Consumers are bombarded with an overload of nutritional advice and
product marketing - be it from magazines, television shows, and
product advertising - and without a degree in nutritional science,
it's a wonder they can make...
As the dust settles on this year's IFT Food Expo 2007 in Chicago,
health and wellness and food safety came through as the star
performers, and drivers for the future of the industry.
The European Food Safety Authority's review of additive safety
could have a bigger effect on the ingredients industry than the
ejection of certain colours and flavours with a suspect safety
record. It could give the natural ingredients...
The publication of a new animal study on aspartame last month has -
as expected -sparked yet another bout of head butting from the two
opposing sides of the debate. But it also highlights a bigger
issue: one of transparency.
Mergers and acquisition activity is always ongoing in every segment
of industry, but this summer looks to be a particularly hot one for
food and beverage manufacturers.
Randomised clinical trials are the ultimate. Forget what the
observational studies tell us, if the RCT gives us an answer it
must be the final word, right? Wrong.
Much against my own better judgement, there are some issues it
seems, where corporate social responsibility must really live up to
its name and truly look after its consumers.
Just when organic food has begun to make a noticeable dent in the
overall food market, air freighting - a measure that solves
the segment's biggest current problem - is facing potential
prohibition.
In a world where getting your name out there is called branding,
and branding in turn equals better market share, some companies
will go to great lengths to draw attention to their name. With
information sources driven by open-access...
Masterfoods' U-turn over its plan to reformulate its famous
confectionery brands using animal-derived whey sets a precedent
that will prevent any other food manufacturer from flying in the
face of the global trend towards the...
Marketing strategies - two words that incorporate everything from
pseudo scientific research to shock value advertising campaigns.
But shouldn't honesty be the best policy?
At a time when so many resources are being pumped into improving
consumer health through food, it is pitifully ironic that more and
more people are getting sick or dying from what they eat because of
safety slips.
The dietary supplement industry needs an independent testing
program that is recognizable to consumers in order to enhance the
credibility of its products as well as encourage solid science and
sourcing.
News that a variety of GM corn produced signs of liver and kidney
toxicity in rats should be a wake-up call for better testing and
more transparency from biotechs, if GMOs are to be accepted by
increasingly sceptical consumers.
The development of genetically modified crops to improve human
health could be the golden ticket for advocates to persuade the
wary public that GM is not a wholly nefarious idea after all. But
will a new, healthy spin be enough to...
There is no legitimate defence as to why some
companies continue to use illegal labour. This isn't the vice
trade, this is the food industry: no excuses.
Instead of trying to hide confectionery from children by
restricting advertising, chocolate-makers should be encouraging
them to make the same health-conscious choices as adults when it
comes to confectionery they're sure to...
It would be a mistake for governments and industry to misinterpret
the recent progress in food allergen labeling as a final solution:
there is much that yet remains to be done, for the well-being of
both consumers and manufacturers.
The era of biofuels is here but this does not necessarily mean
unending food price shocks or a critical diversion of agricultural
production away from food.
Here we go again. Yet another technology in its infancy is likely
to be introduced into the food supply, while industry remains
cautious and consumers divided.
Here we go again. Industry-sponsored studies into the nutritional
benefits of food and drink products are biased. Don't believe
anything that has an industry sponsor.
The battle of wills between the UK food watchdog and industry
heavyweights over nutrition labelling threatens to destabilise the
balance of power between industry and government.
There's no way but out for heart-damaging trans fatty acids, and
procrastinators in the food industry will achieve nothing by
delaying reformulation other than lagging behind in the game as the
rest of the world waves goodbye.
The relationship between child and crisp has long been a sacred one
but instead of exploiting this dynamic to shovel unhealthy food
into young mouths isn't it about time healthier companies exploited
it to push junk food without...
When the idea of fortifying staple foods with vital nutrients is
raised, the battlecry goes up from industry groups and advocates of
consumer choice: "Why should we bear the costs?" "Educate, and
let people make their...
Until consumers lose the attitude that they deserve and have a
right to goods from all over the world, our food systems and the
environment are at peril.
In the food and nutrition world, science is king. So when journals
do not force scientists to fully disclose financial support and
potential conflicts of interest, they are not helping anyone.
The world needs an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate
the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly
create a more sustainable and ethical food market.
If the Chinese government gives in to mounting international
pressure to revalue its currency, it could spell the end of cheap
exports, a move that many anticipate would have a knock-on effect
on raw materials costs for the food industry....
The demonisation of spinach following last week's E.coli outbreak
could give salad-dodgers the excuse they have been looking for to
skimp on their recommended five to nine portions of fruit and veg a
day. Without communication...
In today's competitive food industry, healthy products mean healthy
sales but the scramble to keep up with the obesity backlash can
have dangerous repercussions.
Food can polarise opinion more than most issues, but can we please
have some balance and debate, rather than mudslinging and crop
burning to get to the truth?
As food manufacturers inch closer to the holy grail of low-calorie,
trans-fat free flavor-fantastic products one has to ask how we
veered so far from the common sense of fresh home-cooked meals.
Food scientists are becoming a rare species in Britain, and things
won't change unless schools and food firms start telling young
people there is more to food than a supermarket depot.
Laying the blame for a fatter world at the feet of the food
industry has become a convenient mistake, and until this is
recognized there is little chance of controlling the growing
obesity epidemic.
The short sighted failure of greedy WTO trading partners to achieve
any sort of meaningful agreement on global agricultural tariffs is
bad for Europe's food industry.
Functional foods are generally defined as products imbued with
additional nutrients with health-promoting properties. But the
industry needs to be wary of foods that present no actual health
benefit from piggy-backing on the popularity...
The Internet is offering a wealth of information to more and more
people, but also an avenue for irresponsible businesses to exploit
consumer health concerns.
The rise of organic food is a knee-jerk reaction to consumer health
fears, and threatens to unhelpfully steer us away from improving
the quality of food generally.
In the US, the role of court action in defining limits not set by
regulators is generating a flood of costly court cases for the food
industry: much unnecessary, and all damaging.
Beer, bakery, confectionery, sweet drinks, pizzas, snacks galore,
and even dog food. The list of products with World Cup tie-ins is
dominated by junk food, while healthy food makers seem content to
pass up the marketing opportunities...
