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There’s a big difference between counting calories and computing them — the same way there’s a distinction between hearing and listening.

The “calorie conundrum” is among the top findings in a joint survey released just today by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine. Nearly half (43%) of consumers polled said they’re paying more attention to calorie counts than they were two years ago.

To be sure, counting calories is as old as food itself, but the researchers here point out that more shoppers than ever are demonstrating an increased level of concern about the nutritional content of what they eat. The poll shows that one-quarter of shoppers are buying more low- or zero-calorie products than last year.

But dig down a bit and the true picture is revealed. In picking apart the number of calorie counters, Shopping for Health 2010 reveals that more attention to calories does not necessarily translate into action (or more precision, for that matter). Apparently, a majority of shoppers “just loosely” monitor their caloric intake: MORE…

MOM’s Organic Market is a retailer on a mission. It has rigorous nutrition standards for all of its products, including no high fructose corn syrup, preservatives or artificial flavors. In 2005, it became one of the first supermarkets in the country to eliminate plastic bags, and last year it did the same with imported bottled water.

And it has a president, Scott Nash, who says things like this:

“Societies are truly addicted to plastic, much in the way we are addicted to oil.”

This level of dedication is rare in the retail industry, and it has brought MOM’s a great deal of success through die-hard customer loyalty. It’s also made the company one of the few that sets the curve for industry health and wellness.

It should come as no surprise, then, that MOM’s has a new mission — one that’s a pretty big leap, even by its own high standards:

Eliminate plastic from its stores.

Or at least comes as close as possible. As Nash’s quote conveys, MOM’s doesn’t feel it’s being a truly sustainable retailer by letting all those bags and containers make their way into garbage dumps and ocean gyres. The company already has an extensive recycling program, shows a preference for biodegradable packaging and pressures its manufacturers to use less plastic. This week, MOM’s announced it will go even further, eliminating all bottled water, bagged vegetables, and petroleum-based wax paper from shelves. It’ll offer biodegradable bags and paper instead, and allow customers to use their own bags for bulk purchases. To fill that need for healthy, portable hydration, MOM’s will have water filtration machines in stores. MORE…

Packaging matters. If the explosion in reusable grocery totes hasn’t convinced you of that, maybe this research will. According to our own MamboTrack Quick Poll, taken just last month, four in 10 (40%) consumers recently tried a new brand or switched products, specifically because it had more earth-friendly packaging.

This issue is trending right now in a very public way, thanks to a media blitz for SunChips new compostable chip bag. The bag is made from plants and will reportedly break down in 14 weeks in an active compost pile.

But it’s not just compostable and/or biodegradable packaging that’s winning consumer affection. They also prefer packaging that can be recycled or is made from recyclable materials.

That’s an issue Whole Foods Market has taken to heart with the Gimme 5 recycling program. It’s for #5 plastics like those typically found in yogurt, cottage cheese, and other tub-style containers. Most communities don’t collect those plastics for recycling. MORE…

As a parent, one of my rules is “Safety First!” This is a simple precaution to take with my kids, and it makes them aware of their surroundings in any and all activities.

But in the food world it can mean the difference between life and death.

Many retailers are stringent when it comes to the safety of where their private label food. The vast majority require their own third-party, superior-rated audits. This is a multi-faceted step — initiated by the retailer — that can include a social responsibility component, technical product specifications to ensure quality consistency and a factory visit by their professional in-house quality assurance team.

So it shocks me that there continues to be certain well-known, national retailers who assume that their brand is protected by the manufacturers that produce for them. They wrongly assume that these manufacturers are taking on the “Safety First” responsibility of the business, so that no harm could possibly befall the retailer for which they produce a myriad of products.

That may be true. Quality and safety start with the manufacturer. But they must be reinforced by each retailer that buys their goods.

Why is it that durable goods manufacturers even have slogans touting quality claims (think Ford Motor Co’s “Quality is Job 1” slogan), yet when it comes to the food we eat this is not necessarily the case? I’ve been to hundreds, if not thousands, of food manufacturing plants around the world and it seems to me that the United States is one of the few countries that remain comparatively lax when it comes to food manufacturing.

Retailers and manufacturers need to work hand in hand to ensure that all items produced are given the safety seal of approval akin to Ford’s slogan. There are enough obstacles in this business and we don’t want the food we eat to become one more of them, especially when it is relatively easy to maintain quality and still protect our health through basic food safety measures.

Retailers, you know who you are, Please take the extra precautionary steps to ensure food safety by requiring annual third-party audits and technical product specs at the very least. Your health — and ours — depend on it.

Candy manufacturers have always flirted with positioning their products as “healthy” treats. They’ve had stints in 100-calorie packs, cut back on the sugar in some cases, and touted super nutrients like antioxidants and omega-3s.

But unlike with their salty, baked and fried brethren in the snack aisle, this hasn’t been anything extensive. And it’s all come with a knowing wink and a nudge, since, c’mon, this is candy. Everyone knows that can’t actually be good for you.

Well, times are changing. With obesity woes high on the national agenda, not to mention some stars-are-aligning trends in the food industry — including the popularity of functional foods, and nutrition labeling that has consumers thinking healthy thoughts in every aisle — the candy industry is going on a bit of a diet.

At the recent Candy Expo in Chicago, manufacturers unveiled a lineup of slimmed-down goodies, including sugar-free chocolates and bars boasting healthful compounds like phytonutrients. Reformulations like this could help consumers think differently about sweets — but most manufacturers know people will always think “indulgent” when they think of candy. So what do you do? Cut down the portions. Hundred calorie packs are one way to go about this, and manufacturers are growing even craftier in rationing their products. Snickers 2-to-Go is two bars in a resealable wrapper, designed to be eaten over time rather than in one sitting. Companies like Sweetriot and Hershey’s Reese’s candy, meanwhile, now come in calorie-light nibs. MORE…

Ever since it became exempt from pre-market approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 1994, the supplement industry has reassured consumers and retailers that it can regulate itself. The ensuing years have cast some doubt on that assertion, and now there’s a report from the Government Accountability Office that makes it look like the Wild West out there in the aisles.

“Deceptive”, “questionable”, “dangerous”. These are words the GAO used to describe practices employed by sellers and manufacturers it recently investigated. Representatives scoped out brick-and-mortar and mail-order retailers, posing as elderly customers seeking relief for diabetes, memory loss, cancer and other ailments. One herbal supplement seller told investigators that ginseng could cure cancer. Another recommended taking gingko biloba along with asprin to enhance memory — a combination that studies have shown may increase the risk of internal bleeding.

The GAO also found evidence of metals such as lead and mercury, as well as pesticides, in all but three of the 40 herbal supplements it tested. None of the metal levels violated federal regulations, though 16 of the 40 appear to exceed the acceptable threshold for pesticides.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group that represents the supplement industry, claims that the 22 retailers who were investigated are “outliers” that don’t accurately represent the whole. That’s hard to believe when you consider that sellers were picked at random. The GAO didn’t just happen to light on the several worst practitioners out there. MORE…

The dairy case at Winn-Dixie Stores just got some new competition. Luckily, this product favors the retailer, since it’s a private label yogurt, a new organic line that also includes added health benefits.

The five-item line, Winn-Dixie Organic Active Yogurt, is available in six-ounce containers of strawberry, blueberry, peach, vanilla and raspberry flavors. They’re certified USDA organic, kosher, and have no artificial preservatives or flavors, according to the company.

What’s different about this product? Beside probiotics and prebiotics, this yogurt is infused with heart-healthy omega-3s, calcium and vitamin D, and three grams of fiber per serving. No other retailer in Winn-Dixie’s operating areas offers a yogurt with all of the same health benefits, according to officials.

“Our organic line continues to expand with new products geared towards improving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” said Mary Kellmanson, W-D’s group vice president of marketing.

Retailers looking to stake a claim in wellness would be wise to look at the dairy category, one of the gateways to whole health. Besides fluid dairy, yogurt has captured the attention of many U.S. consumers as a healthful addition to their diets. It’s even been named the food of the decade.

Indeed, the entire yogurt category continues to rebound nicely from the recession. Figures from Mintel show that 2009 sales reached about $1.4 billion, up 32% over the prior five years. Though the big names — Dannon and Yoplait — lead the market, private label has emerged as a lively alternative, helped by the recent recession. Stats from the Private Label Manufacturers Association show that store-brand yogurt ranks among the top 20 in regards to volume, and has a 20% or so share of the category.

Stick your spoon in that and stir it around.

Health and wellness is going to the dogs — literally, it seems. The Natural Marketing Institute just released its annual Trends Database report, based on research conducted during the last quarter of 2009, and involving more than 5,600 U.S households.

Total industry sales topped $125 billion — no small achievement given the recession and consumer reluctance to spend on premium products. That represents a 5% increase over the year before, which is about on-target with the numbers found in other studies.

Every segment covered in the study enjoyed improved sales, though primarily in the single digits:

• Functional/Fortified Foods & Beverages: $41B (2%)

• Vitamins, Minerals, Herbal & Dietary Supplements: $25B (8%)

• Organic Foods/Beverages: $25B (5%)

• Natural Foods/Beverages: $15B (5%)

• Natural/Organic Personal Care: $10B (8%)

There was one exception to the single-digit trend this year, and that was the natural/organic general merchandise category. For the second year in a row, the category — covering pet food, household cleaning and apparel — exhibited double-digit growth of 15%. According to NMI, “the proliferation of these products in mainstream shopping channels was likely a major factor that contributed to this growth.”

We’ve done plenty of writing already about the power pet ownership has over purchase decisions. We’ve also noted the growing appeal of green cleaners, particularly families or with those suffering from allergies. MORE…

It’s been more than a year since stevia-based sweeteners hit the market in all sorts of beverages. As we head into the summer of ’10, let there be no doubt that Americans are really liking the stuff.

There are several companies leading the charge, including Cargill (TruVia), PureVia (Whole Earth Sweetener Co.) and Sweetleaf (Wisdom Natural Brands). If the latest numbers (supplied by stevia makers) are to be believed, then this plant is really roughing up the status quo.

For instance, we received an update this week from Cargill, makers of TruVia. For the last 16 weeks, it was listed as the No. 3 sugar substitute, surpassing Equal — an older sweetener made with aspartame — with a 7.6% dollar market share. The numbers are courtesy of the Nielsen Company, ending 3/20/10 in Food/Drug/Mass and Wal-Mart.

Perhaps a better picture emerges from this statistic: stevia sales have caused market share of the nation’s reigning sugar substitute, Splenda (sucralose), to drop below 50% during the same period. That’s a first. MORE…

There’s plenty of demand for locally raised meat and poultry, and enough farmers willing to supply it. So what’s the problem? The problem is that grisly middle step: the slaughterhouse. Consumers prefer not to think about the stunning, killing and carving of the animals they eat — but with a shortage of processing options for small-scale farmers, they may soon have to.

Having too few regional slaughtering facilities has been a problem for years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates the industry, has updated its standards to the point where small processors are now required to follow the same protocol as large-scale operations. The compliance is costly, and that means limited options. The Hudson Valley region of New York, whose farmers provide much of the free-range meat and poultry that Manhattanites love to nosh on, has only four facilities. Those who can’t get a time slot often end up traveling to conventional slaughterhouses in surrounding states, thus defeating the purpose of “locally raised”.

Now, in light of recent foodborne outbreaks, the Obama administration has proposed changes to the safety plan, known as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, or HACCP. Officials claim the changes are minor, but small producers and processors are claiming the opposite is true. They point to a regulation that would require facilities to conduct microbial testing.

“Perhaps a large plant slaughtering 5,000 animals per day can afford its own lab and microbiology staff, and can pass the cost along to the consumer, but most small plants can’t,” writes Joe Cloud, co-owner of True & Essential Meats, which processes animals in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley region, in a column for The Atlantic MORE…