The Numbers for Friday, January 3: Hot food

54%

The precentage of consumers that say hot and spicy foods are appealing, according to a survey by food and beverage consulting firm Technomic. That’s up from 48 percent in 2009, and reflects a growing trend of hot-and-spicy items on restaurant and fast-food menus, which see more selections of food with trendy desciptors like “chipotle” and “habanero.” One ingredient with some of fastest growth in popularity is, of course, Marketplace’s own favorite, Sriracha.  (Time)

0

The number of gentically-modified organisms (GMOs) that will be used in making Cheerios, according to an announcement by General Mills. The food company says it will use corn and sugar that have not been genetically modified to make the cereal in response to consumer demand for GMO-free products. Companies that use genetically-modified ingredients maintain they are safe, and the federal government hasn’t put down any strict regulation of them, but GMOs remain a hot-topic issue for the food industry. (Marketplace)