Some interesting stats culled from various news outlets, in no particular order. Food for thought.

• 32% - percentage of social network users who use the Internet to pursue their interest in food/cooking — Food Navigator, 7/17/09
• $57 million - value of savings shoppers could realize from coupons they printed in June from Coupons.com and the Coupons.com publisher network (130% increase over the year-ago period) — Progressive Grocer, 7/21/09
• 42.1% - supermarkets’ share of food retail dollars in 2008. Supercenters, warehouse clubs and limited assortment stores (such as Aldi and Trader Joe’s) continue to wrest share from supermarkets. — Mediapost, 7/7/09
• 56% - number of consumers eating dinner at home more often — Progressive Grocer, 5/14/09
• $81 billion - private label sales in the U.S. (up 10.2% over the past year) — Food Navigator, 6/22/09
• 52% - percentage of consumers who were “highly loyal” to consumer packaged goods brands in 2007 who became less loyal or shifted brand loyalty the following year — Supermarket News, 6/22/09
• 59 - number of shopping trips the average American household made to supermarkets in 2008 (13% fewer than in 2001) — Reuters, 6/29/09

INSIGHT: The retail food industry continues to evolve as the economy shocks consumers out of profligate habits. Bad news for some food marketers offers opportunity for others who have a compelling value message.

The Winter Fancy Food Show is coming up January 13 to 15 in San Diego. More than a thousand exhibitors, including international participants from 40 countries will participate. With so many booths in competition, how can you get your products noticed by the media?

As a freelance food writer, I’ve covered a number of food trade shows for the Associated Press. So let me tell you how I cover a show, from a reporter’s point of view. It will give you ideas about how you can find ways to interface with the media. [more…]

Sharon Tyler Herbst, passed away on January 26. Not everyone may know her name, but anyone who has a serious interest in food has a copy of her book, the Food Lover’s Companion, close at hand. It’s one of the references I recommend for any food newbie.

This compact paperback, a kind of dictionary-encyclopedia, is the source most of us go to when we want to ensure we have the right number of “cs” in focaccia or to find out what castor sugar is when translating an Irish recipe (superfine sugar). [more…]

This week’s issue of TIME magazine reported the death of Momofuku Ando, 96, in Osaka, Japan. And why should his death be of consequence to Americans?

Mr. Ando invented a food product in 1958 that has touched the lives of struggling college students the world over: he is the father of instant ramen noodles. As an encore, he invented Cup Noodles in 1971. Today, instant ramen is a multibillion-dollar industry; 85 million packages were sold in 2005, according to the TIME article. [more…]

Trends in food and beverage continue to accelerate, and what was a novelty soon becomes everyday. For example:

Bottled Water– It was the stuff you bought when you traveled to countries where the water wasn’t fit to drink. And what you bought in France because Coca-Cola was so expensive. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, a research and consulting firm, U.S. bottled water sales were at $9.2 billion in 2004 and grew about 10 percent in 2005, as reported by Forbes. Carbonated soft drink sales in 2005 were flat. The motivation to purchase appears to be for the health attributes especially from the enhanced water category, which promises more benefits than plain tap water.

Pedigreed Foods– We didn’t pay a lot of attention to where our food came from and how it was raised. Now we care. Niman Ranch made a success of branding butchered meat, long considered a commodity item. Some restaurants are growing their own animals and produce to ensure that what they serve meets their exacting specifications. With food safety and food quality big issues, provenance offers reassurance. [more…]