Food news antipasto

Recent years have been bad for wineries, especially in the US. A 56-year-old winery, Kenwood Vineyards, recently closed its doors with no plans to reopen. Other major wineries, including E. & J. Gallo and Jackson Family Wines, have also shuttered operations at some facilities and laid off workers. Industry experts are blaming Boomers for the decline, as they have reduced the amount of wine they are drinking and younger generations are not as keen on wine drinking.

Easter is just one week away, which means it’s time for retailers to break out their best chocolate eggs. If you’ve ever been disappointed by buying an egg that is supposed to be deluxe but ends up being ‘meh’, head over to The Guardian, where they have assembled a ranking of the best supermarket chocolate Easter eggs in the UK.

Small plate restaurants took off in the 2010s, with scores of openings for eateries that featured a selection of items you could order a la carte and share with the table. They became popular because it was an easy way to try more items and not break the bank. However, the tide seems to be turning, with a majority of diners now preferring individual options over shared plates. Could this spell the end for small plate restaurants?

The World Championship Cheese Contest was held last week, hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. It’s the largest judged dairy competition in the world, receiving a total of 3,375 entries this year in several categories. The honor of being the 2026 World Champion Cheese was handed to Beemster Royaal Grand Cru, a 12-month aged Gouda from the Netherlands.

ICYMI: Trader Joe’s expanded its recall of frozen foods last week to include its name-brand Vegetable Fried Rice with various best-by dates. This follows an initial recall of other frozen food produced on February 19 and a subsequent expansion to include several types of fried rice and Chicken Shu Mai. The recalls came after several customers reported finding bits of glass in the food. No injuries have been reported.

We’ll end the week with a report on food that isn’t for people. You may have noticed refrigerators popping up in the pet food aisle of supermarkets. This comes with a trend toward feeding pets – usually dogs – a fresh food diet instead of canned foods or kibble. But is this expensive food really better for your animals? A veterinarian and a certified pet nutritionist weigh in with the pros and cons of feeding fresh.

Other articles:

• Food as medicine
• How accurate are food labels?
• Stand by Your Pan – Quick Bites, Giveaway