Potato News from Northern America

Frito-Lay announced on Monday a voluntary recall of 41 cases of mispackaged potato chips that could pose a risk to people with milk allergies.

McDonalds prints coupons on report cards that reward young children for getting good grades. As childhood obesity rates soar, the controversy is growing about this potentially harmful partnership between fast food companies and public schools.

Don't know how many of you remember this, but Jays potato chips used to be sold in these giant, white, cardboard boxes with a huge blue circle in the front, a huge white "J"in the circle, and the words "can't stop eating 'em"script...

Yum Brands Inc, owner of the Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC fast-food chains, said on Thursday it aims to own fewer than 10 percent of its U.S. restaurants by the end of 2010, down from about 20 percent currently. In a statement, the company also said it...

Starting from an organization in Idaho, the nation's big spud producer, the two-year-old, multi-state United Potato Growers Association is sharing production and market information to whip up better profits. At a session at the National Bargaining Conf...

Snyder's of Hanover, Hanover, Pennsylvania, officially acquired Jays Foods, Chicago, on Tuesday, December 4 after a bankruptcy auction was held in Chicago on November 30. Shortly after the Judge approved the transaction, Jays Foods officially closed t...

The food industry is embracing umami as part of an effort to deliver highly flavored foods to consumers while also cutting back on fat, salt, sugar and artificial ingredients.    It was identified in the early 20th century by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese ...

McDonald's told franchisees this week that it will pay up to 40% of the costs to remodel restaurants to accommodate the machines needed to make lattes, mocha drinks and other specialty beverages. McDonald’s USA President Don Thompson said last month sa...

ConAgra Foods has said it has removed nearly three million pounds of sodium from a range of products without affecting taste.The firm said it will continue to look at ways of cutting down salt, and said it has already managed to remove up to 20 per cen...

Jays Potato Chips is closing its South Side plant, effective today, and taking 220 jobs with it.The 80-year-old company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 11, received bankruptcy court approval Tuesday to sell its assets for $24.8 million ...

Ontario is taking action to make schools healthier places to learn by moving to drop trans fat from lunchroom menus."Our kids' health is just too important to risk,"said Premier Dalton McGuinty. "Trans fats have no place in our schools a...

Jays Foods, which produces Jays and Krunchers! potato chips and O-Ke-Doke popcorn, entertained takeover bids through Friday, and Tuesday will ask the bankruptcy court to approve its sale to Snyder's of Hanover, a pretzelmaker identified in court docume...

Frito-Lay Inc. was one of the six winners recently recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for their efforts in reducing, reusing and recycling water. The Plano, Texas, snack food maker earned the 2007 Water Efficiency Leader (WEL) award for...

Tesco has become a food manufacturer for the first time as part of its efforts to win over US shoppers. The UK food chain, which has more than a 30 per cent share of supermarket shopping in its home market, has built an 80,000 sq ft food preparation...

While the famous Jays brand should survive, the South Side factory that has churned out potato chips for decades will close permanently Wednesday, a casualty of Jays Foods' latest bankruptcy.Snyder's of Hanover, the Pennsylvania snack food-maker aimin...

Say what you want about their French fries, McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food chain, is one appetizing investment. So far this year, McDonald's has been the second best performing stock on the Dow Jones industrial average. Shares are up 32 pe...

Citigroup and Merrill Lynch are unlikely to fund Nelson Peltz's bid for Wendy's International Inc., according to sources, adding another challenge to the attempted sale of the company. Citigroup and Merrill were expected to commit to Peltz's bid but el...

Wendy's International Inc. CEO Kerrii Anderson said Friday that she hasn't spoken with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz since his Triarc Cos. offered to buy the hamburger chain. Wendy's has not sought a so-called white knight to top Peltz's bid, Ande...