Obsession with millennials so pervades contemporary culture that even millennials, notorious for their self-regard, have grown weary of hearing about themselves. But while there was a time when non-millennials could at least dismiss their juniors' fancies for Frisbees, breakfast cereal and nonstop Nickelodeon as kid stuff, that's getting harder to do now that members of the generation born between 1981 and 1996 (as defined by the Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C.) are having kids of their own.

New inclusions from U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, PreGel, Inclusion Technologies, plus more!

I am in a reflective state of mind as I wrap up my last regular contribution to “Culturally Speaking.” While I do not advocate living in the past, there is much to be learned from what has come before us so we move smartly into the future.

According to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), roughly 72% of the world’s cocoa production occurs in West Africa, with Latin America accounting for another 18% and Asia and Oceana shoring up the remaining 10%. So for North American chocoholics, there really is no such thing as locally sourced chocolate.

Dairy foods aren’t naturally great sources of fiber, but many fiber ingredients are added to dairy foods. The new Nutrition Facts regulations have redefined fiber, increasing the Daily Value from 25 to 28 grams, and making the calculation of fiber content on the food label more complicated.

IFT16, held at The McCormick Place South in Chicago, showcases the largest collection of food ingredients, equipment, processing and packaging suppliers. Processors can learn about the latest global food trends, see displays of the products and innovations designed to address these trends, and attend educational sessions that address important issues for today. The expo kicks off Saturday, July 16, with an awards ceremony and welcome reception.

If there’s a universal truth we can all count on, it’s that America’s three favorite ice-cream flavors will always be vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Right? Wrong. Per the International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, D.C., our top three picks last year were vanilla, chocolate and butter pecan.