Featured
Cost Increases
Beer Prices on the Rise; Budweiser Goes Global
In the mood for a brew? Be forewarned, a cold one could cost you. Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors have both announced plans to hike beer prices.
Shrunken Packaged Foods' Slow Return to Their Original Size
In a small indication that America may be on a slow road to economic recovery, consumer foods marketers are beginning to reintroduce larger packages at the same price. Last year, manufacturers were hit by high fuel and commodity prices, so to avoid blatantly transferring cost increases to consumers, manufacturers such as Hellman's, Tropicana, and Kellogg's quietly began downsizing packages.
Ben & Jerry's even went after the size of Haagen-Dazs in its marketing campaign, pointing out that the rival company had downsized its "pints" from 16 to 14 ounces.
Ben and Jerry's vs. Haagen-Dazs: A Pint-Sized Battle
There's been some heated public debates between competing brands. The latest two companies to join the feuding? Ice cream giants Haagen-Dazs and Ben and Jerry's.
Burger King Launches Burger and Breakfast "Shots"
Burger King is continuing its strategy of adding petite-sized, lower-cost items to its menu at a time when food prices have soared but consumers are strapped for cash.
The fast food chain announced today that it will roll out new burger and breakfast "shots," or burgers in miniature sizes.
The sliders will come in a two-pack ($1.39) and a six-pack ($4.09) and will consist of a flame-broiled patty, ketchup, mustard, and two pickle slices, sandwiched between a plain bun.
Facing Increased Costs, Girl Scouts Downsize Cookie Boxes
It's always seemed a little too effortless to finish off a box of Girl Scout cookies, but if they are a little easier to dust off this year, it's not just in your head. To offset the cost increases of cookie ingredients, Girl Scouts of the USA made the decision to shrink its cookie boxes by a centimeter, package fewer cookies into boxes of Thin Mints, Do-si-dos, and Tagalongs, and reduce the size of its Lemon Chalet Crèmes. According to the organization, the cost of flour rose by 30 percent, assorted cooking oils by 40 percent, and cocoa by at least 20 percent.
Despite Other Rising Food Costs, Dairy Prices Have Fallen
From rising avocado prices to the McDonald's Dollar Menu falling on hard times, over the last year, every section of the food industry has paid the price of cost increases. One segment of the food world, however, seems to have taken an opposite turn.
Prices of dairy products have seen a downward trend, as the weakening global economy has caused demand to decrease for US exports like milk.
Organics Industry Plagued by Recession and Scandal
It's only January, and the organic industry is already having a bad year. Not only have producers been losing consumers due to the hefty price tag of organic food, but the industry has struggled to maintain its integrity.
With organic feed prices at an all-time high, farmers in the UK are lobbying the government to temporarily relax organic feed standards to assist livestock producers who are currently paying twice as much for organic feed as they would conventional.
Come Spring, Avocado Prices Will Be the Pits
Guacamole lovers, beware: The crystal ball isn't looking so bright for avocados.
Hot weather at the peak of avocado-growing season last June means this Spring California farmers expect to have the smallest avocado crop in the last 10 to 20 years. Americans buy almost 1 billion pounds of avocados annually, and this number is increasing.
The Year's Best Grocery Store
Earlier we asked your thoughts on the Best of 2008, and that included your favorite grocery store of the year. Although prices went through the roof on everything from beef to dairy, you chose Trader Joe's as your number-one pick. For the second year in a row, it was the clear winner, taking 39 percent of the vote.
What's Your Favorite Grocery Store of 2008?
As we continue our coverage of the Best of 2008, I want to know which grocer is your favorite.
This year, we saw the cost of food increase across the board. With consumers on a tighter budget, pricier grocers such as Whole Foods have suffered.
More on YumSugar
Fall Award Season
Top Brands
Forzieri
Citizens of Humanity
mytheresa