Food Institute News

The Who, What and Where of Consumer Spending

The Food Institute's Demographics of Consumer Food Spending 2013 provides in-depth information and insightful analysis on U.S. consumer food spending patterns.

Designed for easy use, this annual study provides an easy-to-read breakdown of spending on food overall, food at-home, food away-from-home, and alcoholic beverages. Topics covered include age, income, career, education, race, gender and region of the U.S. For more information, click here.


Our Mission Statement

The Food Institute:

   * Strives to be the best "single source" for current, timely and relevant information about the food industry from "farm to fork."
   * Serves as a trusted source of information, providing balanced coverage of the issues.
   * Delivers information through multiple media so that industry professionals worldwide can tap in when and how they choose.

Industry News

Campbell Soup agreed to buy Plum Organics, a provider of premium organic foods and snacks for babies, toddlers and children. The Emeryville, CA-based company is the No. 2 brand of organic baby food in the U.S., and currently the No. 4 baby food brand overall. The acquisition of Plum will provide Campbell with a platform to extend its core categories of simple meals, snacks and beverages and bolster annual sales of Campbell's portfolio of kids-focused soups, beverages and snacks to more than $1 billion.

International News

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is recalling some bags of shelled hazelnuts and other mixed nuts because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall is part of an ongoing investigation of a shipment of bulk hazelnuts that came from the U.S, reported Montreal Gazette.

Health News

Diners are taking far more calories in their fast-food meals than they realize, a new study shows. Teens underestimated the calories in fast-food meals by 34%; parents of school-age children by 23%; adults by 20%, according to a researcher of Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.

Washington News

The era of tax-free shopping for Minnesotans is coming to an end at Amazon.com and other big websites. Starting July 1, the state will require major online sites to collect Minnesota's 6.875% sales tax. The change is being welcomed by Minnesota's brick-and-mortar retailers, reported TwinCities.com.

Market News

Indonesia will impose a floor on the price of soybeans that traders buy domestically to protect farmers, while setting prices traders charge some customers for the oilseed as it looks to curb possible food inflation. The country's deputy trade minister also stated that the country's beef import quota would inch up. Although the moves are unlikely to have a major impact on international markets for soy and beef, they underscore investor concerns over the Indonesian government's increasing control over food markets in the country as it struggles to balance the interests of farmers and consumers, reported Reuters.