Food Basics

On rolls

Seth Godin was talking about rolls in the context of mediocrity: "Mediocre rolls are easier and more predictable. Once you figure out how to make a mediocre, tasteless, soggy roll, you can do it over and over again."

What so many mass-producers of baked goods (the grocery stores, etc) don't seem to get is that you can destroy the taste and texture of a great roll by putting it in a plastic bag. The same thing happens even when you have paper containers, if the rolls haven't been cooled to room temperature first.

But it seems the plastic bags are cheaper.

So if hard rolls or french bread are on my shopping list for the week, I'll go to the store that does their rolls right, and do my whole week's shopping there. So that's about $100 worth of commerce based on a few cents' investment in a paper bag, rather than plastic.

H'mmm...

Salt

Food Industry Accused of “Salt Assault” on America

CSPI Says Steep Sodium Reductions Achievable for Many Brands

Most foods sold in supermarkets and restaurants are too high in salt. But a new study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) finds that some manufacturers are recklessly loading up their products with two, three, or even four times as much salt as their competitors within a food category. The dramatic differences in sodium from brand to brand are proof positive that many companies could easily achieve significant reductions without sacrificing taste, according to CSPI.

http://www.cspinet.org/new/200508171.html

Salt: The Forgotten Killer (released Feb. 24, 2005)
http://www.cspinet.org/salt/saltreport.pdf

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Response statement of the Salt Institute to “Salt Content of Foods” issued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, August 17, 2005

Shooting repeatedly at the wrong target will not raise CSPI’s marksmanship scores.  If the target were correct, perhaps the additional ammunition CSPI recommends might be worth considering, but facts are facts – despite the contortions and twisting CPSI employs.  Twelve studies have reported on the relationship of salt intakes and the incidence of heart attacks and strokes.  Eleven of the twelve found no population health benefit to reducing dietary salt.  Three, including two in the U.S. and one in Scotland, found just the opposite: rather than a health benefit, lowering dietary salt is associated with increased risk of stroke, heart attack and all-cause mortality.  Let’s use the science we have, not abuse it.  Substituting public relations for medical science is not the answer.

Click here for further background.

http://www.saltinstitute.org/28.html

Backstory on the Food Guide Pyramid

From the Harvard School of Public Health comes the story on the politics and background of the food guide pyramid.

The New Food Pyramid

New trends in food and nutrition are always accompanied by plenty of commentary. Here's a selection of opinions from various professional associations on the gov's newest Food Guide Pyramid - that graphic you may see from time to time suggesting what you should eat for optimum health, according to the USDA. Also some other stuff I came across!

Basic info on the pyramid from the  Food and Nutrition Information Center at the UDSA

Revamped food pyramid addresses exercise, various nutrition needs - Knight Ridder

American Dietetic Association

Food Research and Action Center

Grocery Manufacturers of America

MyPyramid Tracker is an online dietary and physical activity assessment tool that provides information on your diet quality, physical activity status, related nutrition messages, and links to nutrient and physical activity information.

National Cattlemen's Beef Association

National Restaurant Association

North American Millers' Association

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association

EMERGING TOP FOOD TRENDS IN U.S. AND ABROAD

CHICAGO—Food trends once primed to focus on families are reshaping as Baby-boomers become empty-nesters, and health-related products are booming worldwide. This is according to this month’s issue of Food Technology magazine and its cover story, Top 10 Global Food Trends. Food Technology is published monthly by the scientific society Institute of Food Technologists.

Health became a key driver to the world’s food marketplace in 2004 and do-if-yourself doctoring is one of ten major trends shaping today’s consumer choices, according to the article. The Top 10 Food Trends are:

Quick Fix – Time to prepare food is still at a minimum, so a limited number of side dishes are prepared with entrees and ease of preparation is a major factor in eating at home.
Drive-and-Go – Takeout service at full service restaurants is growing, and the combination of stress with a sense of entitlement is leading consumers’ drive for more upscale foods.
Inherently Healthy – More people are eating more fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and yogurts.
Fancy – The premium foods market is projected to grow to nearly $100 billion before 2010. Wine and liqueurs are finding their way into crackers and drinks, and products for cocktails are hot.
Farm-Friendly – Foods deemed to be closer to the farm are capturing consumers’ dollars.
Layered Flavors – Layering flavors is sending sales of food such as cheeses, condiments and ethnic foods soaring. Exotic fruit flavors such as starfruit, dragonfruit and Kaffir lime continue to grow.
Grazing – Seven million vending machines are in the U.S. with 100 million daily customers and more healthy fare to choose from. The low-carb snack category is falling, but smaller portion sizes are gaining and gourmet snack selections are strong. Health-oriented fun kid snacks will be well received.
Low-, No- and Reduced – With low-carb interest waning, consumers are returning to watching their fat and calorie intake. Low-fat tops the many health claims consumers now seek out.
Do-It-Yourself Doctoring – Shoppers are trying to manage or treat conditions through diet. Whey peptides are playing a role in Europe in beverages formulated to reduce blood pressure. IFT’s new Functional Foods Expert Report details the promise bioactive components in new products can have on health. (See www.ift.org/ExpertReport.)
Global Gangbusters – Convenience and ready-meals are accelerating worldwide. Fresh, chilled, ready-to-eat products are emerging domestically and dominate the United Kingdom, commanding 25% of the food market, excluding beverages. More flexible packaging (e.g. pouches) is appearing. A majority of Southeast Asians eat take-out at least once a week, even more than Americans.

Food Technology provides news and analysis of the development, use, quality, safety, and regulation of food sources, products, and processes. It is accessible online at www.ift.org/foodtechnology 

Are you prepared for your leftovers?

One thing that pretty much always goes along with a big holiday meal is leftovers. It's a good idea to plan what you're going to do with them before you have them. This way you can avoid the overload of eating the same thing for too many days in a row.

You can take several items from the leftovers and make your own frozen dinners, for example, or make a casserole and freeze it right away for later use. A lot of people look forward to the turkey sandwiches the day after Christmas, but what about saving some turkey for New Year's Eve hors doevres?

The trick is in having the extra ingredients you might need to complete your leftover recipes. If you've planned for the leftovers, and included the extra noodles, or whatever you might need in your shopping for the holiday meal, it's a lot easier to put these things together and have them tucked away, out of sight, well before anyone is sick of thinking about leftovers!

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL PIZZA MONTH

* Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second.
* Pizza is a $32+ BILLION per year industry.
* There are approximately 61,269 pizzerias in the United States.
* Pizza restaurant growth continues to outpace overall restaurant growth.
* Pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants.
* 93% of Americans eat AT LEAST one pizza per month.
* Each man, woman and child in America eats and average of 46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza per year.
* Approximately 3 BILLION pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year.
* According to a recent Gallop Poll, children between the ages of 3and 11 prefer PIZZA over all other food groups for lunch and dinner.
* A study done by a U.S. Department of Agriculture statistician and home economist found that in a three-day survey period, 42% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 has eaten pizza.
* 94% of the population of the U.S. eats pizza.

The News in Food

"the official weblog of The FOOD Museum, a non-profit organization. This blog will serve as an interactive forum for news, views and discussion about all things food: food history; growing; marketing, cooking; issues such as food safety, school lunch reform, GMO foods; diet/nutrition and just plain fun.'

I like this blog a lot -- plenty more to explore!

Blogs with Flavor

A how-to on setting up a food blog, plus a few of the author's favorites. Here>>

Pizza Defined & Beer Simplified

In Italy, as you may have heard, there's a new law that doubles as "a marketing tool to brand Naples forever as the cradle of pizza," reports Al Baker in The New York Times. The law was passed in May, "at the behest of the Association of Real Neapolitan Pizza, a group with 2,500 members worldwide," with the support of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi himself...full text at Reveries Magazine

Making a "simple, mainstream beer was more of a challenge than" Kelly Taylor, director of brewing operations at Greenpoint Beer Works in Brooklyn U.S.A., had anticipated...more at Reveries