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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries released a draft of its National Seafood Strategy this month with a goal of getting more seafood on consumer’s plates thanks in part to using technology to modernize the supply chain and industry infrastructure.

“The strategy also responds to the unprecedented challenges facing the U.S. seafood industry, including climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, new technologies and other ocean uses, and significant labor shortages and aging infrastructure,” said NOAA Fisheries as it opened up a 30-day comment period on the draft.

Expiration dates are more important than ever as Americans look to stretch their grocery dollars as far as they can go as food prices outpace wages. Unfortunately, there are a lot of food myths around food packaging “best by” dates, and other label information.

“Among all rising costs, sky-high grocery bills have been especially painful,” reported CNBC on Feb. 5, 2023. “Over the past year, food prices overall have risen more than 10 percent. Egg prices, alone, soared 60 percent, butter is up more than 31 percent and lettuce jumped 25 percent, according to Labor Department data through December. As a result, consumers are looking for any – and all ways to save.”

The centerpiece of many holiday get-togethers is the food shared by family and friends.

Over the years what has been laid out on these merry holiday tables has changed with the prevailing food trends from the Depression Era stable Jell-O salad in the 1930s to innovative use of Spam in the World War II era to the “far out” fondue pots of melted cheese in the 1970s to recent opposites of bacon-in-every-dish to kale salads.

Turkey, the traditional star of the Thanksgiving meal, may be expensive and tough to find in 2022 as the bird flu and other issues are affecting the supply chain.

The September 2022 Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index numbers show that food prices are continuing to rise month-over-month more than three times faster than the general U.S. economy inflation rate.

As the nights become brisker and Halloween spirits sneak into sight, thoughts in the food industry turn toward candy, turkeys, and keeping America’s festive holiday tables fully stocked.

This is also the time of the year when food business experts break out their crystal balls and conjure up what will be the food trends to watch in 2023.