siga llegando a las ciudades, ¿qué pasará con los pobladores para quienes el páramo más que un ecosistema es su hogar?

Local and Federal Government (Manitoba, Canada) have announced an investment of nearly $380,000 for the McCain Foods potato processing plant in Carberry to increase efficiency, reduce waste and support the sustainable growth of Manitoba’s potato industry. The governments’ investment represents half of the total equipment cost.

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board has a new executive as a result of its December 16th Board of Directors meeting.

Scientists believe that wild plant species related to domesticated crops, known as Crop Wild Relatives (CWR), might hold a key to counteract the devastating effects of climate change on the world’s food supply.