Frito-Lay will make 50% of its snack products in 2011 from natural ingredients, although probably not in its Cheetos and Doritos lines, in a bid to overhaul its reputation and product line. Also, the snack manufacturer will remove artificial ingredients, such as monosodium glutamate, sodium diacetate, and artificial colors, from some of its main products. Frito-Lay’s move reflects growing consumer interest in natural foods and the rapid expansion of the healthful foods market. Nutritionist Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, however, alleges that a need to enhance its public image is driving Frito-Lay’s “natural foods” move, and that the company’s New Year advertising campaign might mislead consumers into eating more chips and other snacks. She adds that the real issue is high fat and sodium content. Frito-Lay’s chief marketing officer Ann Mukherjee disagrees with Brownel, saying consumers want more and better choices in snacks. 

Children have long been eating sweets for the taste but models and celebrities eat sweets for a quick energy boost and as a low-fat alternative between meals, and now the Sweetie Diet has made the trip over the Atlantic from the US to the UK. Looking at the caloric count of Jelly Bellies with 80 calories per serving it is easy to think of the candy as a low-fat alternative. Nutritionists warn that even though the taste and look of sweets are appealing, especially to young people, the side effects are harmful. Almost all sweets are pure sugar that provides an initial energy boost that later fluctuates causing behavioral changes. Aside from causing acne and bad teeth, going on the Sweetie Diet also plays havoc with the internal body: lowering metabolism that causes weight gain over the long term, causing nutritional deficiencies, and increasing the risk of diabetes.

Commercial weight-loss companies are ramping up their advertising campaigns to promote new dieting programs to recapture former clients and win over new ones. Weight Watchers ($1.4 billion in sales in 2010), Nutrisystem ($527 million) and Jenny Craig ($480 million) rule the $3.2 billion commercial weight-loss center category but are not resting on their laurels. All three are rolling out innovations designed to entice dieters who switched to less expensive do-it-yourself dieting schemes during the recession. Nutrisystem’s new ad agency developed a campaign emphasizing real people rather than celebrities. Weight Watchers is pushing its refurbished calorie-counting system (PointsPlus), while Jenny Craig is touting its new Metabolic Max Program that customizes weight-loss programs to clients' "unique metabolism.”

Canadian stevia extract producer GLG Life Tech Corporation says that its joint venture partner China and Healthy Foods Company Limited (CAHFC) has begun production of four all natural stevia-sweetened beverages under the ANOC brand name in China. The production line is capable of producing 108 million 500 ml servings a year, and is starting with green tea, black tea, peach juice and orange juice products. Key Chinese government objectives in participating in the joint venture are to show that a rural farming region such as Xioagang can support a strong farming economy and that industrial development will increase economic prosperity in a rural region. According to GLG, China’s food and beverage industry has grown 20 percent a year from 2002 to 2009, when it was valued at $693 billion.

PepsiCo has opened a nutrition research laboratory at the Science Park in New Haven, aiming to find ways to make its snack products healthier. The laboratory is manned by eight full-time scientists and includes up to date equipment, such as spectrometers and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machines. Although some people distrust PepsiCo’s healthy-foods credentials, the company claims it is part of its efforts to develop and market healthful products. The company’s chief scientific officer, Mehmood Khan, was hired in 2007 and aims to reduce sodium and added sugar by 25% and saturated fat by 15% from PepsiCo’s leading products. Also, the company has awarded the Yale Medical School’s graduate and post-graduate studies department a $250,000 fellowship for students working on topics about nutrition and obesity-related diseases, the acceptance of which has attracted criticism from inside the university.

There are a number of larger Latin American companies, known as “Multilatinas,” that are competing globally with corporations from the developed markets as well as those from other rapidly developing economies, such as China and India. A 2009 report from the Boston Consulting Group lists 100 “new global challengers” from Latin America, including Mexico's Grupo Bimbo and Embraer from Brazil. This push is supported by improved socio-economic conditions in the region, including economic reform and stability, better education, and technological advance, reinforced by vast a natural resource base. The region’s GDP equals that of China, and is expected to have grown some 4 percent this year. Some Latin American companies are investing abroad, including acquisition deals, and activities overseas have been helped by a series of bilateral free trade agreements with Asian countries and a general trend towards a Free Trade Area for the Asia Pacific that could include some Latin American countries. 

Acknowledging that the findings from 62 non-controlled studies were weak, British researchers nevertheless said they supported a link between asthma prevention and intake of vitamins A, D, and E, zinc, fruits and vegetables, and a Mediterranean diet. The studies examined records of women's diets and other anecdotal evidence and so were less reliable than clinical trials. Seventeen of the studies looked at fruit and vegetable consumption, finding a lower risk of asthma and allergies. Two found a 75 percent lower risk of asthma among children with higher levels of vitamin A. And lower risk of newborn wheezing was found among pregnant women who consumed large amounts of vitamin D and E. Researchers warned that the findings do not warrant wholesale dietary changes among pregnant women and parents, but do warrant further studies.

If the large turnout at the recent American Muslim Consumer Conference in New York is any indication, U.S. businesses are stepping up efforts to cater to the Muslim community. The trend is already noticeable in the food industry, with such companies as McDonald's, Wal-Mart, and Whole Foods now selling halal lines prepared in accordance with Islamic dietary laws. American producers are following the lead of Europe, which has established itself in the burgeoning halal industry, which posts yearly international sales of over half a billion dollars. But, like their European counterparts, American manufacturers can expect resistance from Christian populations in the current political climate. Errol Schweizer, an executive with Whole Foods, nevertheless predicts continuing penetration by American business into the Muslim market: "It isn't a question of whether they're going to do it. It's a question of where and when and how."

Dannon, the world’s largest yogurt maker, is boosting production at its plant in Utah in the hopes of gaining a bigger share of the Western U.S. market, where annual per-capita yogurt consumption currently is less  than one-sixth that of Western Europe. In a move to bolster that  strategy and triple U.S. yogurt sales to $3 billion a year, parent company Danone is also negotiating to acquire Portland, Ore.-based frozen yogurt maker YoCream. Dannon is replacing a water treatment system at the Utah plant to accommodate a 67 percent hike in production to 242 tons a year. The Utah facility, opened in 1997, originally produced bottled water but switched to yogurt in 2000. The Activia, Dannon, Light& Fit, Dan-o-nino and Danimal brands are all produced there.

The U.S. Council of Better Business Bureaus has issued a progress report for 2009 on food and beverage marketing to children that says participating companies “continue to demonstrate excellent compliance” with voluntary pledges to advertise healthier foods to children. The report focuses on companies that have signed on to the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). Healthier food goals are being achieved by 17 big food and beverage manufacturers through “reformulation and innovation,” according to the report. A review of TV ads directed at kids over 38 hours of children’s programming in 2010 found that more than 75 percent of the ads touted products providing at least 10 percent of the Daily Value of a “shortfall”  nutrient in kids’ diets or a half-serving of a recommended food group.

Companies are allocating portions of their charity money to building and refurbishing playgrounds for children in the United States. Marketers such as Kraft Foods and CVS have come to see the playground as a venue for expanding public awareness of their brands, and are also persuading their employees to contribute their time and labor to their communities. Also, these playground projects allow food and beverage companies, which have been criticized for their high-calorie products, to join the government’s campaign against child obesity. Most companies work with Kaboom and other nonprofit organizations in creating public playgrounds, which used to be handled by schools and municipal governments, the budgets for which have been constrained by the economic downturn. Meanwhile, companies have been encouraging employees to volunteer as corporate cash contributions decline.

A U.S. study comparing infant weight gain when fed cow’s milk formula or protein hydrolysate (predigested protein) formula found that protein hydrolysate-fed infants gained weight at the same rate as breast-fed babies. Infants fed cow’s milk formula gained weight faster than breast-fed infants. According to the researchers, the findings have implications related to infant risk for development of obesity, diabetes and other diseases later in life. For the study, infants between two weeks and 7.5 months were randomly assigned to the two formulas. Calorie content for the two formulas was the same. Laboratory analysis showed that the infants fed the protein hydrolysate formula ate less during the meal. The researchers suggested further studies are needed to find out why infants fed cow’s milk formula tended to overfeed.

Seeking to continue its expansion in emerging markets, Nestle has agreed to acquire a majority (51%) stake in Turkey-based confectionery companies Dogan and Balaban Gida. Nestle, in partnership with the companies, will expand its Popularly Positioned Products (PPPs), which are specially created for the market’s more affordable segment. Nestle uses locally available raw materials to manufacture PPPs, which account for about half of Turkey’s confectionery sector, in order to keep their prices affordable.

A multinational team of scientists who recently completed the sequencing and assembly of the chocolate tree genome suggests that the primary benefit from the initiative will go to producers of high quality chocolate and the farmers who grow the beans. The researchers sequenced the DNA of the Criollo variety of Theobroma cacao, which produces the world's finest chocolate. Growers, however, usually cultivate hybrid cacao varieties whose fruit is more abundant and disease resistant, but lower in quality. The researchers believe that their work will ultimately lead to increased productivity of the better quality cacao and help to develop a sustainable cacao economy benefiting farmers. Hidden in the genome the researchers also found genes that code for the production of cocoa butter, a substance highly prized in chocolate making, confectionary, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Kraft is launching a new Trident chewing gum in the US, called Vitality, containing beneficial ingredients. There are three variants: "Vigorate", which the company claims provides 10 percent of an individual’s vitamin C recommended daily intake of vitamin C; "Rejuve", with mint and white tea; and "Awaken", with peppermint and ginseng. Although the new products are scheduled for launch in the US this January, with national rollout in February, a Trident spokeswoman said that there are as yet no plans for an international launch.

Claiming Australian consumers prefer organic foods, supermarket company Coles said it will stop selling beef that contains hormone growth promotants (HGPs). Industry observers, however, claim that HGPs, which are additives regularly used by farmers to enhance cattle’s muscle growth, are safe and effective in expanding production of beef. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s livestock industry chief Alan Bell said that banning HGP beef will cause beef prices to go up. Australian Cattle Council chief David Inall said that the marketing campaign for hormones-free beef scares customers from eating beef with HGPs, which have been approved for use in Australia in 1979, but were prohibited in the Europe Union in 1988.

Japan retail company Seven & I Holdings Co. says it will soon stop selling food products containing the trans fats that have been associated with high cholesterol and health problems like heart disease and hardening of the arteries. The parent company of Seven-Eleven convenience stores and various Japanese supermarkets and department stores, Seven & I says it will speed up efforts to remove trans fats from its own house brand products while asking food suppliers to follow suit. Until now, the company has been promoting products that are lower in trans fats. Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency has issued guidelines that require manufacturers of margarines to show trans-fat contents on product labels.

The U.K.’s NewLeaf Food Group says it is introducing this month a microwaveable and stovetop oatmeal product called Xtreme porridge targeted at seven- to 15-year-olds. The company’s ads will feature four urban animated characters and will be supplemented with online, phone app and social networking campaigns promoting the original flavor as well as  blueberry, apple and raspberry varieties. The company also expects to launch fruit-flavored porridge bars and “pots-to-go” in the summer. According to the company, the products are all natural and contain oats, natural fruit pieces and flavorings. “The urban-style packaging is deliberately streetwise to reflect the environment, values, social activities and fashion sense of today’s children and young teenagers,” said NewLeaf Managing Director Rob Mullen.

Reacting to complaints that goods being sold in the country as organic were not organic at all, Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry announced tighter regulatory control over organic and biodynamic goods. Organic products in Egypt often cost twice as much as conventional goods, because they purportedly contain no chemical additives and have not been genetically modified. However, until now there has been no certification process, consumers could not file a complaint with the government and companies were not required to be accountable. Under the new decree, manufacturers will need to be accredited by auditors registered with the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOSQ), organic companies will have to register and be certified, and EOSQ may inspect facilities and shut them down if they do not meet organic standards.

UK food company New Leaf is launching Xtreme Porridge, aimed at Britain’s 7-15 year olds. It’s a healthy breakfast option with four variants, marketed using “urban animated characters” in its packaging, supported by an online and mobile campaign, including social networking. Major UK retailers will roll-out Xtreme Porridge, in original, blueberry, apple, and raspberry flavors, this January. It contains only natural oats, fruit pieces and flavorings, according to New Leaf, which will also launch product extensions such as porridge bars in fruit flavors and “pots-to-go’ this summer. New Leaf hopes Xtreme Porridge will appeal to youths’ values and fashion sense, while addressing parents’ concern for health.

Demand for certified environmentally-friendly chocolate is increasing. Consumers are more conscious about how and where their chocolate is grown, and are willing to pay a premium for it—and cocoa and chocolate producers are responding: Pastry chef François Payard imports about four tons of certified cocoa—20 percent of his total inventory—each year for his chocolate shops, and by 2020, Mars, Inc. plans to certify its entire supply of cocoa. Despite the economic downturn, certifiers saw ‘exponential growth’ over the last few years: According to the New York-based certification organization Rainforest Alliance, from 2007-2009, sales of certified cocoa more than doubled. Another certifier, Fair Trade USA, saw certified imports into the United States grow by 70 million pounds from 2006-2009.

Research by British scientists has found that people who eat more servings of fruit and vegetables each day have a healthier, golden skin color, thanks to antioxidants known as carotenoids that help absorb damaging compounds produced by stress, strain and illness. Carotenoids are responsible for the reddish color in carrots and tomatoes, and are important for the immune and reproductive systems. In three studies, researchers found that people actually preferred a skin color caused by carotenoids to one caused by suntan, a fact reflected in the animal kingdom where, for example, birds’ bright yellow beaks and feathers advertise a healthy male. “Together our studies link skin carotenoid coloration to both perceived health and healthy diet, establishing carotenoid coloration as a valid cue to human health,” the researchers concluded.

Most of the cases of foodborne illnesses are not “acts of God” but are the result of lapses in human behavior, according to a Kansas State University professor. Douglas Powell says that the last 10 years in the U.S. have seen the gradual development of a “food safety culture,” thanks to several highly-publicized food contamination outbreaks. It is the spread of this culture among farms, processors, retailers, restaurants and consumers at home – rather than legislation, policy and training – that will reduce the number of Americans sickened by foodborne pathogens, Powell says. Other trends noted by Powell: increased public exposure to food safety information; realization that fresh produce, not just meat, is a source of food contamination; and increased use of DNA technology and tools to better understand foodborne illnesses.

Levels of toxic phosphorous in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) drop precipitously when they follow a vegetarian diet, according to a study by U.S. scientists. CKD patients have a tough time excreting the mineral phosphorous, found in proteins and a common food additive. Preventing phosphorous buildup, which can lead to heart disease and even death, is critical, but food labels often do not list phosphorous content. For the study, nine CKD patients followed a vegetarian or meat-based diet for a week, then the opposite diet two-to four- weeks later. Blood and urine tests found that despite equivalent protein and phosphorus concentrations in the two diets, patients had lower blood phosphorus levels and decreased phosphorus excretion in the urine when they were on the vegetarian diet.

The double-digit revenue growth experienced by the organic industry prior to the recession may be back once more. In 2009, spending on organic and natural products in the U.S. achieved a modest 5% growth to $26.6 billion, according to the Organic Trade Association. Large organic suppliers such as United Natural Foods Inc. have reported strengthening sales in 2010 with double-digit growth in their latest quarterly results. UNFI reported quarterly sales passing the $1 billion mark for the first time in the quarter to the end of October, while Whole Foods Market reached $2.1 billion in sales for the quarter to the end of September, 15 percent up year on year. Smaller companies are seeing good growth too. Companies say the higher sales are due mainly to increased awareness of the health benefits from natural and organic foods resulting in a stronger willingness to pay premium prices. The industry predicts continued growth in 2011, particularly in the diary and meat sectors.

Unilever chief technology officer Neal Matheson said he believes that his company needs to leverage technologies that exist today, including those developed in other industries, to improve the quality of life of consumers. Having demonstrated that the usual approaches have failed to improve its innovation rate, Unilever aims to adopt a new ways of thinking and technologies that will make its products more effective. Aware that growth today is coming largely from emerging markets, Unilever intends to flip the typical innovation flow by innovating instead for emerging markets and then adapt those technologies for developed markets. 

A 10-year U.S. study of the six basic dietary patterns of 2,582 older (aged 70 to 79) adults who completed questionnaires has found that participants who tended to eat foods from the “high-fat dairy products” or “sweets and desserts” clusters were 40 percent and 37 percent more at risk of mortality respectively than those who consumed “healthy foods.” The healthy foods cluster comprised low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish and vegetables. According to the researchers, “the healthy foods cluster also had significantly more years of healthy life and more favorable levels of nutritional biomarkers” than other food clusters. Besides “high-fat dairy” and “sweets and desserts,” other clusters identified by the researchers included "meat, fried foods, and alcohol," “breakfast cereal" and “refined grains.”

Recently known for their research and development of breathable chocolate and coffee, Le Whif is now expanding into the vitamin sector. Based on research for aerosol sprays the products designed by Le Whif spray particles into the mouth that are small enough to breathe but heavy enough to fall on the tongue. Currently Le Whif offers Antioxidant Green Tea that supplies 100% of daily vitamin C & E and Age Smart Wine Tea that contains reseveratrol. Comparing traditional consumption of vitamins to the inhaler, Le Whif claims their products taste better and enter the bloodstream faster with more potency as it bypasses the digestive system and the effects of the liver. Le Whif sold 60,000 tubes of breathable chocolate in 9 months and plans to launch additional flavors.

Consumption of traditional French cheese varieties is decreasing due to fast food and competition from industrial cheese varieties, as groups like the Association Fromages de Terroir campaign to save this important element of French dining tradition. While cheese consumption in France still averages 25kg per person per year, just 7 percent is now from raw milk; the remainder is from "pasteurised, sanitised and lightweight" products, according to the AFT. Producers of raw milk cheese are hindered by tighter health regulations and households are buying prepared foods rather than cooking at home. Fifty artisanal raw-milk cheeses have disappeared in the last 30 years, and cheese exports fell nearly 5 percent in 2009 to €2.5 billion, as British cheeses, like Stilton, outsell French products in UK stores. One French cheese producer, however, is fighting back by pushing its products in the UK.

Scientists in Ireland have shown that ingesting live probiotics can have a major impact on metabolism in other parts of the body. For their study, the researchers developed a recombinant strain of the common intestinal bacterium Lactobacillus by inserting a gene from Propionibacterium acnes. The new strain (Lactobacillus paracasei) was then able to produce the fatty acid known as t10, c12 CLA, produced only by Propionibacterium. t10, c12 CLA is associated with decreased body fat in humans and can also inhibit colon cancer cell growth. When fed to mice, the CLA significantly changed the composition of the animals’ fat tissue. The researchers found that the level of t10, c12 CLA in the mice's fat tissue quadrupled when fed the recombinant probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei.

Breakfast cereal maker Post Foods, LLC, says it is lowering the sugar content of some of its products, specifically its rice-based Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles, to nine grams a serving in January 2011 as part of an effort to “address the rise in nutritional concerns among American consumers.” The company also says its Pebbles cereals are cholesterol-free, low in fat, rich in vitamin D and other vitamins and minerals, and certified gluten-free. Post is one of the big food and beverage companies participating in the Children’s Food & Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), a program launched by the Council of Better Business Bureaus to curb the amount of advertising of unhealthy foods targeting children under 12.

The 6th District Court of Appeal in San Jose, California, sustained Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo’s right to sue pesticide services firm Western Farm Service. Based on Jacobs Farm president Larry Jacobs’ investigation, pesticides sprayed by Western Farm Service on a nearby farm evaporated and were transported by wind or fog to Jacobs Farm’s dill crops. The Court’s ruling on the case, which began four years ago when retailer Whole Foods rejected Jacobs Farm’s organic dill for testing positive for pesticides, means pesticide applicators can be legally liable even though no law or regulations were violated. Aside from reinforcing the case for organic farmers harmed by pesticides to seek legal redress, the Court’s decision also addresses the state law’s lack of specific provisions dealing with pesticides that move in vapor form after application.

After long delays and a lot of legislative wrangling, the U.S. Congress has passed and sent to the White House the first major food safety reform legislation in nearly eight decades. President Obama is expected to sign the measure this week. The bill was finally passed by the Senate and the House after problems related to funding were at least temporarily resolved. The bill gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to order recalls of tainted products and beef up the federal inspector force by 2,000. The update of the nation’s system for protecting consumers from spoiled foods was prompted by several recent contaminated food scares. Discovery of salmonella  prompted the recall of more than half a billion eggs.

Spain’s AZTI-Tecnalia technological center has shown that treating dairy products using high pressure technology deactivates molds and yeasts while preserving flavor and other important characteristics. Scientists, who worked with Spanish dairy companies, say the high pressure technology provides an alternative to traditional heat-based treatments for decontamination of dairy foods. Similar results have also been found with ready-to-eat fruit products. According to the researchers, dairy food samples processed with high pressure not only conserved quality for up to three months, they also tasted better than the traditional (heat treated) samples. The scientific team subjected the food to high pressure – up to 6,000 bars – that resulted in the inactivation of most pathogenic microorganisms, without modifying food properties or characteristics. The team is also experimenting with combinations of high pressure and temperature.

Echoing the message of low-carb diet programs like Atkins, a U.S. nutrition expert urges elimination or severe restriction of foods containing refined or “complex” carbohydrates, the inferior carbs that are really at the root of America’s obesity problems. That doesn’t include fruits and vegetables, Tom Griesel says, “because they are truly unrefined and contain fiber … and many readily available and usable nutrients.” The inferior carbs are found instead in all sugar, particularly high fructose corn syrup, refined foods and drinks (i.e., “anything packaged), and all grain products, refined or unrefined. Consuming even small quantities of these kinds of foods cause spikes in blood sugar levels that are a real problem because they spur unhealthy insulin surges. Griesel is the co-author of the forthcoming book “TurboCharged.”

Drinking green tea regularly may help protect the brain from the harmful biochemical changes that lead to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and may also play a role in protecting against cancer, research by U.K. scientists has found. The researchers wondered whether the beneficial compounds (polyphenols) of freshly-brewed green tea survived the digestive process and were “bioavailable.” They found that when intestinal enzymes digested green tea, the resulting chemicals were even more effective against key triggers of Alzheimer's – hydrogen peroxide and a protein known as beta-amyloid – than undigested tea. Tumor cell models exposed in the lab to varying concentrations of the different toxins were protected by the digested green tea compounds. The next step is to find whether the same result is observed in human tests.

Italian researchers who looked at self-reported diet and health data from nearly 30,000 women in large-scale investigations conducted in the 1990s found that the more leafy vegetables and olive oil consumed, the lower the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). No such association was found between consumption of fruits and CHD, however. Researchers followed the women for an average of eight years, keeping track of adverse health events. The women experienced 144 major heart disease-related events, such as heart attack or bypass surgery. Women who ate at least one daily serving (about 2 oz) of leafy vegetables such as raw lettuce, or cooked vegetables like spinach, were 46 percent less likely to develop heart disease than women who ate only two portions a week, researchers found.

Small lifestyle changes, along with the elimination of certain foods and beverages, can lead to a healthier, longer life, say health experts from the Calorie Control Council, which represents the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry. Reducing portions, controlling calories, increasing physical activity and adding more “color” to the plate (i.e., fruits and vegetables) can all help people avoid unhealthy weight gain. The Council predicts five weight loss and obesity trends for 2011: preventing weight gain by, for example, cutting 100 calories or adding 2,000 steps of physical activity a day; applying updated U.S. dietary guidelines to shape healthier eating patterns; introduction of more “light” products that provide hunger satisfaction – one of the hottest trends in weight management; implementation of corporate wellness programs; and increased calorie consciousness at restaurants.

Antioxidants consumed from natural sources such as fruits and vegetables reduce by as much as 50 percent the risk of developing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men, according to new U.S. research. High-dose supplemental antioxidants, however, actually increase the risk of LUTS, researchers found, perhaps because of increased urinary acidity caused by the supplements. In a study of 1,466 men, the higher the natural intake of lycopene, beta-carotene and vitamin A (4,780 micrograms a day), the greater the reduction of LUTS risk – as much as 40 to 50 percent – compared to low average intake (775 micrograms a day). Regarding antioxidant supplements, the researchers concluded that “for some men, LUTS could be ameliorated by changing urine composition through modification of high-dose supplement use.”

Some of America's largest fast food franchisees have noticed and used the trend towards vegetarian meals to find success in India. Globally, non-vegetarian products still hold the majority of sales, but companies such as Domino's and Pizza Hut say their vegetarian menus for outlets in India account for about 65-70 percent of overall sales. Traditionally viewed as non-vegetarian franchisees, both KFC and McDonald's have introduced vegetarian options. New products, including vegetarian items, have helped push KFC's same store sales up by 20 percent, and some of McDonald’s vegetarian Indian innovations, like the McAloo Tikki burger, have done well in India as well as in other markets. These companies are considering opening additional stores focusing entirely on vegetarian products with Domino's already leading the way with seven locations.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) praised the U.S. Congress for passing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which is designed to strengthen the agency’s food safety oversight, and for adding provisions that protect organic farmers and producers from meeting conditions that duplicate or are counter to the requirements of the Organic Food Production Act. The legislation, which originally made its way through the Senate with strong bipartisan support, will also protect consumers from food-borne diseases, according to OTA executive director and CEO Christine Bushway. Aside from retaining the language that OTA had wanted, the legislation also comes with technical assistance resources, and amends the traceability and record-keeping provisions of the bill.

Natural product consumers do not believe “natural” product labels, according to the 2011 Organic Consumer Survey Report, a recent survey by marketing and promotions firm Mambo Sprouts Marketing. Of the 1,000 consumers who participated in the study, a third were either “not very” or “not at all” trusting of existing natural labeling systems. Around 65% were very interested in a uniform standard for certification of natural or organic products, although most preferred an independent, nonprofit or US government organization to handle certification. Results of the study also showed an increasing interest in mobile and digital coupon promotions, as consumer interest in technology and on store-based coupons continues to grow and cost-conscious consumers see coupon use as the “new normal”. There also appears to be a continued commitment to health and wellness, and store brand organics have gone mainstream, with firm favorites including Whole Foods 365 Organics, Trader Joe’s and Kroger Private Selection Organic.

A randomized clinical trial by U.S. researchers has found that the common over-the-counter herbal treatment Echinacea (purple cornflower) has a negligible effect on relieving common cold symptoms. Echinacea is sold as a capsulized supplement in drug and retail stores, and has been used as a tea and as a dried and liquid extract. More than 700 people aged 12 to 80 years participated in the trial, all of whom had cold symptoms. Divided into four groups, they received nothing, Echinacea, or a placebo and Echinacea, but didn’t know which. They recorded their symptoms twice daily. Researchers found that the colds of patients who took Echinacea lasted seven to 10 hours less than those of the other participants. “However,” the researchers concluded, “these small differences could have occurred by chance.”

New technology is making it easier to study probiotics – the so-called “good bacteria” that comprise the intestinal microbiota – but real understanding of the complexities of the gut microflora ecosystem is still probably years away, according to a Danish expert. Despite the fact that the European Food Safety Authory (EFSA) has rejected numerous health claims for probiotics, Danisco Award winner Tine Rask Licht of the Technical University of Denmark believes that studying microbiota will have an impact on certain health risk factors. Scientists, after all, now believe that gut probiotics almost constitute an organ unto itself that has a unique metabolism communicating via receptors and chemicals with the rest of the body. Unfortunately, there is very little scientific evidence that manipulating microflora significantly affects health risks – a frustrating situation for health food companies.

Humane food is being tipped as one of the next big consumer trends, but labeling is creating an issue, with claims that some producers are guilty of misrepresentation. A study from research group Technomic found that shoppers rate animal welfare highly as a food issue, and Supervalu and Safeway have recently announced plans to improve conditions for animals. Whole Foods is launching a program, developed by Global Animal Partnership, which will rate products on animal welfare. 700 farms have been certified, and that could reach 1,000 by the end of 2010. However, the Global Animal Partnership is just one of a number of such certification programs: the lack of a government standard leaves the way clear for companies to use their own, and Paul Shapiro of the Humane Society of the United States argues that such programs give consumers false assurance about animal welfare. The Society has filed a class action lawsuit against the country’s third-largest chicken producer, Perdue, claiming its "humanely raised" label is false advertising. Shapiro says that it’s akin to “green washing”. 

A substance found in the fat of dairy foods may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, U.S. researchers have found. Nutritionists usually advise against eating a diet rich in dairy products, but scientific evidence is mounting that the substance, trans-palmitoleic acid, may be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers looked at data from 3,736 people who participated in a cardiovascular health study over 20 years. Risk factors such as blood glucose and insulin levels were measured along with levels of trans-palmitoleic acid. At the start, higher levels of trans-palmitoleic acid were associated with healthier levels of blood cholesterol and other factors. At follow up, those with higher levels of trans-palmitoleic acid had a 60 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those with lowest levels.

Researchers in the U.K. have found that folic acid doses as little as 0.2 mg a day over six months effectively lower the concentrations of the amino acid homocysteine, which has been linked to cardiovascular and neural disorders, especially in infants. The randomized study involved 101 patients with ischemic heart disease and 71 healthy volunteers. Participants received either a placebo or folic acid doses of 0.2, 0.4, or 0.8 mg a day for 26 weeks. The study found that doses higher than 0.2 mg a day are probably not necessary because they do not significantly lower homcysteine levels further. “Doses even lower than 0.2 mg a day may be effective in the longer term,” the researchers conclude. Earlier trials “probably overestimated the folic acid dose required” because the treatments didn’t last long enough.

The European Food Safety Authority has issued a preliminary safety assessment of chromium picolinate, saying that the compound is safe for use as an ingredient in foods marketed in European Union member states. Formal approval will probably come in 2011, according to food supplement ingredients producer, N.Y.-based Nutrition 21, Inc., which sells a chromium picolinate product known as Chromax. The EFSA safety review was prompted by the company’s application to market Chromax as a food ingredient in Europe. EFSA’s assessment concluded that chromium picolinate “has a large margin of safety supporting its use as a source of chromium up to the maximum level established by the World Health Organization (WHO),” according to the company.

U.S. herbal extract and health supplement maker ONE Bio, Corp. announced that its organic products division has expanded into Japan by taking on new distributors. The company, which is focused on the Asia Pacific region,  said retail food chain Kobe Bussan Supermarkets has added more of ONE’s organic bamboo and vegetable product line. Consumer demand for its products in Japan has been strong enough to boost market share, according to the company, which said the strong demand is due to the high quality of its products. Its organic vegetable products, for example, are JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standard) Gold certified, the highest certification for organic products in the country. Kobe Bussan Supermarkets has agreed to increase distribution of the company's products and expand the product line offered in its stores.

The Food and Drug Administration gains a new tool with the passing of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Aimed at reforming large industrial farms, the act provides the FDA authority to shut down producers that fail to meet science-based standards. This is a major change over older and poorly worded legislation that allowed companies to remain unaccountable even when facing large and reoccurring product recalls. The downside is that small farms, such as many organic farms, now fall under the same regulations for tracking produce as industrial farms if they sell to other businesses. Regulations of this type pose additional barriers to small farms attempting to expand. Corruption in the FDA is also a concern as the legislation essentially gives them control over who provides food to consumers.