For too long, the developed world has taken food for granted. For
years, ample food stocks, a well-supplied export trade and rapidly
rising agricultural productivity have confined food fears, in the
west at least, to history and the...
GlaxoSmithKline's petition to the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to ban dietary supplements from making weight loss claims,
has opened a cupboard and only the deluded would deny the presence
of one or two skeletons rattling...
The war between the GM and organic movements has been bitterly fought. However in the midst of a global food crisis the time has come for these old enemies to bury their differences and concentrate on the benefits an alliance may bring.
Last week's Vitafoods trade show highlighted a drop in ingredient
innovation with many companies placing the blame at the door of
Europe's evolving health claims legislation.
While in the Hollywood stratosphere, it seems that you are not
anyone these days unless you're a duo, in the glamorous world of
food manufacture, the team-up route to success may not be quite as
simple.
The food crisis is neither new nor sudden. The several underlying
causes have been independently, steadily gathering speed and have
collided in a perfect storm not seen for generations. It is going
to take a coordinated, long-term...
Antioxidants are back under the microscope for all the wrong
reasons. But the use of meta-analyses to pool data is
controversial, and scientists need to keep perspective before
publishing conclusions.
It is hard for food companies not to get drawn into the temptation of using attractive label claims that may be shrouded by a veil of doubt. But the real risk comes when the 'if you don't know, don't ask' question is finally answered.
As ever more food companies find themselves in the position of
having employed migrants who were mistreated by illegal labour
providers, it may be time for firms to start taking more
responsibility for the temporary workers many of...
Energy drinks are a runaway success but extreme marketing and
product formulation has the potential to cast a shadow over the
multi-billion dollar global industry.
Claiming 'free from' is not a light statement to make. Lives depend
on it. As scientific progress questions the validity of such
claims, it is time to establish exact guidelines and communicate
these to people for whom ingredients...
While the world's media is bemoaning rising food prices, the French
government is sniffing around the food industry for signs of
gleeful profiteering. If it is right, the long-term losses of the
nouveau cher will be far greater...
Taking a range of supplements from vitamin A to zinc is becoming
part of everyday life. But as the latest study is published
questioning their efficacy, people could be left wondering do they
work?
The food industry across Europe needs to make a big effort to
reduce saturated fat in food regardless of whether national
agencies set targets - and it should not wait around for
governments to do all the awareness-raising with its...
While most consumers agree that ethically-sourced cocoa is no bad
thing, an ever increasing number of different schemes risks
muddying the issue and puzzling chocolate fans.
Product branding and information provided to consumers on food
labels are again at loggerheads, and industry doesn't seem likely
to accept new EU labelling proposals without a fight.
The headlines are sensationalist: twenty-four people have died in a
probiotic trial. Therefore, probiotics may be fatal. Throw those
yoghurt shots away!
As consumer demand for exotic superfruits increases, so will the
impact of transport on the environment. But as policy makers and
green campaigners devise more ways of monitoring greenhouse gases,
who will win the environmental tug...
The refusal by regulators to provide a formal definition of the
term 'natural' will ultimately lead to confusion for consumers and
a legal headache for manufacturers.
It looks set to be a vintage year ahead for Chateau Eau De Source
Public - or as it is more humbly known, tap water - as consumers
find themselves encouraged to shun the mineral variety of the
product to reduce packaging waste.
'Antioxidants' crop up every where, from beverage cans to cereal
packets. But industry must wake up to over use of the antioxidant
tag before the term loses meaning for consumers.
Industry has to walk a tightrope between lending a benevolent hand
to support infant nutrition for the good of public health, and
cynical marketing that seems to cash in on sensitivities.
Following World AIDS Day, the food industry should reflect on its
own potential to advance the fight against a disease that continues
to sweep a devastating toll.
Over the past half year, stevia has been the focus of attention as
the search for a perfect natural sweetener continues. But why
are the birds circling when the ingredient has not been approved in
the two major Western markets -...
The new crop of business cards yielded by another trade show season
have been duly filed away. But the big question remains. Were the
three days at FIE followed, for many, by another three at
SupplySide West, really worth the blisters,...
With all the threats facing food and beverage production -- from
contamination in the food chain, to rising input prices --
there appears to be one menace that towers above the rest, namely
'The Weather'.
The European Food Safety Authority's task to assess thousands of
health claims is a headache in anyone's book - and one made
worse through vague instructions to industry.
Food companies have been focussing on value-added products in a bid
to reduce their reliance on commodities, which can fluctuate wildly
and deliver slim margins. But now that prices of basic foods are at
an all-time high, can value-added...
They say that patience is a virtue. But when it comes to the
regulatory process on both sides of the Atlantic, patience too
often results in dust gathering in the "to do" box on some
regulator's desk.
Consumer demand - the holy grail of any industry - is a fragile and
easily manipulated treasure. But influencing consumers for
anything other than their own benefit will, more often than not,
carry unintended consequences.
Cloned foods have not yet made it to our grocery aisles, but in the
advent of such a rollout consumers must have a defined right
to decide if they want to swallow the technology or not.
This comment was amended to correct a statement about bans
of additives in other countries. Some of the chemicals were
previously banned by Norway, Austria and Australia but those bans
have since been removed. Allura red AC, tartrazine...
Last week saw a string of communications about food price rises:
first warnings were aired about wheat, then meat, then dairy. It's
a vertiginous view from the heights of the commodity markets, and
it's clearer than ever...
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...
The food industry should not be led to believe that supply
shortages and price are barriers to trans fat oil
alternatives, FoodNavigator-USA.com hears from the
Californian lawyer who spurred the nationwide move away from trans
