NG Food Europe

Appearance Matters More Than Taste for Meat Substitutes

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:45:00 +0000

If it's true that you eat with your eyes, then meat substitutes may be in for a rough time, according to a new study. Researchers in the Netherlands found that the appearance of meat substitutes in a meal may have more of an effect on consumer acceptance than flavour and texture.

Researchers set out to investigate the role of meal context on the acceptance of meat substitutes. They focused on Quorn pieces and mince (mycoprotein and egg white), tofu trips (soy bean curd and olive oil), Tivall stir fry pieces (soy, egg and pea proteins, vegetable oil), Goodbite chicken style (soy, egg and wheat proteins), and Vivera vega stir fry pieces (soy protein and olive oil).

A total of 93 participants were recruited in the Wageningen area of the Netherlands. Vegetarians and people with allergies to any of the replacements were excluded, while participants had varying levels of meat consumption. In general, the use of meat substitutes amongst this group was low.

On 10 days within a two week period, the participants attended a central location and took part in two tests. The first assessed the role of appropriateness and meal context on acceptance: meat substitutes of the same brand and constitution, but with a different shape and appearance (pieces versus mince) were served in four different meal concepts (rice, spaghetti, soup and salad). Participants' appropriateness, positive reaction and intention to use the meat substitute before and after tasting were assessed.

The researchers found that acceptance of meat substitutes was influenced by the overall meat concept and appropriateness of a meal substitute in a meal as rated before tasting tended to influence acceptance of the meal.

"For meat substitutes to be accepted by non-vegetarian consumers, the shape and appearance was importance," said the report. "The ingredients, flavour and texture of the meat substitutes did not seem to be crucial for the acceptance of meals with meat substitutes."

Sensory research, including descriptive analysis is planned, but the researchers said there needs to be more emphasis on consumer evaluation of meal combinations instead of on the sensory properties of the individual product.

Meat consumption has come under the spotlight in recent times, as excessive consumption of meat, especially red meat, has been linked to increased risk of various cancers and other lifestyle diseases. In addition, high demand for animal-derived proteins is adding to climate change and sustainability concerns. Some countries, such as Sweden and Germany, have incorporated environmental advice on meat eating into dietary guidelines alongside health advice.

In 2007, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, suggested that food manufacturers could contribute to the reduction in meat consumption by tweaking product formulations to replace some of the meat in prepared foods with alternatives.

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Beetroot Juice Linked to Brain Health

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:54:00 +0000

New research suggests that, in addition to heart health benefits, beetroot juice could improve blood flow to the brain and therefore join the fight against dementia. According to scientists at Wake Forest University in the US, beetroot juice could prove a powerful tool in boosting brain health.

"There have been several high-profile studies showing that drinking beet juice can lower blood pressure, but we wanted to show that drinking beet juice also increases perfusion, or blood flow, to the brain," said Daniel Kim-Schapiro, director of the Translational Science Centre at Wake Forest University.

Improved blood flow to the brain is relevant to cognitive health and ageing because poorer blood flow in the brain among the elderly is believed to be linked to the onset of dementia. Beetroot is a high-nitrate food and nitrate has been found to help open blood vessels and improve blood flow, say scientists.

To do so, they took a group of 14 adults aged 70 or over and for two days fed half of them a high nitrate breakfast that included 16 ounces of beetroot juice, while the other half ate a low nitrate breakfast. After that, an MRI scan was taken before the two groups swapped breakfasts for two days before having another scan. The MRI scans revealed that blood flow to the white matter of the frontal lobes, an area commonly associated with dementia, was higher among those who had just had the high nitrate breakfast.

Perhaps not surprisingly, on the back of this recent research into the heart and stamina benefits of beetroot juice, it has begun to see its share of the market grow. In the UK, leading supermarket chain Waitrose recently revealed that sales had grown 82 percent over the past year, while bunched and prepared beetroot sales were also up 15 and 22 percent respectively.

Meanwhile the scientists at Wake Forest University behind this latest research say they are looking to exploit the market potential of beetroot juice and are currently working with a company to reduce the bitterness of the drink - with the aim of developing a new beetroot beverage. The university is also looking at ways of marketing the drink.

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EU Make Clear Progress on Meat Labelling

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:37:00 +0000

The EU is making a push for clearer food labelling rules on meat, to allow consumers to identify exactly where the food they have purchased has come from.

The new rules, which have the support of European health ministers, stipulate that mandatory country of origin labelling should be extended to lamb, pork and poultry.

Even though this was just the first step in the legislative process that will be part of a draft regulation on food information to consumers, NFU Scotland's food policy officer, Wendy Fleming, said she was pleased with the support the proposal had received.

"Consumers deserve to know, in a clear and concise manner, the exact origin of their food. NFUS has been pressing for mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) to be extended to a far wider range of foods.

NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: "Clear, accurate country of origin labelling has remained high on the public agenda and has seen comprehensive coverage by the press - and rightly so. Shopping trends tell us consumers want to Support British farmers and buy more home-grown and home-reared produce.

However the lack of transparency in labelling makes this difficult and it is clear to us that the current guidelines on food labelling simply aren't working.

"The NFU believes that labelling needs to provide accurate, clear and relevant information so consumers can make an informed choice. People buying meat and poultry products want to know where the animal was reared so they know exactly what they are eating.

Consumers also want consistency in labelling across all sectors and they deserve not to be misled. Today's political agreement is a big step in the right direction to achieving this."

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Children�s Food Ads Come Under Criticism in the EU

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:57:00 +0000

Given the increase in the rate of childhood obesity, the European Commission is coming under increasing pressure to act under the influence of consumer groups.

There is wide variety in the regulation of marketing across Europe, and few countries have specific rules to follow. Marketing of food and drink in the EU is based on a self-regulation: companies agree to abide by codes of conduct and do not promote unhealthy foods, especially to children.

In a recent study by the UK's Office for Science, it was estimated that approximately 25 percent of all children under the age of 16 could be obese by 2050. Furthermore, the European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG) states that there is "a direct relationship between advertising and higher rates of obesity in children."

Industry groups who are not in favour of a regulated industry have attempted appease the EU by launching a series of initiatives limiting food and drink advertising to children under the age of 12 across all advertising mediums. However, consumer organisations have remained dissatisfied and call for all marketing of unhealthy foods to children to cease entirely.

Fighting in favour of self-regulation, Will Gilroy of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) argues that marketing and advertising have been unfairly portrayed as being the ‘bad guys' in the obesity debate. Gilroy believes that marketing and advertising have become the scapegoat for childhood obesity. However, "there will always be an inclination to resist marketing," he says, "and then make a sensible and proportionate policy based on everything."

It is anticipated that the European Commission will release a list of permitted health claims by the end of 2011, after which food manufacturers will have six months to take any false claims off the market.

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HEAL Calls for Ban on BPA in Food Packaging

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 13:50:00 +0000

The Health and Environmental Alliance (HEAL) is calling for a ban on bisphenol A (BPA), after the European Commission continued to discuss the possible ban of the chemical in baby bottles.

EC health and consumer spokesman, Frederic Vincent told foodproductiondaily.com that the Commission wants to introduce a region-wide ban on the use of BPA in baby bottles and that it has initiated meetings with member states over the matter.

"There have been a few meetings with stakeholders and the Commission has the intention to move towards a ban of BPA in baby bottles," he said.

Lisette van Vliet, toxics policy advisor at HEAL, stated that the ban should be for "all food packaging for infants under 3 years old - and it should quickly be extended to all food packaging because, if babies during pregnancy are to be protected, consumption by women of child-bearing age should be avoided."

In late September the European Union's Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that it would not reduce or take any action to reduce or ban bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in plastic and food safety applications.

"At present there is no indication of what the opinion of member states will be but we know that two nations, France and Denmark, are already pushing for this," said Vincent.

Jasmin Bird, spokesperson for the PlasticsEurope Polycarbonate/Bisphenol A industry group, expressed surprise at the comments from the EC health and consumer DG in relation to BPA. Indeed, both the US and Europe defended the use of BPA in food packaging. Only France and Denmark have banned the substance completely. Canada has banned BPA in baby bottles.

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European Survey Shows Public Dislike for GM Food

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:49:00 +0000

According to a new report by the European Commissions, EU consumers are overwhelming opposed to GM food.

The survey - which was Europe-wide - showed that 61 percent of those questioned said the development of GM food should not be encouraged; only a smaller percent, accounting for around a quarter, said they supported GM modifications to their food.

The survey revealed that EU consumers do not see the benefits of GM food, and had an ‘overall suspicion of GM foods' and that the food was ‘probably unsafe or even harmful'.

The survey highlighted that opinions were very different between varying European countries, and that although those respondents in the UK who generally accepted GM food as a sensible option were outnumbered, they represented a larger percentage than in other European countries. Within the UK, 45 percent were opposed to GM food, a stat that ranked only the Czech Republic and Iceland as countries with greater support.

The countries most opposed to GM foods were Greece (82 percent), Latvia (80 percent), and Croatia (77 percent). Germany, France and Italy all had percentages opposing GM foods ranging from 72 percent down to 64 percent.

The survey also found that Europeans are generally opposed to animal cloning, as they feel ‘uneasy' about the practice, and ‘don't see the benefits'. Only 15 percent of EU citizens feel it should be encouraged against an overwhelming 70 percent who insist it should be discouraged.

The negative attitudes towards GM food and cloning came despite overall support within the EU for biotechnology and genetic engineering in its wider applications, which also include nonotechnology and various uses in human medicine.

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Food � News in Brief

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:27:00 +0000

Are Supermarkets labelling GM Food Incorrectly?

European supermarkets are being urged to follow French supermarket Carrefour's example by labelling all food that isn't genetically modified, not the other way around.

Supermarkets are being told to acknowledge that at least 70 percent of their meat and milk comes from animals reared on genetically modified feed.

The suggestion comes from the policy director of the Soil Association, Peter Melchett, who has written to chief executives of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, urging them to follow Carrefour's lead.

The Carrefour chain now labels foods derived from animals fed a non-GM diet using a green logo which reads ‘Nourri sans OGM' or ‘Reared without GM', which relates to about 300 products, including pork, poultry, eggs and farmed fish, and will be extended to milk and other dairy foods.

Hilton Food Group Reports Strong 6 Months

Hilton Food Group plc, one of Europe's major retail meatpacking businesses, reported a six month increase in profits in line with market expectations.

Hilton recorded profit across all regions, with particularly good progress in Western Europe. In the Netherlands, Hilton implemented an automated warehouse to increase operational efficiencies and support higher volume levels.

In Sweden, Hilton reported signs of recovery after an unsteady period. In Denmark, the market is expected to turn favourably in the second quarter of 2011 after the construction of Coop Denmark.

"We are encouraged by our continued progress this year," the company said in a news release.

Hilton's employs more than 1,500 people across its five European sites. The company describes itself as the largest dedicated packer of red meat in Europe, based on revenue.

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Kellogg Profits Drop for Q2 and Q3

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:27:00 +0000

It's been a challenging year for Kellogg Co. with reported third-quarter earnings of $338 million, or 90 cents per share, down from $361 million, or 94 cents per share, during the same period a year ago.

Kellogg, the world's largest cereal manufacturer, said yesterday that the decrease in sales were due to a few extenuating factors including a drop in sales, vigorous competition and the lingering impact of some of the largest food recalls in 2010.

"We are addressing the major issues that took us off course in 2010. We are also fully aware of the tough consumer and economic environment in which we are competing and operating, and the degree of volatility that this environment can create," said Kellogg's CEO David Mackay.

Kellogg recorded similarly disappointing results in the second-quarter of 2010, reporting earnings of $302 million, or 79 cents per share for the quarter, down from $354 million, or 92 cents per share in the prior year.

In June, Kellogg recalled 28 million boxes of cereal after 20 people complained about a bad smell and taste which made them sick. The four affected Kellogg cereals were Froot Loops, Honey Smacks, Apple Jacks, and Corn Pops. The recall prompted US Representative Rosa DeLauro to question the US' food safety system, further highlighting Kellogg's plight. Kellogg attributed the problem on excess chemicals in box liners it got from a supplier.

The recall couldn't have come at a worst time fiscally for Kellogg, as the cereals in question were at the core of its back-to-school promotions. Similarly in 2009, Kellogg was forced to recall peanut products and Eggo waffles which caused a similar disruption in supply.

Despite Kellogg promoting a positive outlook for 2011 - due in part to Kellogg claiming to introduce new products and raising prices slightly to increase revenue - Tom Graves from Standard & Poor's Equity Research said the outlook for Kellogg in 2011 was disappointing, particularly given the company's expectation of a flat or mild drop in sales volume on top of profit margin pressures.

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Sainsbury�s Urged to Use Red Tractor Logo More

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:41:00 +0100

Sainsbury's, the British retailer has been urged by the NFU to use the Red Tractor logo on more of its products that conform to British farm standards, as opposed to its own Sainsbury's labelling.

The remarks would made during an NFU at Sainsbury's Farming for the Future conference at Stoneleigh Park. NFU deputy president Meurig Raymond said the union would be challenging Sainsbury's.

"We urge Sainsbury's to use the Red Tractor logo on all of its British-produced food."
Lee Woodger, of NFU, the union's head of food chain, confirmed that Sainsbury's refusal to use the British farm assured stamp was a major problem. "Sainsbury's doesn't support Red Tractor enough, preferring to put other logos on its packaging. Tesco, Morrisons and other retailers support it far more. We think they've missed a trick," he said.

Sainsbury's were quick to refute the allegations, claiming that the supermarket did support the Red Tractor logo, however it felt that a Sainsbury's mark of approval was more important to the brand.

Said Sainsbury's group commercial director Mike Coupe: "But our brand is Sainsbury's - that's the quality mark our customers look for."

"We'd rather work closely with a small group of farmers and develop the best possible relationship than less effectively with the whole industry."

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New Site Offers Lifeline for Food Allergy Sufferers

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:39:00 +0100

Foodsyoucan.co.uk, launched in January 2010, offers tools which allow food allergy sufferers to see which food products they can eat, and where they can buy them. Most food allergy sufferers currently have to spend hours browsing the aisles at supermarkets, inspecting ingredients. This site allows them to find suitable food from the comfort of their own home.

Over the last four weeks the manufacturers of relevant products have been flocking to the site, with over 40 providers now signed up until the end of the year including Genius Gluten Free, Barkat, and Honey Buns.

Bunmi Sobowale, creator of Foods You Can says that getting the manufacturers on board is a vital step. "As an allergy sufferer myself, I have spent far too long looking at food labels. I then discovered there isn't a service out there which gives a comprehensive list of products you can use. And if you've got more than one allergy, like dairy and gluten, it is even harder. I decided to do something about it. Our aim is to show people all the products on the market, not just the ones that have been fortunate enough to get into the local supermarket."

The current focus of the site is gluten free products, but other allergies ranging from the well documented nut and dairy allergies down to lesser known allergies such as soya are also covered. The site also caters for dietary needs as a result of lifestyle choices, such as kosher, halal, vegetarian, and vegan diets.

The site has a forum for people to discuss foods and manufacturers they have found, and gain experience from other members. In 2011 there are plans to enhance the registration process, creating a community feel to the site, and also build on the number of supermarkets and manufacturers who are promoting their services.
Any product manufacturers or suppliers interested in promoting their products or services should contact the team through the website.

To visit the official Press Release click here.

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Third-Quarter Coca-Cola Profits Up By 8.4%

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:22:00 +0100

Coca-Cola profits continued to increase through a testy third-quarter, up by 8.4 percent. The soda maker has seen a steady improvement in the North American market and a marked improvement in markets like Russia and Brazil.

In North America, Coca-Cola grew by only two percent, a marked improvement from recent tepid sales during the same quarter last year which saw stagnant growth. Internationally Coca-Cola fared much better, recording healthy profits from the same period last year.

Coca-Cola reported a profit of $2.06 billion, or 88 cents a share, up from $1.9 billion, or 81 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding restructuring and other impacts, earnings climbed to 92 cents from 82 cents as revenue increased five percent to $8.43 billion.

According to the Wall Street Journal, sparkling beverages, which include Coke's carbonated-drinks business, had world-wide volume growth of 3 percent in the quarter from last year, including 4 percent growth internationally.

Coca-Cola's largest recorded growth volume occurred in Eurasia and Africa, which grew 12 percent - including 30 percent volume growth in Russia - while volume in the Pacific grew 11 percent in the quarter, supported by 12 percent growth in China, 11 percent in Japan and 19 percent in the Philippines.

"We continue to build on our momentum, delivering solid volume, revenue and profit growth this quarter, with our results exceeding all of our long-term targets and generating sustainable value for our shareowners," said Muhtar Kent, Coke's Chief Executive Officer.

In addition, Coke has said it will buy back $2 billion in shares before 2011. Shares were up 1.3% to $60.75 in recent premarket trading as the results beat analysts' expectations, according to the Journal.

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Food Productivity Needs to Double By 2050

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:58:00 +0100

In 2050, the population will balloon to such an extent that farmers will be required to double food production. "We have 40 years in which to double agricultural output, but we have to do it in a sustainable fashion with the same amount of land, less water and reduced inputs," said Bill Lesher, executive director of Global Harvest Initiative, the consortium of major agricultural companies, including Archer Daniels Midland, Monsanto, DuPont and Deere & Co.

The comment was in relation to the agricultural productivity report, which was in conjunction with the Farm Foundation, NFP, a public policy group, and the U.S. department of Agriculture's Economics Research Service (ERS).

"We need to do more with less and we must start implementing measures and policies that increase productivity today," Lesher said.
And he's right. With current estimates, the global population in 2050 will be 9.2 billion, farmers and food production will need to get smarter with public and private investments in "science and technology" to boost agricultural productivity, according to the report.

The report said doubling agricultural output to meet global demand by 2050 will require an annual average growth of at least 1.75 percent in "total factor productivity" - defined as the increase in output per unit of total resources employed in production. Between 2000 and 2007, USDA's ERS estimates global agricultural total factor productivity growth averaged 1.4 percent per year.

"To close the gap without additional land and resources, we must increase the rate of productivity growth an average of 25 percent more per year over the next 40 years," said Neil Conklin, president of the Farm Foundation.

Currently cereals and root and tuber crops make up more than 60 percent of the global diet, but by 2050 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization expects those staples will make up only 54 percent of food consumption, while animal proteins like meat and dairy, and vegetable oils will rise to nearly 40 percent of the global diet from about one-third today.

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EFSA maintains bisphenol A is safe, Denmark disagrees

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:01:00 +0100

The European Union's Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that it would not reduce or take any action to reduce or ban bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in plastic and food safety applications.

Both Denmark and France have maintained their own bans on bisphenol A, despite the EFSA announcement. France outlawed the substance in polycarbonate baby bottles earlier this year.

"The Danish ban was temporary because we were waiting for EFSA to provide new data that would remove these uncertainties. The EFSA opinion did not do this and therefore the ban will not be lifted in the near future," said Krestine Greve, a biochemist for the Danish food ministry.

"If the Commission imposes a Europe-wide ban on BPA in food contact materials for children aged three and under, Denmark will lift its unilateral ban. If the Commission does not do this, Denmark's ban will remain in place until such time as scientific evidence proves BPA is safe in at low doses."

"Our ban is based on a study which, according to Danish experts, shows uncertainty about the effects of even small doses of bisphenol A on the learning ability in young rats. So I stick to the temporary Danish ban," said Danish Minister of Food Henrik Høegh.

The EFSA confirmed that there is no new evidence to suggest the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for bisphenol A needs to be changed as it reconfirmed that current levels of exposure pose no threat to human health.

"Following a detailed and comprehensive review of recent scientific literature and studies on the toxicity of bisphenol A at low doses, scientists on the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) CEF[1] Panel conclude they could not identify any new evidence which would lead them to revise the current Tolerable Daily Intake for BPA of 0.05 mg/kg body weight set by EFSA in its 2006 opinion and re-confirmed in its 2008 opinion," the EFSA notes.

"Even human premature infants can metabolise and excrete BPA efficiently (via glucuronidation and sulfation), as supported by recent human data and data in young monkeys. The use of the standard uncertainty factor (UF) of 10 to take into account interspecies differences is therefore considered quite conservative."

Despite clearing the substance, the EFSA did acknowledge that there was dissent among some of its 21-member CEF panel. As a result, the current TDI level will be reviewed and is temporary.

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Fears eased as food spikes

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:47:00 +0100

Food prices have seen a large spike in 2010 - The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said its food prices index had risen 25 percent since last year, although they haven't reached the highs of 2008 - and have led the UN's FAO to meet in Rome to discuss the price hike.

Grain prices have hit a two-year high, which has led to widespread concern. The FAO's top grain expert, Abdolreza Abbassian, said "there is always concern" about important food security crops such as wheat or rice.

"However, the spillover effects are nothing like we had in 2007-8, because a lot of other conditions that we had in 2007-8 which led to that sort of situation fortunately are not present."

Due to a particularly bad drought this year, Russia has been forced to ban all exports of grain, leading to continual fears that there could be a further global price spike on grain and similar commodities.

Widespread panic regarding a price spike could be premature however, as oil prices remain constant, easing the pressure to use more biofuels as a source of energy - something that would mean sturdy competition with crop growth due to limited green space.

The price spike affects the poorest nations substantially. Greg Barrow of the World Food Programme told the BBC that "Food might be there on the markets, but people don't have the resources to buy it because it is too expensive.

"What we have put in place to make things better for people in the poorest, least developed countries is a greater awareness that access to food is critical."

UN leaders have appealed that speculators should not gamble on the food price market have not been heeded, which can make the markets even more volatile and at risk of sharp movements, according to the BBC.

The overall harvest in 2010 could also be the third highest on record.

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Supermarkets produce more waste, despite hitting targets

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:31:00 +0100

Despite supermarkets across Europe pledging to improve their waste quotas on plastics and cardboard, UK supermarkets threw away 2.9 million tonnes of food packaging between 2006 and 2009.

According to the Telegraph, the majority of the waste was produced from the major retailers, despite signing an agreement with the Government to reduce the amount of cardboard and plastic they use.

However Bloomberg indicates that the amount of waste is a mild success, considering retailers including Tesco, Asda, J Sainsbury Plc and over 39 other retailers reduced their waste by 1.2 million tonnes.

Food waste was cut at an annual rate of 270,000 tonnes in March this year, beating the group's 155,000-tonne target. A goal to get rid of packaging waste growth by 2008 was also met.

Bloomberg argues that the saving of 670,000 tons of food waste and 520,000 tons of packaging equates to £1.8 billion, the equivalent of 128,000 refuse-truckloads; around 3.3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

"The evidence shows that more people are now aware that food waste is an issue," WRAP Chief Executive Officer Liz Goodwin said. "More people are checking their cupboards before they shop, making lists and date labels are better understood."
Despite a mild success in the reduction of waste, the overall quantity of waste was higher due to increased sales across Britain.

"Retailers have reduced packaging by four percent. But taking into account a 6.4 percent increase in sales, it's not been enough to meet our targets," said Richard Swannell, of WRAP, the Government body in charge of cutting waste.

"People are buying more things. It's a constant challenge to keep working on packaging."

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Super-Dairy could destroy rural farming in UK

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:16:00 +0100

With the onset of the first super-dairy in the UK, rural farmers and environmental groups are rallying together and taking steps in opposition to a move that they believe will ‘polarise' the farming industry.

The super-diary will be located in Nocton in Lincolnshire, and house 8,100 cows. The farm will be created and run by Nocton Dairies Ltd and will produce 250,000 litres of milk a day.

According to The Economist, opposition has been led by the Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (VIVA) and World Society For The Protection Of Animals (WSPA), who claim the welfare of the animals will suffer under such a high-yielding regime.

Unlike other large countries with large-scale demand, the British milk farming industry has so far resisted the pull towards mass milk production, yet intensive, indoor factory farm methods have long dominated pig and poultry production with the average pig unit housing as many as 5,000 pigs at any one time - the biggest units house upwards of 20,000.

David Cotton, vice-chairman of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF), said the industry faced a ‘dilemma' over the consumer reaction to industrial-style dairy farming.

"How much do we want to tell the public about dairy farming? The image they have at present is of cows being kept in fields all-year round when in fact most spend the six months of winter indoors.

"It does not fit the image for the market men,' he said questioning whether the UK dairy industry as a whole wanted to follow this route.

"The 8,000 cow dairy businesses do exist in China and for them it might be the way to go to feed themselves. But biggest is not always necessarily best," he said.
61 percent of Britons polled said they would not by milk that was produced in large-scale indoor sheds.

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NICE want further changes to unhealthy ingredients

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:29:00 +0100

It is no secret that some ingredients in food are detrimental to health. Regular culprits are salt/sodium, saturated fats and casein (found in cheese amongst other items). Traditionally these items find their artery blocking ways into our food via the processed food route, bringing with them cancers, heart disease, obesity and general bad health.

We, as consumers and individuals, are bombarded with advertising campaigns warning about the dangers of regularly consuming such unhealthy ingredients as saturated fats, yet rarely is anything done to take them off the shelves, in a collective movement by health agencies or supermarkets.

However, a report by The National Institute for clinical excellence (NICE), has challenged this method of targeting individuals against the dangers of unhealthy food, and suggested the direction be pitched at protecting the population by actively removing certain ingredients from selective foods; thus unwittingly helping those people who indulge in processed food due to time constraints or other factors.

Klim McPherson - professor of health epidemiology at Oxford University and chairman of the NICE committee - said, "It is about busy people having a lot to do, having to make choices on the fly, making pragmatic choices on how they feed themselves and their children. Commercial organisations are very good at exploiting people who make choices on price and convenience."

The report recommends changes like:

• A total ban on trans fats.

• Halving the individual daily salt intake

• Legislating if necessary to encourage manufacturers to slash the content of hidden saturated fats in all food products.

• Banning television adverts for high-salt and high-fat foods before the 9pm watershed, to protect children

• Urging local councils to forbid take-aways and junk food outlets near schools

• Bringing in the "traffic light" colour coding system to show whether a product has high, low or medium levels of salt, fat and sugar. The committee noted the regrettable decision by the EU not to support the system & urged the government to implement it via legislation.

The recommendations were snuffed by the government, who claimed it was up to the consumer to make healthy choices. Similarly, the Food and Drink Federation claimed the voluntary measures already in place had made a significant impact on unhealthy food consumption.

The European Society of Cardiology and the British Heart Foundation did support the recommendations in light of 150,000 deaths a year from cardiovascular disease, the majority through heart attack & stroke.

"These are eminently preventable deaths," said Klim McPherson.

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Doctors suggest anti-cholesterol pill with burger

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:50:00 +0100

Fast food outlets like McDonalds and Burger King should supply customers with anti-cholesterol drugs along with their burger and fries, according to researchers at Imperial College London.

The pill would be placed alongside other condiments like ketchup and salt, to offer customers the opportunity to offset their chosen high cholesterol meal.

The pills in question would be Statins, an anti cholesterol drug that works by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase.

Darrel Francis from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College, London, says in the American Journal of Cardiology that the reduction in risk offered by a statin approximately equals the increase in risk from eating a cheeseburger and a milkshake.

Differing opinions

Dr Francis said: "Everybody knows that fast food is bad for you, but people continue to eat it because it tastes good.

"It makes sense to make risk-reducing supplements available just as easily as the unhealthy condiments that are provided free of charge. It would cost less than 5p per customer - not much different to a sachet of ketchup.

"When people engage in risky behaviours like driving or smoking, they're encouraged to take measures that minimise their risk, like wearing a seatbelt or choosing cigarettes with filters. Taking a statin is a rational way of lowering some of the risks of eating a fatty meal."

However, Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, has been quick to denounce the proposal. "This paper just amazes me," he said. "Let's get real; we should be encouraging healthy lifestyles, not pill popping. This is an unwelcome addition to the 'pill for every ill' attitude that's already much too common. The danger of this research is that some people will become even more complacent about eating fatty food and high calorie food, and might even increase their intake of them."

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Food inflation highest in a year

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:56:00 +0100

Food inflation is still on the march, according to the BRC. In the UK, prices rose substantially from 1.5 percent in July, to 1.7 percent in August as food inflation continued to put upward pressure on the overall rate while non-food inflation slowed. Alarmingly for consumers, food price inflation leapt from 2.5 percent in July to reach its highest level since July 2009.

The BRC points the finger of blame at the hastily rising prices of commodities like wheat and sugar. Despite the rise, director general Stephen Robertson reassured consumers: "We are nowhere near the return of the double digit food inflation of two years ago." Mr Robertson also highlighted that despite high spikes in food prices, supermarkets and retailers were trying to respond by offering more offers and deals, and reassured that products like milk and bread still remained competitive.

The BRC also stipulated that the rising cost of live stock feed forced the cost of meat to rise in the UK, which would also put a major strain the UK meat market because competitor countries such as Argentina, Australia and the US could offer lower meat stocks.

A bright spot could be the slowing of non-food prices by 2.6 percent, which were slowed due to deflation in clothing prices compared with last year, driven by widespread discounting in footwear and clearance of summer collections . However, with the new 20 percent VAT rate coming into effect in January, non-food inflation is likely to rise sharply in the first quarter of 2011.

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Asda boss criticises supermarket food

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:43:00 +0100

British supermarket giant Asda recently made headlines when it saw sales dip for the first time in four years, but the chain's chief executive, Andy Clarke, believes he knows the reason behind the slump - the quality of food.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Clark said: "Food quality is something Asda hadn't been as focused on in the past as it should have been.

"Last year at Christmas we talked about our premium range but hadn't done enough work on the product to allow us the credibility to shout about it."

Clarke took over as chief executive in May and said that improving food quality has been at the top of his to-do list. The Wal-Mart owned company said sales had deteriorated in the three months to 30 June, with like-for-like sales down 0.4 percent.

However in May, Asda said underlying sales had fallen 0.3 percent in the first quarter, the first such decline since 2006.

That's low Asda price

Clarke blamed his predecessor Andy Bond for this saying, "some of the things we were doing at the start of year were not right for customers" and that the supermarket hadn't done a good enough job acquiring new stores last year as well as distancing itself from an increasingly promotional grocery market.

As such, Clarke said when he took the position he slashed the number of offers in store by a third.

"We lost site of our core price proposition," he said. "There were far too many two for one promotions where the combined price was good but prices for individual products were just not low enough. What we are now focused on is every day low pricing on staples like milk, bread, eggs and sugar."

"It's easy to use promotional money to bolster sales, but we're using the money to invest in individual commodities."

Clarke added that over the next 18 months, the supermarket would be faced with a number of challenges if it was to turn around its sales slump. As such, he has frozen all promotions and said the future priority of the company is on dropping prices.

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