Food Product Design News

Fish Boosts Men’s Brain Power

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:38:21 GMT

DARTMOUTH, Nova Scotia—Swedish researchers have found a clear link between fish consumption and higher cognitive scores among teenage males, according to a new study published in Acta Paediatrica.

The study, “Fish intake of Swedish male adolescents is a predictor of cognitive performance,” found 15-year old males who ate fish at least once a week had higher cognitive skills at age 18 than those who ate it less frequently.

“There are a number of studies linking Omega-3 EPA/DHA found in oily fish to thinking, reasoning, and remembering abilities—our cognitive functions—in infants and the elderly," said Ocean Nutrition Canada’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Jon Getzinger. “We know that Omega-3 EPA/DHA is a critical nutrient for these age groups, but studies like this demonstrate that Omega-3 EPA/DHA from fish oil is important for our bodies and minds not just when we’re young or older, but throughout our lives. In addition to validating the essential need our bodies have for Omega-3 EPA/DHA, such studies highlight its deficiency in our diets, a deficiency easily addressed by eating fatty fish, by taking Omega-3 EPA/DHA dietary supplements, and by consuming Omega-3 EPA/DHA fortified foods. Given how difficult it can often be to get younger children and teens to eat fatty fish Omega-3 EPA/DHA enhanced foods are an easy way to incorporate this nutrient into their diets."

Ocean Nutrition Canada, Silliker to Test Omega-3s

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:23:53 GMT

HOMEWOOD, Ill.—Ocean Nutrition Canada (ONC) selected Silliker Group Corporation as a laboratory partner for the analysis of Omega fatty acids in North America and Europe.

“Having an accurate and reliable laboratory assist our customers in confirming the appropriate level and stability of our MEG-3® product is very important to us. We’re very pleased to have partnered with the world-class organization Silliker to provide those services,” said Jon Getzinger, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited.

Under the testing agreement, Silliker Canada Co. and Dr. A Verwey will serve as ONC service providers in North America and Europe. Both laboratories are widely recognized for their expertise in fat and oil analysis.

“Working with food companies to create healthy and nutritious products is a vital and growing part of our business,” said Pamela Coleman, vice president of marketing and business development for Silliker. “Helping to verify the initial nutrient level as well as the stability over time is a core part of our services. Historically, Silliker has focused on microbial product stability studies, but we have broadened our capabilities to focus more intently on nutrient and functional ingredient analysis.”

As part of this service expansion, Silliker recently acquired 100 percent of Biofortis, a leading French contract research organization specializing in providing nutrition clinical studies for health ingredients.

Sustainable Packaging on the Rise

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:01:33 GMT

LONDON—Sustainable packaging is one of a growing number of consumer issues driven by ethics, economics and environmentalism; therefore, more brands need to consider adapting their present approach to accommodate sustainable packaging, according to a new Datamonitor report.

Results of Datamonitor’s consumer survey in the second half of 2008 revealed that 39 percent of U.K. consumers said packaging design has a medium or high level of influence over their choice of food and drink products. However, of this proportion, only 9 percent said it exerted a high level of influence on their purchases. Few consumers will admit to the influence that packaging has on their decision-making process, as it is often taken for granted. However, increasing consumer concern about ecological matters means that packaging is an issue that is rising to prominence.

According to the report, all consumer packaged goods companies should continue to evaluate their packaging in order to align themselves with an emerging consumer trend. Sustainable packaging would not only benefit the environment but also manufacturers and consumers. Updating packaging can also be a more credible way to make cost savings than using methods such as “package shrink” or more accurately “portion shrink”, where a smaller amount of the product is sold at the same price.

Codex Adopts Key Food-Safety Standards

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:29:42 GMT

ROME—The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) adopted more than 30 new international standards, codes of practice and guidelines to improve worldwide food safety and protect the health of consumers during its meeting June 29-July 4.

New standards adopted by the CAC include a reduction of acrylamide in foods; reduction of contamination with Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH); prevention of Ochratoxin A contamination in coffee; powdered follow-up formula; Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods; and regional standards for ginseng products, fermented soy bean paste and gochujang.

“The standards and guidelines adopted this week will make a positive impact on the lives of people around the world,” said CAC Chairperson Karen Hulebak. “The Commission is working faster than ever before to address the most pressing food safety challenges we face.”

CAC also launched new work projects including establishing maximum levels for melamine in food and feed.

Food-Price Inflation Still a Risk

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:07:37 GMT

Fluctuations in input costs that forced increases in food manufacturing costs and retail prices in 2008 have fallen; however, food-price inflation remains a long-term risk, according to Willard Bishop’s 2009 "Future of Food Retailing" report.

As reported by MarketingDaily, Bishop managing partner Jim Hertel said the jump in input costs seen in last year's first half deflated suddenly when the economic crisis "knocked the floor" out of many commodities prices; however, some up-tick has been seen again during the past three months. He said no one can say whether that uptick will continue in the short term, many of the fundamental dynamics underlying the cost/price uptrend pattern that was in place prior to the onset of the economic crisis have not changed.

Simple Dietary Changes Equal Health Gains

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:58:25 GMT

OMAHA, Neb.—Modest reductions in calorie and sodium intake significantly can benefit health, leading to improved productivity and a reduction in U.S. medical expenditures, according to two studies commissioned by ConAgra and published in the July issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

“One of the most revealing findings was just how big an impact 100 calories less per day can have compared to the more modest benefit of sodium reductions,” said lead author Timothy Dall of The Lewin Group.

The studies documented the impact of diet changes among the 225 million adults living in America by using information from sources such as the National Center for Health Statistics, The National Academy of Sciences and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The results show eating 100 calories less per day for each adult would lead to more than $100 billion in savings over the entire adult population based on today’s costs. This would come from $58 billion worth of medical cost savings by reducing the number of cases of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other diseases; plus an increase in national productivity of $46 billion due to reduced absenteeism and disability. By comparison, this research found that the combined economic gain from medical cost savings and productivity gains from reducing dietary sodium intake by 400 milligrams would be about $5 billion.

General Mills Reports Record Results

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:43:09 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS—General Mills reported strong financial results for the fourth quarter and full 2009 fiscal year. For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2009, General Mills net sales grew 8 percent to $14.7 billion. Volume (measured in pounds) contributed 2 points of sales growth.

Foreign currency translation reduced sales growth by 2 percentage points. Gross margin essentially matched prior-year levels despite 9 percent inflation in the company’s input costs. Consumer marketing investment rose 16 percent in 2009, including strong growth in worldwide media spending. Segment operating profit increased 10 percent to exceed $2.6 billion.

During 2009, the company incurred restructuring expenses totaling $42 million pre-tax, and recorded a net pre-tax gain of $85 million from divestitures. Net earnings grew 1 percent to $1.3 billion including a net decline in mark-to-market valuation of certain commodity positions, the net gain from divestitures, proceeds from an insurance recovery, and expense associated with a discrete tax item. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) grew 2 percent to reach $3.80. Earnings per share excluding the mark-to-market, divestiture, tax and insurance items would total $3.98, a 13 percent increase from comparable earnings of $3.52 per share in fiscal 2008.

Chairman and CEO Ken Powell said: “In today’s very challenging economic environment, our leading food brands offer the quality, convenience and value that consumers are looking for and, as a result, our businesses are showing strong growth. In 2009, we held our margins in the face of sharply higher input costs, and we significantly increased the level of consumer marketing support for our brands. These actions have positioned General Mills to achieve another year of good growth in fiscal 2010.”

CRA Refutes Anti-HFCS News Reports

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:24:51 GMT

WASHINGTON—The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) released a statement refuting recent news reports surrounding highly-publicized marketing campaigns regarding high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Recent announcements by Starbucks and other brands that they will remove HFCS from certain products are being called into question in news articles by several experts and respected journalists. These articles have poked holes in companies’ marketing efforts and put forth scientifically substantiated facts about sweeteners commonly used in foods.

“Consumers are being misled into thinking that there are nutritional differences between high fructose corn syrup and sugar, when in fact they are nutritionally the same,” said Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association. “Whether from cane, beets, or corn, a sugar is a sugar. They all contain four calories per gram. Switching out a kind of corn sugar for table sugar is not for health and it is not for science. It is for quarterly earnings. It is unfortunate that consumers are being duped by these marketing gimmicks – gimmicks which may result in higher food prices at checkout.”

Canada Unleashed New Organic Label

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:45:47 GMT

OTTAWA—The Canadian Food Inspection Agency created new organic logo with rigorous standards for the certification of products as organic by accredited certification bodies. Products that meet the production requirements and contain at least 95 per cent organic content may be labeled as "organic" and feature the new Biologique Canada Organic Logo.

Canada's Organic Products Regulations (OPR), which came into force on June 30, 2009, apply to domestic and imported products. Regardless of origin, all products seeking organic certification must meet Canada's standards. To this end, an equivalency arrangement was recently reached with the United States to allow Canadian and American products to be certified as organic in either country.

"This organic logo allows consumers to make informed, confident choices," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "At the same time, the new regulations will allow Canadian organic farmers.

Rumba Pork Line Caters to Hispanic Consumers

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:32:05 GMT

WICHITA, Kan.—Cargill launched a new pork line of variety meat cuts under its Rumba® brand, which caters to the needs of Hispanic consumers. The new Rumba pork products include ears, hocks, jowls, kidneys, neck bones, split front feet, stomach, tails, fatback skins, hearts and livers.

The Rumba pork products offered are based on extensive consumer research to match and exceed the needs and expectations of multicultural customers such as Hispanics and African Americans, who are primary users of pork specialty meats in traditional dishes.

Rumba is one of the first brands to focus on the multicultural customer offering fresh variety meat cuts in U. S. mainstream meat cases. Rumba brand beef products were launched in 2007 and the line is now being extended to cover pork variety meat cuts.

"Our research showed that there was a limited number of pork variety meats in the mainstream meat case. Rumba variety meats represent quality, fresh products that our customers trust. With the Rumba brand, our customers can conveniently make authentic, favorite family recipes for their entire family,” said Kelly Perrier, Cargill Pork brand manager.

Cargill Acquires NatureWorks

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:51:27 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS—Cargill will assume full ownership of NatureWorks LLC, as part of Teijin Limited's general portfolio restructuring in response to the global economic downturn. Previously a 50-50 joint venture, NatureWorks is now an independent company wholly owned by Cargill.

NatureWorks, maker of Ingeo™ biobased plastics and resins derived from annually renewable resources, had operated as a Cargill-Teijin joint venture since October 2007. Teijin and Cargill officials indicated they are dissolving the joint venture in a friendly manner and intend to maintain close relations.

The ownership transfer will not affect day-to-day operations at NatureWorks. Cargill officials said establishing the business as an independent, wholly owned Cargill entity provides NatureWorks with the flexibility to pursue a wide range of opportunities.

"The green product space is ripe for investment and expansion as never before," said Cargill Senior Vice President Paul Conway. "As a green pioneer, NatureWorks is well established with a broad product and customer base. While others put up pilot plants, NatureWorks has been commercial for six years, is increasing Ingeo™ production availability at its first facility and exploring possibilities for a second plant. We've rounded the first turn while others are at the starting gate."

Bulk Food 35% Cheaper Than Packaged

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:36:26 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Bulk foods are an average of 35 percent lower in price, according to a recent study conducted by the Bulk is Green Council comparing retail prices of bulk foods and their packaged counterparts. Bulk foods were lower for all of the 16 foods compared, with savings ranging from 3 percent to 96 percent. The majority of bulk foods compared in the study were organic varieties and their packaged counterparts often were not.

Bulk herbs and spices offered the greatest savings. The most dramatic difference was bay leaves with bulk savings of 96 percent—meaning, on average, packaged bay leaves cost 24 times more than bulk bay leaves. Almost as dramatic was thyme with bulk savings of 87 percent.

While the USDA estimates that packaging contributes an average of 8 percent to the retail cost of food, that percentage is no doubt higher for herbs and spices where a package often costs the food maker—and the consumer—more than its contents. The package costs more to transport as well. Packaged foods were generally more competitive in price in situations where minimal packaging is the norm, i.e. beans, rice and nuts.

The study was conducted at multiple grocery stores in three metropolitan markets. To reduce the impact of price aberrations from market to market, collected prices were then averaged with the suggested retail prices of a leading national food distributor of both bulk and packaged foods. Foods from both natural product and conventional stores were studied. When a store offered more than one brand of a specific product, the lowest-priced brand was used in the study.

Naturex Lauded for Eco Commitment

hgranato@vpico.com (HEATHER GRANATO) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:35:48 GMT

AVIGNON, France— Naturex was included in the 2009 SB20 List: the World’s Top 20 Sustainable Stocks, selected by green stock analysts and published by SustainableBusiness.com. The 8^th annual listing includes 20 public companies that are dedicated to sustainable business and environmental practices, as well as a history of healthy profitability and a good long-term investment opportunity.

Rona Fried, Ph.D., CEO of SustainableBusiness.com, said: “Naturex was selected for this year’s SB20 List in the ‘sustainable food’ category because it produces products from plant extracts, replacing chemical ingredients. Besides being plant-based, its flavorings, colorings, antioxidants and preservatives are GMO-free and not tested on animals, providing a much healthier and environmentally responsible alternative for the food industry.”

Prepackaged Meal Kits Recalled

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:19:52 GMT

WASHINGTON—The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that Traditions, a Pearl, Miss., firm, is recalling an undetermined amount of various boxed prepackaged meal kits that contain separate portions of instant nonfat dried milk, which was previously recalled.

Due to potential Salmonella contamination, FDA recalled instant nonfat dried milk products on June 28, 2009. Although the nonfat dried milk product already has been recalled, the master boxes that contain various prepackaged meal items, bear the USDA mark of inspection on the outside of the box.

The recall involves boxes of "TRADITIONS MEAL SOLUTIONS" prepackaged meal kits and boxes of "ILSmeals Home Meal Delivery Service" prepackaged meal kits.

Each box contains approximately two to 12 meals; the final shipping containers bear the establishment number "EST. 18350" and/or "P-18350" within the USDA mark of inspection printed on the side of the box.

The prepackaged meals were distributed nationwide to various food distributors and regional nutrition service providers; the meals were not available for consumer purchase.

Click here to view a copy of the complete recall.

Periogies Recalled for Amaranth Red #2

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:02:06 GMT

WASHINGTON—The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that Buffalo SAV, Inc., a Buffalo, N.Y., firm, is recalling approximately 208,768 pounds of frozen meat and poultry products because they contain an unapproved ingredient, Amaranth Red #2, declared on the label.

The recall involves six different varieties of 16- and 32-ounce bags of meat and poultry perogies. There are no package or case codes. The frozen meat and poultry products were produced June 1, 2008 through June 5, 2009, and were sent to distributors and retail establishments in California, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania.

Click here to view a copy of the complete recall.

EU OKs GM Maize Safety

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:50:19 GMT

PARMA, Italy—The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reconfirmed the genetically modified maize, MON 810, is "as safe as its conventional counterpart with respect to potential effects on human and animal health," reported Reuters. The insect-resistant maize, developed and marketed by Monsanto, is the only genetically modified crop as yet commercially grown in Europe.

EFSA also said MON 810 maize was "unlikely to have any adverse effect on the environment in the context of its intended uses." Those intended uses include seed for cultivation.

Eco-Atkins Diet Lowers LDL

tesquivel@vpico.com (TERESA ESQUIVEL) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:23:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS—A new study shows a vegetarian version of the Atkins low-carbohydrate diet may help people lose weight and lower levels of low-density lipoprotien (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol in the blood. The traditional Atkins diet consists of low carbohydrate foods and a high intake of animal protein.
Researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto, in collaboration with researchers from Solae LLC, studied the effect of a modified version of the Atkins diet on both weight loss and heart disease risk factors. The study, published in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at weight loss and heart disease risk factors of subjects who followed a diet low in carbohydrates, but high in vegetable proteins that included soy.
Forty-seven overweight men and women with elevated blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels were given either a low carbohydrate diet where the protein came from vegetable sources, including soy, or a high carbohydrate, low-fat, lacto-ovo vegetarian diet for four weeks. Calorie restriction was similar for both groups. There was similar weight loss and lowered blood pressure in both groups; however, the low carbohydrate, higher protein diet group also saw significant reductions in LDL cholesterol and other heart disease risk factors like apolipoproteins, blood triglyceride levels and blood pressure.
Results showed that participants who ate a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet high in plant-based proteins, oils and fiber lost weight and experienced improvements in blood cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors. These findings suggest that an eco-friendly version of the Atkins weight-loss diet—stressing plant proteins—is better than a high carbohydrate weight-loss diet at reducing risk factors of heart disease.
“Our study demonstrated that when a low carbohydrate diet was given using plant foods rather than the more usual animal proteins and fats, advantages were seen in cholesterol and blood pressure reduction,” said Dr. David J. A. Jenkins. “Soy proteins and nuts were valuable sources of protein and nuts also provided healthy oils. These foods have individually been associated with cholesterol reduction in other studies.”

E. Coli Confirmed in Nestlé Cookie Dough

jbizzozero@vpico.com (Judie Bizzozero) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:26:22 GMT

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in a sample of prepackaged Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough currently under recall. The contaminated sample was collected at Nestlé’s facility in Danville, Va., on June 25.

Nestlé issued a June 19 recall on all varieties of Nestlé TOLL HOUSE refrigerated Cookie & Brownie Dough Bar; Cookie Dough Tub; Cookie Dough Tube; Limited Edition Cookie Dough items; Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough after the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli.

Draft Guidance on Pistachio, Salmonella Risk Issued

tesquivel@vpico.com (TERESA ESQUIVEL) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:40:29 GMT

WASHINGTON—The Food and Drug Administration announced the availability of a draft guidance for industry, “Guidance for Industry: Measures to Address the Risk for Contamination by Salmonella Species in Food Containing a Pistachio-Derived Product as an Ingredient.”
When finalized, the guidance is intended to clarify for manufacturers who produce foods containing a pistachio-derived product as an ingredient that there is a risk that Salmonella species may be present in the incoming pistachio-derived product, and to recommend measures to address that risk.
Submit written or electronic comments concerning the draft guidance by August 28, 2009.

Walnuts Reduce LDL Cholesterol

tesquivel@vpico.com (TERESA ESQUIVEL) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:43:47 GMT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Harvard researchers found high-walnut-enriched diets significantly decreased total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol during short-term trials (Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90(1):56-63). Literature databases were searched for published trials that compared a specifically walnut-enhanced diet with a control diet. Researchers conducted a random-effects meta-analysis of weighted mean differences (WMDs) of lipid outcomes. Thirteen studies representing 365 participants were included in the analysis. Diets lasted four to 24 weeks with walnuts providing 10 to 24 percent of total calories.
When compared with control diets, diets supplemented with walnuts resulted in a significantly greater decrease in total cholesterol and in LDL-cholesterol concentrations. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides were not significantly affected by walnut diets more than with control diets. Other results reported in the trials indicated walnuts provided significant benefits for certain antioxidant capacity and inflammatory markers and had no adverse effects on body weight.