Olivia Munn and meat on hold

Back in January, the lovely Olivia Munn gave a local smokehouse a Conan O'Brien shoutout:

The result of Olivia's brief mention was a rush to Maplewood Meats, both in-store and online (and hey, good for them!). As they're local to me, I recently got my hands on their venison meat sticks, and they're fantastic. Then I remembered I saved a Washington Post article from late January about jerky, and how it's taking over the world, at least the meaty part of it:

Why beef jerky, the manly, protein-packed snack, has become so damn popular

As the "junk food" conglomerates are looking to replace lost soda pop revenue, they're turning to snacks like beef jerky. Hershey's has just rolled out their own brand, Krave (which I think is a breakfast cereal brand too), and category sales are up, way up.

I thought about Maplewood and their new-found brand awareness, and I figured there's a "Maplewood Meats" everywhere. And as I usually do, I wondered "who's the best and where are they and can I order them online?"

So I'm gonna start compiling some lists/data/links and then deliver to you, dear reader/snack lover, the info you need to make solid snack consumption decisions. While I research and sample, I'd appreciate any submissions of local craft meat wizards with whom you're familiar. Just stick them in the comments, or post on SnackyPop's Facebook page here.

See you next week!

A billion dollars a day, plus chocolate and seltzer

As I continue to search for new, interesting, local, healthy snacks, I typically see the usual suspects on every shelf everywhere, crowding out the aforementioned "craft" snacks. How did they get so ubiquitous? And, are some of the brands we buy actually just offshoots of a big megacorp (the answer is, too often, yes). Recently, I came across this rather intimidating chart over at the Oxfam America website:

Yikes! If you are trying to avoid putting your hard-earned greenbacks into the pockets of multi-nationals, good luck with all that. The dominance of these ten companies is staggering in its scope and depth. However, you can go to BehindTheBrands.org to see who owns your favorites and how they treat their suppliers and farmers.

Or you can keep supporting local companies and help your local economy and community thrive, like these five chocolate bar specialists.

Finally, seltzer is good.

Candy, chocolate and HFCS - Three items worth reading

Is candy the next battleground in America's Health War? Joe Heim of the Washington Post took an in-depth look at the issue a couple months ago.

Of all the craft food movements currently seeing staggering growth (beer, whiskey, snacks), chocolate is possibly the most fascinating due to the particulars of the harvest and the long history and development of the cacao seed. The Rise of Awesome Milk Chocolate, by Marissa Sertich Velie at Serious Eats, will give you cravings, at the very least...

The backlash to HFCS from the corporate side has begun in earnest. Honey Nut Cheerios is the latest to use the removal of the additive as a marketing ploy. Linda Bonvie at Food Identity Theft has the details here.

Other news'n'notes

While SnackyPOP will continue to be a resource for healthy snacks and beverages, this blog will change direction slightly and focus more on what's new and available near you. Watch this space for a more detailed and developed database of craft sodas and unique snacks. Tasty news will continue to be featured here, AND even more so on Zombie Cat Bacon's new daily publication, The Daily R'n'R. Visit the Daily R'n'R today and register for our email newsletter delivered every day at lunch - always free, never not delicious.

Popcorn & soda pop: Changing fortunes

I love popcorn. I LOVE popcorn. I have my own mini version of your typical movie theater hot oil popper in Casa de Snackypop, and have owned a wide variety of stove top & hot air poppers over the years. I never get tired of it and I love the stuff. Present me with the devil's microwave product and prepare to be pummeled with vigor, forsooth!

As these things usually go, the rest of the world is finally catching up with me, and have begun to embrace the succulent wonders of the popped kernel.

Proof! The LA Times now knows what I know and offers a selection of some of the best gourmet popcorn purveyors in the country. But don't let this list lead you to believe the selection is limited. Just Google your state and the search term "gourmet popcorn" and you'll probably find a massive selection of choices within 15 minutes of your front door. Example: Wisconsin Gourmet Popcorn

Some of them are just the crappy multi-colored "party" tins filled with generic popped corn with chemical coatings. Take time to dig a little deeper and look for those vendors that actually give a shit about the product they're selling. Like these guys: Mike's Popcorn.

Pop - can it survive? Well, yeah sure.... but maybe not the way we expect. Bill Briggs of NBCNews.com writes about long-percolating changes in the soda biz. 

Has it always been thus? Read on, dear soda connoisseur, about the first dark age of soda...

Finally, let's pour one out for the fallen:

The best cereals, a KIND Bar taste test and so much more!

• Kevin Alexander over at the Thrillist serves up a HUGE ranking of 88 different cereals. Number one will surprise you...

• Can anyone beat Heinz at the ketchup game? We buy Hunts (no HFCS), and a few upstarts are starting to make waves. Sir Kensington's Ketchup (and mayo too) is now available for your own personal taste test. Let me know how it goes...

• Kevin Alexander/Thrillist again: he tackled the now ubiquitous KIND bar. I had no idea there were 29 different..uh..kinds...

• Do you like snacks? Are you American? OK, you're normal, sez Huff Post.

• Alright, you came here for the healthy stuff. Here it is, courtesy The Clever Carrot

• Ever wonder about other kids' breakfast from around the world? The New York Times has a beautiful spread on that very subject right here...

Finally, pop choices at the corner store really are changing, according to the New Yorker article, 

How Coconut Water and Kombucha Took Over the Corner Store

"For decades, soda and other sugary carbonated drinks ruled the market, not only because they were popular but because they could be shipped cheaply and stored for long periods at room temperature. This made them a low-risk investment for cramped bodegas and convenience stores with limited cooler space. The growth of craft beverages in recent years has forced a change in the old distribution model."

Pringles, stupid flavor rankings and silent noodles

Pringles have been a semi-regular starter on my snacking roster for many years, I'm not huge chip guy; popcorn and pretzels rule the roost over here at ZCB Plaza. But, growing up in Canada, we were gifted by the snacklords with many "alternative flavours" such as salt & vinegar, sour cream & onion, dill pickle and the Lord & Master, ketchup.

Most of these flavors are available everywhere now, along with a cornucopia of new ones. But Pringles are different - uniform, thin, crispy (not crunchy - there's a difference!), and vaguely potatoey.

Vaguely, it turns out, is exactly right. This isn't a new revelation, but Pringles are not "potato chips". As I am trying to eat healthier while snacking, I did a little digging, and found this nugget too: Potato chips and it's half-breed cousin, Pringles, may contain acrylamide. What's that and what does it taste like, you ask? It tastes like cancer, usually.

Betcha can't eat just one!

On that note, I found a list of chip flavors ranked according to... what I don't know, but at least it is informative (meaning this is, technically, information). There is one thing wrong with this list. Just one minor omission:

To ease the horror of cancer-flavored Pringles and some guy not including The One Chip To Rule Us All on his stupid list, here's a dude making noodles. In silence.

The HFCS thing

Google "high fructose corn syrup" and you'll find over 900,000 articles discussing how and when HFCS will kill you, and nearly as many describing the many ways HFCS will make you a better parent and lover.

I'm a skeptic, so I read a lot to try to cut through the hype and fluff and bullshit. I really couldn't find any information regarding HFCS that wasn't corn industry PR or funded by an offshoot of the food processing industry. I didn't find any (authentic) medical journals saying "go for it!" or anything like that, either.

So here's a few links with a focus on HFCS and why it's a no-no.

Why You Should Never Eat High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup and Other Dangerous Sweeteners

High Time for a High-Fructose Detox

Make your own judgement call on this stuff. I just wanted to get this out there in case you're wondering I'm focusing on craft sodas and snacks here (and grilling sauces etc over at BBQHoney).

Oh yeah, diet soda sucks too.

Most supermarket bread has HFCS as well, so we make our own. It's too easy not to do it (even without a bread machine!) so I'll nod to the guys over at First We Feast (hey!) and offer this link. Now you have No Excuse. Homemade/handmade bread tastes better every time.

Just do it