In today’s tough economy, it’s difficult to predict the next big restaurant trend since folks are eating out less, which makes it particularly challenging for the poultry industry to plan for the future.

In the early 1990s, steakhouses such as Outback were the hottest trend, while later that decade, casual dining spots such as Chili’s, Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday’s were the trend setters. This bodes well for poultry producers since chicken is often the meat of choice for patrons of casual dining. For most of this decade, ethnic eateries were the hot trend, although steakhouses and casual dining spots still fared well.

Since the economic downturn, all foodservice establishments have seen declines, but casual dining has suffered the most, which has put a real crimp on sales of chicken breasts, a longtime restaurant staple.

“These days it’s a real challenge to forecast the real growth area in the restaurant business. It really is hard to pinpoint what the next big thing is,” said Scott Brown, a livestock and dairy economist with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri.

Brown was on the program of Farm Bureau’s commodity outlook conference held in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 15-16. He said the big drop in foodservice demand has been particularly hard on poultry producers.

The recent news of restaurants shifting from chicken wings to “boneless” wings due to the big fall in chicken prices illustrates the tough times facing the poultry industry today. In seven of the last 11 months, wholesale wing prices have been higher than breast prices, a reversal in the market where breasts usually reign supreme. In September, the average wholesale price for whole chicken wings was $1.48 a pound, according to the Agriculture Department, while skinless boneless breasts were $1.21 a pound.

Demand has been stronger for chicken wings because people often look at them as a cheap luxury. The New York Times reported Oct. 13 that the recession has been a boon for many wing restaurants because many perceived them to be an affordable luxury.

Wing prices are expected to remain strong for the rest of football season until the Super Bowl in February when most wings are sold and prices peak. Still, demand is expected to remain strong for wings for the long haul. One big boost is the decision by Pizza Hut to expand the availability of its wings menu, called “WingStreet,” from 3,000 stores today to 5,000 stores in the near future.

“Demand is pretty strong for wings. You can’t get more than two wings out of birds, so there’s not much change in supply,” Brown said.

All things considered, Brown is reasonably optimistic for the long-term future of the poultry market. “The supply side is not the issue, when the economy improves, we should see an uptick in demand. I see opportunity for higher prices for the next two to three years for poultry producers, but I don’t expect we will see record-high prices.”

In recent decades, Red and Golden Delicious apple varieties have been predominant at local orchards and in grocery stores. Today, many U.S. apple growers plant Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith apples, which remain popular with consumers. In just the past few years, Cameo, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apple varieties have been introduced.

When developing a new variety, breeders strive for an apple with superior eating quality that is firm, crisp and juicy with a balanced sweet-tart flavor. It must also be attractive with good color, size and appearance. To be considered a good variety, an apple must bear fruit early, produce well, not be prone to sunburn and be disease-resistant. It should also store well and taste great when it comes out of cold storage.

Sound like a tall order? Not for the SweeTango, one of the newest apple varieties on the market. Those who have sampled it say it is the best eating apple they have ever tasted and it also is great for pies, according to most reports.

SweeTango apples have been hitting the marketplace in a few big cities, including Seattle. Researchers at the University of Minnesota breeding program spent more than 20 years developing it.

“A lot of people are asking for SweeTango apples. Like Honeycrisp, when you bite into it you get a burst of juice and a crispy texture. It has a very nice sugar/acid balance with a very complex flavor,” Alison DeMarree of DeMarree Fruit Farm in Williamson, N.Y., located on the shores of Lake Ontario, told Foodie News.

“SweeTango is an early-season producer, about 10 days ahead of Honeycrisp, around the first week of September. Few premium apples come out around that time, when produce managers are eager for something new to start the fall season,” DeMarree explained.

SweeTango is a closed release managed variety which means growers are required to develop a plan for how much they will plant and how it will be packed and marketed. With open release apple varieties, anyone can buy a tree, plant it and market the fruit as they choose.

Because SweeTango is a managed variety, the breeders who developed it get a production royalty for every tree produced. In addition, for every bushel marketed, a few cents go back to the breeders to maintain a viable breeding program. Consumers benefit too, as one retail price is set across the country.

SweeTango was developed by the same breeders that developed the Honeycrisp. It was created by combining the Honeycrisp with the Zestar.

According to DeMarree, the advantage for growers when investing in a closed managed variety is that they control the amount of fruit so that the market is not oversupplied, which would drive the price down. When growers control the quality and quantity this way, they are much more likely to be able to recoup their investment.

By 2012 more SweeTango trees will come into production and the fruit will become available nationwide. The most popular fruit in America, apples are nutritious, versatile, portable and available year-round. To learn more, go to:

• SweeTango site
• SweeTango Facebook
• U.S. Apple Association: Apple Guide

If you sometimes struggle to figure out which cheese to buy or serve, help is at hand. CheeseForMe.com, a Web site launched by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, makes buying and eating cheese a breeze. Just answer a few short questions and the site will recommend a cheese for you based on your sense of style and adventure. The site also offers pairing ideas and recipe options that feature your cheese.

"It's a fast and easy way to break out of your culinary comfort zone and have a whole lot of fun while you’re at it," notes the site CheeseForMe.com.

The poultry dish known as Turducken continues to grow in popularity for holiday meals, particularly Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

Hebert’s Specialty Meats in Maurice, La., has been making Turduckens since 1984 when a local farmer brought in his own birds and requested custom processing for them in the style that appears to be a growing foodie trend.

Chris Catlett, owner of the Houston franchise of Hebert’s (pronounced A Bears), attributes the rising popularity of Turducken in the culinary world to consumer boredom with the traditional turkey.

“A lot of our customers we see just once each year. A Turkducken is their special holiday food,” Catlett told Foodie News. “People are looking for something different for their special dinner.”

Turducken – a partially deboned turkey stuffed with boneless duck and chicken, with layers of various types of stuffing added – certainly seems to fit the bill.

At Hebert’s, specially seasoned pork stuffing prepared at the store is the most popular choice for layering between the three types of poultry.

“We can create anything when it comes to custom stuffing. We put together whatever the customer has a taste for and layer it between the birds as they prefer,” said Catlett.

Considered by many in the industry to be the “Gold Standard” when it comes to Turduckens, Hebert’s uses only top-quality stuffing ingredients, seasonings and birds; foregoes preservatives; and does not inject its turkeys with seasonings or marinades. Instead, the delectable flavor of each Turducken is dependent exclusively on the seasonings of the stuffing within it.

The majority of the Turkduckens produced by Hebert’s are ordered online and shipped frozen on dry ice in coolers to customers although some are sold fresh locally.

“People love to have something that’s already prepared. When you order one of our Turduckens, all you have to do is let it thaw, then stick it into the oven,” Catlett said. It takes about 5 hours to roast a Turducken, depending on the weight. Most Hebert's Turduckens weigh about 15 pounds and cost around $70.

Hebert’s sells other Cajun favorites including Andouille, Etouffee and Crawfish Pie. For more information, visit HebertsHouston.com.

The Florida "Seafood to Schools" program is an initiative to bring nutritious seafood from local sources to Florida’s school lunchrooms. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services surveyed the state’s 67 school districts to gauge the demand for Florida seafood products in elementary, middle and high schools.

Feedback indicated there are opportunities for Florida seafood suppliers to provide products for Florida schools. About 60 percent of schools surveyed currently offer fresh or frozen seafood, with processed fish, shrimp and Pollack served most often.

Good eating habits can begin at school. Including seafood early in a young person’s diet sets the stage for the proper nutrition that young bodies need for growth and development and a healthy future. Seafood is a good source of high-quality, low-fat protein as well as omega-3 fatty acids and provides a variety of menu options. Compared to other meats, seafood is low in calories and cholesterol.

Every year, Florida schools spend millions of dollars for school lunch programs. The Seafood to School program is intended to open the door for more of those dollars to stay within Florida. It will also support Florida fishermen by promoting opportunities for schools and seafood suppliers to work together to increase the volume of locally harvested seafood product served in school cafeterias. Incorporating local products into school meals also supports local economies, reduces transportation costs and helps support Florida’s seafood industry.

Several types of shrimp (including Rock shrimp, pink, breaded rounds and popcorn), crab cakes, crab stuffing, clams and breaded fish fillets/sticks are among the seafood products offered by Florida companies that are interested in participating in the program.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is working with schools and seafood suppliers to develop opportunities through the program. Learn more at www.FL-Seafood.com.

This post was originally published in the November 2009 issue of Foodie News as a guest column by Martin May, management review specialist with the Florida Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing.