The Cold Standard

By Jennifer Strailey

The frozen case offers a host of hot trends in natural and organic foods.

One of last year's hottest food and beverage trends came out of the supermarket freezer case, and, given the current economic outlook and consumer shopping habits, industry analysts believe this cold front has moved in for the long stretch.
U.S. retail sales of frozen foods and beverages through all retail channels totaled $55.9 billion in 2010, up 1.7 percent from the previous year, according to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, in its recently released report, "Frozen Foods in the U.S., 3rd Edition" (January 2011). The consumer market research firm, based in Rockville, Md., expects that number to reach $70 billion in 2015.
There's no question that frozen food sales have been driven in part by the economy, which has seen a decline in Americans dining out in favor of eating at home. Frozen foods provide a more affordable alternative to eating out, while at the same time satisfying consumers' eternal craving for convenience. But more recently, manufacturers have introduced a slew of natural, organic and wellness-oriented frozen food and beverage products that has brought attention — and health cred — to the category like never before.

Hospitals try cooking up better food for patients

Associated Press

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Haute cuisine is to hospital food as coq au vin is to mystery meat, right?
Maybe once, but a number of hospitals are breaking the old Jell-O mold, blending feeling better with tasting better as they liven up patient menus with the likes of fresh blood oranges and shrimp scampi.

The movement toward tastier — and often more nutritious — hospital food even has reached the Culinary Institute of America, the well-known school for chefs north of New York City, which is offering a first-of-its-kind course on cooking for health care patients.

Students in the elective class are taking field trips to nearby Vassar Brothers Medical Center and to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. The idea is to learn first-hand the nuances of tray lines, the challenges of serving people with severe dietary restrictions and what goes into creating higher-end hospital food.

"I want to break this image. I want to embarrass people when they say 'Hospital food? Their food is awful," said Lynne Eddy, who is teaching Food Service Management in Health Care. "Let me show you what good food is in a health care facility."

But this is about more than taste. Food that is both good and nutritious can help patients heal, as well as boost their morale, said Eddy.

It's natural that the same American consumers who scout out fresh basil at the grocer and hormone-free beef at Mexican restaurants want a similar experience when they're hospitalized. And customizing meals for patients and efforts to become more "gastronomically conscious" have helped the health care food service industry grow 4 percent last year, according market researcher Packaged Facts. Growth is expected to continue as executives in the competitive health care industry become more attuned to overall patient satisfaction. [Cont.]

Full Article> http://online.wsj.com/article/APe3a653ac914f4335a6ec8a1f6defed2a.html

More on Hospital Foodservice Trends>http://www.packagedfacts.com/Trends-Hospital-Nursing-6044306/

Competition on Aisle Five

Competition on Aisle Five

A new study finds consumers are flocking to grocery-store prepared meals for two reasons. And restaurants should be worried. By Daniel P. Smith

 

Quick-service restaurants feeling more intense competition for the consumer’s dollar might not only look at their dining rivals across the street, but their supermarket down the block.

A growing array of prepared and ready-to-eat foods at retail outlets such as Walmart and Kroger are attracting consumers and threatening to put a dent in quick-service business, says a new report from Packaged Facts titled “Prepared Foods and Ready-to-Eat Foods at Retail: The New Competition to Foodservice.”

Varied Interests Drive Growing Popularity of Local Foods - Amber Waves, December 2010, Feature

Varied Interests Drive Growing Popularity of Local Foods

As demand for local foods grows, so do questions about what constitutes “local” foods, what characterizes local food markets, and how local food markets affect farmers, consumers, and communities.

Steve W. Martinez

Ethnic Hair, Beauty and Cosmetics Products in the U.S.

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