Watch the Markets – August

Food news – digested. 4Food finds out what’s hotter than self lighting charcoal and what’s colder than a badly thawed sausage

Going up
Pies
Who ate all the pies? Looks like you did. “The weather has been so awful that people are tucking into them,” said a Waitrose spokesperson. “Pie sales are up 34 per cent compared to this time last year.” Other cold weather warmers enjoying a summer run-out include Yorkshire puddings (up 40 per cent) and fresh soup (up 56 per cent).
Tuck into these pie recipes

Premium products
Is the recession over? The answer could be in your shopping basket. Despite a market report suggesting consumers are ditching organic food to save pennies, Tesco report a 52 per cent boom in its high-end and ethical food ranges, which it is calling ‘optimistic signs’ of a recovery from recession. Hurrah.
Find tips on eating ethically

Frozen food
Captain Bird’s Eye must be grinning all over his beard as figures show the frozen food market has grown into a £5 billion industry. According to Brian Young, Director General of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF): “Locked in goodness, minimal wastage and terrific value are just a few of the massive advantages of frozen food.”
Cut down on waste with these freezing tips

Going down
Lettuce
Remember the promise of a scorching summer? Ha. Salad is the latest victim of another wash-out July. “We have to monitor the weather 24/7 to make sure the correct fresh products are always available,” said a Sainsbury’s insider. “Salad and lettuce sales dropped by 12 per cent, and all because of a little rain.”
Buck the trend with these salad recipes

Organic’s halo
A review commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) claims organic food offers no important differences in nutrition content or any additional health benefits. But Peter Melchett, Policy Director at the Soil Association, believes the report has ignored key research on the benefits of organic eating. “The review rejected almost all of the existing studies of comparisons between organic and non-organic nutritional differences,” he commented.

Man-sized Mars Bars
The FSA is so keen to help us battle the bulge, it’s urging producers to make single portion sizes of snacks including biscuits, chocolate and soft drinks – you know, the fun stuff. But treat makers aren’t convinced smaller bars will stop us scoffing, and reckon we’ll just buy two.
Go on, treat yourself to a little cake

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