Cargill has launched a new initiative designed to help manufacturers improve the nutritional profile of foods marketed to children and meet a swathe of new guidelines from retailers, the government and other organizations setting nutrition criteria for...
Remember the gluey texture of the oatmeal your mom served you as a kid? Turns out, this is a good thing, according to new research comparing the satiating effects of oatmeal versus ready-to-eat cereals.
Wisconsin firm LiveGreat Foods is launching a rebranded version of its Clarinol CLA-fortified milk Acclaim at the forthcoming Healthy Beverage Expo in Las Vegas (June 7-9).
On paper at least, boxed breakfast cereal ticks all the right boxes. It’s quick, great value for money, and nutritious - the perfect recession-proof food.
Consumers expect to see added sugar in donuts and candy bars. But when they discover reams of it in dried fruits, juices and other products marketed as healthy foods, they feel shortchanged, and rightly so, according to one nutrition expert.
This is the story of how an initiative from Oxfam prompted assurances from leading chocolate companies to improve the lives of women cocoa farmers. How did each firm react? Were they quick and effective enough?
TruHealthMD, a manufacturer of nutritional solutions targeted at specific disease conditions, has entered into a development agreement with a Manitoba research consortium.
‘Facts Up Front’ icons now appear on 9 out of 10 products in some categories, with penetration highest in cereals, beverages and dry goods, said the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) as it unveiled a new website promoting the scheme.
Plum Organics, a company founded on getting nutritious food to kids, has committed to manufacturing and distributing 500,000 pouches of food designed to meet the needs of food-insecure babies and toddlers.
While the US juice market has been “essentially flat” for five years, Packaged Facts predicts stronger growth in future driven by reduced calorie products, better-for-you premium juices and blends, and an increase in the number of ‘multicultural’ households...
A patent application filed by PepsiCo reveals some of the more “surprising” properties of Rebaudioside D (Reb-D) - the steviol glycoside claimed to have one of the best sweetness profiles of them all.
Biotech firm Dynamic Food Ingredients (DFI) Corporation is a step closer to commercialising technology it claims could slash production costs for the bulk sweetener erythritol, opening up new opportunities for the food industry.
A new foundation has come together to help transfer technology from federal scientists into new food products and strategies that could help combat obesity and find sustainable ways to feed the world’s growing population.
A recent study has concluded that a US government program has been successful in getting kids in low income schools to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables. The program works by exposing elementary school students to these foods, foods that they...
A New Jersey-based firm is seeking to patent the process behind the ‘world’s first commercial low fat snack nuts’: nuts that have been pressed using a novel high-speed process that expels up to 50% of their fat, then reconstituted with water into ‘nut...
Contrary to some media reports, Coca-Cola is not developing a new high-fiber frozen beverage, but it did help develop Slurpee Lite - a low-calorie beverage launched in 7-Eleven last May, said bosses today.
Restaurant chains in the US have made little progress in recent years in improving the nutritional profile of their children’s menus according to a new report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The report found that 97% of the nearly 3,500...
SOHO Flordis International, an Indonesian/Australian supplement and pharamceutical company, is bringing a fat-binding dietary supplement to market in North America under the Calorease brand name. It promises to do what Olestra couldn’t, that is, cut...
While extra virgin olive oil is currently basking in positive PR in the wake of the recent PREDIMED study on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, canola’s nutritional credentials also received a boost this month after new research suggested it can...
An "unusual" class action lawsuit alleging that shoppers are being misled by 'zero fat' and 'zero calorie' claims on Parkay Spray because they are based on “artificially small serving sizes”, is unlikely to make much headway, predict...
BIG INTERVIEW - CHEWING OVER SNACK CHALLENGES WITH THE SFA
The president of the Snack Food Association (SFA) acknowledged that there are concerns about the snack industry’s role in global obesity but said healthy product development and clear communication on nutrition is top of the agenda for manufacturers.
Adding traffic light symbols as well as calories to menus is a more effective way of encouraging diners to choose lower-calorie foods than listing calories in isolation, according to a new study.
While there have been some standout successes - from PepsiCo’s Trop50 juice drinks to ThinkThin protein bars - growth in the overall weight management market is pretty sluggish, according to new research.
Foods produced with olive oil or olive oil aromas in place of other oils or fats could help consumers feel fuller for longer, according to new research.
Network selling giant Amway has launched an integrated weight management program based on genetic testing. The program uses a simple test kit to help consumers determine which of several weight loss regimens will work best for them.
The obesity dilemma is complex and offers multiple avenues of attack. Portion control experts boil it down to this: It’s a question of how much, not what we eat. But many experts say how food is formulated can play a role in limiting intake.
The maker of a newly launched appetite suppressant gum claims to be the first to have self-affirmed GRAS status for hoodia in the US and hopes to overcome the negative image of the plant as a weight management ingredient.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today he will appeal a judge's ruling that struck down his attempt to limit the size of soft drinks sold in the city. Proponents of the ban were disappointed that the judge's decision focused on legal...
Soaring intakes of sugar-sweetened drinks are associated with increased calorie consumption of other foods such as sweets and pizza in children, warn researchers.
While food manufacturers can introduce smaller sodas, burgers and salads to menus, consumers are not going to buy them unless they charge a proportionately lower price, or in turn get rid of their super-size options and make the smaller option the only...
Tucking in to lots of junk food during pregnancy might help to ease those pregnancy pangs, but consumption of an unhealthy diet can pre-program unborn children’s preference for junk food in later life, warn researchers.
A new survey from Mintel Research Consultancy (MRC) suggests that consumers are paying a lot more attention to how much sugar is in their foods, but are less concerned about its source, with just a tiny fraction of those who look at sugar levels on labels...
Dispatches from the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
Nuts are good sources of healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They also pack a fairly weighty caloric punch. However, epidemiological data consistently shows that high nut consumption is associated with lower incidence of...
Back in the 6th century BC, Pythagoras was doing his bit to promote a vegetarian diet (‘what wickedness to swallow flesh into our own flesh…’). These days Paul McCartney is flying the flag. But is a plant-based diet really better for us and the planet?...
“Public policy proposals to ban, tax or restrict consumer access to certain foods or beverages will not solve the obesity problem”, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has insisted, following the publication of a book by New York Times investigative...
Food has gone through a technological revolution in the US in the last 50 years. Food is available in more variety, in more forms and in more combinations than ever before. The key word in that previous sentence, according to one food psychology expert,...
Dispatches from the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
People following an energy unrestricted plant-based diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts can reduce their risk of a major cardiovascular event by 30% compared with people following a purely low-fat diet, according to a “landmark” new...
Dispatches from the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
People on a plant-based diet are consistently slimmer and healthier than meat eaters, with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, according to research unveiled at the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition (ICVN).
With its flair for sound bites -‘soda is a slow-acting but ruthlessly efficient bioweapon’ - and its undisputed PR skills (remember those diabetic bears?), the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has a knack for getting its name in the papers.
Expect more products containing beans and lentils, new quinoa-packed soups and entrees, high-protein nut and seed-based spreads, and more popped whole grains in US grocery stores this year, predicts market researcher Packaged Facts.
As food marketers focus more on positive nutrition than ‘food minus’ concepts, the boundaries between ‘diet’ foods and ‘regular’ foods are becoming increasingly blurred, says Euromonitor International.
Americans have rights. To bear arms, to enjoy free speech, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They also have the right - argue opponents of NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s super-size soda ban - to drink a 44oz soda containing more than 30 teaspoons of...
While obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions, manufacturers seeking to help us battle the bulge are avoiding the word ‘diet’ like the plague; cutting sugar, fat and salt by stealth; and instead promoting more positive messages about food...
Leading Chinese sucralose producer JK Sucralose says it is confident its sales of the high intensity sweetener will grow 50% in 2013 as new capacity comes online and demand for zero or reduced sugar products continues to increase.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has upped the ante in its crusade against sugary drinks with a petition calling on the FDA to reassess the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status of sucrose and high fructose corn syrup in beverages.
A new study provides “compelling” evidence that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and table sugar (sucrose) do not increase fat levels in the liver when consumed in ‘real-world conditions’, says it co-author Dr James Rippe.
A new position statement from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) which can be paraphrased as 'there is no such thing as good and bad foods, only good and bad diets' is eminently sensible, but will play into the hands of 'junk'...
Big Interview: Michael Shoretz, founder and CEO, Enlightened Ice Cream (Beyond Better Foods LLC)
Can ice cream actually be good for you - as opposed to just a little less bad for you? And if it can, will it sell? One man on a mission to find out is Michael Shoretz, founder and CEO of Beyond Better Foods, the start-up behind new market entrant Enlightened...
