Happy Hogmanay 2011
Just a few days ago we welcomed in 2011, and in my family that means celebrating Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year tradition. Some of the customs are familiar – the singing of Auld Lang Syne – while some are different. There are regional traditions that range from swinging fireballs (which my family regrettable never practiced) to the "First Footing," where friends and neighbors will visit each other to be the "first foot" through the door with a gift, and in exchange receive luck for the year (plus some whiskey from the homeowner).
The celebration comes from the ancient belief that the new year is a clean break from the past, and preparing for the coming year will lead to success. That's something our industry can learn from – break from the depressing news of last year and prepare for a successful 2011. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, the fresh-cut segment can grow in dollar sales and volume for another year.
Happy Hogmanay and Happy New Year!
Industry Spotlight
First Lady Michelle Obama joined representatives from the United Fresh Produce Association, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, F3 Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at Miami's Riverside Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 22 to dedicate the first salad bar donated as part of the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative. For more information on the event and on Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools, visit www.saladbars2schools.org.
Market Report
The Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a class action lawsuit against McDonald's in December on behalf of a mother who claimed the toys in the company's Happy Meals encouraged her kids to eat unhealthful meals.
The lawsuit claims fast food restaurants spent more than $520 million advertising kids' meals and toys in 2006, with premiums on the toys themselves totaling more than $350 million.
"Every time McDonald's markets a Happy Meal directly to a young child, it exploits a child's developmental vulnerability and violates several states' consumer protection laws, including the California Unfair Competition Law," CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner said in a statement from the advocacy group.
The lawsuit does identify healthful alternatives for Happy Meals, including the fresh-cut Apple Dippers, but says the default options employees put into the Happy Meals are french fries and soda.
According to CSPI, a reasonable lunch for a typical sedentary four- to eight-year-old should not exceed a third of a day's worth, or about 430 calories. Of the Happy Meal combinations that are possible, only a handful fall under that threshold – and even those have more than one-third of day's worth of sodium, according to the lawsuit. But none of the Happy Meals that are served with fries or a soda are healthy for children aged four to eight, according to CSPI. A meal of a cheeseburger, fries and a Sprite has 640 calories, 7 grams of saturated fat and 35 grams – or 9 teaspoons – of sugar.
"McDonald's congratulates itself for meals that are hypothetically possible, though it knows very well that it's mostly selling burgers or chicken nuggets, fries, and sodas to very young children," CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson said in a statement. "In other words, McDonald's offerings consist mostly of fatty meat, fatty cheese, french fries, white flour and sugar – a narrow combination of foods that promotes weight gain, obesity, diabetes and heart disease – and may lead to a lifetime of poor diets."
The mother in the lawsuit, Monet Parham of San Francisco, claims the Happy Meal toys grab the attention of her kids and ask to go to McDonald's not for the food, but for the toys.
"What kids see as a fun toy, I now realize is a sophisticated, high-tech marketing scheme that's designed to put McDonald's between me and my daughters," Parham said. "For the sake of other parents and their children, I want McDonald's to stop interfering with my family."
Product Highlight: OCS Checkweighers Inc. The HC-WD-SL from OCS Checkweighers Inc. is the logical and ideal combination when it comes to weighing larger products, such as crates, boxes, bags and containers in wet and care-intensive areas, according to the company. Its innovative hygiene design complies with the strict legal requirements and it also offers the highest possible protection, IP 69K. Designed as a mono-checkweigher, the HC-WD-SL can optionally be equipped with an infeed and/or outfeed conveyor as well as with a rejection system.
The HC-WD-SL from OCS Checkweighers Inc. is the logical and ideal combination when it comes to weighing larger products, such as crates, boxes, bags and containers in wet and care-intensive areas, according to the company. Its innovative hygiene design complies with the strict legal requirements and it also offers the highest possible protection, IP 69K. Designed as a mono-checkweigher, the HC-WD-SL can optionally be equipped with an infeed and/or outfeed conveyor as well as with a rejection system.