southtownstar.suntimes.com

Rising consumer demand aids organic industry sway

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:12:02 -0500

The organic food industry is gaining clout on Capitol Hill, prompted by rising consumer demand and its entry into traditional farm states. But that isn’t going over well with everyone in Congress.

Chicago Heights pita plant has major expansion

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:12:43 -0500

Holding a small crucifix in one hand and clutching a clump of basil dipped in holy water in the other, George Kaloudis walked Thursday alongside an array of ovens in a Chicago Heights pita bakery. The blessing of the hulking machine with holy water by Kaloudis, presiding priest at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, was part of a formal unveiling of a major expansion at Pita Pan Old World Bakery. Once the new production line begins operation in a couple of weeks, the company, which has been in Chicago Heights for seven years, will be able to turn …

How loyalty programs influence the way you shop

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:01 -0500

Loyalty programs at supermarkets used to be as simple as getting access to the cheaper advertised prices on store shelves. Today, companies are using shoppers’ purchasing histories to offer more personalized deals.

Dem bid to stop food stamp cuts turned back by House committee

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:18:19 -0500

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee rebuffed Democratic efforts Wednesday to keep the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program whole, as debate on the farm bill turned into a theological discourse on helping the poor.

Americans eating more smoked seafood products

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:19:02 -0500

There’s no smoke and mirrors about it — Americans are eating a lot more smoked seafood than they used to. And that demand — part of a larger trend of infusing everything from salts and cocktails to fruit and teas with a kiss of smoky flavor — has smoked seafood producers like Maine’s Ducktrap River moving fast to expand production. “Our sales have increased to the point where we can’t keep up,” says Don Cynewski, the company’s general manager. “We feel strongly that this is still a relatively new product in the United States and that it has good growth …

Idaho spud giant bets on biotech potatoes

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:16:46 -0500

A dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, an Idaho company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds. This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes. They’re engineered not to develop ugly black bruises. McDonald’s, which gets many of its fries from Simplot, rejects those. They’re also designed to have less of a natural but potentially cancer-causing neurotoxin, acrylamide. Much has changed in 12 years, according to the Boise-based company. Unlike transgenic varieties Monsanto commercialized in the 1990s using genes from synthetic bacteria to …

Hellmann’s whips up centennial campaign

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:18:51 -0500

A lot changes in 100 years, but the key to Hellmann’s success may be that not much has changed for the mayonnaise. To celebrate Hellman’s centennial birthday, owner Unilever is launching a marketing campaign to drum up attention for the country’s top-selling mayonnaise, whose formula remains almost the same as it was a century ago. Unilever, a Dutch consumer goods company, has dubbed the campaign “Bringing the best together.” It includes TV, print and digital ads, a Facebook page and YouTube videos featuring chef Mario Batali cooking up Hellmann’s recipes, a smartphone app and a September event that will include …

Strawberry Pepsi? New fountain machine in test

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:18:01 -0500

PepsiCo says it plans to start testing a new fountain machine at restaurants that lets people create a variety of flavor combinations, such as strawberry Mountain Dew.

Whole Foods mixes up chicken, vegan salads

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:20:01 -0500

Whole Foods Market Inc. said labels on a chicken salad and those on a vegan version were reversed at some of its cold food bars in the Northeast.

Coke’s anti-obesity push to go global

Wed, 08 May 2013 08:09:40 -0500

Coca-Cola says it will work to make lower-calorie drinks and clear nutrition information more widely available around the world. Earlier this year, it began airing its first TV commercial in the U.S. addressing obesity.

A Wisconsin favorite raises a stink

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:42:06 -0500

MONROE, Wis. — The sign above the bar in Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern warns visitors about the perils of sampling the $3.25 house specialty — a slab of Limburger cheese on rye bread slathered with onions and mustard. “Limburger: don’t eat it with your nose.” The sign might well add “Don’t eat it in close proximity to anyone you wish to remain friends with.” Monroe is a tranquil town of 10,000 nestled in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin, where pale brown cows gaze soulfully from fields and silos dot the landscape. Settled by Swiss and German immigrants, it …

A tapas-style take on a Mother’s Day brunch

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:44:14 -0500

A tapas-style meal made up of a variety of small, appetizer-like bites is something we tend to associate with evenings and cocktails. But we thought the same idea of small plates would lend itself perfectly to a Mother’s Day brunch. So we came up with a variety of tapas ideas suitable for Mom’s big day. Use these ideas as a jumping-off point. Accompany them with mini muffins, mini bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, and fresh berries served in shot glasses and topped with yogurt and honey. And nobody says you need to give up the cocktails. Mimosas, anyone? …

Vickroy: It’s no fib: You can grow figs in this climate

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:12:22 -0500

Long before humans cultivated wheat, barley or legumes, they grew fig trees. Some even suggest that figs were grown a thousand years before wheat and rye were domesticated. “For 98 percent of the time humans have been alive, it has been a starvation existence,” said William Pakosz, a Matteson dentist and lover of natural history. “It wasn’t until recent times that food has been plentiful for so many.” Back during much of those early hungry years, the fig tree was a symbol of survival. Its early spring blossom, called the breba, often was the first crop to be harvested. It …

Shepard chefs take second in first MACS event

Sun, 05 May 2013 02:28:33 -0500

Shepard culinary team takes second in MACS contest

California almond crop to surpass 2B pounds in 2013

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:14:01 -0500

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — Federal agricultural officials are predicting another bumper crop for California’s almonds this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is predicting that the state’s almond growers will produce more than 2 billion pounds of almonds.

Kraft’s profit beats Wall Street expectations

Thu, 02 May 2013 15:50:01 -0500

Kraft Foods reported first-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations as it increased sales and cut costs after its split from its global snack business.