Fun Food Facts - January 20, 1997

Do you know ...

Is eating just before bed fattening?

----And the answer is....---------> Not according to the Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter. Research on 1,800 women at the City University of New York determined that it's total calories - not when you eat them that really counts. This is good news - Now I can eat my cookie before bed and enjoy it!

How much candy & gum do you eat in a year?

----And the answer is....---------> Would you believe 25 POUNDS! According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, per capita consumption of candy and gum surpassed 25 pounds per person per year for the first time in 1995.

If you will you eat with your family tonight?

-------And the answer is....--> 73% of us think that eating together as a family is either very or extremely important - but only 43% of us eat together as a family every night. So where are the other 57% eating? In Restaurants serving ED Inspiration Soups & Sauces, of course!

How much chocolate does it take to get 'high'?

-------And the answer is....--> While it is true that chocolate contains substances that might mimic the effects of marijuana, a 130 lb person would have to inject the equivalent of 25 pounds of chocolate at one sitting to get any effect. (And this they tell me a month before Valentine's day). (As reported in the Chicago Tribune)

Fun Food Facts - January 7, 1997

Do you know ...

If you eat more Canned Tuna or Canned Shrimp?

----And the answer is....---------> We EAT more canned tuna - but canned shrimp sales are growing faster - by a long shot. Canned shrimp sales increased 30% from 1992-1995, while canned tuna sales only increased by 5%. This 'fishy story' from Business Trends Analysts, Commack, N.Y.,

If your lunch hours still an hour?

----And the answer is....---------> If so, you are really lucky according to Steelcase Workplace Index in their semi-annual survey of American office workers. On average, lunch hours are now only 36 minutes long - 40% say they've exchanged some lunch time to catch up with work - and 14% don't take time for lunch at all. Did you eat your lunch today? I didn't!

If our kids eating better?

-------And the answer is....--> According to Food Processing, September 1996, they eat less fat today than they did 20 years ago. But the news is not all good, they still exceed daily recommendations for total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Like I didn't know this from my family of three teenagers!

If iceberg lettuce and popcorn rice cakes are a good source of fiber?

-------And the answer is....--> No, they aren't! But according to a survey of 1,000 consumers conducted by Archway Cookies, 56% of Americans over 45 thought they were. Good news though - 68% of young adults (ages 18 to 24) correctly identified foods with little or no fiber. (They didn't say they ate the stuff - they just knew which they were!)

Fun Food Facts - December 8, 1996

Do you know ...

If soup sales seasonal?

----And the answer is....--------> You bet. According to Information Resources Inc./Prepared Foods the soup season peaks in February with sales of apx. $250 million, and bottoms out in July with sales of just $100 million. Now my question is - who buys soup in July, to the tune of $100 million yet.

If your kids eating their vegetables?

-------And the answer is....--> The USDA says kids eat fewer fruits and vegetables as they get older, with two exceptions - the white potato (usually eaten as French Fries) and tomato products (primarily spaghetti sauce & salsa). (This fact doesn't surprise me - I'm the mother of three kids!)

The most popular forms of Pasta sold in the US?

----And the answer is....---------> According to the National Pasta Association, of the 1.3 billion pounds of dried pasta sold in the US in 1994, the most popular were spaghetti and elbow macaroni, with lasagna and rotini tied for third. So who is buying the stars and the Santa shapes?

What is America's hottest selling ethnic bread.

-------And the answer is....--> Guess what, it is not rye! According to the Tortilla Industry Association in Encino, California, sales of fresh tortillas hit $2.5 billion last year, making tortillas the hottest selling ethnic bread. That number doesn't even include the mountains of tortilla chips consumed daily. So how do you feel about a breakfast of two sunnyside up eggs - on Tortillas!

Our Fun Food Fact Sources:

• Montreal Gazette, Wednesday, March 26, 1997
• Newsbites, Food Processing, A Putman Publication, February 1997
• Montreal Gazette, Wednesday, February 19, 1997
• Newsbites, Food Processing, A Putman Publication, December 1996
• Industry Insider, by Diane Toops, News Editor, Food Processing, A Putman Publication, December 1996
• Newsbites, Food Processing, A Putman Publication, October 1996
• Newsbites, Food Processing, A Putman Publication, November 1996
• Kid stuff, Food Processing, A Putman Publication, September 1996,
• Newsbites, Food Processing, A Putman Publication, September 1996
• The Last Bite, Prepared Foods, A Cahners Publication, September 1996
• Off the Charts, Food Processing, A Putman Publication, September 1996