Articles by William A. Roberts, Jr.

Mintel Menu Insights finds the number of U.S. menu items with poultry as an ingredient climbed an average of 12% over the past three years. In pizza, that number is even more pronounced: The pizza segment has seen a 26% increase in chicken as a topping.

Returning from 2013 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco is a challenge, if for no other reason than the abundance of information and products on display.

In the animated version of The Jungle Book, Baloo the bear sings a classic from the Disney song archives when he croons, “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative…don’t mess with Mister In-Between.” The idea appears to have firmly taken hold with food developers.

In New Zealand, Anchor has released a lactose-free, fresh cow’s milk, a first for the country. The product, Zero Lacto, is made from cow’s milk, and while it does contain cow’s milk protein, its lactose milk sugar has been removed. Yet, purportedly, the drink contains the same amount of natural calcium as cow’s milk.

Adding a whole new twist to the notion of “got milk,” Adult Beverage Co. is adding a strawberry variety to its line of alcohol-infused milk line. The ready-to-drink Adult Strawberry Milk blends strawberries, cream and vodka, and it needs no refrigeration. 

Cereal bars have come under increasing scrutiny in recent months, as studies have criticized the products as full of sugar, fat and calories. However, many of these same bars are positioned as healthy, with such nutritious attributes as whole grains, nuts and dried fruit. How are manufacturers responding to the criticism, while keeping consumer needs and demands at the forefront? 

Sales of milk as a beverage have plummeted in recent years, to the point that more than half of U.S. adults no longer consume the product most closely identified with the nation’s dairy industry.

Recognizing consumer interest in health and essential nutrition, Wisconsin’s Sassy Cow Creamery has added a new low-fat 1% chocolate milk in pint, quart and half-gallon sizes.