Growers and Grocers

Whole Foods has announced that they plan to purchase rival Wild Oats Market. It isn’t a major surprise to see the country’s largest natural food retailer gobble up their number two competitor. Especially as their slowing growth could benefit from the positive momentum that the Wild Oat’s family of stores has been experiencing.
In […]

Ethanol is all over the news these days because it offers the promise of home-grown, renewable fuel for transportation as a gasoline replacement. At this time, corn is the main source of ethanol in the United States — and will be for some time until the cellulosic ethanol process becomes feasible. According to […]

At the Worlds of Healthy Flavors Retreat, the Culinary Institute of America’s Vice President and Managing Director for Greystone and Continuing Education, Mark Erickson, gave a presentation about signals of change in American Foodservice. Erickson noted that many of those in the room, such as the executive chefs and menu developers, could be advocates […]

In order to help inform consumers about the healthiness of food on supermarket shelves, a New England supermarket developed a 0-to-3 star nutritional rating system for foods. According to Political Gateway, the rating system “flunks most of the foods consumers think are good for them.” A spokesperson for the supermarket said: “This is a good, […]

Back in 1962, the kiwifruit (then known as the Chinese gooseberry) was a virtual unknown to American consumers, but thanks to the grit, creativity and resourcefulness of produce distributor Frieda Caplan, the brown, furry fruit was renamed, promoted directly to consumers and eventually became a staple of fruit salads and bowls […]

You might have noticed high prices for tomatoes recently. We are certainly seeing them here in Northern California. Mike Marks, the produce expert for the Sacramento Bee, discusses the causes for the jump in prices in this week’s food section. As usual, the high prices are directly related to low supply and high demand. […]

INTRODUCTION
prag•mat•ic - Pronunciation Key: (prag-ma-tik), adj. Dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.
Given the choice, most people and nearly every parent we meet wants to live a cleaner life. They wrestle with their food decisions and even make attempts at living an organic lifestyle.
Many take to reading online or at […]

This weekend, September 30 thru October 1, 2006, Garden of Eve Organic Farm in Riverhead, NY is hosting the 3rd Annual Garlic Festival. Festival hours are from 10am-6pm, $2 admission, kids under 6 free. The festival promises garlic inspired foods, crafts, music, theater, and just plain garlic. Admission is free if you bring a dish […]

Newscom reports that: “The two largest milk distributors in southern New England are switching to a product free of artificial growth hormones.” While the geographical limitation on that statement makes the change sound limited, it could be the start of a trend. The companies who own these distributors are major players and they […]

The recent news about California grown spinach, with (at last count) at least 150 people being sickened by E. Coli, and a Wisconsin woman DEAD, is unsurprising if you’ve been following trends in food distribution. Heartbreaking, yes, but unsurprising. The FDA simply does not have enough food inspectors on the ground to prevent things like […]