News on Food Trends from the Americas

A small group of scientists in white lab coats — some bearing the Pepsi logo — wander through their laboratory, describing the state-of-the-art equipment.

The global market for organic food & drink is recovering from the financial crisis. After several years of double-digit growth, the market expanded by just 5 percent in 2009.

Gary Linkletter has been elected chair of the P.E.I. Potato Board.

Potential end users who learn about U.S. dehydrated potatoes at trade shows and seminars and who decide to incorporate dehy into a product don’t have to go it alone.

PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division today said that approximately 50 percent of its product portfolio will be made with all natural ingredients, including three of its biggest brands, Lay's® potato chips, Tostitos® tortilla chips and SunChips® multigrain snacks.

McCain Foods has joined the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) in its pledge to reduce obesity, especially among children aged 6 to 11, by 2015.

California restaurants must end trans fat use by Jan. 1.

The National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot” survey of more than 1,500 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—reveals that local and hyper-local sourcing, healthy children’s meals, sustainable seafood, and gluten-free cuisine will be among the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2011.

The Food Channel has released our 2011 Trends Forecast – the Top Ten Trends we see for the coming year, and the top ten foods to watch.

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

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.

A special ceremony, held on December 6 celebrated the signing of a renewed agreement between the International Potato Center and the Pisaq Potato Park’s Association of Communities - represented by the Association ANDES.

Extreme weather patterns wreaking havoc on many parts of the world could put the global farmer on the endangered species list, says an international agricultural expert.

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.

Canada's foodservice industry is growing in terms of both unit counts and menu offerings. After a 1.2 percent decline in 2009, estimates indicate that Canadian foodservice has achieved a higher growth rate in 2010 than its U.S. counterpart.