Publication of the AFBF Public Relations Department
Insider
on Trends
2 Brainfood After
School
Program uses food
and cooking to teach
high school students
life skills
3 2010 Dessert
Trends
Miniature desserts,
drinkable desserts
and retro childhood
sweets are super hot
4 Jamie Oliver
Chef transforming
school lunches in the
U.K. and U.S.
5 Newspaper Food
Sections
Traditional medi-
um still remains
authoritative
Quote
“Beer is proof that God
loves us and wants us to
be happy.”
•  Benjamin Franklin
The preferences of
foodies, who generally
are more discriminating
than other consumers,
continue to influence the
food grown by America’s
farmers and ranchers.
With this trend in mind,
we hope you enjoy this
edition of Foodie News.
Popularity of Craft Beers
Continues to Brew and Bubble
They can be creamy and
rich, crisp and hoppy or
even light and fruity—
we’re of course referring
to craft beers. Over the
last decade, craft beers
have gained in popularity
in the brewing industry,
and their reputation hasn’t
stopped rising. They are
the hottest trend in beer
today.
Craft beers are brewed
by small companies or
individual brewers and
include names like Sierra
Nevada, Boston Lager and
Dogfish Head. According
to the Brewers Associa-
tion, craft brewers pro-
duce less than 2 million
barrels per year. The sig-
nature of these boutique
beers is their creativity
and originality. Brewers
strive to strike a balance
between historic styles of
beer made with a modern
twist.
Julia Herz, craft beer
program director at the
Brewers Association and
home-brewer, credits a
great deal of this popular-
ity to the advancing Amer-
ican palate that has slow-
ly emerged over the last
decade in every sector of
what we consume, includ-
ing coffee, tea, chocolate
and cheeses. “It’s the
same thing for beer. We
want flavor, choice and
diversity. Many consum-
ers don’t often consume
Volume 3 Number 5 May 2010
the same type of product
all of the time. It’s the
same with beer now,”
in flavor and are meant to
be enjoyed leisurely.
The Brewers Association
Herz said. said that the majority of
Charles Hoffman, pres- Americans live within 10
ident of the Lincoln Coun- miles of a craft brewer.
ty (Colorado) Farm Bu- Herz said, “It is beer that
reau and owner of Hoff-
man Publications, LLC.,
is also a home-brewer.
is tied to small business
and the local economy.
Buying it is supporting the
He agrees with Herz American dream.”
about America’s appre- Both Hoffman and Herz
ciation for more complex agree that hometown
flavors. “More and more benefit is also a factor in
people are expanding
their palates and learn-
ing to like some of the
craft beer’s popularity, as
Americans like to invest
money into their local
bolder, more prominent economy.
flavors in beer,” said Next time you’re at your
Hoffman. Even people
who are not typically beer
drinkers can usually find a
favorite grocery store or
market, buy a craft beer
that you’ve never tried
craft beer that suites their before—there are plenty
taste. of choices.
Hoffman also said that Cheers!
he has a great amount of
respect for the larger beer
producers and what
they are trying
to do with their
new low-calorie
beers but said,
“craft beer is buck-
ing the trend of
mainstream beer, in
that it is more about
flavor and an enjoyable
experience maybe with
one beer, rather than
creating something that
you can drink a lot of.”
Craft beers aren’t made
to be consumed in large
quantities. Many are
richer and more complex
 GUEST COLUMN
Brainfood After School Uses Food
and Cooking to Teach Life Skills
By Paul J. Dahm, Executive Director, Brainfood After School
While the current economic climate
has forced many Americans to reduce
their food costs, it has also spurred
many to reflect on how we spend our
food dollars. For American consum-
ers, reallocating food dollars to stay
on budget can mean anything from
growing their own food, to being a
more active home cook, to utilizing
more online coupons. The challenge
of working with fresh, affordable
foods, however, is a challenge that
youth in Brainfood After School have
been meeting every day for the last 10
years.
Brainfood After School is a Washing-
ton, D.C.-based youth development
program that uses food and cooking
as tools to teach life skills. High school
aged youth sign up in September for
one of our twice-a-week after school
programs and learn how to cook
throughout the course of the year. The
term “life skills,” however, can make it
easy to overlook the practical gains and
tangible skill sets that students build at
Brainfood.
One way Brainfood challenges
students to rethink how they spend
their food dollars is by making food
from scratch. At Brainfood, “Pizza
Brainfood chef Darrylvon
s
Brainfood
chef
Suzannah
Day” is more than just students
sharing a few slices after school.
Participants learn how to make yeast
dough, how to cook pizza sauce, and
how to add vegetables for texture and
variety. Creating homemade pizzas
builds confidence and pride; learning
how to make a versatile dough that’s
easy and cost-efficient expands the
types of foods that students can make
at home.
These new skills don’t go unnoticed
by Brainfood students’ families and
friends, either. Many parents say
their Brainfood students take on new
ownership of their kitchens at home,
become more active in grocery shop-
ping and make more food from
scratch for their families. Addition-
ally, the skills they learn are grounded
in the practical need to be self-suffi-
cient in the kitchen and make healthy
choices.
In Brainfood’s “Budget Challenge”
class, participants cook dinner for a
family of four, including a protein,
grain, and fruit or vegetable. The
twist: they’re on a budget of $15 and
must execute their meal in one hour.
Every single group that has taken
on this challenge has successfully
completed it—a testament to the
ingenuity of today’s youth, and proof
that they can help their families and
communities adjust to the current
economic downturn.
As devastating as the current eco-
nomic climate is, it has brought real
world value of life skills and kitchen
savvy into focus. In many ways,
Brainfood is a means to reintroduce
students to food in a way that’s com-
pletely hands on, by empowering them
to be creative cooks and more consci-
entious consumers. And consumption,
as any Brainfood participant will tell
you, is even more satisfying when
you’ve made the food for yourself.
Hottest of the Hot: Dessert Trends for 2010
What is the high point
and last course of any
meal? Dessert of course!
The latest “What’s-hot”
trend in after dinner treats
include miniature desserts,
drinkable desserts, less
sugar and fat, and retro
classic childhood sweets.
Recently, the National
Restaurant Association
surveyed more than 1,000
chefs about the hottest
menu trends in the U.S.
today. The overwhelming
winner—bite-sized des-
serts. A full 85 percent of
chefs rated delectable mini-
sweets as “hot.” The trend is
toward individuality. Blame
it on the cupcake, which
brought attention to the
individual dessert trend.
Executive Chef Robert
McGowan said individual
portion size desserts are
one of the biggest trends
for 2010.
“People who dine out
every day want something
sweet at the end of their
meal, but they are not
ready to jump into the $6
dessert that’s going to put
them over the top,” said
McGowan. “I think we
want the real thing, but
we’re not going to go so
big. Maybe a little smaller
portion is still cutting the
calories in the long run, but
at least what you had tastes
very good.”
In addition to serving
classic milk shakes, pastry
chefs are now experiment-
ing with flavors and ingre-
dients to create innovative
liquid desserts served in
fancy goblets. Glasses are
used to show off dramatic
layered desserts of jewel-
colored fruits and vegeta-
bles that require a spoon,
not a fork.
Trendy and childhood-
inspired desserts like apple
pie and rice pudding bring
back fond memories and
keep us turning to comfort
foods with pleasure. Chefs
are looking to old-school
treats like Twinkies and
fruit like syrup.
The biggest trend in
pastry arts, and one that is
projected to have a lasting
impact on the American
dining scene, is the devel-
opment of the standalone
dessert bar, such as Finale
in Boston, Sugar in Chicago
and Chickalicious in New
York. These late-night out-
lets are perfect for post-
theatre and filmgoers.
What remains certain is
desserts continue to be
Moon Pies for inspiration, popular and will keep their
and coming up with their staying power wherever
own versions, minus the the food trends lead. They
preservatives. may be smaller and lighter,
Getting away from ela- but they are still sweet and
borate baked desserts is delicious and are a great
another trend. Refreshing way to cap any meal.
fruit desserts, such as a
salad of sliced oranges or
strawberries drizzled with
balsamic vinegar, end a
meal on a lighter note.
Trendy and often served
as a first course, grani-
tas are fancy ice bev-
erages that also work
well as a light dessert
or a refreshing palate-
cleansing pause in a
multi-course dinner. As
a dessert, granitas can be
served in sherbet glasses
with fruit. Guests can spoon
scraped granita over the

Food By The Numbers

Sales of supermarket bakery cookies remain strong, ac- 7 <4
cording to a review conducted by the Perishables Group Within the cookie cate- Within the cookie category,
FreshFacts. Time-starved shoppers continue to turn to store gory, percent of bakery percent of bakery depart-
bakery cookies out of convenience and because many department dollar share ment dollar share attrib-
schools now prohibit home-baked goods in the classroom. attributed to specialty uted to mini and filled
Cookies captured just under 10 percent of total supermarket cookies. cookies and doughs/mixes.
bakery department sales nationwide over a one-year period.
5 $1,570
58 16 Within the cookie cate- Average retail value of
Within the cookie category, Within the cookie category, gory, percent of bakery cookies sold during the
percent of bakery depart- percent of bakery depart- department dollar share peak week of the year at
ment dollar share attrib- ment dollar share attrib- attributed to “message” supermarkets surveyed
uted to “everyday” cookies. uted to iced cookies. cookies. (week of Dec. 20, 2009).
Jamie Oliver’s Mission: Improve School Lunches
Determined to transform schools, French fries are obesity and diet-related concerned for the health of
the way students eat, Chef considered a vegetable and illnesses when they grow children. Guest bloggers,
Jamie Oliver’s campaign pizza is an acceptable up. America needs to do including other mothers
to improve school lunches breakfast food. Oliver’s something now, before it’s and teachers, concerned
began in 2004 at one school food and healthy eating too late,” Oliver said. students and some in the
in southeast London, bring- philosophy is essentially Oliver isn’t the only per- school food industry, also
ing public attention to the about achieving a sense of son trying to bring aware- contribute regularly.
massive amounts of proc- balance: lots of the fresh ness to the poor quality of On April 9, Mrs. Q
essed foods being served to food, loads of variety and what American children eat blogged that when Jamie
children. The British gov- the odd indulgence every at school. In her blog, “Fed Oliver changed school
ernment responded by now and then. Up With School Lunch,” lunches in the UK, ab-
pledging a total of 650 mil- “This food revolution is Mrs. Q—the pen name sences went down. Students
lion British pounds (or about changing the way we of an Illinois teacher—is who eat healthier are sick
nearly U.S. $1 billion) to eat. We need to start cook- eating the lunches served in less frequently, and schools
improve school menus and ing again, to make sure our her school’s cafeteria every get funding based on aver-
train school catering staffs. children don’t grow up on day of 2010 and blogging age daily attendance, mak-
In 2009, Oliver’s crusade a diet of processed food, at about it. Mrs. Q is not a ing more money for the
came to the United States school or at home, and so chef or a nutritionist, just schools a side benefit of
through his new television they won’t have to battle a mother and a teacher healthy school lunches.
series, “Jamie Oliver’s
Food Revolution,” which
airs Friday nights on ABC.
Like the food Oliver found
in the UK, the American
diet of processed food con-
tributes to the obesity
problem.
In the U.S., Oliver began
his journey in Huntington,
W.Va, ranked by the Cen-
ters for Disease Control
and Prevention as the un-
healthiest city in America.
It’s not surprising when
you watch the show and
see that in Huntington

A recent article in Time
stops short of waving
adieu to restaurant critics
in a piece titled “In praise
of the endangered food
critic.” Long gone are
the days of “big-ticket,
fine-dining restaurants”
states the article, which
also lays blame on the
growing blogosphere,
where more and more
consumers rely on sites
like Yelp—whereby aver-
age people write restau-
rant reviews—to make
dining decisions.
So, if food critics are
at danger, how are food
sections faring?
Larger papers’ expense
accounts have shrunken.
And smaller papers al-
ready face declining
budgets, which typically
result in downsizing of
coverage. Ed Levine, a
New York-based food
writer and blogger and
a frequent New York
Times contributor,
said that food sections
are often not taken as
seriously as other parts
of the newspaper, so
food writers are typically
the first to go when
faced with budget cuts.
Yet, consumer aware-
ness in food is at an all-
time high. Joe Yonan,
food editor for The Wash-
ington Post, says there’s
never been a more inter-
esting time to cover food
because of people’s in-
creased interest in all
Everyone has an Opinion,
but Food Sections Remain
Authoritative
things food. He says that
because of issues like the
local food movement, sus-
tainability, nutrition and
consumers’ increasing expo-
sure to different types of
foods, the food section is
now more relevant than
ever, making it an invaluable
resource to readers.
“The source of the infor-
mation is just as important
as it always has been,” said
Yonan.
A 2006 Gallup/Robinson
study on newspaper food
section behavior found
consumers rank food sec-
tions as the single-most
useful source for food
shopping and information
compared to food websites,
food television shows and
food magazines.
And while the study found
that nine out of 10 readers
use recipes and food sugges-
tions from the food section
and 65 percent always look
at the food section before
shopping, any food page
worth its salt goes beyond
recipes and shopping tips to
take a broader look at food
issues.
There has been a great
evolution in food coverage
to meet consumers’
interest. For example, since
Yonan took charge of The
Post’s food section three
years ago, he has added
coverage of food culture
and food politics and the
way the two are impacting
peoples’ lives.
Yonan said his readership
has remained strong. He called “TV Dinners.”
attributes staying relevant Yonan argues that food
and The Post’s use of new critics are just as impor-
formats. “The key has been tant as ever and maybe
meeting where people want even more so in light of
to get their information.” the growing blogosphere
The Washington Post food where everyone has an
section has 6,000 followers opinion. “People appre-
on Twitter, an iPhone app ciate Yelp, but they also
and was doing live weekly take it with a grain of
online chats before most salt,” he said. “Consum-
other large newspapers. ers still want to know
As for the disappearance of the source of their infor-
the food critic, Yonan said, mation and they want it
not on his watch. In fact, to be authoritative.”
he has used The Post food “There’s no substitute
section to position food critic for well-researched and
Tom Sietsema in new forums well-written informa-
outside of the traditional tion,” continued Yonan.
food page, including his own “And that will see food
weekly online chat and his critics and food sections
highly popular video series into the future.”
AFBF Food Segment Hits
the Airwaves
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s Foodie
News has a new beat—radio. AFBF staff has gone to
the airwaves with daily segments on the latest food
trends. The segments are being broadcast as part of
the AgriTalk radio program,
which has nearly 70 affili-
ates and appears in 13
states. The AFBF-created
and -produced segment,
a spinoff of Foodie News,
will give listeners the op-
portunity to hear from the
who’s who of the foodie
scene and learn about the
latest trends in all things
food.
You can listen live to AgriTalk daily at
10:06 CST at www.agritalk.com.
 The Food Scene
•  Sandwiches Take Over the Restaurant Scene
Move aside hot wings and cupcakes. A classic favorite has taken over the restaurant
scene—sandwiches. Kenny & Zuke’s Sandwich Works, a Portland, Ore., eatery, pro-
vides traditional American sandwich classics with both a New York deli and Mid-
western twist. Kenny & Zuke’s use the freshest meats, breads and cheeses to
create mouthwatering combinations like their pastrami Reuben, corned beef on rye,
Chicago Italian beef and chicken club salad. Laurelhurst Market, also in Portland,
takes advantage of the sandwich craze with butcher case sandwiches. By serving at
a butcher counter, they can take advantage of fresh roasted meats and can easily
customize sandwiches to appeal to what each patron wants.
http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/food-trends/its-the-year-of-the-sandwich.
html

•  Feast With Your Eyes

•  Give Grilled
   Cheese
   Sandwiches
   a Twist
Since sand-
wiches are one
of the biggest foodie trends of the year, why not
learn how to make a grilled cheese sandwich even
more delicious? Jennifer Biggs of the Memphis
Commercial Appeal explores how different res-
taurant chefs in the Memphis area make their
grilled cheese sandwiches special. One of the most
important techniques provided by chefs was the
use of an oiled griddle or hot skillet. It makes the
outside crisp while the inside melts. Biggs discov-
ered delicious and creative variations of the sand-
wich, like grilled cheese stuffed with pesto and
sautéed mushrooms on sourdough bread from R.P.
Tracks restaurant.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/
apr/07/say-cheese/
A fascinating and popular phenomenon has begun to in-
filtrate websites like Flickr, Facebook and Twitter—pic-
tures of food. With the ease of taking photos with iPhones,
Blackberry’s and most modern cell phones, many people
now document their daily meals with photographs and
share them with their friends and families. “In the uncon-
scious mind, food equals love because food is our deepest
and earliest connection with our caretaker,” pointed
out psychiatrist Kathryn Zerbe from Oregon Health and
Science University. Pamela Hollinger
of Stephenville, Texas, said she gets
more Facebook comments on food
photos posted than any other
photos she posts. This new trend
has become so popular that
camera companies like Nikon,
Olympus, Sony and Fuji have
started releasing cameras with
a special “cuisine” setting that
allows the photographer to
capture food pictures with more
vibrant color and texture details.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/
04/07/dining/07camera.html?page
wanted=2&ref=dining

•  No Need to Grill for Smoky Flavor

Many people love the rich, complex flavor that accompanies smoked food but don’t re-
alize how easy it can be to do without the hassle of a grill and hours of careful moni-
toring. “There’s nothing complicated about stove-top smoking; it’s probably easier to
master than smoking outdoors. You don’t have to mess with charcoal or vents, deal
with chambers or manage chips or pellets for hours on end,” said Noelle
Carter of the Baltimore Sun. It is far easier to manage stove-
top heat than grilling heat because the stove offers more
control. It’s important to remember when stove-top
smoking that the food is in a more contained space, which
means it will be flavored much quicker than on the grill.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/sc-
food-0402-smokers-20100405-24,0,4470.story
Farm-to-School Program Set to Begin in 2011
Planning for the national
AmeriCorps Farm-to-
School and school garden
service program is now
in full swing with on-the-
ground activities expected
to begin in 2011.
The program is managed
by Food Corps and funded
by planning grants from the
Corporation for National
and Community Service
and the W.K. Kellogg Foun-
dation. Once launched,
FoodCorps will recruit
members for a yearlong
term of public service in
school food systems in com-
munities of need.
Service members will
build and tend school gar-
dens, conduct nutrition
education and build farm-
to school supply chains.
The program responds to
data from the Centers for
Disease Control and Pre-
vention indicating that
school gardens and farm-
to-school programs are
powerful tools in the battle to School Network, the
to overcome childhood organizational home to
obesity. FoodCorps.
“With Jamie Oliver call-
ing for sweeping reforms in
school meals, FoodCorps is
the kind of shovel ready
service program that can
make the food revolution a
reality,” said Debra Esch-
meyer, one of the found-
ers of FoodCorps and
outreach and com-
munications director
for the National Farm

Heritage Agriculture Spotlights Local Produce

Wal-Mart is working with local
farmers in its Heritage Agriculture
program to bring locally grown pro-
duce to customers
of the country’s
largest retailer.
The Heritage
Agriculture pro-
gram was sparked three years ago
when Ron McCormick, senior direc-
tor, strategic food sourcing for Wal-
Mart, saw an article in a local news-
paper with photos from the 1920s
and 1930s showing that Rogers, Ark.
(the home of the first Wal-Mart) was
once one of the largest producers of
apples.
“This triggered the concept that all
across the U.S.
there are similar
stories of com-
munities that were
once thriving agri-
cultural economies, but lost out as the
agriculture migrated west and south,”
McCormick said.
Today, many of these areas that
once supported agriculture are often
home to a Wal-Mart Food distribution
center. “It made sense to us, that if
we could revitalize those economies,
it would let us buy fresher product
for our customers and save food miles.
At the same time, we would be sup-
porting many rural communities
that support our stores,” McCormick
said.
“We are seeing success with these
growers expanding the types of pro-
duce they grow and extending their
season. This expansion gives us more
locally grown produce to buy and
helps reduce their fixed costs and
makes their farms more profitable
and sustainable.”

May 2010 Vol. 3 No. 5

Published monthly by the American Farm Bureau Federation,
600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 1000W, Washington, DC 20024
Phone: 202-406-3600 — E-mail: foodienews@fb.org
Editors: Cyndie Sirekis, cyndies@fb.org
John Hart, johnh@fb.org
We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of Foodie News. You may distribute or re-
Contributing Editor: publish the articles in this edition of Foodie News, except where noted otherwise.
Tracy Grondine, tracyg@fb.org
Contributing Writers:
Sarah Bittner, sbittner@fb.org
Anna Burkholder, anna@fb.org
Marylee Varanese, maryleev@fb.org