I collect food statistics the way frugal people collect various odds and ends — you never know when you might need them. In my case, stats come in handy when writing a food story or for a new business pitch to project future behaviors or to understand current ones. Here are some interesting tidbits, in no particular order.

$624 BILLION:The size of the food selling business — The Wall Street Journal, 11/21/05

87,656:The number of new food and drink product launches in 2005 around the world, an increase of 8 percent over 2004, according to Mintel Global New Product Database. [more…]

I just returned from a business trip to Ireland with my client, the Irish Dairy Board, hosting some VIP guests on a culinary tour of the Emerald Isle. For people who plan their vacations around their passion for food, it’s the perfect place to visit.

Contemporary Irish chefs who have worked at high-profile restaurants abroad are returning home to apply their talents to fabulous food using local ingredients — lamb, salmon, duck, fresh garden vegetables, dairy products and grains. Traditional Irish breads are stellar, and there is nothing more satisfying at breakfast or any time, than hearty Irish brown bread slathered with Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter.

So hot is Irish food today that Saveur devoted most of its March issue to Ireland. “With its wealth of raw materials, its burgeoning artisanal food scene, and its innovative chefs, Ireland is fast growing into a food lovers’ paradise,” the magazine raved. [more…]