The Daily Dish: Hidden Valley Teases Unicorn Ranch Dressing
Hidden Valley to Make Unicorn Ranch Dressing?
Starbucks' new Unicorn Frappuccino may be ruining the days of baristas everywhere, but it is also getting a lot of attention on Twitter and Instagram. Other food brands appear to have gotten jealous, because now Hidden Valley is teasing a unicorn product nobody asked for: unicorn ranch dressing. Late on Friday, April 21, the Hidden Valley Ranch Twitter account posted an animated GIF of a bottle of pink and purple ranch dressing with a unicorn horn, in front of a backdrop covered in fireworks and rainbows. Most of the responses are along the lines of "Stop trying to make #UnicornRanch happen," but a couple people do seem interested. At least one Twitter user asked if it was going to be real, and the Hidden Valley Ranch account indicated that it was possible, but extremely unlikely. "18 million tweets and we'll consider it," Hidden Valley Tweeted back. So far the post only has about 200, but one should never underestimate the Internet's ability to hold onto a trend.
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Garbage Is the Latest Food Trend
Unicorn-inspired treats might be the most obvious current food trend, but there's another in the industry that has been the driving force for some companies in the past few years: garbage. According to a recent report by the nonprofit ReFED, the number of companies using food waste in products has increased over the years and has become an industry-wide trend among startups. "What was once considered 'waste' — or an accepted cost of doing business — is now seen as an asset and revenue generator," Chris Cochran, executive director of ReFED, told The Washington Post. "As companies begin to track, measure, and understand food loss and waste, the economics of food waste solutions begin to look a lot more attractive."
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Hash Browns Recalled for Containing Golf Balls
This week, a large run of frozen hash browns was recalled for possibly being contaminated with golf balls. According to CNN, frozen hash browns produced by McCain Foods under the Harris Teeter and Roundy's brands have been recalled because they might be "contaminated with extraneous golf ball materials." The company says the golf balls may have been harvested with the potatoes, and then were possibly washed, chopped up, and made into frozen hash browns. So far nobody has reported any injuries, but McCain Foods said in a statement on the FDA website that the chopped-up golf balls could pose a choking hazard or potentially cause injury to someone's mouth.
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The Swedish Chef Stars in the Newest PAM Ads
In 2012, The Muppet Show's Swedish Chef made an appearance in a Bounty paper towel commercial, but this year, the famously unintelligible puppet chef is starring for a brand more directly relevant to his line of work. Recently, the cooking spray brand PAM has debuted two ads featuring the chef whipping up a few dishes and desserts. In one of the spots, created by advertising agency DDB San Francisco, the chef makes sautéed vegetables using the cooking spray instead of butter because the product "cuts fat and calories." In the second ad, the chef makes croquembouche (a tower of caramelized cream puffs) for Swedish royalty.
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General Mills Teams Up With Conservation Groups for Sustainable Food Production
General Mills, the Nature Conservancy, the Soil Health Institute, and the Soil Health Partnership have joined forces to support farm sustainability — all through investing in soil. According to the press release, the effort aims to "pave the way," both economically and sustainably, for farmers and the future of food. As part of the mission, General Mills has pledged to a $2 million, three-year commitment with conservation groups to support resources for farmers, landowners, and supply chain leaders to encourage better soil health practices, according to the Soil Health Institute.
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