Though the chocolate market seems to be recession-proof – global sales have risen three percent since 2008 – chocolate makers are not resting on their laurels. They are responding to consumer demand for healthier confections, and to a need for increased on-shelf product differentiation, with a host of innovations. According to Packaged Facts, chocolate makers developed portion-controlled packaging, sugar-free candies and heart-healthy chocolate. And companies like Barry Callebaut, NewTree and Azure Chocolat are developing chocolate products rich in functional ingredients, including omega-3s, calcium, vitamin D, flavonols, probiotics and superfruits. Chocolate is gaining credibility as a nutricosmetic because of its beneficial effect on wrinkles, according to Packaged Facts. If chocolate makers successfully tap into that market, it would add “another accolade to how versatile the 'Food of the Gods' really is.”

Besides vitamin D and calcium supplements – which an Institute of Medicine committee said were unnecessary and perhaps even dangerous – experts interviewed by Wallet Pop listed seven other products that should be avoided consumers. At the top of the list is the calorie-packed sweetener high fructose corn syrup, which has been blamed for the rise in obesity and diabetes. HFCS is being gradually replaced in food products by other types of sweeteners. Also on the list is bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical widely used to make plastic bottles and line food cans. BPA can leak into baby formula, water, food and cosmetics and harm the brain. Other blacklisted substances include bovine growth hormones; genetically modified foods; parabens that prevent growth of mold, fungus and bacteria in cosmetics and food; trans fat; and anything “Made in China.”

Research by U.S. scientists has found that obese teenagers who ate meal replacement foods instead of regular meals lost more weight initially, but after a year were no better off than those who ate a standard low-calorie diet. One hundred thirteen obese teens were randomly assigned to one of three diet plans: a 1,300- to 1,500-calorie-a-day diet for one year; four months of meal replacements (SlimFast shakes, a prepackaged entrée, and five servings of fruits and vegetables) followed by eight months on the low-cal diet; or a whole year of meal replacements. After four months, participants who ate meal replacements had reduced their body mass index (BMI) by 6.3 percent, compared to the low-calorie group’s 3.8 percent. After a year, however, there was no significant difference in degree of weight loss among the three groups.

A study by U.S. researchers has found that when people repeatedly imagine eating a certain food, their desire to actually eat the food diminishes. The discovery reverses the old assumption that thinking about food causes you to eat more, according to the researchers. The research team ran five separate experiments testing whether mentally stimulating the consumption of a food reduces its subsequent actual consumption. In one, participants imagined repetitively inserting quarters into a laundry machine and/or eating M&M’S. All participants then ate freely from a bowl filled with M&M'S. Those who imagined eating 30 M&M'S actually ate significantly fewer M&M'S. Four other experiments confirmed the results. "These findings suggest that trying to suppress one's thoughts of desired foods to curb cravings is a fundamentally flawed strategy," a researcher said.

New research from Professor Douglas Kell of the University of Manchester states that green tea and purple fruit like blueberries help prevent degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s  and Alzheimer’s, which he says are caused, in part, by “poorly-bound iron” that leads to the body producing damaging toxins.  Nutrients called iron chelators bind the iron and prevent the toxic build-up. Effective chelators are found in bright colored fruit and green tea – although purple fruit works best. Never before have these diseases been tied to poorly or effectively bound iron. The research further states that excessive doses of Vitamin C – in the absence of safely bound iron – can be harmful instead of helpful in the fight against toxins and disease.  Professor Kell also argues that, contrary to some reports, red wine doesn’t have similar benefits and works very differently.

A Washington State University study finds that elevated levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure can be reduced by an average of around 6 points through daily doses of whey-based protein added to beverages such as fruit flavored drinks. And though test subjects in this limited sample were 18-26 years old, people outside that age group with elevated blood pressure should experience similar results, which should lead to a reduction in heart disease and fatal strokes. The report also indicates that people with normal or low blood pressure do not experience further reduction by taking whey. The researchers expect that their findings will create a new market for whey, a cheese byproduct that is costly to dairy producers because they often have to throw it out.

Researchers in Spain have determined that sunflower oil enriched with a biophenol found naturally in olive oil may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies in animals and humans have shown that hydroxytyrosol acts as a potent antioxidant. Twenty-two healthy volunteers participated in the cross-over study involving two 3-week periods, separated by a 2-week washout period, in which volunteers consumed 10–15 g/d of either hydroxytyrosol-enriched sunflower oil (HSO) or non-enriched (control) sunflower oil. Researchers found that HSO acted as a functional food by increasing arylesterase activity and reducing oxidized LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1) levels. It did not reduce LDL or increase HDL levels, however. Nevertheless, the findings suggest the possibility that ”HSO may help prevent cardiovascular disease.”

Sarah Robb O'Hagan, Gatorade’s CMO, gave a presentation at the recent ANA Creativity Conference in New York, detailing the changes at the brand. When she took the job in 2008, Gatorade comprised some 150 flavor variants. It has launched the 01Prime, 02 Perform, and 03 Recover line of G Series products, formulated and packaged for the competition needs of athletes. Transforming from one product with various flavors to three platforms - G Series Pro aimed at elite athletes, G Series for performance, and high school athletes - in just 2 years, it will again expand early next year with a G Series Fit product for adults who want to lose weight and need athletic drinks with lower calorie content. Other developments include redesigning the buckets used by pro teams, launching a naturals line trialing at Whole Foods, and moving in to the sports goods channel with nutrition products like shakes and protein bars.

Women whose diet is rich in garlic, onions and leeks are less likely to experience hip osteoarthritis, according to a study by British researchers. The beneficial effect apparently comes from the compound diallyl disulphide, which in lab tests  limited cartilage-damaging enzymes when introduced to human cartilage cells. The findings demonstrate the potential for using the compound to develop treatments for osteoarthritis. For the study, researchers assessed diet patterns of 1,086 healthy female twins, many of whom had no symptoms of arthritis, and examined x-ray images to determine signs of osteoarthritis. They found that women with high intakes of fruits and vegetables, particularly alliums such as garlic, showed less evidence of osteoarthritis in the hip. “Our findings throw the spotlight onto the allium family and potential disease modification via bioactive compounds,” the authors concluded.

For the past two years, the Supermarket Guru®, Phil Lempert, has been working with one of America's top food companies, ConAgra Foods, to make market predictions. Previous years have showed 9 out of 10 of his predictions proved correct. There are six predictions from the guru this year, starting with stores providing applications for mobile devices to help with shopping decisions and checkout, supporting the general trends of value and convenience. Two additional predictions come in the form of easier to read nutritional information and a focus on foods naturally rich in vitamin-D, such as dairy. The remaining three predictions have more to do with store operations instead of consumer needs as he predicts stores will start displaying more foods with a regional rather than local focus, support more seafood coming from the Gulf Region, and increase the number of free in-store samples to help reduce new product failures.

An Australian study has found that salt taste sensitivity has little to do with whether a person enjoys or eats salty or reduced salt foods. But where the person eats the salty food can make a big difference. Researchers tested the consumption of hash browns in a lab and in a typical dining room setting, varying the salt levels for different meals from 40 mg up to 220 mg sodium/100 g. In the lab, participants preferred the saltiest hash browns. But in the dining room, participants ate the hash browns with half the sodium “with only minor decrease in liking and no effect on consumption of the food.” The researchers said the food industry could probably use their findings as they attempt to cut sodium levels in processed food.

A joint survey by the Organic Trade Association and Kiwi Magazine, conducted between August 11 and 27, 2010, found that 41 percent of parents were buying more organic foods than last year. Some reasons given by respondents for buying organic foods included healthier products and the use of pesticides, hormones, artificial ingredients, and antibiotics in heavily processed foods, although the price premium often associated with organic food remains an issue. The study also shows that 36 percent of those surveyed had begun buying organic foods within the last two years, up from 32 percent in 2009. Instead of income level, different educational levels tended to have a greater impact on the decision to buy organic.

While food companies claim that First Amendment rights permit them to make unproven health claims on the front-of-packet labels of their products, Marion Nestle and David Ludwig disagree, arguing that freedom of corporate speech is not the same as that for politics or religion. They argue that stopping marketers from putting health claims on packaging will eliminate the use of any unproven or misleading claims and lead consumers to read the full list of ingredients. But in an article in Public Health Nutrition, a British publication, Timothy Lytton argues that a total ban on front-of-packet health or nutrition claims would be a violation of the First Amendment, and that free commercial speech has been regularly upheld in lower court decisions. In a response to Lytton in the same journal, Nestle and Ludwig argue that a legal defense of this type on the grounds of the First Amendment was stopped in 2003, and that such a defense in the context of junk food marketing is contrary to the spirit of the First Amendment. Instead, they say the time has come for corporations to be challenged on the way they mislead consumers through front-of-packet labeling. 

After reviewing the results of 22 scientific studies, including 19 clinical trials, on the cardiovascular benefits of eating oat beta-glucan, the European Food Safety Authority has acknowledged that the non-digestible, non-starch polysaccharide does lower cholesterol. The EFSA said companies may therefore claim that products delivering at least three grams of oat beta-glucans a day, either naturally or as an added ingredient, may carry this statement: “Oat beta-glucan has been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. Blood cholesterol lowering may reduce the risk of (coronary) heart disease.” The application to the EFSA was made by Swiss firm CreaNutrition AG, which manufactures OatWell oat bran for use in cereals and other foods.

A report from the Cornucopia Institute says that many soy-based food products – veggie burgers, fake meats, etc. –  labeled “natural” use soy protein isolate that is processed using the neurotoxic solvent hexane. Processing with hexane increases the protein content of foods targeting vegetarian consumers. An alternative mechanical method of processing is not only more expensive, it results in lower protein content. Companies that sell the hexane-processed foods argue that there are no residues of hexane in the soy protein isolate they use. The FDA does not require companies to measure hexane residues, however, so the Institute doubts the companies have any idea of the levels in their products. Natural health bars with "likely" hexane content include Clif Bar, Odwalla and Balance Bar; veggie burgers and meat substitutes include Boca, Gardenburger and Trader Joe's.

A report by market researcher NPD Group has found significant generational differences in U.S. dietary patterns, but a broad understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. According to the report, Americans aged 21 to 54 years – Generation X, Y and younger Baby Boomers – have the poorest diets, while health-conscious older consumers generally eat healthier. But NPD Group noted that, despite a trend toward healthier eating among older generations, a large majority – 80 percent or 170 million people – need to improve their diets. A key finding: Americans young and old seem to have a basic understanding of what comprises a healthy lifestyle: regular exercise, balanced meals, moderate food consumption, etc. So food manufacturers should spend more time showing consumers how their product’s benefits fit well-known principles of healthy eating, an NPD spokesman said.

The eighth Middle East and Natural and Organic Product Expo (MENOPE 2010) is running from December 6-8 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Expo, which is the region's only niche showcase and trade platform for natural and organic products, has more than 100 exhibitors from 25 countries seeking to drum up business in the fast growing Middle East market for natural and organic products, currently estimated to be valued at over $300 million. According to Expo organizers, the regional market for organic and natural products is growing 20 percent a year, fueled by a growing interest among younger consumers in healthy and natural lifestyles. Products showcased at the Expo include herbals and spices, food and beverages, cereal products, supplements, health care products, natural cosmetics, healing products, natural remedies, etc.

An Austin, Texas, food business entrepreneur searching for a corn-free, low-glycemic snack has invented a flash-fried chip made from legumes. The last time Doug Foreman felt he needed to lose some weight he invented Guiltless Gourmet Baked Tortilla Chips more than 20 years ago. This time around – and again looking to shed pounds – Foreman found that beans were perfect for the low-glycemic diet, experimented with various varieties and recipes, and settled on pinto and black beans. The final chip turned out to be light, crispy, flavorful and flying-saucer-shaped, perfect for dipping. And, unlike other purported bean snacks, they contain no corn, wheat or gluten, but are high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and protein. The product, dubbed “Beanitos,” is sold in Whole Foods Market and 7-11, among others.

French researchers who tested the food choices of young children when salt, sugar and fat levels were varied found that lowering sugar or fat content did not affect selection, but lowering salt content did. The study involved 74 30-month-old day care children who were fed lunches such as green beans and pasta with varying salt and fat (butter) levels and snacks of fruit purée with different levels of sugar. Children could eat as much of the foods as they wanted. Children ate more of the green beans when the salt content was higher, but sugar or fat levels made no difference. The findings suggest that young children will eat foods with lower sugar and fat levels, which could help prevent obesity. But limiting salt, while advisable, “should be considered cautiously.”

Sports beverage makers are hoping that innovation focused on meeting the energy and nutrition needs of athletes will boost sales that have sagged during tough economic times. Market leader Gatorade (PepsiCo), for example, recently launched the G Series of sports drinks formulated to be consumed before, during and after workouts. EAS’s Peak line of beverages promises that its nutritious ingredients give athletes with the ability to push through workouts with less fatigue while protecting muscles from breakdown. Attitude Drinks Inc.’s Phase III line of milk-based, ready-to-drink beverages target the post-exercise recovery category. U.K. beverage marketing firm Canadean predicts that the sports drinks market will recover in 2010 and show a CAGR of five percent through 2015. Gatorade and Powerade (Coca-Cola) dominate the sports beverage market with a 95 percent combined market share.

Taking advantage of brand salience and ready-made infrastructure, top Indian retailers like Bharti Walmart and Future Group are increasing sales by reviving old brands that consumers still recall or by relaunching those that have become less popular. Bharti Walmart revived GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare’s clarified butter Gopikaghee, which gained a huge sales increase and now outsells market leader Verkaghee. It also revived GSKCH’s chocolate-flavored health drink Maltova, which now sells well in its three stores in Punjab, and will continue to look for regional brands that that will help it expand to new markets in other states. Future Group acquired and relaunched Buffalo, a dormant jeans brand that has become one of its fastest growing brands.

Conventional supermarkets are taking a sales beating, according to market consultants Gerson Lehrman Group, as they cede ground to big box, club and natural/specialty outlets. The key reason is the fact that traditional supermarkets “lack a brand proposition that can offer superior quality or superior value.” The report says seven of the top nine public  conventional supermarkets posted sales declines in the first half of 2010. Same-store sales for A&P dropped six percent through June 2010. Same-store sales fell seven percent at SuperValu, and food sales dropped 10 percent. Less dramatic but equally disturbing were the sales declines at Safeway (two percent), Delhaize Group (Food Lion and Hannaford, two percent) and Harris Teeter (one percent). Meanwhile, Whole Foods Market posted a same-store sales increase of nine percent in the third quarter.

Manufacturers in the UK yogurt industry currently enjoy profit margins of 15% or more, partly by marketing yogurt as a functional food, which enables it to attract premium prices. Yogurt sales grew rapidly in the UK during the 1960s with the launch of the Ski brand, which added fruit and sugar to the bitter yogurt. Around 70% of British people now choose from the various forms of yogurt, but the market is dominated by foreign brands. Recently, brands like Yakult and Danone have developed yogurts with probiotic claims, bringing yogurt in to the functional food arena, which is increasingly gaining the attention of the European Food Safety Authority. To date, no major probiotic claim has been approved, which might at some stage prevent the companies from marketing the claims. 

U.S. and British researchers have found that video games might prove effective at overcoming children’s reluctance to follow a healthier lifestyle. In a randomized clinical trial involving 153 children ages 10 to 12 years, a treatment group played video games called “Escape from Diab” and “Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space,” both of which are epic adventures designed to lower type 2 diabetes risk by changing diet and physical activity. The control group played online diet and physical-activity knowledge games. The children were monitored before, during and after playing games, and again after two months. According to the researchers, the children who played the video games increased their fruit and vegetable consumption by about 2/3 serving a day. But they did not drink more water, increase vigorous activity, or show body composition improvements.

Salty snacks – not usually thought of as health foods because of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and forms of sugar – nevertheless are getting healthier. Snack makers have come up with a variety of products that claim to be organic, all natural, whole wheat, reduced-sodium, gluten-free and lower in fat. Some products are even earning higher scores on healthy food rating systems. Retailer Big Y says healthier snack products like Popchips are doing very well. The product is not fried or baked, but instead is made with a heat-and-pressure process that uses half the fat of fried chips and is seasoned with sea salt. Snyder's of Hanover, which sells better-for-you products like multigrain tortillas and veggies crisps, will soon launch several better-for-you snacks in 2011, including lower-fat and organic whole wheat nibblers.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlined a new plan for improving public health in its recently released Healthy People 2020 report. One section of the report deals specifically with food safety, setting targets for the reduction in the incidence of illness related to pathogens, such as Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella. According to the publication Meatingplace, aimed at the meat industry, it marks the first time the HHS has set targets for the reduction of illness cases related to specific food commodities:  beef, dairy, fruits and nuts, leafy vegetables, and poultry. The report’s food safety recommendations are based on FoodNet’s foodborne illness data for 2006-08.

SunOpta Fruit Group Inc., a subsidiary of SunOpta Inc., which sources, processes, and packages natural and organic food products, including value-added grains, fiber and fruit-based items, agreed to acquire Edner of Nevada, Inc. for $4 million in cash. Founded in 2003, Edner manufactures on-the-go foods, such as nutrition bars and fruit-based snack bars. It also co-packs for branded and private label customers and has annual revenues of some $10 million. SunOpta sees benefits in the combination of its healthy fruit snacks business, as well as its global sourcing capabilities, and Edner's strengths in the fast-growing convenience health foods category. 

The growing ready-to-eat meal category in India represents the battleground between Pepsico’s Quaker and Heart to Heart Oats, which Kellogg’s launched in the country a few months ago. Kellogg’s is positioning its product with heart health benefits, especially aiming at men between 35 and 44, but through their wives, saying the wife is best placed to understand her husband’s health. It’s also targeted at working women. As well as the more usual channels, Kellogg’s also intends to distribute the product through chemists and medical outlets in Tier II and III towns. Although still a relatively small category in India, Kellogg’s has expects that to change in the next few years. PepsiCo is responding by trying to “Indianize” Quaker, demonstrating how oatmeal can be used in Indian recipes, as well as pushing the health and convenience benefits of oats. It also allying with Apollo Hospital to launch a Heart Health campaign and pushing its products in hospitals. These brands will also have to compete with small, local brands.

A study by U.S. and Indian scientists has found that the isoflavone genistein, found in soybeans, seems to hinder the growth of breast cancer cells because it moves copper from the cells. According to the researchers, copper transporters are over-expressed in breast and other cancer cells, which accounts for the accumulation of excess copper. They acknowledged that they do not yet understand why copper concentration in tumors is increased. But they hypothesized that copper may be important for expression of ceruloplasmin, a protein that seems to stimulate production of  tumor blood vessels. “We believe that such a mechanism explains the anticancer effect of genistein and also its preferential cytotoxicity towards cancer cells,” the researchers concluded.

In line with its commitment to environmental conservation, natural food manufacturer Kashi Company is avoiding excess waste by reducing the packaging of several of its product lines while maintaining the same food volume inside. Kashi TLC® crackers lead the package reduction with 12.4 percent less packaging, followed by TLC® Chewy Granola Bars at 10.9 percent. The company’s promotion of a healthy and natural lifestyle through products that are natural and minimally processed is reinforced by other initiatives such as the online resource Natural Nearby launched earlier this summer.

Procter & Gamble’s Auburn, Maine feminine care manufacturing plant becomes its first production facility in North America to use all of its waste, sending none to landfill: 60 percent is recycled and the rest is incinerated to generate electricity, some of which is used at the site. Surplus electricity is sold to the local power company. P&G’s Global Asset Recovery Purchases team, working with employees and suppliers, has created a solution that not only diverts thousands of tons of waste from landfill, but also saves the company millions of dollars in costs. Auburn becomes the company’s ninth plant to reach zero waste to landfill and is part of P&G’s long-term aim to achieve zero waste to landfill throughout the company, with a 2020 goal of 0.5 percent. 

Yogurt is proving to be a product well-placed for innovation, and the Yoplait brand is a good example, introducing this summer a dessert yogurt, Splitz, a variant of the successful Yoplait Delights, but for kids. The brand is jointly-owned by a French cooperative and a French private equity firm, PAI Partners. General Mills holds the US license, and there is speculation that it might be interested in buying PAI’s 50% stake. Yoplait represented 15% of its total US revenues in the latest financial year. Yoplait, and yogurt generally, has been boosted by a “halo of health” – it’s not only tasty, but good for you too. Datamomitor says that 2009 yogurt sales grew 9.2%, excluding liquid yogurt, well ahead of other General Mills staple categories, such as ready-to-eat cereal and canned soup. Consumption rates in the US are still relatively low, so there remains plenty of potential. Dannon is probably even more innovative than Yoplait: about a fifth of all new US yogurt products introduced in the last two years have been Dannon’s, twice Yoplait’s contribution, and products from smaller, premium, brands, and especially Greek yogurt, have also eaten in to Yoplait’s market share. Dannon stole a march with its 2006 launch of Activia yogurt in the digestive health space, which now has 6% of the US yogurt market. Yoplait’s Yo-Plus has been far less successful. 

According to industry analysts IGD, United Kingdom consumers will spend £182.7bn (about $290bn) in grocery stores by 2015, a 3.9% annual growth rate. While reflecting renewed strength, the food industry needs to respond to consumer demand for value and convenience. The UK’s convenience channel is growing faster than the grocery sector generally, and IGD expects it to grow at an average annual rate of 5.8% through 2015. Non-food sales comprise 8.2% of the UK grocery market and this share should increase to 9.4% by 2015; online grocery sales are expected to double from £4.8bn to £9.5bn by 2015, driven by technological advance as well as improved websites and better delivery performance. Food and beverage suppliers are feeling more optimistic, but acknowledge the need to focus on innovation as well as providing options that better meet consumer needs and accommodate different retail formats and channels.

Danisco has released the results of research that indicates the positive effect of betaine on athletic power. The research studied the impact of giving participants Danisco’s BetaPower™ Natural Betaine dissolved in an electrolyte drink. The effect on “untrained males and females” was a statistically significant performance improvement. Two other recent studies have focused on betaine: one found evidence that betaine may be lost in sweat; and the second found a marked improvement in power and force from the use if betaine supplementation. The results of these studies indicate to Danisco that the function of betaine in athletic performance is an area worth exploring further. The natural betaine in Danisco’s product is extracted from the sugar beet molasses, but high levels of betaine can also be found in wheat, spinach and shellfish. 

The 2010 Zenith Report on Dairy Snacks looks at the global dairy snacks market. It grew 7% in 2009 and Zenith forecasts 6% growth this year. Most dairy snacks are aimed at kids and based on cheese, although some counties are looking at adult options. Two-thirds of 2009 volumes were consumed in the US, with UK the second-largest market. Key brands include Bel’s Babybel and Kraft’s Dairylea, as well as Yoplait yogurt tubes. Private label items have emerged in the markets where dairy snacks are more established. Laura Knight of Zenith International said that increasingly people are seeking convenient snacks that also offer health and nutrition benefits, and dairy snacks are well positioned to deliver this. 

U.S. scientists working with a rabbit model of stroke found that a synthetic derivative of curcumin, the active ingredient in the curry spice turmeric, improved the behavioral and molecular deficits of ischemic stroke. The novel compound (CNB-001), researchers said, may have clinical promise for ischemic stroke, the third leading cause of death among older Americans. The only FDA-approved treatment for stroke is tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), which is effective only in about 20 percent of cases. Tests of the novel compound CNB-001 found it at least as effective as TPA in preventing the behavioral deficits caused by stroke. A separate study found that CNB-001 also dramatically reversed the behavioral deficits in locomotion and memory that accompany traumatic brain injury.

Following the example of European Union and British government food regulators, the U.S. FDA has decided to take a closer look at claims that artificial food colors may be harmful to children after all. The agency has scheduled a hearing in March 2011 to examine evidence linking artificial food colors and hyperactivity in children. However, with food companies using 15 million pounds of synthetic food dyes each year in a wide range of products, the suggestion that they switch to natural dyes, or even place warning labels on foods, is giving the companies indigestion. Nevertheless, the British government and the European Union have provided a precedent for getting companies to eliminate possibly harmful dyes. While the U.S. version of McDonald’s Strawberry Sundaes contain Red 40, the British version uses strawberry extract.

PepsiCo plans to acquire 66% of Russia's Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods in a deal valued at approximately $3.8 billion, subject to regulatory approval in Russia. PepsiCo will seek to acquire the remaining shares after the deal has been completed. Wimm-Bill-Dann manufactures dairy products and juice, and the acquisition will make PepsiCo the largest manufacturer of food and beverage products in the country. It will raise PepsiCo’s annual global revenues in nutrition from $10 billion to some $13 billion, moving the company nearer its objective of expanding its nutrition business to $30 billion by 2020. Aside from potentially giving PepsiCo some $100 million in synergy-based savings by 2014, the merger will make PepsiCo the largest food and beverage company in Russia, double the size of its nearest rival in the market. The deal should help PepsiCo leverage the potential of the health and wellness trend in a large economy that is growing fast and has a burgeoning middle class of increasingly affluent consumers.

The United Fresh and 22 other fruit and vegetable industry organizations have petitioned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) to hold a conference with Senate counterparts to iron out what the groups called “substantial differences” between Senate and House versions of food safety legislation. The Senate bill passed December 2, and the House bill passed in July 2009. According to United Fresh, the Senate version contains an amendment exempting certain food producers because of size or “regional proximity.” The exemption changes the underlying framework from science and technology to “political ideology." The signatories argued that exempting small farms from federal food safety standards “undermines the intent of credible federal food safety systems … based on risk and science, not arbitrary criteria.”

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which was approved in the Senate in August and has been approved in the House of Representatives, includes approval for a $10 million pilot program to provide additional organic food options for school menus. The bill also includes $40 million to fund a Farm-to-School Program to help schools buy food from local farms and suppliers. While these amounts are small against the overall cost of the bill that is estimate at $4.5 billion, they do mark a notable concession to the Organic Trade Association that lobbied for their inclusion.

Recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a unit of the National Academy of Science, that vitamin D intake should be significantly increased for virtually every American, from infants to the elderly, are being criticized by experts in the healthcare community. The IOM recommended vitamin D intake should be doubled for infants to 400 IU, tripled for people aged one to 50 and upped by 50 percent for people aged 51 to 70. The IOM also urged caution for post-menopausal women about calcium intake because of kidney stone risk. However, doctors and healthcare practitioners disagreed with the recommendations, saying they won’t change their advice to patients. One physician said the IOM’s report “does not represent the views of researchers who are true experts in the field.”

A study conducted by Solae, a soy ingredients company, among 5,300 weight managers in 11 different countries shows that consumers understand the importance of protein in helping manage hunger; it points to opportunities for producers of food protein, such as soy, to serve this growing market. Solae believes its results reinforce those from scientific research regarding protein’s ability to help weight managers through promoting satiety and boosting energy levels. Soy protein can also help reduce LDL-cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. Solae concludes by highlighting the opportunity for food manufacturers to be more flexible by focusing less on specific sources of protein and more on their content, enabling them to protein blends to meet different needs, a trend that Solae believes will develop.

The NPD Group’s recent food and beverage market research report says that most U.S. households at some time plan their meals in advance: 71% sometimes plan dinners, 53% lunches, and 51% breakfasts. 26% typically plan breakfasts. These shoppers often therefore decide what to buy before going to the store. Retailers and manufacturers can establish themselves in the shopping and preparation cycle of household meal planners, usually women, by providing solutions to their concerns about cost, variety, and convenience, and by better understanding shoppers’ impulse purchase behavior and their use of recipes and prepared foods. These strategies can help strengthen shoppers’ loyalty, as well as increase basket size and shopping trip frequency. 

Soy science experts at a September 2009 symposium said that whole soy foods, rich in nutrients and with more protein that other beans, would support a balanced diet and improve nutrition standards in the U.S. Experts assessed three areas of debate related to soy products: women’s health, heart health, and nutritional impact. They found no increased risk of breast cancer in moderate soy use, and protective benefits and lower risk of breast cancer reoccurrence in longtime soy users, and also stated that one or two servings daily pose no risk to ovaries or ovulation.  Along with a balanced diet, soy use may also reduce the risk of heart disease through lowered cholesterol.  The experts suggest that two servings of whole soy foods a day (15-20g of soy protein) would be a good starting point for people looking to improve their diet. Whole soy foods include edamame, canned soybeans, tofu and dry roasted soybeans.

French researchers have found that a combination of vitamin D from diet or supplements and from exposure to sunlight works best to protect postmenopausal women from breast cancer. The researchers analyzed data collected over ten years from 67,721 women. They found that postmenopausal women who lived in regions with the greatest exposure to sunshine and whose diets included dietary or supplemental vitamin D had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer, compared to women with high amounts of exposure to sunlight but low consumption of vitamin D. However, the researchers found no association between dietary/supplemental vitamin D alone and reduced cancer risk. They concluded that “a threshold of vitamin D exposure from both sun and diet is required to prevent breast cancer” and that threshold is difficult to reach in the less-sunny northern latitudes.

An international team of scientists working with mouse models of the fatal childhood disease known as Sanfilippo have discovered that the chemical genistein, found naturally in soybeans, may provide an effective treatment. Sanfilippo is an untreatable mucopolysaccharide (MPS) disease that affects one in 89,000 children in the U.K. Children with the disease experience progressive deterioration of mental function, similar to dementia, in early childhood, along with other symptoms. Death usually occurs in the early teen years. In the study, Sanfilippo mice were fed genistein for nine months. Currently licensed in the U.S. as an osteoporosis drug, genistein had a major impact on the Sanfilippo mice. Mental decline slowed significantly, the scientists reported. A placebo controlled clinical trial for patients with Sanfilippo disease is the hoped-for next major step.

Although Brazil is one of the countries expected to drive the global economy in the near future, its food market is not growing as fast as some of the other developing countries, such as Venezuela, despite rich food resources. However, its functional food and beverage and dietary supplement markets are growing strongly. According to Nutrition Business Journal, this is because of the country’s relative economic stability, as well as growing urbanization and the consequent demand for convenience, and an aging population that has driven calcium supplements and should also boost sales of fish oils. However, manufacturers complain about the regulatory conditions and level of red tape in Brazil. Regulatory enforcement is strict, and violations can result in product bans, which, like that of "Tahitian Noni" in October 2007, can have a significant impact on category sales. But regulatory conditions appear to be easing, and the country is acting to reduce bureaucracy, partly in order to give more attention to improve sanitation control for foods. 

Noting that many of the risk factors that lead to chronic diseases are preventable, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a set of goals and objectives for promoting health and preventing disease in the U.S. over the next ten years. Healthy People 2020 is based on the idea that setting national objectives and monitoring progress can stimulate action. According to HHS, diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes are responsible for seven out of every 10 deaths among Americans each year and account for 75 percent of the nation’s health spending. Based on input from a large number of health experts, government officials and organizations, the new initiative includes topic areas such as adolescent health, blood disorders and blood safety, dementias, early and middle childhood, genomics, etc.

Chitin and chitosan (a form of chitin) are derived from crustacean shells and used in nutrition and food products, as well as biomedicine. A new report from Global Industry Analysts reviews the market for these materials, which are used in a range of products, including surgical sutures and clothes, as well as antibiotics, dietary supplements, and food for humans and pets. The report forecasts a global market of $63 billion for chitin derivatives by 2015 and a global chitosan market of over $21 billion. Benefits include cholesterol control. In the supplements market, for example, chitosan, a natural biopolymer, is an “excellent fat trapper due to its remarkable property of binding with lipids and fats.” It can also be used to help treat irritable bowel syndrome, and one derivative is glucosamine. New applications for the ingredients are awaiting FDA approval in the US. Japan already has an established market. Downside risks to the market include high production costs, a lack of quality chitosan supplies, and pollution in the production process. 

A new study has investigated the relative antioxidant potential of phytochemicals occurring in rice bran extracts based on bran color, and compared with blueberry and broccoli. Scientists Byungrok Min, Anna M. McClung, and Ming-Hsuan Chen found that the concentrations of some antioxidants were associated with bran color, but not others. Overall, the concentration of proanthocyanidin was highest in red rice bran and of anthocyanin in purple brans, and both color brans contained much higher concentrations of antioxidants as well as phenolics and flavonoids than blueberry and broccoli. The team believes these results suggest benefits of using rice bran in functional foods and nutraceuticals.