Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service have hit on a way
to make melons more nutritious - by spraying them with potassium
while they are still growing on the vine.
Water, we save. Energy, we conserve. But food, it seems, we can
waste, junk and bin and no-one cares. Except one crusader, whose
20-year project has proven what should have been obvious in the
first place: our attitude to food is...
Leading kefir company Lifeway Foods has announced that its entire
range of low fat kefir flavors will be sweetened with organic cane
juice as a healthier alternative to high fructose corn syrup
(HFCS).
The Corn Refiners Association has claimed that a recent study
linking fructose in soft drinks with added body fat
"mischaracterizes high fructose corn syrup".
Commitment to and research in food and agricultural microbiology is
on the decline despite the ever-present threats to the food supply
posed by disease, spoilage and the specter of bio-terrorism.
Growing pressure on food manufacturers to cut salt levels has led
to a frantic search for alternatives. Joan Watsabaugh tells
FoodNavigator-USA.com why AlsoSalt could provide the
industry with a viable solution.
Coca-Cola has launched Sugar Free Full Throttle, a clear indication
of both the potential growth of the energy drink market and
increasing concerns over the links between soft drinks and bad
health, writes Anthony Fletcher.
As the most dynamic specialty tea, green tea is helping to fuel a
rapidly expanding market as consumers look for healthier
alternatives to coffee and soda, according to a new market report.
Drinking large amounts of beverages containing fructose adds body
fat, and might explain why sweetening with fructose could be even
worse than using other sweeteners, according to a new report.
Wholegrain flours that can be used to produce white baked products
are proving a hit with US bakeries looking to meet new healthy
eating guidelines, but colour is still proving a challenge,
writes Lorraine Heller.
National Starch has rolled out a range of natural ingredients
designed to help food makers appeal to health conscious consumers
by keeping their labels as 'clean' as possible.
Increasing consumer concern about high blood pressure will increase
demand for foods with active ingredients to control BP levels,
according to the market development manager at dairy ingredients
firm DMV, Daniella Witte.
A new report that shows that whole grain consumption can slow the
progression of heart disease has strengthened interest in
whole-grain products that do not compromise taste, writes
Anthony Fletcher.
Edible food wraps made from fruit and vegetable ingredients could
appeal to food makers looking for nutritious, colourful and
eye-catching films for convenience foods, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Though consumers are still not prepared to sacrifice taste for a
low-sodium diet,the food industry is beginning to make headway in
find alternatives to salt despite numerous challenges, writes
Anthony Fletcher.
ConAgra Ingredients has streamlined its business in order to better
address the needs of its customers, and was at the IFT conference
last week to show off its potential, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
A company's ability to communicate the advantages of a product can
be critical to its eventual success, a lesson that DSM Food
Specialties has clearly taken to heart.
One cannot envy the chief executive faced with a scientific study
that casts doubt over the efficacy or safety of his core product.
But avoiding a sales slump, media vilification and even charges of
fraud means squaring up to such...
New research bolsters the argument that the efficacy of low-carb
diets could be due to their high protein content, reports Jess
Halliday. So could raising America's protein intake help the
nation beat the obesity epidemic?
Beverage fortification solutions on display at the IFT show suggest
that manufacturers do not need to sacrifice clarity or taste in
order to meet growing consumer demand for functional products,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
ADM's promotion of two innovative ingredients at the IFT conference
this week illustrates how health awareness and regulatory concerns
have shot up the industry's priority list, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
Low-fat deep fried food could be a real possibility in the future
thanks to a novel protein coating technique developed by Proteus,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
US starch product supplier Penford Food Ingredients targets growing
demand for rice starch, for the first time adding a variety of rice
starches to its current portfolio of potato, tapioca, and corn
starch products,reports Lindsey...
Senator Tom Harkin claimed yesterday that if stringent
self-regulation in the marketing of children's food products is not
put into place soon, a backlash against the food industry is
inevitable writes Anthony Fletcher.
Proposals to put cigarette-style health warnings on soft drinks to
highlight the harmful effects of too many sugary beverages has been
called patronizing by the American Beverage Association, writes
Anthony Fletcher.
Biodar's new line of microencapsulated vitamins and minerals for
kids' chewable applications could help improve diets and even save
food makers money, writes Anthony Fletcher.
With potential impact on food makers, scientists in the US have
uncovered new details of how smelly things create signals in the
nose that eventually go to the brain.
The delicious smell of traditional baseball food - hotdogs, beer
and onions - is usually enough to quell any worries about
nutrition, but a new study suggests that these snacks are not
necessarily as bad as commonly thought.
A new laboratory designed to improve the quality of barley and oats
could have major implications for makers of breakfast cereals,
beverages and bakery goods.
Food makers looking to slice potential allergens from their food
formulations will benefit from a new allergen-free apple designed
by researchers in The Netherlands, reports Lindsey Partos.
The National Food Laboratory has developed a new test method for
the detection of Sudan Red food dye, a potential carcinogen that
has been the focus of numerous product recalls.
Mars Inc is sending out a clear signal that functional foods are
moving mainstream, with the creation of a new Nutrition for Health
& Well-Being business unit to capitalize on research into the
health benefits of cocoa, reports...
NASA satellite technology could soon be used to help food producers
distinguish between GM (genetically modified) crops and non-GM
crops, opening the door to greater acceptance of GM food, writes
Anthony Fletcher.
Drinking green tea is highly unlikely to help prevent breast,
prostate or any other type of cancer, the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) said last week, after reviewing the evidence
to support a health claim, reports Dominique...
It is time to draw on science to establish once and for all whether
food intolerance is just a source of succour for hypochondriacs, or
whether it is genuinely a modern scourge.
National Starch believes that enabling food companies to label
their products as containing no or minimal additives or ingredients
is set to be a highly lucrative practice in the future, write
Anthony Fletcher.
The recent evolution of supply and demand issues for non-GM
lecithin is pushing ingredients manufacturers such as Danisco to
promote their alternatives on the market, reports Lindsey
Partos.
Sales of diet candy more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2004,
fueled by better-tasting products, improved formulations and
heightened concern over weight gain in adults and children,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
Ingredients players and food makers could expect some relief in soy
ingredients prices as soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade
fell yesterday, reports Lindsey Partos.
A new molecular biology center could transform our understanding of
taste and smell perception and help the food industry tackle
pressing issues such as salt substitution, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
The maker of a new functional beverage that claims to burn calories
by increasing metabolism says products with net negative calories
are the next step in the evolution of the diet drinks market. But
can consumers be assured that...
A Californian environmental group has threatened to sue food
manufacturers unless they place acrylamide warning labels on
certain products, writes Anthony Fletcher.
