The Illusion of Food Choice

The Disturbing Truth About The Food We Eat :

Did you know that:

1. Quaker Oats, which you may view as a healthy food, is produced by PepsiCo, a company which is known for its notorious production of junk food.
2. ​91% of the soda market is owned by only Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Group?
3. Nestle is the world’s largest food company and owns almost 8,000 brands?

Check out from the infographic below that it actually doesn't matter which brand we choose, because at the end, it all ends up for the same company.

Do you actually have a choice on choosing?

The solution usually lies in buying local, buying from the brand that a local food factory produces, buy the fruits and vegetables from the farmer market, buy from the food prepared by local women.

Localization is a key not just for securing your health but also for empowering local and small brands.

Source:

Alex Hillseberg analyzed food reports from US Department of Agriculture and other credible sources and gathered the findings in our newest infographic that paints a very grim picture of the food industry today: http://comparisons.financesonline.com/top-grocery-brands-comparison/.

Fast Food Chains: 3rd World Versus Developed Countries

I find it weird that fast food chains open in third world countries first and faster than Developed Countries.

This week's headline news in the Food industry featured 2 major announcements:

• Dunkin Donuts announced it will open in UK! ( Read more)

     While comparing to Middle East there is around 300+ chains of Dunkin Donuts! With              UAE, 74 stores and Riyadh city (KSA) up to 30 stores.

• Burger King just opened its first branch in Paris! ( Read More) 

      Whereas  in Middle East it has expanded to over 250 chains ! ( Source: Burger King ME Website)

Photo Courtesy: Telegraphy - Burger King Paris

What does this mean?

UNESCO 2013 Intangible Heritage List for Food & Diets

UNESCO Enlists Japanese Cooking as a Heritage, Mediterranean Diet Not Lebanese

One of UNESCO's three heritage missions, Intangible Cultural Heritage focuses on intangible aspects of culture such as festivals, performing arts and traditional arts, crafts and foods that are transmitted from generation to generation. ( Full Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity). This year, UNESCO enlisted the below diets, cuisines, and dishes:

• The United Nation's cultural organisation has added traditional Japanese food to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list for this year of 2013.  It is the second cuisines enlisted after the French cuisine back in 2012.
  Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, notably for the celebration of New Year.
  It is hoped the accolade will help preserve Washoku - the name used to describe all types of Japanese dishes such as sushi - as traditional dietary habits die out in the country due to the invasion of fast food and the loss of traditional cooking.Previously, only French cooking had been distinguished as a national culinary tradition.
  Washoku gives Japanese a feeling of social cohesion, it’s of low-calorie and healthy.

One the dishes I had was Saengseonkkaseu (생선까스 fish katsu) is a Korean fish cutlet modeled on the Japanese dish. 

Another is Teriyaki (照り焼き): can be beef, chicken or fish!

It is the Cronut!

Croissant + Donut= Cronut! 

Is the Cronut the new craze in the bakery scene??

If you are a foodie, you might have heard recently about the legend of the Cronut. The Cronut is a hybrid of a doughnut and a croissant, created by the pastry chef Dominique Ansel and sold at his New York bakery, Ansel's SoHo. Chef Ansel introduced the world to Cronuts on May 10, and since then, this new bakery item has been the latest trend among food lovers.

Cronuts after Cupcakes?

Cupcakes have been the latest trend in the food baking industry for the past 5 years in the world. The concept was first introduced after “Sex and the City” TV series with the first prominent Magnolia Bakery in New York City (Source: Business Insider, Jan 2011). Cupcake became a global ubiquitous phenomenon, spreading all over the world in cities and towns.