There’s a new Food and Drug Administration in town, and its serious about label reform.
This has been apparent for some time now — ever since early this year, when the agency fired a warning shot at General Mills — and we’ve been on the case, covering the issue as its evolved. There’s only so much insight we can offer, however. For the best idea of where things are headed, check out yesterday’s column in The Atlantic’s food section by Michael Taylor, the FDA’s advisor in charge of food safety and nutrition labeling.
In it, Taylor talks about the problems with labeling systems developed by retailers and manufacturers. Companies claim they’re providing helpful guidance and transparency — but to Taylor, it’s all an overload of dubious information.
“Consumer studies show that some people feel these messages are helpful point-of-purchase shortcuts,” he writes. “But many people are overwhelmed by these messages–and skeptical of their legitimacy.” more…
CPG manufacturers and supermarket retailers can take a lot of credit for stimulating consumer interest in healthy eating. They’ve accomplished this during some pretty tough times, yet the latest numbers from Information Resources, Inc. show that demand for natural, organic and better-for-you foods continues to grow.
The chart at right shows some impressive bumps in sales and volume over the past year. Sales of products with any grain claim grew nearly 10% now account for 4% of edibles spending across the grocery, drug, mass merchandise and convenience channels. All natural claims are a factor in 12% of all food spending.
CPG marketers are making it happen by taking a new look at product development, marketing and merchandising. Product extensions have helped put healthful twists on conventional favorites, whether it’s adding whole grains to cereal or removing sodium from frozen dinners, according to the latest IRI Times & Trends report.
Thom Blischok, president of of IRI’s Shopper Marketing and Innovation division, notes that CPG manufacturers and retailers are also exploring merchandising opportunities. Here, successful strategies have included setting up discrete displays or kiosks where better-for-you products are displayed, cross-selling healthier products on packages of “traditional” products and selectively reducing prices. more…
What’s more important to consumers: the safety of their food or the purity of it? That’s an important question, and one that doesn’t often get answered directly. Raw milk is the exception. It’s as straight-from-nature as you can get, yet it can contain harmful bacteria like salmonella and listeriosis. There’s been considerable tension between the two sides on the issue, and now the stakes have grown.
By some estimates, a million people in the U.S. regularly consume raw milk. That’s come off increasing demand over the past several years for whole, unprocessed foods, which advocates say possess vital nutrients that safety procedures like pasteurization eliminate. Raw milk has something of a reputation as a miracle healer, too. Parents have stories of how raw milk cured their child’s asthma, autism, Crohn’s disease, and cleared up their allergies.
For dairy farmers, this growing demand has created an alternative to the shamefully low prices offered for conventional and organic milk. According to a recent New York Times story, raw milk producers receive up to five or six times as much money per gallon — a real life-saver for struggling farmers. Methods of sale vary across the 23 states that allow the sale of raw milk. In California, you can find it in the grocery store, while in Virginia you can only drink it from a cow you own. more…
At first glance, the idea of food safety being environmentally sensitive seems extraneous. After all, the sole purpose of food safety is to make food safe — period. In the mind of most consumers, the procedures used are ancillary to the end result. Pasteurization has long been accepted, but other measures, such as irradiation, are only tolerated because everyone understands — and accepts — the necessity of its use.
That’s why it’s heartening to read about elements of sustainability in some newer food safety programs. Even better, some of the leaders in this area of the business are making ecology a foundation of their offerings. Here are alternatives that are just as effective as their predecessors, yet eco-friendly and therefore, better for consumers.
The first program that came to my attention comes from Eco-Safe Systems, based in Los Angeles (Purfresh is another company known to the industry). The company’s systems — applicable across the entire supply chain — use ozone to protect food and water supplies against the usual suspects in food poisoning, including salmonella, listeria and E. coli. That means there’s no chlorine, pesticides and bactericides residues on food. more…
The $4 billion food bar category is dominated by functional options. Look at any snack aisle or checkout display and you’ll see energy bars, breakfast bars, nutrition bars — and nowadays, even pregnancy bars.
To stand out from the crowd, some companies have gone back to the drawing board to focus a different, completely radical concept: taste.
“People say they’re looking for all sorts of things in a bar, but when it comes down to it they want to enjoy eating it,” said Frankie Whitman, vice president of marketing at Full Bloom Baking Company, a wholesale baking business based in Newark, California.
It was this thought that led Full Bloom and others to develop “artisan” bars that emphasize unique, gourmet ingredients and a handmade style of production. This fall, Full Bloom released a 12-grain toasted oatmeal bar. The company is also working on a cranberry almond bar made with ancient grains, and a bacon cornflake bar. That’s right, a bacon cornflake bar. more…
It’s a cross between walking a tightrope and throwing caution to the wind when you try to combine savings and celebrations. The supermarket dietitian is one of the many who has to make it work for the benefit of the store and the customer.
The winter holidays are always a good time to bring a health image into play since food tends to be the center of the celebration, whether they take place at home or the office and at school. While the holidays are typically a time when people allow themselves to overindulge, we in the dietitian business have to remember the season is also prime time to help people change eating habits. It’s to our benefit that there is concern for wellness, weight control and food allergies.
Again this year, too, the budget crunch is still a headliner for many, even though the holiday spirit tends to lift the mood a bit. With all of that in mind, here are some approaches that might help you on the tightrope!
• Put the emphasis on quality rather than quantity as you guide customers in celebration menu planning. When budgets are tighter steer customers to showcasing a few excellent items that are holiday favorites rather than the huge buffet that ends up with waste. In the end, the price may be the same but the effect is more dramatic. more…
The appeal of caffeinated alcoholic beverages is pretty limited. Federal officials said as much when they announced this morning that the Food and Drug Administration was cracking down on these drinks, which combines malt base in the 6%-8% by-volume range, with roughly 100 milligrams of caffeine (about the same as a cup of coffee) and guarana, taurine and other additives. The agency has sent letters to nearly 30 manufacturers asking them to prove the safety of these drinks.
In comments announcing the move, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs, pointed out that the products have been targeted specifically at young people attending college.
“The increasing popularity of consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages by college students and reports of potential health and safety issues necessitates that we look seriously at the scientific evidence as soon as possible,” he said.
No one likes a hyper-alert drunk, particularly when they’re so inebriated they become a genuine danger to themselves and others. To the average person, the addition of caffeine seems to serve no other purpose than to keep a person awake, and alert, long enough to purchase or consume another beverage.
The nation’s two largest brewers, MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch have already agreed to discontinue their popular caffeinated alcoholic beverages, Tilt and Bud Extra, and Sparks and promised the FDA they would make none down the road. The companies being questioned now are include not only beer makers, but Diageo North America, makers of Smirnoff Raw Tea Malt Beverage, Constellation Brands
Products, with its Wide Eye label, and other manufacturers who offer caffeinated malt-based drinks. more…
As part of an ongoing effort to update the nation’s aging power grid, companies have introduced “smart meters” as a new way to monitor energy levels. What makes them so “smart”? Well, aside from sparing the rhododendrons beneath your old analog meter getting trampled each month by some burly reader, smart meters conserve energy and give consumers feedback and control over their power levels. It’s a digitized, interactive version of your house’s energy system — and it’s all online.
Bear with me here.
It’s pretty clear that these smart meters are — or at least represent — the future of household energy, and manufacturers like General Electric and Whirlpool have jumped on board. GE has started distributing the first ever “smart appliance”, a water heater that links into the smart meter system. Whirlpool, meanwhile, plans to make 1 million “smart dryers” by 2011.
As our appliances get smarter, it stands to reason that food will need to follow suit. If people log on and see, for example, that they’re using way too much energy powering their microwaves, they may buy fewer frozen meals, or perhaps search out foods with shorter cooking times. The transparency, the new levels of information, could very well change the way people think about their food. We’re all concerned with nutrition facts — well, what about “energy facts”?
This is all very hypothetical right now. But it’s not too hard to imagine, especially given people’s growing concern over energy use, carbon footprints and such.
And of course, there’s always the possibility that the smart appliances could become too smart, and end up taking over the world.
(photo courtesy of pasukaru76)
As part of its food makeover, Target Corp. has boosted the nutritional profile of its bestselling, premium Archer Farms private label. The company is calling the extension “Simply Balanced.” Right now, it includes more than 70 products, such as pasta, cereal, bread pictured), crackers, granola bars and frozen pizza.
Each product meets nutrition criteria for fat (not more than 30% of calories); saturated Fat (a maximum of 10%); trans fat (none); sugar (maximum 25% of calories); and no artificial flavors, synthetic colors or artificial sweeteners.
While there’s not limit on sodium, “Target keeps tabs on the sodium content of the Archer Farms Simply Balanced products while still maintaining the taste quality for which the Archer Farms brand is known,” read the company’s statement.
Archer Farms was one of the first in a new generation of store brands that really built an identity separate from the store that was selling it. These so-called signature brands have become the preferred vehicle for private label growth, and almost every single supermarket offers something like this.
Expanding the name to cover wholesome ingredients and better nutrition is the next logical step for Archer Farms, which has already undergone a pretty extensive overhaul, and comes as the retailer is embarking on a major push deeper into food sales.
It’s interesting to note that Target took pains to point out the affordability of the Simply Balanced line. According to the retailer, prices range from $1.48 for a box of whole wheat pasta to $5.49 for chicken skewers. Once again, supermarkets are using private label to bring home the idea that eating well doesn’t have to be expensive.
Gift card sales were down 6% last holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Part of that is the recession, but it’s also a sign that the category could use some spicing up — a bit more rum in grandma’s eggnog, if you will.
Philanthropic gift cards, which are all about lending a hand, could be just the ticket. The concept is simple yet different: Organizations offer cards that donate to charity in the recipients name, or that come in preset amounts and the recipient chooses which charity receives the money. The largest organization offering these cards, Network for Good, has processed more than $300 million worth of online gift donations since 2001, and the number of donations they’ve put through for this year has doubled over last year, though — with times being tighter — the dollar amounts are smaller.
So cards like this have been around for a while, but this year could be the year they really take off. Tough economic times means everyone’s a bit more inclined to help others. And the cards seem to tap into the same altruistic vein that has consumers demanding organic, natural and sustainable products.
“I believe there is too much focus on gifts of ‘stuff’ and that a donation gift is often the most appreciated and satisfying gift of all,” wrote Erik Marks, founder of TisBest — which offers online and 100% recycled plastic cards — on the company’s website. more…
