Spring is a natural time to keep an eye on things . . . certain indicators, if you will. It might be signs of life from your lawn or garden. Or, like me, you might be looking for signs of life from your fantasy baseball team. Chances are, you’re also watching for any signs of an uptick in the economy.

It would be understandable if some companies viewed today’s economy as an excuse to shrink back and simply stay afloat. And it’s no surprise that others are trimming the fat everywhere.  But then there are the optimists; the companies that, for better or worse, committed to projects before the downturn, and plan to see them through.

There are enough opinions, theories and issues behind the story of Pilgrim’s Pride and its mid-February decision to officially “idle” three plants - that the resulting ruckus could be compared to a hen house, complete with flying feathers and lots of squawking.

The Chill Factor is a new R&FF blog. Watch this space for updates and additional blogs!

Do you know how many consumers would consider themselves fans of your brand? What percentage of these people uses the internet?

At a time when consumers demand value, branded retail food companies no longer can afford a dysfunctional approach to R&D. Gone are the days of  emphasizing development over consumer research.

Every Sunday morning I get up, start the coffee maker and open my front door to retrieve the plump Sunday paper. It’s one of my favorite weekend rituals and I’ve observed it for years. I love attempting the Sunday crossword and reading the Metro and entertainment sections. But lately, a new part of the paper has drawn my interest.

What qualities does someone need to successfully lead a food company? That topic captivated me last September when Refrigerated & Frozen Foods profiled Nestlé Prepared Foods Co. and, in part, its President and CEO Angelo Iantosca.

The food world is full of unlikely combinations. For example, a few years ago a friend told me about her new odd “combo” obsession. I tried it, and consequently spent more than a handful of evenings eating spoonfuls of peanut butter dipped in vanilla yogurt.

I admit it. After attempts at resistance, I recently jumped on two bandwagons.