Year after year, food news dominates the headlines and 2011 was no exception. From recalls to changing food guidelines and from new products to food trends, we saw food stories captivate audiences from coast to coast. In our ninth annual food survey, we asked Americans to tell us which food stories meant the most to them and, perhaps more importantly, how the news affected their eating habits.

Our survey revealed the following as the top three food-related stories of 2011:

#1: Twenty-Nine Deaths Caused by Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak

#2: First Lady Michelle Obama with USDA Unveils MyPlate, Replaces Food Pyramid

#3: Global Food Prices Hit Record High

These stories obviously made an impact on consumers’ behavior as well. According to our survey, sixty-one percent of respondents changed their food habits in 2011 because of news coverage.

For a list of the top ten stories of 2011, click here.

For the first time ever, the Hunter PR Food Group collaborated with industry experts to compile the list of the top ten stories of the year. The folks we worked with include: Phil Lempert, editor of Supermarket Guru; Regina Ragone, food director of Family Circle; Elizabeth Fassberg, owner of food and nutrition consultancy Eat Food; Brad Thompson, chef and restaurant consultant; and Megan Steintrager, freelance food writer and editor.

As we are planning and looking forward to 2012, we also wanted to take a peek at what people have in mind for the New Year. According to our survey, 67 percent of Americans will set food-related resolutions, with approximately half of these addressing eating more whole grains or drinking beverages with less sugar. Also of interest is that 14 percent of Americans 18 and over said that they will continue to incorporate less meat into their diets.

You can check out the complete list of survey results and the full release here.

Additionally, we took to the streets of NYC to hear what people thought of this year’s top food-related stories. Check it out.

Come join the conversation of the top food stories of 2011 at a special Twitter party hosted by The Hunter PR Food Group on Thursday, December 15th from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST. You can follow the discussion via #HunterPRFood. Follow @HunterPR for more information.

Best wishes for a healthy, safe and delicious holiday season!

-Amanda

Oh, what a night! On Wednesday, June 15 Hunter Public Relations hosted our first-ever Holiday Open House. A total of 50 editors from 32 top national outlets joined us to see, taste and experience all that our clients have to offer for Holiday 2011.

The event took place from 4-8pm in the stunning Unit 19, a loft space on West 25^th street. With breathtaking views of the Hudson river, as well as lower and midtown Manhattan, it was the perfect spot to enjoy a beautiful June evening.

Editors from outlets such as Good Housekeeping, TIME, Food Network Magazine, Wine Spectator, Popular Science and more, enjoyed specialty cocktails, sipped rare spirits, toasted new wine varietals and sampled delicious recipes featuring our food and drink based clients.

Guests were also treated to a gift-wrapping lesson with a world-renowned expert, offered holiday decorating tips, and presented with gift-giving ideas from the worlds of games, technology, health & beauty, wine & spirits and chocolate.

We held this winter holiday-themed event in June to coincide with long-lead magazines’ editorial schedules. We knew they’d be right in the middle of working on their November & December issues and looking for ideas of what to share with their readers.

Overall, the event was a great success and we can’t wait to do it again next year!

- Amanda

Hunter Public Relations recently commissioned our eighth annual year-end food survey to rank the most significant food-related stories of 2010.  Americans chose the BP oil spill’s impact on the seafood industry for the number one spot. It’s the first time in three years that an environmental food story has topped the list.

We also asked about food pop culture news and the limited return of McDonald’s McRib sandwich stood out most to consumers. When asked which food trend they want to be over in 2011, almost half felt that “bacon flavored everything” is past its prime. Check out the complete list of survey results here.

This year, to help bring the survey to life – literally – we took a Flip Cam to the streets of the Big Apple and asked New Yorkers what they thought the top food stories of the year were and which food trends they want to be over in 2011. We got some great responses! You can view the video here.

I think the survey provides an accurate snapshot of which food-related stories resonate most to Americans. But, I have to admit I was surprised and disappointed to hear that people are over Bacon. In my book, bacon is the perfect food and will never go out of style. Gourmet food trucks on the other hand…

Amanda

Hunter Public Relations recently commissioned our seventh annual survey to find out the most memorable food-related stories of 2009 and the decade.

Food health and safety stories topped the list for 2009, and childhood obesity was voted as the biggest story of the decade.

When conducting the survey this year, we decided to change things up a bit. For the first six years, we asked food editors nationwide to vote for the top food-related stories of the year. But in 2009, after consulting with some of our best media contacts in the industry, we decided to poll a random sampling of Americans for the top stories of the year. In honor of the decade coming to a close, we asked them to vote for the top food-related stories from the past ten years, as well.

We enlisted Wakefield, an independent market research firm, to survey 1,000 Americans aged 18+ via an email invitation and online survey.

Check out the complete list of survey results here.

As a self-proclaimed “foodie” and member of the NYWCA, I am both personally and professionally interested in the ways in which the food industry has evolved and changed over the past ten years.

For the Top Food Stories of The Decade, I was surprised that “Organic Food Becomes Mainstream” wasn’t higher on the list. (It was only ranked #7 out of 10). As a mother of two small children, this is an issue I encounter every day. Whether shopping at the grocery store, online or at the greenmarket, I’m always amazed at the variety of organic foods and brands available to feed my children and myself. Organic food is no longer a trend; it’s a way of life. At least it is in my house.

Amanda

Everyone knows I am a self-professed  “foodie” who loves checking out the newest restaurants, out of the way coffee bars, and best gourmet markets.  During my 20’s and early 30’s, I was practically a walking Zagat guide: always up to date on which chef was cooking where and the go to source for my friends and family for the perfect suggestion of where to dine.

And then it happened. I had two kids and all that changed.  Well, sort of.

Luckily, part of my job here at Hunter PR is taking editors out to eat at some of the most fabulous places in town.  But, these days I’m also on the lookout for great, kid-friendly spots to introduce (hopefully convert) my kids to the joys of fine dining.  When the two converge, it’s a huge personal victory. But, usually they don’t. Which brings me to my recent editor lunch at The Breslin Bar and Dining Room.

The Breslin Bar and Dining Room, which opened in mid-October, is located in the Ace Hotel at 20 West 29^th Street.  They don’t take reservations, which already was a red flag for me. With or without kids, I hate to wait for a table. To avoid the lunchtime crowds, we arrived at 12:15pm.  Although the place was at least half empty, they wouldn’t let us sit down. They said it would be a few minutes and did we want to wait in the bar area?  Well, it would have been fine to wait there, except there was not just one but two photo shoots going on, so we ended up standing in the corner until our table was ready. Now, if I had been there with my kids, we’d already be out the door and looking for the nearest Cosi or pizza place. 

We finally sat down about seven minutes later, and overall, it was worth the wait.  The room is very welcoming, with an old-fashioned, speak-easy vibe that I really liked. The menu is short, but well edited, though I wasn’t sure why three items out of twenty-three had Anchovy dressing. (Second red flag – no kid under the age of 8 likes anything with anchovies). I was also bummed because the one dish I was really looking forward to trying, Pork Scratchings, wasn’t available that day.  My oven baked three-cheese sandwich with house-smoked ham and pickles was delicious, though not “life-altering” as my dining companion had promised.  She had the Char grilled beef tongue sandwich with lentil soup.  She raved about the beef, but I declined a bite, and opted to try her soup, which was fantastic.   We also shared (though I ate most of it) the roasted pumpkin with pomegranates. The portions are extremely generous, so neither of us had room for dessert.

Overall, it was a fun (in a grown up kind of way) place to go for a hearty winter lunch. But, would I go back with my kids? Probably not.

Amanda