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.
Converting food and beverage product labels from US to EC
format requires an in-depth understanding of European labeling
legislation, which is more complex than it often appears to be,
regulatory experts at consultancy firm Leatherhead...
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.
Obtaining a GRAS opinion for products containing added
caffeine, as well as clearly labeling the substance, could help
protect food and beverage manufacturers from future regulatory
concerns, according to lawyers specializing in the...
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.
The changing dynamics of the organic dairy industry may have
resulted in different production practices, but these are not
necessarily wrong, and accusations must stop if there is to be any
hope of meeting increasing demand, according...
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.
If businesses are not aware of the rights of temporary workers,
Christmas profits could be eroded by costly employment disputes
warns law firm Eversheds.
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.
New measures adopted by the European Commission designed to
streamline the approval of additives, colors, flavorings and
enzymes, could result in longer approval procedures for US
exporters, with some presently approved ingredients...
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.
By Kent D. Messer, Harry H. Kaiser, Collin Payne and Brian Wansink
Advertising could play an important role in reducing consumer fears
when a product is linked to food safety concerns, write a team of
economists and psychologists at Cornell University.
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.
Italy's vigorous application of EC food safety regulation 178/02
could be hampered by the country's legislative framework, according
to an Italian lawyer.
The food industry must face up to the challenges of modern
communication if consumer confidence is to be regained - and costly
mistakes are to be avoided, writes Keith Taylor.
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.
Chocolate has a nice feeling to it - tasty, fun, luxurious and
slightly sinful. This is comfort food, accessible to all and
epitomised in the recent film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
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...
The relationship between journalist 'hack' and scientist 'lab-rat'
must be developed if science is to get a fair deal in the press,
and for consumers to be presented balanced and accurate science
coverage.
Parents should avoid infant formulas made from intact proteins, a
Stanford researcher told doctors assembled at the annual meeting of
the Pediatric Academic Societies.
