Consumer/Retail

Healthy foods not necessarily more expensive

Most Americans’ diets fall short of Federal recommendations, especially when it comes to whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and fruits and vegetables. Some nutrition researchers and food writers blame cost, saying fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods are more expensive than less healthy ones. ... Full story.

HSUS files SEC complaint; Tyson responds

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has filed a legal complaint with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) asserting that Tyson Foods is making deceptive public statements related to animal well-being. Tyson officials report that they have not seen nor been informed of any such filing. ... Full story.

Commentary: Meat makes the man

New research (not even published yet) seems to indicate that people view eating red meat as more masculine than scarfing down soy burgers. Wow. Who knew? ... Full story.

Commentary: You need to thank Domino’s

If you’re in agriculture in any way, shape or form, you need to get on the team to thank Domino’s Pizza for the fact that its shareholders stood up to the Humane Society of the United States’ (HSUS) attempt to tell them how to run their business. Because, while the current issue centers on gestation-sow stalls, tomorrow it could focus on cheese and dairies or wheat and GMOs or any number of issues that activists decide to target. ... Full story.

Who is winning the food fight?

Most farmers are working quite hard to produce as much food as possible for a hungry world and marketplace, but daily get criticized by non-farmers because of doing things that the non-farmers do not think should be done. ... Full story.

Denny’s wants gestation-sow stalls off its menu

Denny’s restaurants announced that the chain will begin to require its suppliers to provide pork from systems that do not use gestation-sow stalls. However, the company did not offer a timeline for implementation. ... Full story.

They’re not all food Luddites

We hear a lot from the people opposed to all sorts of technology in agriculture and food production. Their accusations, conspiracy theories and David-versus-Goliath posturing make good headlines. But according to a new edition of a long-running series of studies from the International Food Information Council (IFIC), most U.S. consumers are open-minded about modern tools such as biotechnology in food production. ... Full story.

Thank Domino’s; order a pizza

A grassroots movement is afoot among those who support U.S. agriculture. More specifically, social media is sending out the word far and wide to support Domino’s Pizza this weekend, May 18-20, by ordering a pie—or several. ... Full story.

Learning more about what consumers are saying

The agricultural industry is taking steps to better understand today’s consumers. A recent study commissioned by the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), offered consumers' perceptions of food production. ... Full story.

Oscar Mayer carves out bigger slice of lunch meat market

Thanks to food companies like Oscar Mayer, consumers now have a plethora of options at their grocer’s deli case. In addition to more varieties of pre-sliced, prepackaged lunch meat, companies also are revamping classic flavors by adding new spices, herbs and all-natural options. ... Full story.

Consumers feeling better, spending more

A consumer confidence index surprised analysts by climbing to its highest level in four years this month, and consumer spending is up, according to a pair of reports from Bloomberg News. Continued consumer optimism should be positive for domestic meat demand, especially beef as consumers often view it as a luxury meat item. ... Full story.

Commentary: A new lunchmeat landscape?

The category is undergoing a makeover, according to market researchers, although the new trends processors are embracing are about as fresh as a package of last month’s bologna. ... Full story.