|
CONSUMER TRENDS
More pasta and less red meat, more video rentals and fewer movie tickets.
Burt Flickinger, a longtime retail consultant, said the last time he saw such significant changes in consumer buying patterns was the late 1970s, when runaway inflation prompted Americans to "switch from red meat to pork to poultry to pasta - then to peanut butter and jelly."
As Food Prices Soar, More Shoppers Rely On Discount Grocers
By WENDY LEE
Stores such as Aldi and Save-A-Lot, known in the industry as limited assortment stores, are benefiting from the economic downturn. The nation's 2,789 limited assortment stores accounted for about $16.8 billion in sales in 2006, and that figure is expected to climb 9 percent over the next five years.
Part of limited assortment stores' attraction is they often sell items at about 40 percent below a traditional grocery store's price because of private labeling and competitive pricing. Aldi said about 95 percent of its 1,200 items per store are private label.
Save-A-Lot's parent company, Supervalu Inc. reported 4th quarter net earnings of $156M for the period ending Feb. 23, up 30 percent from a year ago.
Traditional supermarkets are expected to drop in market share from 44.1 percent in 2006, to 37.3 percent over the next five years. | |
|
Al Dente... "Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels."
Faith Whittlesey | |
|
DATES
May 17 - 20
NRA Show 2008
McCormick Place -Chicago.
The world's largest foodservice & hospitality event.
June 8-10
Sosland Publishing's 31st annual Purchasing Seminar
InterContinental Hotel
Kansas City, MO
| |
|
Commodity update
(Source - Milling & Baking News -Various tables)
|
Ingredient |
April 30, 2008 |
Year ago |
|
|
$/Cwt |
$/Bu |
$/Cwt |
$/Bu |
|
Semolina |
41.35 |
17 |
17.25 |
6.65 |
|
Hard Red Spring Wheat 15% |
29.30 |
11.20 |
17.05 |
5.45 |
|
Eggs - Dried: Whole ($/ lb) |
4.35 |
2.25 |
|
Eggs - Dried: Whites ($/ lb) |
6.75 |
4.90 |
|
Eggs - Dried: Yolks ($/ lb) |
3.51 |
1.50 | |
|
U.S. Value of Egg Production Up 51 Percent
Value of all egg production in 2007 was $6.68 billion, up 51 percent from the $4.43 billion in 2006. Egg production totaled 90.6 billion eggs, down 1 percent from the 91.3 billion eggs produced in 2006. In 2007 all eggs Averaged 88.5 cents per dozen, compared with 58.2 cents in 2006.
Sustained dry weather in March and April hurt wheat grown without irrigation in So. Cal.
In Northern California, wheat farmers will be checking their fields for frost damage. The spring frost that hit earlier this month came as the grain began to flower. It will be several weeks before any damage to wheat becomes visible, reported California Farm Bureau. |
|
TASTES
SOFT TACOS ARE WRAPPING IT UP!
We have apparently entered the golden age of the soft taco, because this Mexican food unit, in all its variations and guises, is everywhere.
But tacos have wriggled free of their ethnic straitjacket and entered the mainstream. Looking over the 100 finalists in last week's Pillsbury Bake-Off, a good tenth of the winners were variations on the theme.
A BOLD FLAVOR COMBO?
Cheese with a Coffee & Lavender Rind
The combination of lavender and coffee alters the taste of the cheese and gives it an incredible texture and a subtle floral finish. Its bold nutty flavor appeals to the most sophisticated palates yet they cannot detect either the lavender or the coffee. What they taste is a creamy, rich, slightly sharp cheddar taste that is very appealing.
Read the rest of the story |
HOW TO LOWER THE GLYCEMIC LOAD IN PASTA
Carolyn O'Neil / Cox News Service - Pasta 101
Coarsely ground semolina flour, which is made from the highest-grade durum hard wheat, cooks up firmer than pastas made with soft-wheat flour. Because the starch particles in semolina pastas are larger, they are not absorbed as quickly. Finely ground grain is more rapidly digested, and so it has a higher glycemic index than more coarsely ground grain.
Pasta dough made with more egg solids will have more protein and some fat in the mix, so it will have a lower glycemic effect, too. Dried pasta cooked al dente has a lower glycemic index ranking than pasta boiled until soft and mushy.
Response to a carbohydrate food varies with the amount of fat, protein or both with which it is ingested. Spaghetti with meatballs has a lower glycemic ranking than spaghetti alone.
This combination effect on blood sugar levels is measured by the "glycemic load," which nutritionists find much more useful. Primavera pastas served with fiber-containing vegetables or raviolis stuffed with mushrooms are a good choice, too.
The more fat or acid a dish contains, the slower its carbohydrates are converted into sugar and absorbed into the bloodstream. Adding vinegar and olive oil to a cold pasta salad or tossing angel hair with a simple saute of crushed tomatoes will lower the dish's glycemic ranking. |
|
FOOD SERVICE & GROCERY NEWS
Atlanta-based Triarc is acquiring Dublin-based Wendy's All-stock deal will create the third-largest quick-service restaurant company in the U.S. with almost $12.5 billion in annual sales. Wendy's has 6,622 restaurants, while Arby's has about 3,700 outlets.
Safeway Expands Distribution Of Healthy Food Brands
Safeway announced that it has created something called the Better Living Brands Alliance, which it will use to market its O Organics and Eating Right product lines across all retail channels - including foodservice and global markets - starting later this year.
Big Pretzel Profits
By Lauren Kesner - CNBC
Gerry Shreiber's success began at the ballpark, home not only to the hallowed hot dog, but that other classic stadium snack: the salty jumbo pretzel. This doughy concoction might never have been a hit were it not for Shreiber's vision of a pretzel empire.
As CEO of J&J Snack Foods, Shreiber is the man behind the pretzel. With a roll and a twist, J&J churns out a half-billion pretzels a year. It all began in 1971 when Schreiber struck up a conversation with a salesman who told him about a failing pretzel company.
OUR DIVISION, MINOT MILLING, SELLS PRAIRIE SUN, ROSE & FINEST FLOURS - ALL MILLED FROM HARD RED SPRING WHEAT - PERFECT FOR PRETZELS, BAGLES, PIZZA & MORE! |
| |
|
|
|
