America's grillers are going gourmet.  According to the latest Weber Tailgating Study, half of today's US tailgate grillers report that they consider themselves to be either "gourmet" food grillers or "between a gourmet and a basics" food griller.

According statistics from Weber, "basics" tailgate grillers spend an average of $441 in groceries per year for their parking lot parties, "gourmet" tailgaters spend an average of $1,001.  This comes out to an average of $106 per tailgate for the basics group versus $165 among the gourmets.

Despite serving billions, a recent survey by Consumer Reports puts McDonald's at the bottom of the list of best fast-food burgers.

Consumer Reports surveyed 28,000 online subscribers on their favorite fast-food restaurant burger, among the standouts were In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries-- McDonald's came in a distant last place among respondents.

According to leading consumer advocacy group Consumer Reports in most cases store brands are just as good as national brands.

In 21 head-to-head taste match-ups, national brands won seven times, the store brand came out on top in three instances, and the remainder resulted in ties.

Americans have a healthy appetite for pasta according to a new survey commissioned by Olive Garden.

A survey conducted by Kelton Research found that 97 percent of Americans are pasta eaters, with nearly one in four considering spaghetti their favorite.  Three quarters of Americans who eat pasta prefer traditional pasta sauces of either meat, Alfredo or marinara.

As the nation's egg recall continues, the American Egg Board is urging consumers to exercise caution when using their products.

According to a statement released Tuesday by the American Egg Board, egg farmers are continuing to work closely with government officials to help ensure the safety and quality of the egg supply.

Is Oregon the next foodie paradise?  The state's tourism board thinks so.

"Play. Catch. Eat. Travel Oregon" announced plans Monday that they are sending ten of the state's top chefs across Oregon to document local food culture.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning consumers of a nationwide recall on eggs.

Hundreds have been sickened by the spread of salmonella since May.  CDC officials tracked the root of the outbreak to in-shell eggs from Wright County Egg in Galt Iowa, which instituted an immediate recall.

Organic foods continue to be popular choices for American consumers.

An informal survey by Harris Interactive found that three out of four adults continue to purchase natural and, or organic foods-- that's up from 73 percent in 2009.  The study also found that the number of organic products found in consumers' grocery baskets has increased.  Twenty-seven percent of adults say that natural and/or organic foods comprise more than a quarter of their total food purchases, up from 20 percent a year ago.

Good news for chocolate lovers-- according to the American Heart Association, eating moderate amounts of chocolate lowers the risks of heart failure in middle-aged and older women.

Scientists followed a group of middle-aged and elderly Swedish women who regularly ate a small amount of chocolate.  They found that the women who ate chocolate were at lower risk for heart failure compared to those who didn't eat chocolate.  The study is the first to examine long-term effects of eating chocolate on heart failure rates, it was published in "Circulation: Heart Failure," a journal of the American Heart Association.

The body of one of France's top chefs was discovered wrapped in a freezer in Lyon Tuesday.

Chef Jean-Francois Poinard, 71, has been missing for two years, police have arrested his 51-year-old girlfriend after receiving a tip.

On CNN, Lyon police said the body of the retired chef was found in an apartment he had shared with his girlfriend.

"An initial examination suggests the body could have been there for up to two years," Sky News quoted a police spokesman as saying. "A full post-mortem examination will be carried out to discover the precise cause of death."

Natural food maker, Bear Naked, is adding a line of soft-baked granola cookies.

The new "Bear Naked 100% Pure & Natural Soft-Baked Granola Cookies" are available in Double Chocolate and Fruit & Nut flavors.  Each are baked with whole grains and simple ingredients.

The Senate passed the "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act" on Thursday.  The bill provides an additional $4.5 billion over 10 years to federal child nutrition programs, including school lunch. The bill was heavily lobbied for by First Lady Michelle Obama and if signed into law, it will be the first time that the federal government has increased funding for the programs in 30 years.

New research out from Temple University and the National Institutes of Health reinforces the theory that a low-carb diet lowers your risk for weight gain and cardiovascular problems.

The study from the Temple University Center for Obesity Research and Education and funded by the NIH was published this week in the "Annals of Internal Medicine."

Three new salad dressing flavors are coming to a store near you.

Girard's Premium Salad Dressings announced this week the launch of their new summer flavors: apple poppyseed, creamy balsamic and peach mimosa.  The company also unveiled a contemporary new label design for its signature triangle-shaped bottle.

A catamaran made out of 12,500 plastic bottles and recycled waste products completed its journey across the Pacific Ocean Monday to raise awareness of the ocean's fisheries.

The Plastiki left San Francisco in late March with a six-man crew and sailed 11,000 nautical miles across the Pacific on renewable energy to Sydney, Australia.

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have found traditional government efforts aimed at helping people make healthier food choices aren’t going far enough.

Federal, state and city policies aimed at promoting healthy eating have traditionally focused on providing consumers with nutritional information. However, research published in a recent issue of the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, shows that making healthier food more convenient as well as providing nutritional information can help individuals make better choices.

Weber-Stephen Products, the company known for its line of kettle, charcoal and gas grills has released a new app for the popular iPad computer.

The new "On the Grill" app sells for $4.99 in the iTunes store, and includes more than 250 recipes for meat, chicken, fish, pork and vegetables. It includes step by step instructions on making 40 different barbecue sauces and rubs. Each recipe includes high resolution, clearly defined photographs of the finished product that can be enlarged with the tap of a finger.

The three worst cities to eat in Europe can all be found in the United Kingdom according to the third annual European Cities Survey from the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor.

The survey revealed that British food still has a bad reputation amongst travelers. London topped the list for the second year in a row despite being home to some of the world’s finest chefs.  Liverpool's cuisine was voted second worst; and, despite being the birthplace of one of Britain's most treasured dishes, chicken tikka massala, Birmingham's food was rated the third worst in Europe.

The leading publication on the pastry, ice cream and chocolate industries has named Dunkin' Brands' Executive Pastry Chef Christopher Boos as one of the top ten pastry chefs of 2010.

Dessert Professional Magazine honored Boos at a reception at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City Wednesday night.  Other prestigious pastry chefs honored included Steve Evetts of the Marriot Marquis Hotel in New York City; Yannis Janssens of the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach; Nicholas Lodge of the French Pastry School in Chicago and Roy Pell from The Phoenician in Scottsdale, AZ.