Food Manufacturing

New Gelato and Frozen Greek Yogurt Flavors Ben & Jerry's Truck is in Town

With summer weather on the way, grocery freezer cases have some new dessert choices to help us chill. In April, Haagen-Dazs began marketing a line of gelato. And Ben & Jerry's just added three more flavors to its selection of frozen Greek yogurt, which was introduced last year. The gelato comes in ... More >>

Her Milkshakes Bring All the Boys to the Yard

Chicken Over Beef: KFC's Boneless Fried Chicken Nontraditional Burger Alternatives

Poultry is no longer an afterthought at traditionally beef-oriented fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King, which earlier this year launched, respectively, a chicken wrap and a turkey burger on their menus. For insiders, the new items are just evident of a longtime wave toward beef alterna ... More >>

Twinkies May be Back as Early as This Summer

The report of the demise of that golden sponge cake with the creamy filling may have been premature. Twinkies and their Hostess snack brethren could be back by as soon as this summer. Two private equity firms have bought the iconic brands for $410 million, CNN reports. There were no other qualifie ... More >>

Liquid Chips? Pepsi Looks To "Drinkify" Snacks

Would you drink your Fritos? How about potato chips? Beer nuts? You may get a chance, because PepsiCo, looking to diversify it's market, is planning to turn snacks into drinks. The Financial Times reports on the remarks of PepsiCo chief executive Indra Nooyi, who said "The fact that PepsiCo is a fo ... More >>

Olive Oil Investigations Launched With Public Hearing on Quality & Market Conditions

Olives are on the pressing block. Earlier this week, the U.S. International Trade Commission held a public hearing to launch an investigation into the olive oil industry that was largely fueled by a UC Davis study two years ago. The study reported many of the imported olive oils on our supermarket s ... More >>

The 200 Best Canned Fish & Seafood Recipes? Just Add Good Olive Oil -- Really

When a cookbook titled 200 Best Canned Fish & Seafood Recipes lands on your desk, there's really only one reaction: That's a lot of canned tuna. But if you look closely at the recipes from author Susan Sampson, former food editor of the Toronto Star, many are really quite clever. (Did we really ju ... More >>

Consumer Reports Warns of Arsenic in Rice

Rice, seemingly so bland and innocuous, harbors the same deadly poison beloved by Victorian mystery writers. In a new study, Consumer Reports has found varying levels of arsenic in more than 60 rices and rice products. Among the consumer goods that contained "worrisome levels" of arsenic were organi ... More >>

Cheese, Please: What's the Deal With Mozzarella?

From our 2012 Restaurant Issue, celebrating everything pizza in L.A. In L.A.'s not-so-distant pie past, family pizza night meant Friday evening quibbles over thick versus thin crust, debates over the proportion of marinara sauce to other ingredients and, inevitably, a few irreconcilable topping dif ... More >>

Things We Wish Existed: Ben & Jerry's (Fan-Made) Breaking Bad Ice Cream

Be still, our twitching hearts. Walter White's signature ice cream flavor doesn't exist just yet. But the good news is that the Ben & Jerry's execs in Vermont have a full two and a half weeks before the season five premiere to make this candy-speckled creation a reality. We can dream, can't we?

Lawsuit Alleges Hebrew National Products are Not Kosher

"We answer to a higher authority" is Hebrew National's slogan, but at least eleven consumers in Minnesota aren't so sure: The group is suing ConAgra Foods, Inc., the parent company of Hebrew National, alleging that Hebrew National's products are not kosher. According to Reuters, the lawsuit alleges ... More >>

Baby Spinach and Bagged Salads Recalled

Two greens producers in Salinas have recalled their products due to bacterial contamination. Taylor Farms is recalling their organic baby spinach, and River Ranch is recalling its bagged salads, Food Safety News reports. Random testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found Salmonella on a fi ... More >>

Burger King Announces Transition to Cage-free Eggs and Pork

Someday you may just be able to eat fast food for breakfast in good conscience. The AP reports that fast food powerhouse Burger King announced today that as of 2017, all of its eggs and pork products will come from cage-free animals. The king is dead; long live the king, I guess.

Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's Today

It's a lovely day outside -- perfect weather, in other words, for some ice cream. Fortunately, Ben & Jerry's has you covered: today is their annual Free Cone Day whereby they thank their loyal customers with free ice-cream. From noon to 8 p.m., visit your local Ben & Jerry's scoop shop to have you ... More >>

Foster Farms Chicken Contest: $10,000 A Trip To Napa For The Best Poulet Recipe

If you happen to hold the refrigerator secrets to the very best chicken recipe, Foster Farms has announced its third annual Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest with a grand prize of $10,000, plus a one-year supply of Foster Farms chicken. Yes, more chicken is exactly what you will crave after months of ex ... More >>

Scientists Say They're Close to Lab-Grown Hamburger

Dutch scientists have used stem cells to create strips of muscle tissue with which they say they will be able to produce the first lab-grown "hamburger" by the end of the year, BBC News reports. Their goal is to find a more efficient (and cruelty-free) way to produce meat than rearing animals. At ... More >>

Mars to Eliminate King-Size Candy Bars

Shrink-size me? Candy bar maker Mars Inc. has announced that it is doing away with king-size candy bars. The company says that by the end of 2013, it will only sell chocolate products that have 250 calories per portion, the Chicago Tribune reports. While some might see the move as a cost-saving me ... More >>

Valentine's Day Chocolates Food Fight: Godiva vs. See's

S. BonarMr. Bear keeps Godiva's 15-piece assortment in a red satin box (left) away from See's traditional red heart with assorted chocolates.​This week's pre-Valentine's Day Food Fight pits a cute little mom-and-son candy shop against a sophisticated European chocolatier. This well-matched bou ... More >>

Lawsuit Alleges That SunChips Are Not "All-Natural"

Pleasantly surprised that the SunChips and Tostitos you munched on during the Super Bowl were stamped "All-Natural"? Hopefully, you're not a Pats fan, else you're in for another letdown: a lawsuit filed last week against the chips' manufacturer, Frito-Lay, alleges that the snacks are not all-natura ... More >>

Ready Pac Recalls Bagged Romaine Salads

FDAToss your salad.​ Irwindale-based Ready Pac Foods Inc. is recalling 5,379 cases of bagged salad products containing romaine lettuce because they may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, Reuters reports. The voluntary recall includes a dozen different salad products including Caesar salad ... More >>

Lawsuit Against "Corn Sugar" Can Proceed

Guzzle & NoshWill the real sugar please stand up?​Big Sugar won the latest skirmish in the legal battle against Big Corn when a federal judge ruled that a recently filed lawsuit can proceed. Last month, a coalition of sugar farmers led by C&H Sugar Company filed suit against the Corn Refiners ... More >>

Uptight Mom Group Protests Schweddy Balls

Ben & Jerry's​Have you been looking long and hard for your Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls, only to go home with ice-cream blue balls instead? Us too. Last month, we told you about the official launch of the limited-release flavor. The B&J scoop shops always seem to be sold out, and we've never s ... More >>

Food Ads Geared Toward Children: Gov't Waffling on "Voluntary" Guidelines

Happy Clippings​ Is Uncle Sam trying to control what the kids eat these days? Well, maybe just their sugar intake. Earlier this year, the government proposed "voluntary guidelines" for food advertising. The proposed regulations asked companies to cut back on marketing to children between ages ... More >>

Doritos Creator Arch West To Be Buried with Corn Chips

When Arch West goes into the ground this Saturday, his family will sprinkle Doritos at his graveside, reports the Dallas Morning News. It's a fitting tribute for the man widely credited with creating Doritos corn chips. West, who died on September 20th at the age of 97, led the team at Frito-Lay t ... More >>

Sugar vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup: Court Battle Begins

Guzzle & NoshA little sugar in your bowl?​This morning in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, a bitter legal battle begins over identity. In one corner, a coalition of table sugar producers complaining about false advertising and attempted "food identity theft." In the other, high fructose corn ... More >>

Ben & Jerry's Releases Schweddy Balls Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry's​Back in June, those of us whose love for ice cream is rivaled perhaps only by our love for Alec Baldwin were intrigued by the rumor that Ben & Jerry's was coming out with a Schweddy Balls ice cream flavor. Too good to be true, we thought. Just like the rumor that Baldwin was goin ... More >>

Ferran Adrià Partners with PepsiCo: Your Nitrogen Tank, My Convenience Food

El BulliCan you find the vending machine in this flow chart?​ Ferran Adrià does like to play with products. And the El Bulli chef has a history of innovation and unlikely pairings. But Pepsi? Recently PepsiCo announced a partnership with Adrià, to work on procedures and techniques for new sn ... More >>

Schweddy Balls Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry's Newest Flavor, or A Very Good Joke

Mostly we try and stay away from telephone tag rumor, but this one is just too beautiful not to pass along. Gothamist reports that SNL's Ana Gasteyer has said in an interview that Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream company that has brought us Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream flavor, will be coming out ... More >>

Inside EATaly: On Bread, Olive Oil And Sal The Mozzarella Guy

JGarbeeEATaly's Bread Counter​When we first spoke to Lidia Bastianich about the inspiration behind EATaly, the Italian mega-market in New York that she opened with son Joe and Mario Batali, we had yet to experience the swanky 5th Avenue market churning out thousands of loaves of bread, handmad ... More >>

Weird Science: Germans Develop Rotten Meat Sensor

Fraunhofer EMFTThe sensor film changes color, from yellow to blue. Proof positive that this fish is spoiled.​ Ever wondered whether that vacuum-packed chuck steak or that chicken breast is still fresh? Looks can be deceiving, and the "best-before" date may be no guarantee. A group of German sc ... More >>

Q & A With Jackrabbit Cheesemaker D.J. Mitchell: From L.A. To Utah And Back Again

J. GarbeeMitchell Getting Down To Important Pre-SuperBowl Business​Living in a mega-tropolis means those moments of food disassociation are daily occurrences (do you know the name of your coffee bean farmer?), other than perhaps Farmers Market days when you can actually get to know the man beh ... More >>

G20 to Address Rising Food Prices

Flickr/John Rohana grocery aisle in Korea​ How long has it been since you thought groceries were cheap? Everyone has noticed the increase in food prices, and now the G20, a group composed of the heads of state of 20 of the world's largest economies, is poised to do something about it. Accord ... More >>

Frozen Tamales Made in California Recalled

phil_g/flickr​Put down that frozen tamale and back away slowly. KTLA reports that a recall of 144,000 thousand pounds of frozen tamales made and sold in California is in effect. Homestead Pasta Company is the source of the faulty food, as the meat and poultry within the tamales has been found ... More >>

Scientists Crack Genetic Code for World's Best Cacao

GastronomyCacao Sampaka, Madrid​An international team of scientists has sequenced the genome for criollo, a cacao variety that reportedly produces some of the best chocolate in the world. The results, published in the latest issue of Nature Genetics, could eventually lead to new and improved v ... More >>

Food Safety Bill Passes in House; Heads to Obama for Signature

After a year in legal limbo and what looked like certain defeat only weeks ago, the House this afternoon passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (a.k.a. S. 510), paving the way for the first overhaul of America's food safety system in seven decades. The vote was 255-144 mostly along party lines (D ... More >>

Kids in the Courtyard

Best of Artisanal LA: Compartes' Peanut Butter Spread

I'm not sure what to call the peanut butter concoction Compartes Chocolatier was selling at this weekend's Artisanal LA fest. Paste? Filling? Frosting? What I do know is that it was the first time the Brentwood chocolatier packed their peanut butter cream into jars and offered them for sale. Imagin ... More >>

Meeting Your Makers: Locally Made Mozzarellas

D. GonzalezBurricotta from Angelo & Franco​ The first time, it took a bit of nerve. A roadtrip down the 10, then the 60. The exchange was quick but friendly. The fresh mozzarella and burrata was worth it. But now burrata has become easier to find both at markets like Whole Foods and on r ... More >>

The 70% Solution: Tasting Notes on Tcho "Fruity" Dark Chocolate

Ben CalderwoodTcho tasting bar with proprietary flavor wheel visible on the package​ The 70% Solution intentionally fudges the numbers by a few percentage points (the pun, Mom's honor, is accidental) to introduce Squid Ink tasters to Tcho, the world's first internet chocolate. Producer: Tcho ... More >>

L.A.'s Best Chocolate Shops: Because Nothing Says I Love You, Mom More Than A Sea Salt Fudge Truffle

Since we're on a tight budget (hey, the recession might be letting up but we're in no position to splurge) chocolate is our go-to Mother's Day gift. There's only a few days left until the big day so if you're in the last-minute "I need a present for Mom ASAP" predicament, we've created a neighborhoo ... More >>

Chocolate War Truce: Cadbury (Unhappily) Agrees to Kraft Take-over

The chocolate wars are over, in theory at least. British chocolate maker Cadbury agreed to an almost $20 billion offer by Kraft yesterday, ending an extremely contentious hostile take-over bid by the American food giant. With this, Kraft Foods Inc. (Velveeta, Toblerone, Oreo) becomes the world's lar ... More >>

Chocolate Wars: Kraft Lauches Hostile Takover Bid of Cadbury Chocolate

Can you wage war over chocolate? Sure you can. Just ask the Aztecs. But it seems kind of funny to have candy companies launch hostile takeovers of each other, as if a lunchroom battle had suddenly turned very ugly. But that's just what's been happening with Cadbury, the 185 year-old English chocolat ... More >>

The Temecula Olive Oil Company: Local Hand-Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

If you need to extend an olive branch to someone, you might as well offer the whole tree, plus a few bottles of olive oil. The place to get them is the Temecula Olive Oil Company in Old Town Temecula. The tasting room and shop sells Mission and Arbequina olive trees large enough to go in the ground ... More >>

Sugar Shortage, Yes. Crisis? Not So Much.

On August 7th, some of the country's largest food processors, including Mars, Hershey's, General Mills and Kraft, sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stating that the country was on the verge of a massive sugar shortage and that, without raising the quotas on the amount of tariff-free ... More >>

Brazilian Cattle Exporter Signs Pact with Greenpeace After Deforestation Report

Yesterday the Brazilian beef exporter Bertin reported that it had signed a pact with Greenpeace to refuse to buy cattle from deforested parts of the Amazon. Greenpeace claims that the Brazilian Amazon cattle industry is the largest driver of deforestaton in the world, responsible for 14% of the wor ... More >>

Get Your Marshmallow Fix At Little Flower Candy Co. A Recipe for Homemade Marshmallows

For those us who grew up eating marshmallows out of a plastic bag, those oddly white confections that seemed to taste of nothing but chemicals and stale air, the hand-crafted version is a revelation. Thus marshmallow lovers in this town beat a track to the Little Flower Candy Company in Pasadena, wh ... More >>

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