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Happy Thanksgiving! (and a few food facts...)

By: Julie Steininger | 11/22/2011

Today at Standing we indulged in our annual Thanksgiving Potluck lunch. From the Apple Snicker Salad to the zesty cranberries, it was delicious and fun! And here's the "family" photo to prove it - even with some of us in our complementary argyle sweaters (or socks)!

This is the time of year when many of our thoughts focus on food. And as a firm that works in the Agriculture & Nutrition industries, we want to share a few interesting food facts:

• We recently enjoyed a conversation with an expert from the U.S. Soybean Export Council. He is preparing to move to Beijing and informed us that the Chinese spend about 20 percent of their income on food compared to about 12 percent in the United States. Not so bad, when you consider Egyptians spend 40 percent of their income on food.
• The American Farm Bureau Federation recently reported that the retail cost of a classic Thanksgiving dinner to feed 10 people increased about 13 percent this year to $49.20 from $43.47 in 2010. AFBF President Bob Stallman says this is still a bargain, at just under $5 per person. And I don't think that even factors in all the leftovers!
• Monsanto reminds us to keep America's farm families and their tireless work in mind this Thursday as we celebrate Thanksgiving. The company is working to raise awareness about the important role of agriculture and farm families in meeting the demands of our growing planet through efforts including this "Thank America's Farmers" video.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted in Agriculture and Nutrition