The cost of Maine lobster, which accounts for 80 percent of lobsters in America,
has plummeted. What may be a bargain for some has left others in a snag: Lobstermen and northeastern fishing communities, hit hard by the price drop, are struggling to survive.There are a couple of reasons for this price drop. The budget conscious are consuming less of the luxury seafood item.
When the sun goes down on New York tonight, celebrity chef
Mario Batali and Hollywood actor-director
Stanley Tucci will light Manhattan's
Empire State Building bright orange. Batali and Tucci, both board members of the Food Bank, are spreading the word about the orange which, aside from matching Batali's clogs, also happens to be the symbolic color for raising funds and awareness of hunger relief. The duo are helping to kick off a hunger relief campaign called
Go Orange! for the
Food Bank for New York City.
With
cheese prices slipping while raw materials
prices multiply, producers of Italy's parmigiano reggiano are turning to the government to remedy a dire situation. The wholesale
price of parmiggiano reggiano has fallen below the cost of producing it. Cheese prices have dropped as the result of two factors.
Responding to the
economic hardship, breakfast chain
Dunkin' Donuts has come out with
its version of a recession deal.
Beginning today, small hot and iced lattes will cost only 99 cents from 2 to 5 p.m. The new special, dubbed "America's Latte Break," is the doughnut chain's response to the
Starbucks $2 afternoon coffee deal that ended last month.
Despite the
soaring cost of food prices, fast-food chain
Burger King announced that it will be
adding two petite-sized, lower-cost items priced at $1.39: the Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper and the Spicy Chicken BK Wrapper.
Burger King is attempting this strategy in a frenzied fast-food climate, as the industry is struggling to balance
rising costs of food with value-added items. Fast-food companies such as
McDonald's have had a difficult time keeping value items
under the traditional $1 mark.
North Korea may have found a way to get around relying on foreign food aid or producing enough food to feed its hungry population. Scientists in the communist country have
developed a super noodle that leaves eaters feeling full for a longer time.
Thanks to flooding, six million North Koreans are in urgent need for food aid.
Earlier this month, Whole Foods reported
losses of $18.4 million for its UK stores.
In addition to its
domestic struggles, the Austin-based natural foods chain has been unsuccessful in its attempt to snag a piece of the UK market share. In the last year, the chain has opened six stores in Britain.
Last week Jack in the Box
expanded their breakfast menu to include brunch bowls, and this week
Domino's Pizza has announced plans to introduce submarine sandwiches. The pizza delivery chain will offer four different kinds of baked sandwiches, including a Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich and a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. The $4.99 sandwiches will be delivered with or without a pizza order.With the sandwiches, which are available to order beginning on Aug.
For those of you who've raved about the
Whole Foods private-label 365 brand, I've got good news for you: There are more of these brands coming your way.
Fellow grocery giant
Safeway has
plans to go national with two of its house brands, O Organics and health-conscious line Eating Right. So far, both lines have limited market, but will expand nationally this Fall.
Earlier this week the
New York Times reported that
Whole Foods is in
the midst of a store makeover. With the economic crisis and the increasing price of food, the expensive grocer is attempting to rebrand itself as a value store along the lines of Costco and Trader Joe's.
I've always found the prices at Whole Foods to be high and stopped shopping there months ago.
