News on Food Trends from the United States

By a vote of 215 to 144 today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, enacting large-scale changes to the nation’s food safety system.

If you thought 2010 was a year of challenges, hang on to your hat.

Food processing is an ever-changing environment. To be as efficient and effective as possible, individual processes must be regularly audited and analyzed, with outcomes measured and costs considered.

Chris Voigt is the executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, which supports and promotes the Washington state potato industry (1). On October 1st, Mr. Voigt began a two month, potato-only diet to raise awareness about the health properties of potatoes.

A mother of two says that McDonald’s uses toys as bait to induce her kids to clamor to go to McDonald’s and to develop a preference for nutritionally poor Happy Meals. With the help of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, today the mom, Monet Parham, is filing a class action lawsuit aimed at stopping McDonald’s use of toys to market directly to young children.

Union Pacific says the dehydrated potato flakes it was hauling caused a costly derailment at its biggest railyard because Idahoan Foods did not properly clean the wheels of its freight cars.

Though potato fields yielded average amounts, the crop quality in Maine was better than last year, growers and industry representatives said Monday.

Diacetyl - a chemical used in butter flavoring – may damages the lungs by reacting and forming complexes with amino acids in cell membranes, according to a new US study.

Diamond Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq:DMND) today reported strong financial performance for its first quarter of fiscal 2011 and increased guidance for the full-year.

When it comes to calories, parents lack a basic understanding of their impact on weight and may even be skeptical that calories are just the latest food and nutrition fad.

America’s number one potato, the Idaho® potato, has earned another number one title: Best Agricultural Cooperative Website.

Bayer CropScience today announced that is has divested certain crop protection products to Amvac Chemical Corporation (Amvac)

Lance, Inc. (Nasdaq: LNCE), and Snyder’s of Hanover, Inc. announced today the completion of their merger, first announced on July 22nd, 2010.

Private label leaders returned from the recent PLMA conference in Chicago with lots of information to digest and new ideas on how to drive growth in 2011.

Supply issues around the globe should help U.S. fresh potato exports remain strong and create opportunities for the industry.