Dannon Away From Home News

Convenience, cravings, atmosphere drive diners to QSRs, study finds

Cravings and fun atmospheres drive consumers to restaurants rather than the local supermarket when time-starved families need a solution to the age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” according to a new report from The NPD Group.

The market research firm found that nearly two-thirds of prepared foods sold at retail come from traditional supermarkets, but there are advantages that restaurants can leverage to prevent further erosion in their takeout-meal market share from what NPD calls food stores.

First, consumers surveyed cited convenient locations most often as a reason for visiting a quick-service restaurant at 40 percent, compared with 43 percent for supermarkets. Other reasons that drove customers to quick-service restaurants included simply liking it there, good prices or a special craving, NPD found.

Restaurants lagged behind supermarkets slightly when consumers cited reasons like good prices or always going to one favorite place. The gap widened further in favor of supermarkets when guests gave reasons like “I’m in a hurry” or that they were seeking more variety or more healthful food choices.

“Consumers are not going to wake up tomorrow with more time on their hands and the urge to cook. In the end, it will be about meeting the consumer’s need for convenience, whether it’s a restaurant or a supermarket.”

Full Article: Nation’s Restaurant News

With one-third of the nation’s children overweight or obese, improving the quality of school meals has become a fashionable cause. Michelle Obama has made it a pillar of her national “Let’s Move”campaign. In May, the D.C. Council passed the Healthy Schools Act, which mandates strict nutrition standards for school meals and provides schools with an extra 15 cents per meal to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables and local ingredients.

On Monday, D.C. Public Schools took its own step in improving school food when it announced the new vendors it has selected to provide more healthful meals for two pilot programs scheduled to begin this fall at 14 D.C. elementary schools. Revolution Foods, a California-based company that serves 25 D.C. schools from a kitchen in Glen Burnie, will provide prepackaged meals at seven schools that are undergoing renovations and have no student lunchroom. DC Central Kitchen will provide made-from-scratch meals such as vegetable stir fries and homemade quiches at seven schools in Northeast Washington.

Full Story: Washington Post

Restaurant operators remain optimistic about sales growth and the economy in the months ahead, though same-store sales and traffic levels softened in May

WASHINGTON, June 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The outlook for the restaurant industry softened in May, as the National Restaurant Association’s comprehensive index of restaurant activity fell below 100 for the first time in three months.  The Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 99.7 in May, down 0.7 percent from April’s level of 100.4.  The RPI’s May drop came after strong index growth earlier this year and amid sharply increasing wholesale food prices.

“Although the sales and customer traffic indicators softened in May, capital expenditure activity rose to its highest level in nearly two years,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association.  ”This, along with a continued positive outlook for sales and the overall economy, signals that restaurant operators remain optimistic that business conditions will improve in the months ahead.”

Visit the Association’s website to view a video of Riehle providing an industry update – www.restaurant.org.

The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – is constructed so that the health of the restaurant industry is measured in relation to a steady-state level of 100.  Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, and index values below 100 represent a period of contraction for key industry indicators.  The RPI consists of two components, the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.

The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in four industry indicators (same-store sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures), stood at 98.7 in May – down 0.3 percent from its April level.  The Current Situation Index remained below 100 for the 33rd consecutive month, which signifies contraction in the current situation indicators.

Restaurant operators reported a net decline in same-store sales for the second consecutive month in May.  Thirty-five percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between May 2009 and May 2010, down from 39 percent of operators who reported higher sales in April.  In comparison, 46 percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline in May, up from 41 percent of operators who reported negative sales in April.

Restaurant operators also reported softer customer traffic results in May.  Thirty-three percent of restaurant operators reported an increase in customer traffic between May 2009 and May 2010, down from 37 percent who reported higher customer traffic in April.  Meanwhile, 43 percent of operators reported a traffic decline in May, up from 39 percent who reported lower traffic in April.

Full Story: PR Newswire

It’s summer, and that means sun, fun and good eats.

But if you’ve got a hankering for more than just hot dogs and barbecue, we’ve got a treat for you. Take your palate from blah to wow with some of the sumptuous treats that were showcased at the Summer Fancy Food Show.

Organized by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, the 56th annual summer food show was held at the Jacob Javis Convention Center in New York City.

More than 2,500 exhibitors from 81 nations gathered from Sunday through Tuesday to display more than 180,000 specialty foods — among them cheeses, coffees, spices, ethnic, natural and organic products.

Full Story: ABC, Good Morning America

Local food is a hot trend that customers continue to demand from all restaurant segments. But until recently, the movement was so small and compartmentalized, that it was hard for some chains to find purveyors that could adequately meet their foodsupply needs.

Now the USDA has issued a report on the logistics of moving local foods from farms to consumers, which could help restaurants and foodservice companies understand the dynamics of farmers that participate in local food supply chains, versus mainstream chains.

“The objective of this report is to improve understanding of how local food products are being introduced or reintroduced into the broader food system and potential barriers to expansion of markets for local foods,” said Michael Illenberg, public affairs specialist with the USDA Economic Research Service. “Understanding the operation and performance of local food supply chains is an initial step toward gauging how the food system might incorporate more local foods in the future to meet growing demand.”

According to the USDA summary:

A series of coordinated case studies compares the structure, size, and performance of local food supply chains with those of mainstream supply chains. Interviews and site visits with farms and businesses, supplemented with secondary data, describe how food moves from farms to consumers in 15 food supply chains. Key comparisons between supply chains include the degree of product differentiation, diversification of marketing outlets, and information conveyed to consumers about product origin.

Among the summary’s key findings includes the fact that it is more profitable for producers to participate in local food supply chains – but only up front. Producers often assume more responsibilities – such as marketing and processing – in direct market or local food chains, lowering their cut of the retail sale price, sometimes by up to 70 percent. Foodservice executives who understand this dynamic could work with local producers to make more mutually beneficial deals.

The full report can be accessed from the USDA Economic Research Service site.

Fast Casual

Kelly Thompson admits that she is a frozen yogurt fanatic. “We probably come here three times a week,” said Thompson, as she and her daughter Maddie enjoyed the cool treat at the Top It Frozen Yogurt store in Holladay.

On this visit, Thompson chose creamy vanilla yogurt covered with chocolate sauce and nuts. Her daughter enjoys her usual: cookies and cream yogurt topped with crushed Oreo cookies. Thompson said they plan to come back in a few days because “they didn’t have my favorite flavor, yellow-cake batter.”

Just like everything else from the 1980s, “fro-yo” is making a comeback. Only this time around, customers have more flavors, more control over portion size and options for a few more health benefits.

“This is the second coming of frozen yogurt,” explains Robert Garfield, senior vice president for the National Yogurt Association, located in McClean, Va.

In the 1980s, several dozen frozen yogurt companies made big profits selling the soft-serve treat. “The only problem was that it wasn’t really yogurt, a lot of it was ice cream with a little bit of tart flavor or cultures added in,” Garfield said.

That first-generation of frozen yogurt fell out of favor when consumers — who believed they were eating something healthy— starting packing on the pounds. The popular television series “Seinfeld” even poked fun at the phenomenon when Julia Louis Dreyfus’ character, Elaine, went on a frozen yogurt binge and gained seven pounds.

Today, companies market frozen yogurt as a better alternative to ice cream as it contains no fat, no added sugar and contains live and active cultures, or the “good” bacteria that aids in digestion and improves the immune system. “It’s 180 degrees from before,” Garfield said.

Many larger companies have their products certified so it can carry the association’s “Live and Active Cultures” seal. To get the certification, the frozen yogurt must contain a minimum of 10 million live culture per gram. When consumers are trying to distinguish real yogurt products from the imposters, they should look for the seal on the frozen yogurt machines, Garfield said.

Full Article: The Salt Lake Tribune

Rats in the classroom, whole wheat macaroni and low fat cheese and fresh fruit bowls all have one thing in common. They are part of the award-winning nutrition program Melanie Konarik designed to encourage students in the Spring school district to make healthy choices about the food they eat in light of the growing problem of childhood obesity.

Menus for breakfast and lunch brim with choices such as macaroni chili cheese, whole wheat pizzas topped with vegetables and turkey, spicy baked chicken drum sticks and taco salad.

Then there are the rats.

Konarik introduced the rats into the middle school science classroom for students to observe the effects of a healthy diet versus a junk food diet on male lab rats over a six-week period. Two rats are fed school lunch food, while two are fed such delights as chips, cookies and sugary drinks.

Konarik said as students took measurements and observed the rats’ behavior it soon became obvious that the rats on a healthy diet thrived better than those on a junk food diet.

“One of most phenomenal effects is that children saw dramatically what a good diet will do,” Konarik said, adding that a good diet showed up in the rats’ coat, eyes, weight and personality.

Now Spring students won’t be the only ones reaping the benefits of Konarik’s innovative nutrition program.

Students in school districts across the country participating in first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign also stand to benefit, after Konarik was tapped to lend her expertise.

Full Article: Ultimate Spring, TX

When the 2010 census is done, we’re expected to see just how much the country’s population has changed.  But it’s already clear in grocery stores and restaurants that Americans like a lot of ethnic food.

And now the dietitian’s trusty tool has been reshaped for Asian, Latino and Mediterranean tastes.  A research group called Oldways Preservation Trust has even created food pyramids targeting children.

“When you see your food, it speaks your language,” said dietitian Sylvia Melendez Klinger.  ”It’s a great way to understand that the foods from your home country can still play a role.”

For public health officials, it’s another way to reach the Latino population in the United States, which has one of the highest rates of obesity and obesity-related complications in the country.

Of course, the most well known food pyramid is the one created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  That can be accessed at MyPyramid.gov

Full Story:  CSI foodpro

Sales of General Mills’ spoonable probiotic yogurt YoPlus fell 16 percent in 2009 to less than $44m for the year, while rival Danone Activia jumped 16 percentage points to record $383m in sales for the year.
Since following Danone into the US probiotic market in 2007 (Danone debuted in 2006), YoPlus has managed to gain about one percent of the total $4bn yogurt market, compared to 10.5 percent for Activia, according to IRI figures quoted in New Nutrition Business this week.

Full Story: Food Navigator