Kraft Heinz significantly increased engagement on Twitter last week for its Bagel Bites brand by asking "How should a dog wear pants?" as part of its "Pizza on a Bagel -- We Can All Agree With That" campaign. Last week was National Dog Week, and the campaign started last month with 15-second spots aiming to inject levity into the polarized social media landscape.
Consumer demand for wellness solutions is driving Bolthouse Farms' debut of Superfood Immunity Boost late next month, said chief customer officer Phil Kooy. The beverage blends echinacea with cranberry and elderberry juice in a 52-ounce bottle, and Bolthouse will adopt the multi-serve size for five other "nutrient-dense" beverages, Kooy added.
Calories consumed per person from beverages such as carbonated soft drinks, juices and sports drinks declined 5.6% from 2014 to 2019, according to a Beverage Calories Initiative report from the American Beverage Association. "America's beverage companies are introducing more choices with less sugar and smaller portion sizes than ever before -- you can see these changes in the beverage aisle and it's encouraging consumers to reduce sugar in their diets," said Katherine Lugar, ABA president and CEO.
Naio Technologies started testing the latest version if its vineyard robot, Ted, in July. The company took feedback from about 20 growers who were using an earlier version of Ted to make improvements such as increasing engine power and speed and adding a tool holder in the center that makes it possible to use two tools at the same time.
Startup Grain Discovery has created an app designed to ease grain purchases and sales, with a live marketplace where buyers and sellers can make deals in real time. "By allowing live pricing, and an industry-first instant contract confirmation, we're eliminating missed marketing opportunities and tedious jobs like juggling calls and manual paperwork," Grain Discovery CEO Rory O'Sullivan said.
Giving diners a premium steakhouse experience via takeout is a challenge worth tackling, chef and culinary consultant Rob Corliss writes. High-quality packaging, thicker cuts of steak that travel well, and a butcher's choice special that consumers can cook at home can help steakhouses deliver a better at-home experience.
Banchan are small side dishes traditionally served as accompaniments to grilled meats or other main courses in Korean cuisine, but the diverse dishes can be the star of a meal, Eric Kim writes. "If there were any rule to banchan, it would be that there should be a sense of harmony in the spread: a variety of vegetables to balance the meat, and something salty, sour, spicy and sweet," he writes.
Black chefs in Columbus say their day-to-day experiences with institutional racism, missed opportunities and unconscious bias have largely remained the same despite public outcry in the wake of George Floyd's death, but their voices are beginning to be heard. "[The coronavirus pandemic has] given us the vocabulary and the ability to talk about our challenges without being seen as whiners who decided to be in the wrong industry," says chef Matthew Heaggans.
Foraging has long been a valued practice for people of color and low-income communities, with gathered ingredients sometimes yielding greater nutritional benefits than store-bought produce, writes Molly Glick. However, foraging is banned within many US cities, and wealthy, white elites are increasingly co-opting the practice with menus full of ramps, chanterelles and morels.
House Democrats on Monday introduced a revised version of the HEROES Act, a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package that includes $120 billion in grants for restaurants, bars and food trucks. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., won bipartisan support in the House in June for the provision, named the RESTAURANTS Act, which the National Restaurant Association supports.