1. A publication of the AFBF Public Relations Department Volume 5 Number 1 January 2012
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.
2
3
Insider
on Trends
4
5
The Foodie Forecast for 2012:
Expect Lots of Asian Influence
The new year is a time
for new beginnings and
for foodies, that means
new food trends will be
brought to the forefront.
Asian food will be big in
2012. New York City-
based consultants Baum+
Whiteman International
predict that Korean food
will become popular
among Americans this
year.
However, Epicurious.
com believes Korean is
“so 2011” and that high-
end Indian food will reign
instead.
Andrew Freeman, hos-
pitality consultant, also
is predicting that Indian
food will become main-
stream. Freeman and the
James Beard Foundation
are both predicting that
Thai cuisine will see a
revival in 2012.
The Huffington Post
Blog is predicting that
fast-casual Asian restau-
rants will be trendy this
year. Shophouse Asian
Kitchen, a Southeast
Asian takeout Chipotle
spinoff in Washington,
D.C., which opened to
rave reviews in September
2011, and Vietnamese
bánh mì sandwiches
continuing to appear
on more national chain
menus, are evidence of
this developing trend.
It seems that food will
be more creative and
maybe even a little weird
in 2012.
For example, according
to Baum+Whiteman,
we should expect to see
the “whole world on a
plate.” This could include
things like pizza topped
with humus and wasabi
peas or hamburger-filled
sushi. Sandwiches will be
a big focus for this trend
since you can put virtually
anything between two
slices of bread.
Another predicted trend
is to use something other
than bread for sandwiches,
such as arepas (a corn-
meal patty), waffles or
rice cakes. Other trends to
expect include the use of
innards—such as tongue
and gizzards, pickling,
beer gardens and the rise
of Peruvian food.
Baum+Whiteman, JBF
and chef blogger Saman-
tha Gowing all pre-
dict that small
bites will be
popular in
2012.
Accord-
ing to
JBF, fine
dining
portions
are get-
ting small-
er, so much
so that
“shrinking
full-size dishes
down to small
plates just wasn’t enough,
as a single ‘bite’ servings
are the new big…um…
small thing.” And Gowing
noted on her blog: “It is
imperative that every fast
food menu has a com-
ponent of mini-versions
of the most popular
products.”
The food truck trend is
expected to slow down
and become stationary
this year. Expect to see
many of your favorite
shops “taking the wheels
off” and setting up perma-
nent locations. While
some will try to run both
businesses, others will
switch to only the
storefront.
Pasta Fits
Squaring off against
anti-carb fad diets
Petite Produce
Smaller varieties of
favorite fruits and
veggies are taking
farmers’ markets by
storm
Wine on Tap
The latest wine in-
dustry trend
The Food Scene
Beginning farmers
and ranchers, DC
Cupcakes on TLC,
The Chew and more!
Quote
“Twenty years from now
you will be more disap-
pointed by the things that
you didn’t do than by
the ones you did do. So
throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe
harbor. Catch the trade
winds in your sails. Ex-
plore. Dream. Discover.”
• Mark Twain

2. GUEST COLUMN
New Pasta Campaign Squares
Off Against Anti-Carb Fad Diets
By Sarah Wally, Registered Dietician, National Pasta Association
Pasta. It’s as American as, well,
apple pie. But as much as we patriots
love our food, we also love to obsess
over our food choices.
The paradox, for a country so
diet-focused—where eight out of
10 Americans identify themselves
as “weight conscious” according to
a survey conducted by the Calorie
Control Council in 2011—is that we
are still the most obese country in
the world. So love our pasta we may,
but many of us have internalized an
unspoken guilt when we sit down to a
plate of spaghetti or dig into a slice of
lasagna.
The “carb-phobia” that ran rampant
in the 1990s continues to rear its
head today. Fad diets hoping to hook
consumers with easy, fast fixes, lay
blame on carbohydrates for weight
gain, citing limited research that
carbohydrates induce cells to store
fat more readily than protein-based
foods. This, despite overwhelming
scientific evidence that excess cal-
ories from any food source, not
just carbohydrates, result in weight
gain.
Additional research has shown
there are no benefits to low-carb diets
for long-term weight loss. Yet, still,
the carb-haters remain vigilant in
their claims.
The National Pasta Association is
taking a stand, launching a new cam-
paign, Pasta Fits, which seeks to re-
educate consumers about the bene-
fits of carbohydrates and pasta,
specifically.
Pasta “boosts energy, satisfies hun-
ger, tastes great and can be prepared
in countless delicious, low-calorie
recipes,” the campaign notes. In ad-
dition, it is one of the most econom-
ical meals available to American
consumers.
As a direct response to America’s
insatiable appetite for weight loss ad-
vice, the campaign shows how “pasta
fits” into weight management plans,
using scientific evidence that supports
the benefits of carbohydrates for
weight control.
For example, research has shown
that low carb-diets can be a struggle
to sustain over time, with overly-
restrictive meal plans leaving dieters
feeling deprived, moody and more
likely to binge. Pasta, conversely, sup-
plies complex carbohydrates, which
provide a source of sustained energy.
Additionally, pasta is a low Glycemic
Index food, which means it does not
cause the rapid spikes in blood sugar
that other refined carbohydrates can
frequently induce.
Meal planning is a strong focus of
the Pasta Fits campaign. With rough-
ly 100 calories per half cup serving,
very little sodium and no cholesterol,
pasta is highlighted as an ideal foun-
dation for building healthy meals.
Pasta is shown paired with fiber-
filled vegetables and beans, heart-
healthy fish and vegetable oils,
antioxidant-rich tomato sauce, and
protein-packed poultry and lean
meats and cheeses.
Serving pasta with low-calorie,
high-fiber or high-protein foods is
also recommended to help slow the
digestion process, allowing you to
stay full longer.
For additional information on
pasta and weight control and a selec-
tion of delicious lower-calorie pasta
meals prepared by top chef alumnus
Candice Kumai, visit www.pastafits.
org.

3. Petite Produce is Perfection on a Plate
Petite produce, also
known as baby vegetables
and fruits, has taken farm-
ers’ and urban markets by
storm over the past several
years.
Encompassing the
same nutritional proper-
ties as their larger counter-
parts, petite produce is just
as good, but only smaller.
An entire marketing em-
pire is being built around
small fruits and vegetables,
showing that there’s more
to petite produce than baby
carrots.
Petite produce is either
fully ripe and miniature-
size, or fruits and vegetables
that are cultivated to be
small. It can also be imma-
ture produce that is picked
before it is fully grown.
Experts say that just be-
cause the produce is small-
er, doesn’t mean it lacks in
nutrition.
For example, a golden
baby beet, which is the
size of a quarter, is just as
nutritious as its one pound
sister. Tastes may vary
with smaller fruits and
vegetables, but usually for
the better. Most petite
produce packs a flavor
punch and is more tender
than average-size produce.
According to Texas A&M
Department of Horticul-
tural Sciences, there are
about 50 types of petite
produce currently mar-
keted in the U.S.
There are a handful of
reasons for the growing
popularity of small-sized
produce.
“Some farmers have
been cultivating smaller
varieties of fruits and
vegetables (or harvesting
them earlier) so that single
cooks and others interested
in less of a cruciferous
commitment can get their
fix,” said The Washington
Post food editor Joe Yonan,
in an article on petite
produce he authored for
the publication. “It’s a bit
of customer-service savvy
that makes perfect sense
at urban markets, where
the proportion of singles is
high,” he said.
While some farmers are
carving out niche markets
with their petite produce to
meet demand in metropol-
itan populations, it can also
be said that with all of the
attention given lately to
food waste throughout the
world, producing small
isn’t so bad. Typically,
uneaten produce goes
bad quickly and fills our
wastebaskets more than
other foods. Being able to
purchase the exact portion
size of vegetables to feed
your family, or maybe
just yourself, in a single
meal is pretty much petite
perfection.
Grilled baby veg recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.
com/recipes/rachael-ray/
grilled-baby-vegetables-
recipe/index.html.
Food By The Numbers
The number of winter farmers’ markets is increasing, ac-
cording to the Agriculture Department’s updated National
Farmers Market Directory. Venues that are open at least
once between November and March are considered winter
farmers’ markets. The expanded adoption of hoop house
technology, which has enabled many smaller growers to
extend their production seasons at low cost, has been a
contributing factor to the growth of winter farmers’ markets.
Learn more and find a winter farmers’
market near you at www.ams.usda.gov/news.
17
Percent of farmers’ mar-
kets that operate during
winter.
38
Percent increase in winter
farmers’ markets since
2010.
1,225
Number of winter farmers’
markets operating this year
in the U.S. That’s up from
886 a year ago.
7,222
Total number of U.S. farm-
ers’ markets.
States With Most
Winter Farmers’
Markets
1. New York, 180
2. California, 153
3. Pennsylvania, 78
4. North Carolina, 73
5. Ohio, 50
6. Maryland, 48
7. Florida, 46
8. Massachusetts, 43
9. Virginia, 40
10. Michigan, 33
Some farmers have been cultivating smaller varie-
ties of fruits and vegetables (or harvesting them
earlier) so that single cooks and others interested in
less of a cruciferous commitment can get their fix.
• Joe Yonan, Food Editor, The Washington Post
“
”

4. Today's Consumers Relish
Latest Trend—Wine on Tap
Wineries and restau-
rants nationwide are
introducing keg pro-
grams to serve custo-
mers wine straight from
the tap, just like beer.
“We deliver the 5-gal-
lon kegs to the winery
and they fill them and
deliver them back to us,”
explained Joe Barbera,
owner of Aido Bistro and
Wine Bar in Columbia,
Md. “The kegs are driven
by nitrogen…it’s a nitro-
gen push that keeps oxy-
gen out and provides the
end-user with the same
product the winemaker
wishes the customer to
have,” he said.
Wine on tap offers ben-
efits to winemakers, ven-
dors and the consumer
while providing the same
quality as bottled wine.
According to Matt Dug-
gan, general manager of
Palmina Winery in Lom-
poc, Calif., consumers
welcome the trend.
“I think they love it,”
Duggan said. “There’s a lot
of romanticism with people
that have gone to Europe,
where you can go to the
winery and fill up a jug and
have your wine for the day
that way,” he remarked.
“It’s also a much more
economical way because
there’s less production
cost involved, so we pass
that along to the consumer
and I think that they’ve
responded really well to it.”
Wineries and vendors
can reuse kegs and have
cut down on packaging
materials used to ship
bottled wine, making keg
programs a green process.
“Every time a keg is deliv-
ered here it saves 25 bot-
tles, so a little over two
cases of wine, 19-liters, 25
corks and all the packaging
material that would norm-
ally get thrown out and
sometimes recycled,” Bar-
bera explained.
Barbera added the best
part of kegged
wine is there is no
noticeable taste
difference.
“We’ve done
some experi-
ments with wine
that is of the
same vintage
date and
the same
varietal in
bottle and
in a keg,
and the
majority
of the
people
could not
tell which
was which,”
he said.
Not all
varietals of wine
benefit from a
tap program. Wines
that are produced to be
long-lived like Bordeaux,
cabernet sauvignon and
Burgundy need time to age
in glass bottles.
Cooking Heritage Chickens
The backyard poultry trend con-
tinues to gather momentum across
the nation, although it’s difficult to
pinpoint the total number of chicken
enthusiasts since the Agriculture De-
partment does not track hobbyists.
Most backyard chickens are heritage
breeds such as Barred Plymouth
Rock, New Hampshire, Jersey Giant
and Buckeye, which are kept strictly
for egg production. Chicken hobbyists
who raise birds for meat and foodies
who buy a freshly slaughtered
chicken direct from a farmer face the
challenge of how to properly cook the
meat for optimum flavor.
“The traditional meat types each
requires appropriate cooking meth-
ods,” explained chicken-keeper Gina
Bisco in an American Livestock
Breeds Conservancy article. “Far from
being a disadvantage, this greatly
expands culinary potential,” she said.
Bisco believes the quality and flavor
of chicken meat from historic breeds
is superb, but attention must be paid
to the age of the bird at slaughter, as
different cooking methods are re-
quired. Generally speaking, older
birds require more time to cook. Fur-
ther complicating the issue, heritage
chickens typically have well-devel-
Chickens Continued on Last Page

5. The Food Scene
• Celebrating and Exploring Life Through Food
The Chew is a new ABC program that aims to celebrate and
explore life through food. A group of “dynamic, engaging,
fun, relatable co-hosts” serve up everything to do with food
on the show, from cooking and home entertaining to food
trends, restaurants, holidays and more, with the goal of
making life better, fuller and more fun. The show is broad-
cast live daily on weekdays from New York City at 1 p.m.
Eastern. The Chew stars Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Carla
Hall, Clinton Kelly and Daphne Oz and is promoted as “an
innovative and groundbreaking new lifestyle series.”
http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew
• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Conference Slated for February
The 2nd Annual Beginning Farmer and Rancher Conference will take place Feb.
18-20, 2012, in Grand Rapids, Mich., at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel & DeVos
Place Convention Center. The conference is presented by the American Farm Bureau
Federation and Start2Farm.gov. Beginning farmers and ranchers interested in all
types of agriculture are encouraged to attend. Farm Bureau membership is not
required. The conference provides an opportunity for attendees to network with
other farmers from around the country and learn from experts about how to start and
maintain a thriving farm or ranch business. Beginning farmers often sell the food that
they grow to niche markets.
http://2012bfrconference.eventbrite.com
• DC Cupcakes Launched on TLC
DC Cupcakes is a new series on TLC featuring Georgetown Cupcake, founded by sisters Katherine
Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne. Katherine and Sophie traded careers in fashion and private
equity to pursue something a little sweeter—their passion for artful cupcakes. The women are
lifelong bakers who were inspired by their grandmothers. They opened Georgetown Cupcake in
February 2008 as Washington, D.C.’s first cupcakery, offering cupcakes for $2.75 each, $15 for
a half-dozen or $29 per dozen. The business has expanded and includes a shop in Bethesda, Md.
Two new shops (in New York's SoHo district and Boston) are slated for 2012.
http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/about.html
• A Play Called
‘Pig’ Pokes
Fun at
Foodies
Pig: A Restaurant,
is a 30-minute
play that zeros in
on the pretensions
of foodies. The
play was per-
formed five times
in 2011 at the
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Chelsea, N.Y., and
the producers are hoping to take the production to Los
Angeles. Exploring society’s obsession with what and how
we eat was the goal of playwright Leila Cohan-Miccio, who
previously edited the food blog Grub Street Boston. Lauren
Conlin Adams, the only actor in the production, brings her
experience waiting tables to the stage. The play includes
foodie-centric gems such as a drink list featuring “bacon-
infused bourbon” and “pork cheek bitters,” and a locavore
praising edible weeds plucked along the Brooklyn-Queens
Expressway.
http://newyork.ucbtheatre.com/news/view/1058
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/pig-
a-play-roasts-the-food-obsessed/?scp=4&sq=food&st=cse

6. January 2012 Vol. 5 No. 1
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
Editor: Cyndie Sirekis, cyndies@fb.org
Contributing Editor:
Tracy Grondine, tracyg@fb.org
Contributing Writers:
Sarah Bittner, sbittner@fb.org
Anna Burkholder, anna@fb.org
Miranda McDaniel, mirandam@fb.org
We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of Foodie News. You may distribute or re-
publish the articles in this edition of Foodie News, except where noted otherwise.
oped leg muscles that re-
quire more cooking time
than the breast meat.
Old cookbooks published
before the 1950s provide a
treasure trove of informa-
tion on how to properly
cook heritage chickens for
optimum flavor. “Fowl and
Game Cookery” by James
Beard (1944), “Better
Homes and Gardens Cook-
book” (1941), “The Modern
Family Cookbook” by Meta
Given (1942) and “Let’s
Cook It Right” by Adele
Davis (1947, 1962 and 1970
Cooking Heritage Chickens
Continued from page 4 versions) are all excellent
resources, according to
Bisco.
But before you put that
bird in the oven, Bisco
cautions that “fresh from
the farm” chicken should
be chilled for at least 24
hours before cooking for
optimal meat texture.
Birds that will be frozen
should be chilled in the
refrigerator for three days
first.
Learn more about heri-
tage chicken and livestock
breeds at www.albc-usa.
org.