"food business" news and stories

Don't take away our Girl Scout Thin Mints! You could practically hear the cry from anguished Girl Scout-cookie lovers from Philly to Pasadena when the Wall Street Journal reported that the Girl Scouts are getting down to business in this recession and may cut back on flavors to make the annual sale more profitable.

The new pilot Super Six program, reports the Journal, keeps Thin Mints (yay!), Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils shortbread cookies, Samoas and Tagalongs, Lemon Chalet Cremes. But U-Berry-Munch, All Abouts (shortbread + fudge) and sugar-free chocolate chip cookies? They may go the way of the AMC Gremlin. In other words, good-bye, and will we remember you were ever here?

"We're all seeking a little more simplicity," Amanda Hamaker, the manager of national product sales for the Girl Scouts, told the Wall Street Journal. "Our top five varieties make up 77 percent of cookie sales," Hamaker said. "The others are yummy and fun, but they're side dressing -- leaving councils with an awful lot of alternate varieties left over."

Would you accept a little bag of baby carrots as a substitute for, say, a mini Snickers bar in your Halloween trick-or-treat sack? Neither would we. We love carrots; really, we do, but the "Eat 'Em LIke Junk Food" campaign and now the "Scarrots" trick-or-treat gambit is pushing it. The editors at Eatocracy give us the skinny on what's hot and what's not for Halloween. A hint: candy corn is still Miss Popularity. Since, Americans will most likely spend $2 billion on candy this year (we kid you not), it's time to choose wisely. And then get some dental insurance.

Despite the current economic downturn, the vast majority of Americans are still spending their money eating out. A recent article from USA Today explains that between 2007 and 2008 there was no change in the amount of people purchasing meals outside of the home. According to NPD Group, a marketing research firm, Americans bought 1% more meals at a restaurant in November of 2008 than November 2007.

As NPD vice president Harry Balzar states: "There hasn't been a recession in eating. We may postpone a car purchase or a new coat, but we won't postpone eating." The survey USA Today refers to deals with all kinds of eating out, whether it's at a three-star Michelin restaurant or McDonald's. I'd be curious to know how certain categories of restaurants are holding up through this economic decline. The article does point out that people are trying to save money and time, and, as a result, they are turning to "inexpensive takeout options."

Check out the poll below to let us know if your eating habits have changed.

This past Saturday's New York Times had an intriguing article on how Whole Foods is trying to overcome its nickname, Whole Paycheck. Considering the high food prices sweeping the entire nation, this attempt is crucial for the company's survival. Since its financial peak in 2006, Whole Foods' stock has dropped more than 70 percent. The market for organic foods and specialty foods is in trouble.

A report from TNS Retail Forward produced a survey last month that shows that 20 percent of shoppers have altered where they purchase groceries because of the economy. To make matters worse for Whole Foods, market researching firms, like the Hartman Group, say that consumers are less interested in organic foods.

In this current economic environment, what is Whole Foods doing to change its image as an overpriced grocery store?

1. Offering more discounts
2. Increasing lower-priced store brands
3. Advertising products they sell at a good value
4. Organizing budget-focused store tours
   

Do you think Whole Foods will be able to suppress its nickname Whole Paycheck?

If you live in a developing country, that is: In the U.S., land o'plenty, so the golden arches will always remain a convenience as a drive-through window, but in cities that are congested and land is scarce, McDonald's has taken to delivery.

Where would you have to go to get your Big Mac and fries delivered right to your door with a delivery charge of anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar? Ronald McDonald commissions fleets of delivery people in cars or on motorbikes in cities like Manila, Taipei, Cairo, for a total of about 25 cities, with a half dozen more in the works.

Really, I think L.A. is congested enough of a city that McDonald's delivery could work here. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up on a weekend morning craving an Egg McMuffin, but was a little too, uh, "dehydrated" to get in the car and get to a McDonald's before 10:30AM!

Source