Meat processors cannot ignore the fact that non-animal-based protein ingredients are gaining steam in terms of protein content and quality.

Meat processors cannot ignore the fact that non-animal-based protein ingredients are gaining steam in terms of protein content and quality.

It’s been a year since my favorite fast-food restaurant — Taco Bell — was served with a frivolous lawsuit alleging that the ground beef used in many of its offerings is not real beef. Rather, the legal team said, it is ground beef blended with extenders and fillers.

Premium, chef-inspired frozen meals continue to steal supermarket freezer space from more traditional frozen foods, as these products provide fast, high-quality meal solutions for today’s not-enough-hours-in-the-day consumers. I, personally, am a huge fan.

Many of us wish it would go away, but salt and sodium continue to be hot buttons among most food industry authorities.

Not sure about you, but I have been enjoying some very decent hot sandwiches at very unsuspecting establishments, such as mini marts, coffee shops and even — brace yourself — vending machines.

Quiet time on an airplane without electronics or reading materials can be dangerous for wandering minds like mine.

As a parent of a picky eater, I have been secretly adding all types of veggies to my “famous” meatballs. When they are covered with red sauce and served with pasta, the spinach is barely detectable!

With two sons playing summer baseball, and each boy on a house team as well as a travel one, my husband and I feared we would be challenged with one of our favorite warm-weather pastimes (after watching our sons play baseball, of course): outdoor grilling. Thankfully there are an increasing number of fish, meat and poultry options that I would consider to be “grill ready.”

It’s that time of year when consumers typically experience increased media attention to food safety, as most foodborne pathogens grow fastest at summertime temperatures and high humidity.