FOOD HISTORY TIMELINE
2011 to 20122011 World population is expected to hit 7 billion in October. 2011 U.S. President Barack Obama signs a bill overhauling the nation’s food safety system. It emphasizes prevention of foodborne illness, requiring more government inspections and allowing federal regulators to order the recall of unsafe products. 2011 U.K. The Cornish Pasty wins "protected geographical indication" (PGI) status from European commission. Only pasties prepared in Cornwall and following the traditional recipe can now be described as Cornish Pasties. The Cornish Pasty Association said a genuine Cornish pasty had a distinctive "D" shape and was crimped on one side, never on top. "The texture of the filling is chunky, made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef (not less than 12.5%), swede, potato, and onion with a light seasoning. The pastry casing is golden in colour, savoury, glazed with milk or egg and robust enough to retain its shape throughout the cooking and cooling process without splitting or cracking. The pasty is slow-baked and no artificial flavourings or additives must be used." 2011 The bookstore chain 'Borders' filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
2011 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the Eastern Cougar officially extinct. 2011 Japan: A massive earthquake of magnitude 9.0 struck at 2:46 pm off the northeastern coast of Japan. The most powerful earthquake in Japan's history, it triggered powerful tsunami waves of up 133 feet high which caused a major nuclear accident at a power plant. More than 15,000 people were killed and at least 332,000 buildings were destroyed. 2011 The UK bans Immigrants from outside the European Economic Area from working as chefs in fast food and takeaway restaurants. 2011 The Los Angeles Unified School District agreed to remove flavored milk (chocolate and strawberry) from its menus to help combat childhood obesity. 2011 Record high temperatures on the East Coast in July: Newark, New Jersey hit a record high of 108°F at 3pm. 2011 Friendly Ice Cream restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy.
2011 Canada released the first of the country's newest banknotes - $100 bills made from a plastic polymer. 2011 Donald J. Tyson died. President and CEO of Tyson Foods, he built his fathers Arkansas chicken feed and hatchery business into one of the largest producers of chicken, beef and pork in the world. 2011 Wicked Whoopies and radio station WMGX teamed up to create a record breaking 1,067 Whoopie Pie in South Portland, Main. 2011 Harry Coover died. Inventor of 'Eastman 910' commonly known as Super Glue. 2011 A Berlin court ordered breweries to stop advertising beer as good for peoples looks and health. 2011 Research from the University of Cambridge shows that fluctuations of serotonin levels in the brain, which often occur when someone hasn’t eaten or is stressed, affects brain regions that enable people to regulate anger. 2012 Austrian police stopped 3 vans about to cross the border into Hungary. The vans contained 9.5 tons of garlic stolen in Spain, with an estimated value of $37,500. 2012 The movie 'The Hunger Games' premiered in Los Angeles, California. 2012 Boston Market restaurants announced that salt shakers have been removed from tables at all 476 locations, as part of an overall initiative to provide healthier options for guests. 2012 A 593 pound Bluefin Tuna sold for a record $724,000 (56.49 million yen) at Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market - that's about $1,220 per pound! 2012 Canada stops production of its penny. The coins are withdrawn from circulation on February 4, 2013. 2012 Best Western U.S. hotel chain announced plans to build 66 hotels in India, 10 to 15 hotels each year for the next five years. 2012 U.S. first class postage rates are raised to 45 cents and post cards to 32 cents. 2012 A team at Maastricht University in the Netherlands announced they have successfully used stem cells to grow muscle tissue, with the goal of producing the first lab-grown hamburger later this year. 2012 Rebekah Speight of Dakota City, Nebraska sold a McDonald's Chicken McNugget that resembles President George Washington for $8,100 on eBay. She had kept the McNugget in her freezer for 3 years before deciding to sell it. 2012 Industry research firm Technomic reported that Wendy's is now the number 2 Hamburger chain in the U.S., overtaking Burger King, now number 3. McDonald's is still number 1. (Based on 2011 sales) 2012 Israel passed the ‘Photoshop Law’, which bans the showing of overly thin models in local advertising in an attempt to fight the spread of eating disorders. 2012 The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared more than 1,000 counties in 26 states natural disaster areas due to widespread drought in the Midwest. 2012 The Black Bear Casino Resort in Carlton, Minnesota created a record breaking Bacon Cheeseburger weighing in at 2,014 pounds. At 10 feet in diameter, the burger was topped with 60 lbs of bacon, 40 lbs of cheese, 50 lbs of sliced onions, 50 lbs of lettuce and 40 lbs of pickles. 2012 On October 9 the last filling of 6.5 ounce returnable glass Coke bottles was capped in Winona, Minnesota. (See Coca-Cola Trivia)
2012 The film 'Butter' about a young girl with a talent for butter carving, opened in the U.S. and Canada. 2012 Pizza Hut Canada produced 110 bottles of 'Eau de Pizza Hut' perfume to commemorate reaching 100,000 Facebook fans. 2012 The movies 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi' and 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen' opened in U.S. theatres.
2012 The movie 'The Hunger Games' premiered today in the U.S. 2012 About 20 million Britons in southern and eastern England were banned from using garden hoses for gardening or cleaning, due to a 2 year drought. Anyone caught using a 'hosepipe' faces a fine of 1,000 pounds ($1,500). 2012 Indonesia suspends some U.S. beef imports following the discovery of an American dairy cow in California infected with mad cow disease. 2012 For 2 days 900 mile wide Hurricane Superstorm 'Sandy' with 90 mph winds hits the East Coast of the U.S. Sandy drops up to 12 inches of rain; record 32.5 foot wave in NY harbor; 14 foot storm surge floods New York subways; shuts down Wall Street for several days; causes blizzards in West Virginia and Maryland; floods communities in 23 states; cuts power to more than 8 million residents; destroys beaches up and down the Eastern U.S. The worst storm in U.S. history. 2012 December 12: "Y12" - The end of the Long Count Maya Calendar Cycle (5,125.37 years). Despite predictions, the world did not end. 2012 Canada stops production of its penny. The coins are withdrawn from circulation on February 4, 2013.
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