Congres To Hold Hearings on Peanut Recall

29 01 2009

Not much of a surprise.

California Democrat Henry Waxman says he wants to focus on the Georgia peanut processing plant at the center of the investigation, which has led to a massive recall. More than 500 people have gotten sick in the outbreak, and at least eight may have died because of salmonella infections.

Among those testifying will be Stewart Parnell, president of Peanut Corp. of America, as well representatives of two labs the company used for testing. Peanut Corp. shipped products that initially tested positive for salmonella, after follow-up tests found no traces. 


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Top Chef and Quaker Oats Team Up for Quickfire Challenge

29 01 2009

Got this from a press release.  Not hyper-local, but I know there are some creative cooks amongst the readers of this blog.

Calling All Top Chef Fans: Bravo Presents the First-Ever
Quaker® Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge

Three finalists will experience what it’s like to be a Top Chef when they compete
in a live Quickfire Challenge and prepare an original dish using Quaker Oats

CHICAGO, January 29, 2009 – Are you a die hard Top Chef fan? Think you have what it takes to go knife-to-knife with other Top Chefs? To find out, create a unique dish using Quaker Oats, and enter the first-ever Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge.

In conjunction with Bravo’s hit reality creative competition series Top Chef, all at-home chefs and fans of the show can submit their original recipes, which showcase Quaker Oats as an exciting and versatile ingredient, to http://www.BravoTV.com. Then, in early March, visitors to the site will vote to select three finalists who will travel to New York City and compete in the first-ever Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge. The finalists will experience what it is like to be a Top Chef when they compete in a live Quickfire Challenge and prepare a new, original dish using Quaker Oats. The winner will have the chance to attend a future Top Chef episode.

The contest was announced during last night’s Top Chef, after chef’testants were asked to come up with a recipe that showcased the versatility of Quaker Oats as part of the episode’s Quickfire Challenge. The winning recipe was a Banana Oatmeal Mousse with Almond Crisp, created by chef’testant Stefan Richter. Read the rest of this entry »


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Press Release – Save-A-Lot Opens in Jackson

27 01 2009

From a Save-A-Lot press release….

SAVE-A-LOT CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING OF JACKSON STORE

Edited Assortment Grocery Store Will Save Consumers Up to 40 Percent

St. Louis, Missouri – December 22, 2008 – Save-A-Lot, the nation’s largest edited assortment grocery chain, celebrated the grand opening of its store in Jackson, Michigan, located at 3525 O’Neil Drive on September 17. The company is committed to offering local shoppers high quality groceries at savings of up to 40 percent.

“Save-A-Lot’s edited-assortment retailing model and nationwide buying power allows us to offer the best quality groceries at a significant savings,” said Jaime Powers, company spokesperson. “We’ve had a tremendous success at our other stores in Michigan, and look forward to bringing another Save-A-Lot to the area.”

Save-A-Lot stores deliver savings of up to 40 percent over conventional grocery stores. The new stores will carry about 1,250 of the most frequently purchased grocery items, including fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, canned goods and packaged items, frozen foods and more, plus non-food products like health and beauty care items. Save-A-Lot stores are open seven days a week and employ approximately 15 – 20 employees. Read the rest of this entry »


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Pepsi Max = Diet Cola for Men?

27 01 2009

So, apparently, Pepsi is using one of the Super Bowl commercials to make a big push for Pepsi Max.  They’re branding it as “The first diet cola for men.” 

New ads that reposition Pepsi Max as the diet cola for men also will likely be a part of the Super Bowl. Execs debuted 30- and 15-second “I’m good” spots. The ads show men getting hurt — hit with a golf club or electrocuted, for example — and then saying “I’m good.” A voice-over at the end of the spot says, “Men can take anything except the taste of diet cola — until now. Pepsi Max the first diet cola for men.”

OK, here’s my problem with that.  Coke Zero has been out for a few years.  I am a lifelong Pepsi drinker.  I crave the crap.  J always thought it was the caffeine I crave, but it’s not.  It’s Pepsi.  It’s the sugar…it’s the taste.  I’ve gotten myself to a can every other day as long as we don’t eat out.  I don’t keep it in the house anymore.  The way I’ve gotten off Pepsi is by drinking Coke Zero.  It’s zero calorie and tastes enough like Coke that I learned to put up with it.

This weekend, we stopped in Howell to get gas.  I went in the store to get something to drink.  I was going to grab a Pepsi, but I stopped mid-reach when I saw Pepsi Max.  I had been wondering if Pepsi Max was going to be as close to Pepsi as Coke Zero was to Coke.  I took one drink and damn near threw it out the window.  It was awful.  It tasted exactly like a diet pop.  Even worse, J said it tasted worse than Diet Pepsi which she actually prefers over Diet Coke. 

Pepsi Max has been around since 1993 in the UK.  Pepsi Co wasn’t able to introduce the product in the US because of the ingredient acesulfame potassium hadn’t been approved by the FDA.   The drink is incredibly popular overseas outselling Pepsi in some countries.  In 2007, the drink was finally introduced in the US as Diet Pepsi Max, but it wasn’t the drink that was so popular overseas.  They reformulated it for the US launch. 

I love Pepsi.  Until recently, I had been a loyal Pepsi drinker and I still prefer it over Coke, but after tasting Pepsi Max, this ad campaign almost pisses me off.  All I read is Pepsi Max is the first diet cola for men because women who already drink Diet Pepsi won’t drink it.  I hope, someday, they come up with something that tastes as good as Pepsi does…..Pepsi Max isn’t it.


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Employees Work for No Pay to Help Restaurant

27 01 2009

Here’s a neat story from Muskegon.

A week ago, 17 restaurant employees — servers, cooks, busboys, dishwashers, cashiers and hostesses — worked exclusively for tips, so owner Dave Barham could trim the payroll.

“Isn’t that something?” he asked.

When the last customer left on what employees dubbed “Donate A Day,” they’d saved the boss about $700 in wages. The restaurant employs 31 people.

Wow.  How many of us would give our bosses a free day of work to help them out?  Honestly, in an office setting, I don’t think I would.  The deal here was everyone worked for tips.  Once patrons got word of what they were doing, they started leaving bigger tips.  By the end of the day, they had made over $800 in tips which was then split evenly between everyone. 

Interesting story.  I’ve never worked at a place where I liked or respected the company I worked for that much that I would consider that.  I think this story not only says a lot about the employees but a lot about the owners as well. 

On the Web: Mr. B’s Pancake House

 


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GM Cuts Could Close Don’s Windmill

27 01 2009

I just noticed this story in my RSS feeds.   The ripple effect of GM cutting employees trickles down to the businesses around the plant.

Don’s Windmill Restaurant is one of those establishments, and manager Alexis Millisor describes business as slowly dying.

“With an additional 1,200 people being laid off that’s another 1,200 that won’t be able to have money to go out to eat,” Millisor said.

Millisor says she’s worried about the future of the restaurant since much of her business comes from GM workers at the Delta plant along with truck drivers who supply parts to the factory.

They’ve been in business 55 years and it may be the end of the line. Don’s Windmill was one of the first restaurant recommendations we got from one of J’s co-workers.  It was good, greasy diner food.  Nothing great, but somehow comforting.   Losing Don’s Windmill would be sad.


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Categories : Dimondale, Food News, Michigan

Press Release – Meijer joins Generation With Promise To Provide Tours

27 01 2009

Got this from a press release…..

Meijer Teams Up With Generation With Promise to Provide Grocery Store
Tours
Program Aims To Educate Families about Making Healthy Food Choices

Navigating the aisles of a grocery store can be an overwhelming
experience when families are confronted with the number of food choices,
let alone reading food labels. Michigan-based retailer Meijer wants to
take the fear factor out of grocery shopping for parents and their
children in underserved areas.

Meijer, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is partnering with
“Generation With Promise” (GWP) by providing grocery store tours
as part of a nutrition education class called “Side by Side.” The
class, offered by the Share Our Strength Operation Frontline Program,
involves an educational field trip to Meijer that aims to empower and
educate families about making healthy food choices. Read the rest of this entry »


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Kellogg Testing New Box Design

26 01 2009
The new boxes Kelloggs is testing in the Detroit market

The new boxes Kellogg's is testing in the Detroit market

I got an e-mail about a pilot program taking place in Detroit.  Battle Creek based Kellogg is conducting a six month test with a redesigned box at Kroger’s and Walmart’s in the Detroit area designed to save shelf space.

Kellogg Co., the largest U.S. cereal maker, has reconfigured the size of its boxes in an effort to sell more Froot Loops and Special K at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Kroger Co. stores in Detroit.

Kellogg is replacing cereal at 40 Wal-Mart and Kroger stores with shorter, deeper containers that hold the same amount, Kim Miller, vice president of morning-foods marketing, said in a telephone interview. The six-month test starts today.

[snip]

After several years of research, Kellogg reduced packaging by 8 percent for the test, wagering that consumers who lack kitchen storage will buy cereal in smaller boxes, Miller said.

Consumers put cereal boxes “on top of refrigerators, on countertops, lying down and on their sides,” Miller, 43, said today from Battle Creek, Michigan, Kellogg’s hometown. “Retailers are taking a similar direction, trying to optimize shelf space.”

They’re not shrinking the amount of cereal you get, they’re just shrinking the box and getting rid of all that empty space.  The interesting thing is Walmart is encouraging companies to come up with new packaging ideas that save space and are rewarding companies that do so with premier display space.  The new packaging won’t cost you anything more…at least yet..


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Name Change Doesn’t Hurt Biggby’s Growth

26 01 2009

The State News did a profile on Biggby founder and MSU Grad Bob Fish.  The only real newsworthy thing is almost an after thought in the lead. 

Fortunately, the name change didn’t stunt the growth of the company. Biggby has doubled its store numbers every two years since Fish began franchising stores in 1999. The company had its best year ever in 2008, opening 35 new stores across the Midwest and Southeast.

I know how hard change is for people.  I still don’t like to call Comiskey Park US Cellular Field.  It’s just not right.  To me, Beaner’s is an obvious reference to coffee.  It was the only thing I thought about when I heard the original name of the coffee franchise.  J actually had to clue me in as to why Beaners could be offensive.  Then, just last month, I figured out where the new name came from.  Duh…

Anyway, the thing I really wanted to write about today was Biggby’s ability to adapt.  The thing I absolutely LOVE about the franchise is that there is no set model on how the stores have to look.  I love the store in Holt that’s put in an old building or the store in downtown Lansing.  Biggby doesn’t have to go into the same, boring, building every time.  Outside of major cities, all the Starbucks look exactly the same.  What will help Biggby grow is being able to use existing buildings.


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Salmonella Found in Kellogg Crackers

19 01 2009

The FDA has confirmed salmonella in a package of Kellogg crackers.

The company said Monday that contamination was confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration in a single package of Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter.

Food companies and retailers have been recalling products with peanut butter in them because of suspicion of contamination amid a salmonella outbreak that has killed at least six people and sickened more than 470 others in 43 states. At least 90 people have been hospitalized.

[snip]

It was not immediately clear how many packages of Kellogg crackers had been tested, if more tests were being made on other products or if some had already been found not to have salmonella, Kellogg spokeswoman Kris Charles said. A spokesman for the FDA said the agency was not providing any new information Monday.


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