Food Business News - September 27, 2011 - 10

Mediterranean cuisine on the rise

OSI opens dry sausage plant in Utah
WEST JORDAN, UTAH — The OSI Group has opened a new 50,000-square-foot facility in West Jordan that will allow the company to serve its West coast customers’ needs for pepperoni, Genoa salami and other dry sausage products. The new plant is located next to OSI’s beef and pork processing facility that produces ground beef, steak pieces and specialty products. FBN

CHICAGO — Mediterranean menu items are becoming increasingly popular at restaurants as consumers more often seek ethnic cuisine, betterfor-you foods and vegetarian options, according to the market research ﬁrm Technomic. The company said 6 out of 10 consumers said they likely would order a menu item featuring Mediterranean cuisine, and sales at Mediterranean chains grew to $362 million in 2010, up 2% from 2009. “Mediterranean cuisine certainly seems poised for continued growth,” said Mary Chapman, Technomic director. “The increase in menu incidence we have tracked at Technomic

shows that these items are not just being added to Mediterranean concepts, but to the menus of national chains within virtually all segments and categories. We expect this to continue as awareness of the cuisine increases and as the trends feeding the growth continue to develop.” In 2010 there were 430 units of leading Mediterranean chains. Pita sandwiches and Greek entrée salads have seen increases in menu incidence, and restaurants are using more hummus, chickpeas and Greek yogurt. In addition, consumers perceive ﬁsh, herbs, vegetables and olive oil to be healthy, and these are all staples of Mediterranean cuisine. FBN

Tilapia consumption increases
WASHINGTON — Consumption of tilapia increased 20% from 2009 to 2010, taking it up to the No. 4 spot in the National Fisheries Institute’s Top Ten Seafood List. While tilapia saw the biggest gains in 2010, other gains included pangasius, which increased 14%, and cod, which increased 11%. “If you look at the numbers from 2008, 2009 and now 2010, keeping in mind population growth, we’re hopeful that we’re beginning to see seafood consumption steadying, a trend that makes it posed for gains,” said John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute. Shrimp topped the list, followed by canned tuna, salmon, tilapia, Alaska Pollock, catﬁsh, crab, cod, pangasius, and clams. FBN

Coca-Cola lowering price on mini cans
ATLANTA — The Coca-Cola Co. said it will lower the price on its 7.5-oz mini can eight packs to $2.99, putting the product price point in line with that of Coca-Cola 12-oz can fridge packs. Previously, the suggested retail price was $3.99, and in some places the cost was as much as $4.99. “We are constantly listening to our consumers as we strive to provide them with the right Coca-Cola beverage in the right package and price point, for the right occasion,” said Katie Bayne, president and general manager of sparkling beverages, CocaCola North America. “Consumers today want affordable options for their favorite beverages. And the new mini can pricing makes it even easier for consumers to enjoy the great taste of their favorite Coca-Cola beverage even when they want a little less.” Coca-Cola said it is introducing the new recommended pricing to the entire line of mini can beverages, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Fanta Orange and Seagram’s. Additionally, Coca-Cola said it soon will begin offering a 12.5-oz PET bottle for CocaCola trademark brands. FBN

More ground turkey recalled by Cargill
WICHITA, KAS. — Cargill Value Added Meats Retail, a business unit of Wichitabased Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., has recalled approximately 185,000 lbs of 85% lean fresh ground turkey products produced at the company’s Springdale, Ark., facility on Aug. 23, 24, 30 and 31, 2011, due to possible contamination from Salmonella Heidelberg. The recall follows a conﬁrmed test sample taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a post-Aug. 3 recall review of the processing facility, which yielded low levels of the same Salmonella Heidelberg strain that appears to match the strain previously associated with human illness. Cargill said it voluntarily has suspended production of ground turkey products at its Springdale facility until additional corrective actions are identiﬁed by the company and reviewed and approved by the U.S.D.A. The company already has had corrective actions in place as the result of an Aug. 3 recall in which Cargill pulled 36 million lbs of ground turkey from the market. No illnesses have been associated with the most recently recalled products, Cargill said. FBN

McCormick adds chief science ofﬁcer
SPARKS, MD. — Hamed Faridi has been named to the newly created position of chief science ofﬁcer at McCormick & Company, Inc. Dr. Faridi leads McCormick’s research and development function, which includes a global team of 400 scientists and ﬂavorists. He oversees Mc-Cormick’s U.S. Technical Innovation Center as well as 12 technical facilities around the globe. FBN

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September 27, 2011

Food Business News - September 27, 2011

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