A survey of U.S. consumers aged 25-49 suggests a distinct shift in the ‘path to purchase’ with consumers more frequently obtaining information online, with special reliance on peer reviews and the opinions of friends. The study, “Inside the Buy”, found that 43% of consumers, on average, conduct some form of research before purchase rising to 64% in consumer electronics, 31% for health and beauty and nearly 25% for food and beverages. 72% of consumers say they rely on consumer reviews (nearly double the proportion that use expert product assessments) and this seems to be a significant driver; just over half say consumer reviews guide their decision against 41% for feedback from a friend. Underlying the need for companies to ensure accurate (and ideally favorable) product information is available, just 3% of consumers express loyalty to a specific brand.

A study by U.S. researchers has found a significant correlation between the length of time a mother is employed and the body mass index (BMI, a measure of obesity) of her children. Researchers examined data from 990 school-age children in a national study, finding that for a child of average height, every standard-hours working period of 5.3 months was linked to a weight gain of nearly one pound beyond normal weight gain as a child ages. The association was  much stronger at 6th grade, the researchers noted. However, they found that nonstandard work (evenings, nights, weekends, or irregular shifts) was not associated with BMI increases. The researchers suggested that further research should focus on ways  to support families trying to balance work and family life.

Canada’s Lallemand Health Ingredients, a maker of various forms of yeast for dietary supplements and other applications, is taking full advantage of the growth in nutricosmetics in Western Europe by providing an array of  premium yeast-based minerals and vitamins for “beauty-from-within” products. The attractiveness of yeast-derived antioxidants was given a push when the health and beauty claims for selenium, zinc and B vitamins were recognized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Lallemand’s Lalmin range of ingredients are suitable for food supplements promoting healthy skin, nails and hair, according to the company. The product LalminSe is based on inactivated whole cells of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast containing high levels of organically-bound selenium.

Cupcakes have achieved renewed popularity in Los Angeles through the inspiration of Heirloom-LA, a caterer enjoying prosperity with its highly popular line of lasagna cupcakes. The success of the lasagna cupcakes keeps fifteen cooks busy in the Heirloom kitchens, according to co-owner and chef Matthew Poley, and has created a demand for new flavors of the party treats, which now come in twelve varieties, including macaroni and cheese, bologna, and short ribs. Poley said Heirloom sold 10,000 of the cupcakes in December and plans to expand its menu further as different ingredients become available with the changes in the seasons. The lasagna cupcakes can also be purchased frozen in a selection of Los Angeles stores and are available by mail order for New Yorkers through the company's website.

Researchers at the University of California-Davis and Baylor College of Medicine found that drinking vegetable juice is an efficient and effective means of increasing vegetable intake and managing weight. These are two areas of concern highlighted in the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Both of the 12-week studies were supported in part by Campbell Soup Company, which produces the V8 line of vegetable juice. The UC-Davis study involved 90 healthy adults; Baylor College looked at 81 adults with risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Researchers at UC-Davis observed that subjects who drank an eight-ounce glass of vegetable juice each day received almost twice the servings of vegetables as those who did not. Baylor College scientists found that incorporating one to two servings of vegetable juice daily into a healthy diet enhanced weight loss..

Unilever has put into operation its new global supply chain and purchasing systems based on SAP's enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology. Unilever's supply chain systems, launched with Accenture, enable the company to monitor its supply chain in real time, and to manage price volatility and changes in commodity supplies. The systems also play a big role in Unilever's efforts to reduce by half the environmental impact of its operations and supply chain, and double its annual revenue to €80 billion.

Noting that the consensus of nutrition experts is that the unique nutritional needs of critically-ill obese people remain unmet, Nestlé HealthCare Nutrition has introduced a tube feeding formula designed specifically for that patient population. Tube feeding formulas often do not contain enough protein or micronutrients recommended for obese patients in intensive care units (ICUs). According to Nestlé, the result is that some patients are overfed, others are underfed and become malnourished, and others don’t have their nutritional needs assessed at all. Peptamen Bariatric tube feeding formula includes 37 percent of calories from 100 percent whey protein, enzymatically hydrolyzed to produce peptides. The lipid blend contains 50 percent medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) to improve formula tolerance.

Unilever is seeing benefits of its improved innovation process with 33% of sales coming from products launched in the last two years, a record for the company.  Mike Polk Unilever’s president of foods, home and personal care says that the “step change” in innovation means they are “doing things bigger, better and deploying them faster into more markets.”  The company is also aggressively supporting launches and increased marketing spend over 6% to €5.6bn last year, making the largest advertiser behind P&G. Unilever sees its commitment to sustainable growth and its plan to double sales without incrementally impacting the environment as driving its R&D effort. And in a marketing shift, the company will start to promote alongside its product brands its corporate brand which it sees as a trusted asset.

Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry has implemented a nationwide Organic Brazil Seal to guarantee the quality and origin of organic food. To receive the seal, producers must ensure to certifiers that no synthetic products are used in production, and organic agricultural methods – including green fertilization, crop rotation and environmental preservation – are used exclusively. Certifying companies registered with the Brazilian government will conduct audits to make certain that farming methods comply with organic standards. However, some smaller farmers who sell organic produce in local markets or at roadside stands are exempt from the seal requirement, though they should be associated with organizations registered with the Ministry of Agriculture. Approximately 5,500 organic producers have registered for the seal.

Inorganic nitrates—found in many fruits and vegetables (leafy greens in particular)—were long thought to be nutritionally useless, and even toxic. However, scientists now recognize their role in regulating processes such as blood flow and blood pressure, and they have just discovered another: dietary nitrate increases muscle endurance. In a study involving healthy subjects, those who consumed a small amount of inorganic nitrate for three days used less oxygen while exercising than those who did not. Though the mechanism behind this is not clear, scientists believe that the nitrates enhance mitochondrial efficiency. Mitochondria—the cell’s engines—lose energy in the form of heat; nitrates stop this loss and make the cell, and thus the muscle, perform more efficiently.

Nestlé Health Science has completed the acquisition of CM&D Pharma Ltd. (CM&D), a British company that develops medical foods and other products targeting patients with kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and colon cancer. CM&D is a portfolio company of venture capital fund Inventages Group. CM&D’s leading product, Fostrap, is a chewing gum for kidney patients with elevated levels of phosphate in the blood (hyperphosphatemia), which contributes to vascular calcification and an increased risk of cardiac mortality, as well as mineral and bone disorders. Clinical trials of Fostrap are ongoing, though preliminary data are promising, according to Nestlé.

U.S. and British researchers have found that bioactive compounds in blueberries called anthocyanins protect against hypertension. In fact, people who ate at least one serving of blueberries a week cut the risk of developing high blood pressure by 10 percent. Researchers studied health and diet data gathered from questionnaires completed by 134,000 women and 47,000 men over 14 years. None of the participants had hypertension at the start of the study. Researchers noted that participants consuming the highest amounts of anthocyanins, especially from blueberries in the U.S. and from blackcurrants and blood oranges in the U.K., were the most protected from hypertension. High blood pressure can lead to stroke and heart disease; healthcare costs associated with the disease amount to $300 billion annually.

People who need to reduce consumption of high-calorie (energy-dense) foods can do so by adding more vegetables to their diet – if they can stand the taste. Tackling that problem, U.S. researchers have found that puréed vegetables added secretly to meals makes it easier to eat less energy-dense meals. The study involved 41 men and women who ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the laboratory once a week for three weeks. Entrées contained either standard energy density or reduced energy density from the “covert incorporation of three to 4.5 times the amount of puréed vegetables.” The researchers found that the decreased energy intake of the vegetable-rich meals did not affect feelings of fullness or hunger and provided a good way to boost vegetable consumption.

A clinical trial conducted by Iranian scientists has found that drinking a yogurt beverage fortified with vitamin D (or vitamin D and calcium) improved management of blood sugar (glucose) levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Management of blood sugar, called glycemic control, is critical in diabetes because elevated levels of glucose in the blood (hyperglycemia) over a long period can lead to harmful complications. In the study, 90 diabetics were randomly selected to consume plain yogurt with calcium but without vitamin D, or yogurt fortified with different levels of vitamin D and calcium twice a day for 12 weeks. Blood glucose levels were found to be lower in the groups that drank the vitamin D-fortified yogurt beverage, with or without added calcium.

Canadian food scientists have found that the predominant antioxidants in dark roasted coffee are derived from the browning of green beans at high temperatures, not from caffeine or other sources. The scientists analyzed the complex combination of chemical compounds produced during coffee bean roasting, a process known as the “Maillard reaction” after the scientist who first studied heat’s effect on carbohydrates, sugars and proteins in food. Scientists have long thought that coffee’s antioxidants were from caffeine or chlorogenic acid in green coffee beans. But coffee beans lose 90 percent of the chlorigenic acid during roasting, a finding that points to the Maillard reaction as the main source of antioxidants.

An online survey of buyers of gluten-free products has found that the main reason for purchasing is that gluten-free foods are thought to be healthier than conventional foods. According to market research firm Packaged Facts, tens of millions of Americans have reduced or eliminated wheat, barley, oats and rye from their diets, driving “the extraordinary surge in the market for gluten-free foods and beverages,” and not just among people with celiac disease or food allergies. The result has been an explosion of specialty food and beverage marketers who contributed to an industry  CAGR of 30 percent between 2006 and 2010, a total gluten-free market value of $2.6 billion in 2010 and a predicted $5 billion value by 2015.

As breakfast cereal maker General Mills labors to gain ground on market leader Kellogg Company, it is ramping up advertising, social media and in-store promotional efforts to educate consumers on the whole grain content of its product line. The new advertising campaign will “re-energize” its “whole grain message” to reduce consumer confusion, the company says. According to market research, shoppers know whole grains are healthier, but the vast majority – 95 percent by one tally – do not get the recommended 45 grams in their daily diet. Part of the problem is that consumers are often bewildered by ingredient labels touting whole grains versus enriched grains. And to make matters worse for cereal makers, almost half of consumers think bread is the main source of whole grains. 

A month-long study of 21 healthy men and women found that tangerine tomatoes—an heirloom variety—may be better sources of lycopene than common red tomatoes. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce or prevent damage to cells. In tomatoes, it occurs in two forms: trans-lycopene, contained in red tomatoes, and tetra-cis-lycopene, found in the tangerine variety. Study subjects alternated lycopene-free weeks with a week of either red or tangerine tomato-rich lunches. Scientists found that the tangerine tomato regimen resulted in higher levels of lycopene and lower oxidative damage, and suspect that the human body’s ability to more easily absorb tetra-cis-lycopene is the reason.

A randomized two-year clinical trial involving 403 healthy postmenopausal women has found that a daily 80-120 mg supplement of soy hypocotyl isoflavones does not present a health risk, and may actually protect against cancer. The trial was designed to test the impact of soy isoflavone supplementation on osteoporosis, but researchers were also trying to determine if long-term supplementation led to adverse health outcomes. Only two women in the soy supplement groups  experienced serious health problems: one case of breast cancer and one case of endometrial cancer. This “was less than the expected population rate for these cancers,” the researchers said. The supplement used in the study was the patented soy germ isoflavone product SoyLife from Frutarom.

Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), the 20-year joint venture between Nestlé and General Mills, opened a new R&D center in Orbe, Switzerland. It will leverage Nestlé's R&D track record, General Mills's technical capabilities and both companies' food processing know-how to develop nutritional breakfast options for markets outside the US and Canada. CPW is currently the world's second-largest breakfast cereal manufacturer and employs 4,000 people, with around 80 in the new facility. CPW has reformulated its cereals, adding whole grain and fiber, and reducing salt and sugar content. Both are members of the International Food and Beverage Alliance, which promotes balanced diets and healthy lifestyles.

U.S.-based loose leaf teas and tea brewing products provider The Tea Spot has added a chocolate tea to its line of 15 certified organic loose leaf teas that include Pu'erh, yerba maté, oolong, white, green and herbal. According to the company, handcrafted premium Chocolate "O" tea is microblended with a single estate black loose leaf tea and chocolate essence to provide chocolate aromas on a malty black tea base, with “hints of caramel and honey.” The company also markets patented tea serving and steeping products under the Steepware trademark.

The pigment astaxanthin makes salmon pink, and may also help prevent dementia.  Compounds called phospholipid hydroperoxides (PLOOH) occur in abnormal levels in the red blood cells (erythrocytes) of dementia sufferers. According to a Japanese study, astaxanthin seems to reduce PLOOH accumulation. After 12 weeks (a relatively short time), subjects who received daily supplements of astaxanthin showed significant reduction in PLOOH levels. Researchers found that when astaxanthin is absorbed into the body, it accumulates in red blood cells, at which point it displays antioxidant-like properties, preventing the buildup of PLOOH in those cells. Currently, the pigment’s main health benefits are to the eyes and skin, but it seems to improve joint and central nervous system health as well.

More than two thousand cleaning products, many using ingredients like vinegar and plant-based oils, now carry the EPA’s Design for the Environment seal, an indication of the gathering strength of the green and sustainable movement over the last two years. But consumers need to be aware that scores of cleaning products that claim to be nontoxic and good for the planet have not earned that seal. Eco-conscious consumers should also be alert to a company’s packaging and shipping methods. Cleaners often contain mostly water; shipping that extra weight wastes fuel and has a "lousy environmental impact," according to Joey Green, author of the book "Cleaning Magic." One solution? Concentrated cleaners and refillable packages, a trend that has already caught on in Europe.

A successful sustainability strategy encompasses several major elements, according to Dr. Sally Uren,  deputy chief executive at Forum for the Future. As evidence of global climate change mounts, so does the pressure on organizations to innovate with a focus specifically on low-carbon goods, services and markets. Sustainability must be embedded in the core business strategy as a “must have,” rather than a “nice to have,” organizational principle. To be effective, a sustainability strategy must evaluate risks and opportunities at every point in the supply chain to reduce exposure to environmental and social shocks. The strategy must place customers – whether businesses or consumers – at the heart and feature an ongoing dialogue that helps create new products and services. And lastly, a successful strategy will outline all biodiversity risks and opportunities.

Swedish clothing supplier H&M – stung by a PR fiasco when word got out that it had trashed unsold clothing in New York City – has developed a new line called Waste, assembled from unsold pieces from its Lanvin collection. The initiative is innovative because millions of tons of leftover textiles are either discarded in landfills or end up in second-hand stores. A movement toward recycling, however, is gaining momentum. Speedo, for example, recently turned over 18,000 swimsuits to a designer who specializes in textile recycling. Orsola de Castro turned the LZR Racer suits, banned by the competitive swimming governing body Fina, into cocktail dresses after figuring out how to sidestep the Speedo logo problem. "In terms of sustainability there is nothing more advanced than this," de Castrol said.

ConAgra Foods, in partnership with the online community TheMotherhood.com, has launched the blogger-hosted online cooking school, ‘Cooking Connections’. The series of cooking lessons will run on TheMotherhood.com, and be posted on Twitter and Facebook, from January 28 through March 16, and parents will be able to share cooking experiences with the community using Flickr and the social networking sites. ConAgra said the move reflects that the Web has become the main source for recipes and is increasingly used by moms for recipes and food information. 

A decision by the USDA to allow American farmers to plant genetically modified alfalfa seeds is a “looming nightmare” for Canadian alfalfa farmers, according to New Democrat agriculture critic Alex Atamanenko, who has asked Canada’s prime minister to seek a reversal of the U.S. policy. The Monsanto alfalfa seed is engineered to resist the weed killer Roundup. According to Atamanenko, “Any GE (genetically engineered) alfalfa grown in the U.S. will inevitably lead to contamination of alfalfa in Canada.” A bill to protect Canadian farmers from market losses due to GM contamination will be voted on soon, following a final reading in the House of Commons. Atamanenko said alfalfa is important to conventional farming and also organic farming, where it is used as a soil-building component in crop rotation.

A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals that children who consume salty snacks at least three times a week are 4.8 times more at risk of having asthma symptoms than children who never or rarely do so. This association is more pronounced in children who watch television or play video games for at least 2 hours per day. Researchers hope the study, which covered 700 children in Athens, ages 10 to 12 years, will encourage public-health officials to focus future interventions and messages on modifying these behaviors as early as possible.

A study by Datamonitor reveals that almost half (47 percent) of consumers in the U.K. want to use their genetic information to personalize their food and beverage choices. Underlying the market potential of personalized foods, Datamonitor also found that 42% of consumers would view more favorably a 'customized/personalized' grocery product. A possible impediment is that proliferation of products is leading to ‘choice paralysis’ (over half of U.K. consumers agree there is too much grocery product choice) that leaves consumers unresponsive to new products and causes them to instead turn to known brands. Products with specific benefits and highly targeted markets look set to do well in the early stages of market development, like MANFLU that delivers a shot of cough and cold remedy and Custom Choice that allows celiac suffers to create their own gluten free breakfast cereal.

Researchers in Spain who investigated both the key factors behind consumer food choice and attitudes toward healthy eating found that sensory appeal, price and convenience were more important than health-promotion or weight control among 200 Spanish consumers. Participants associated the terms “low in calories” and “help me to control my weight” with “low in fat” than with “low in sugar.” Participants said dairy products were the most frequently consumed food, and indicated that foods whose ingredients promoted health were among the least consumed, probably because consumers either were not interested in or had little knowledge about the health benefits. The study found that women and adults in general were most concerned about health and weight control.

Leading Brazilian beauty products manufacturer and direct seller Naturas shared in an interview how it balances sustainability, aesthetics, and functionality in the way it packages its products. It uses eco-design concepts with the help of a design agency and produces the design with packaging suppliers using sustainability concepts. It manufactures most of its packages in Brazil and now works on including more sustainability aspects in its packaging and on creating sensory experiences, while maintaining luxurious appeal.

Solvert Limited plans the UK’s first plant to convert organic waste in to chemicals. It’s the brainchild of industry expert and ex-ICI man Kris Wadrop, who is looking at sites on Teeside like the former ICI site at Billingham. Initial funding of £170,000 came from Northstar Ventures and grant support, and Solvert will seek £1.5 million in further finance. Solvert aims to start operations by 2015 and is currently testing the process. The plant will use produce renewable electricity as well as n-butanol, acetone and hydrogen. Butanol and acetone are currently produced from crude oil.

The NPD Group's latest food market research has revealed that U.S. consumers, faced with rising food prices, are preparing to change how they spend for food in 2011. Based on 30 years of data, NPD said that consumers have always kept food costs from rising faster than their incomes. Data from NPD shows that 72% of meals are prepared at home, 18% are purchased from foodservice stores, 8% are skipped, and 2% are purchased from undetermined sources. NPD also reveal that for the two year period ending November 2010 consumers cut back on their trips to restaurants, with the restaurant industry losing 2.4 billion visits, which fell from 61.5 billion to 59.1 billion.

Australian researchers who compared the effects of low- and high-calcium meals on calorie intake and appetite among 11 middle-aged men found that higher levels of the mineral and vitamin at breakfast increased fat oxidation and energy burning rates over 24 hours, and increased feelings of satiety. Breakfasts that contained more than 500 mg of calcium and 8.7 micrograms of vitamin D were associated with significantly increased fat and energy burning during the rest of the day, compared to breakfasts that contained 250 mg of calcium 0.3 micrograms of vitamin D. According to the researchers, the participants ate less at a subsequent buffet meal, “the buffet to dinner interval was prolonged, and reported 24-hour energy intake following this trial was significantly reduced.”

Procter & Gamble plans to install a wind turbine at the company's pet care product site in Coevorden, the Netherlands, and install solar panels at its personal care plant in Cologne, Germany. Wind power will meet about 17 percent of the factory's annual energy needs, producing some 5,500 megawatt hours of energy every year. Procter & Gamble also plans to install solar panels in other factories in the region, with the initial installation supplying about 796 megawatt hours each year. These announcements come as part of P&G’s goal to power plants with 100% renewable energy and, by 2020, goal to power plants with 30% renewable energy.

Certain strains of the food-borne bacterium Listeria monocytogenes are able to invade the heart and lead to serious and difficult-to-treat heart infections in vulnerable populations, according to U.S. researchers. Listeria is often found in soft cheeses and chilled ready-to-eat products. Infections from listeria are usually mild in healthy individuals, but can cause serious illness in the elderly and other susceptible people. More than a third of listeria-related heart infections are fatal. Researchers found that mice infected with the cardiac isolate had 10 times as much bacteria in their hearts. But in the spleen and liver the levels of bacteria were equal in both groups of mice. The researchers concluded that cardiac-associated strains display modified proteins on their surface that enable the bacteria to easily enter cardiac cells, targeting and infecting the heart.

An innovative online store named Health Rush, based in Bangalore, India, offers a range of healthy products for those who lack the time to shop at conventional health food stores. Products are organized by brands, categories and health concerns, e.g., diabetes, pregnancy or heart problems. Categories include baby foods such as organic milk-based supplements, berries and breakfast cereals (some of which are high in carbohydrates, despite the “healthy” claim). Also offered are green tea-based beverages (but no herbal teas), grains like quinoa and brown rice, flavored whey protein shakes, wheatgrass powder, nuts and seeds, snack items like pita chips, an array of flours (bajra, jowar, soya flour, ragi and sattu), pastas, roasted snacks, unrefined sugars and natural fruit bars. However, the store does not stock cheese, milk or meats.

Marketers of organic, natural and healthy products should view the “tidal wave” of Latino consumers in the U.S. as a golden opportunity, according to Los Angeles family physician Luis Pacheco, M.D., himself a creator of a supplement brand. The 50 million Hispanics will impact health and wellness in the U.S., primarily because of their attitudes toward physicians, prescription drugs, and preventative care generally. Beset by obesity and diabetes, Hispanics generally do not visit the doctor until there is something wrong, and even then delay treatment because they cannot afford it, often lacking health insurance. Mistrusting prescription medications, Latinos prefer herbal products and other supplements. The opportunity for supplement makers is there, Pacheco says, as long as marketing and labeling are culturally relevant.

Berlin’s International Green Week fair had organic food stalls for the second year and fair trade food products for the first time. German consumers have been attracted to the premium-priced organic food partly by the recent scandal in the country over dioxin found in animal feed, but cynics argue that organic food is expensive and not always credible, and rather misses the point if flown to market. Fair trade producers also displayed their products and called on consumers to support farming systems that are fair for workers, farm owners, and the environment. 

Thirteen school meals makers, group purchasing organizations and technology companies have partnered with  the Alliance for a Healthier Generation “to make healthier school lunches possible for more than 30 million students” at more affordable prices. According to the AHG, about 14 million of the affected students participate in the free and reduced lunch program. The partnership is part of an effort to combat childhood obesity that involves developing, marketing and competitively pricing products that will lead to healthier school meal options, a streamlined ordering process, and easier identification of healthy food options. Participants have committed to providing lean protein products such as lean red meat, skinless poultry, etc.; low-fat lunch entrées; whole-grain products; fresh, canned or frozen fruit; non-fried vegetables; and zero trans fat cooking oils.

The World Health Organization is asking governments to reduce children's exposure to marketing of foods with high levels of fat, sugar, or salt. These foods put children at risk of developing noncommunicable diseases, which account for about 60% of all deaths globally and pose a serious threat to human health and development. With 43 million pre-school children worldwide obese or overweight, WHO is highlighting the risks of an unhealthy diet, one of the four most common factors linked to cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases, and diabetes, and there will be a United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs in September, in New York.

In the face of poor financial performance — its third-quarter net sales decreased 4% to $3.2 billion — Kellogg is investing to improve its marketing effort globally and has appointed Brand Learning to train Kellogg's marketing directors and senior marketing executives to help set up standards and common processes. Kellogg envisions the program, which will ultimately cover all of the company's marketing units, to improve its marketing capacity and business performance. Mark Baynes, Kellogg CMO, says He said: "We (are aiming) to create a team inspired, equipped and enabled to drive stronger returns in this increasingly complex consumer landscape."

Steroid compounds banned by the federal government have crept back into muscle-building dietary supplements and are available online at such retail outlets as Amazon.com, according to press reports. Two representatives of the nonprofit Anti-Doping Research Group of Los Angeles, Calif., tested four muscle-building supplements they  purchased and found illegal steroids in three of them. Amazon has since removed several of the products, manufactured by Competitive Edge Labs, from the site. According to Don Caitlin, CEO of Anti-Doping Research Group, the purchase and testing effort was not meant to target Amazon, but to show the wide availability of  adulterated products. "Our interest is in protecting the unsuspecting consumer from being able to buy these products, take them without knowing what they really are, and put themselves in the hospital," Caitlin said.

Brazil's packaged food industry grew 44% from 2005 to R$176 billion (US$105 billion) in 2010, moving from eighth to become the fifth largest in the world. Euromonitor sees continued growth for five more years, backed by a strong agricultural production capacity and a growing consumer base that has attracted multinational companies to compete with domestic brands. In the past two years, the market has also seen significant mergers and acquisitions, improving the competitiveness of Brazilian companies. But the newer entrants, like General Mills, find it difficult to penetrate the market as consumers trust brands such as Nestle that have been in the market longer.

At a House of Representatives members forum on genetically-engineered (GE)  alfalfa, the U.S. Organic Trade Association (OTA) expressed strong support for a recent USDA proposal to consider the economic consequences of unrestricted deregulation of Monsanto’s Round-Up Ready (RR) alfalfa, including the impact on organic agriculture and products in the United States. The OTA said it believes the department has the authority to oversee GE crop commercialization and protect organic farmers. The member forum was organized to question USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on whether the USDA has the authority to consider conditional deregulation of RR Alfalfa. The OTA advocated a “meaningful co-existence” between organic and conventional farmers that would protect seed purity for organic farmers’ use, compensate organic farmers for contamination losses and require USDA oversight of GE crop commercialization.

L’Oreal will introduce department store “personal beauty advisers” to boost its sales to Brazilian women who have traditionally bought beauty products through the direct sales channel, dominated by Natura Cosméticos and Avon. It aims to increase the share of emerging markets from one-third to one-half of its yearly sales of €17.5 billion ($23.36 billion) and double its one billion consumers in the next 10 years. L’Oreal’s sales in Brazil were flat in 2010 after a 15% rise to €521 million in 2009, while growth in China remained at 18% or over during the last 3 years. 

A Mintel study reveals that 44% of grocery shoppers believe that the quality of today's store brands is better than those of five years ago and 39% of respondents who are their households' primary shoppers say they would recommend a private label product. Also, significant majorities — 62% for dairy products; 61% for canned foods; and 56% for household cleaners — believe there are no quality difference between name and store brand products and just 19% say paying more for name brand products is worth it. Mintel says private label manufacturers continue to gain ground by introducing improved, budget-friendly products with enhanced packaging.