Blog Articles

Fans of crawfish have been boiling mad this spring as the popular crustaceans are unusually hard to find – and expensive when spotted! -- on local menus due to a combination of extreme weather events.

E. coli! Just the very words bring to mind danger as the headlines warn us of E. coli outbreaks that have sickened people around the country and new studies highlight the risk of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria known as STEC in undercooked burgers.

December might be the best time of the year for food lovers with holiday meals and festive get-togethers. It’s also the time of the year when the food industry dusts off its crystal balls and looks towards the food trends for the coming year.

“Keeping up with global food trends can be a little dizzying these days. The internet has ushered in an era of fads that burn hot and fast, showing up everywhere before disappearing completely. Sometimes, they start on TikTok, making it to Instagram and Reddit within days or weeks. If they show promise or seem to have staying power, restaurants and grocery stores may decide to jump in to cater to consumers,” explains DoorDash for Merchants.

The era of instant gratification is intensifying with shoppers expecting free and fast delivery, the ability to binge-watch all the episodes of their favorite shows in one sitting, and almost half of TikTok users finding videos longer than a minute “stressful”!

The summer months are a time for hosting from backyard barbecues to lakeside picnics but it’s important to avoid sampling food that has been potentially spoiled by sitting out too long, especially in the heat.

Leaving food out too long at room temperature can cause bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter) to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness,” says the United States Department of Agriculture. “Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the ‘Danger Zone.’ “

Plant-based foods have been an integral part of human diets since the beginning of civilization as the earlier humans were hunter-gatherers who lived on a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

While new plant-based foods such as tofu and soy milk made inroads in the 20^th century, a wide range of plant-based foods including vegan meat alternatives, dairy-free cheeses, and plant-based milks made from nuts, seeds, and grains, have become staples on many American dining tables over the first two decades of the 21^st century.

One of the traditions Americans celebrate during the holiday season is sharing bountiful meals with families and friends, yet some in our society will go hungry despite an enormous amount of food waste in our country.

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.

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.