Refresh

Say what you will about the economy, employment and consumer spending, but I remain impressed with the way the health and wellness market continues to adapt. Last week we wrote about aspirin pods shaped liked hearts and mellow ceiling lights that induce drowsiness.

This week, we have raw water from Maine and dry cranberries harvested by an Indian tribe in Oregon. What qualifies these products as interesting are their niche-iness. No one is going to make a billion dollars out of these endeavours, but they are differentiated enough and fill a growing demand for raw foods, a topic we’ve written about before, both on this blog and in the print issue of SN Whole Health.

Raw Water is the result of a waiver granted by Maine authorities for the Summit Spring bottled water company, based in Harrison, Maine, to sell spring water that has not undergone any filtration or treatment, and has not traveled through any pumps or boreholes. It’s raw, with microscopic algae, potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium all going into the bottle.

The idea — much like the one that propelled the artisan salt category — is that Raw Water is a “nutrient rich; ‘living’ spring water” that has not been stripped of naturally occurring elements. Each one-liter bottle is wrapped in a recycled-content brown paper bag lined with wax, to protect it from decomposition and to protect the taste. more…

It’s that time again, retailers — time to look ahead to the holiday season. Unfortunately, as with last year, there’s not much to get excited about. The National Retail Federation is forecasting November and December sales to decline by 1%. Supermarkets are in a better position than most other retailers. But even so, it’s going to be tough to move those gourmet chocolates, flowers, gift baskets and big, beautiful Christmas hams.

If there is one bright spot amidst the coal dust of the recession, analysts say, it’s products that offer whole health benefits. Thom Blischok, trends guru with the data firm Information Resources, said as much at a recent seminar at FMI’s FutureConnect, going on this week in Dallas. The NRF and various other sources seem to agree, citing the commitment to all things eco-friendly, green and sustainable — however you want to coin it — that many consumers won’t easily give up.

But ok, so we all know that “green” is big these days. Big whoop. What’s the real takeaway in all of this?

Tom Pirovano, directory of industry insights with Nielsen, offers an interesting nugget. That is, it’s not enough just to be “green” — there has to be a cost-saving or convenience component as well. That’s been the case throughout the year — with more and more people paying more for, say, CFL light bulbs so they’ll save on energy bills in the long run — and it should continue into the holidays.

An increased emphasis on private label seems to be key. And supermarkets are poised to capitalize, with many having expanded recently into sophisticated gourmet, natural and organic lines. A&P stocks Green Way, as well as premium lines like Via Roma and Hartford Reserve, which includes gourmet cheeses and chocolates classy enough for a party platter or as a stocking stuffer.

(photo by Steve Snodgrass)

Like fashion, food retailing, too, goes through cycles where everything old is new again. Just as we see styles coming back every few decades, food seems to be following this same trend. In our part of the business world, we’re seeing many supermarkets expand their private label portfolio to include more green brands.

Why are we experiencing this veritable “Back to Basics” now?

Frankly, I think much of this has to do not only with current health issues, but with copycat product development. The leaders of the trend that put all this into motion are a select few: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market and Safeway, with their introduction of high-quality, natural and organic private label products that respond to a growing customer demand.

It’s been interesting to watch how this segment of private label has evolved, and quickly, at that. Initially, retailers (like those above) who were part of the initial roll out of such products did it because the core natural and organic consumer demanded them. It was the right thing to do.

However, once the these retailers began offering green private label items in their natural and organic sets, the crossover customer became intrigued; the low price barrier to entry into natural and organics and the surprising quality began capturing this class of consumers, as well.

Kids have played a huge role in the transition from conventional to natural and organic. They learn about sustainability and recycling at school and want to do good for the planet and for themselves; natural products and organics appear to them to be the answer to everything they’re learning about in the classroom. They come home and tell their parents and the ideas start trickling up. more…

Healthy living has many aspects – food, personal care and environment — and all of it was on display at today’s Healthy Living Media Event held in midtown Manhattan.

More than 50 exhibitors were present. Vendors like Truvia, Seventh Generation, The Natural Dentist and Campbell’s (sampling low-sodium soups and new antioxidant-infused varieties of its V-Fusion juice line), are well-known to the supermarket channel.

Many products designed for the home — Whirlpool, Honeywell, Bissell, Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart, Philips and Moen, among others — are also players in the mass channel and supply retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Meijer.

Then, there were the new products, which are ideal for this type of show, because the new companies can stand out with a higher profile in a smaller venue. That’s how we came across Patti Frenette, inventor of the Aspirinpod (pictured), an anatomical-shaped heart “locket” that holds one regular or several baby aspirin to be used for heart attack victims. The lockets (“Keep Survival Within Reach!”) are just coming to market now.

There was also the NightWave Sleep Assistant, a portable fixture that shines a rhythmic, pulsating light onto the ceiling of your bedroom (“How It Works: 1. Light gently ebbs and flows; 2. Inhale/exhale with the light; 3. Light slows down; 4. You relax deeper and deeper. The next thing you know it’s morning!”). Tabletop and travel versions are currently being tested at Bed, Bath & Beyond stores.

There was even a small, independent botanicals company from Dearborn Heights, Mich., called Holistic Healer & Wellness, makers of essential oils, herbal remedies and related goods (even their press kit smells great). more…

With David Letterman busy cooking in his own sex-scandal stew, there’s a new Top Ten list that has people’s attention — and this one isn’t very funny.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Washington, D.C.-based consumer watchdog group, has released a list of the ten foods most likely to make you sick. Drawing on reported illnesses and outbreaks between 1990 and 2006, the list includes foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration — not all contamination risks (beef, ahem, which is regulated by the USDA), but still close to 80% of them.

The timing of this isn’t random. A new food safety bill aimed at expanding the FDA’s authority passed a House of Representatives vote in July and has made its way to the Senate, and the CSPI, along with other organizations, are pulling hard for it to pass.

So without further ado, here are the top ten riskiest foods regulated by the FDA (drum roll please, Paul).

10. Berries (25 outbreaks, 3,397 cases)

9. Sprouts (31 outbreaks, 2,022 cases)

8. Tomatoes (31 outbreaks, 3,292 cases)

7. Ice Cream (74 outbreaks, 2,594 cases)

6. Cheese (83 outbreaks, 2,761 cases)

5. Potatoes (108 outbreaks, 3,659 cases)

4. Oysters (132 outbreaks, 3,409 cases)

3. Tuna (268 outbreaks, 2,341 cases)

2. Eggs (352 outbreaks, 11.163 cases)

And the number one riskiest food regulated by the FDA is…leafy greens, with 363 outbreaks involving 13,568 reported illnesses. more…

In July 2008, New York became the first large city in the country to require restaurants to post calorie information in conspicuous locations. It could be on the menu or, in the case of fast-food eateries, near the menu board. The goal was to get consumers thinking about the healthfulness of their food choices by making calories and related nutrition information more transparent.

Indeed, when the law first took effect, the city’s media outlets reported a host of hidden surprises, mostly from seemingly innocent, healthful entrees that in reality, packed a caloric wallop strong enough to make you grab your chest and feel phantom heart attacks.

Fifteen months, later, researchers from New York University have found that publicizing nutrition information in foodservice venues has had little impact on the choices people make — particularly low-income consumers, the group this study focused on.

The preliminary findings were published in the online version of Health Affairs, a public policy journal, and reported in today’s New York Times. For the study, the researchers collected food receipts and survey responses from 1,156 adults at fast-food restaurants in low-income, minority New York communities. These were compared to a sample in Newark, N.J., a city that had not introduced menu labeling. more…

Even with the bumps in the road (the economy, prices, and the like), organic continues to grow. No surprise there. The NPD Group, a leading market research company, forecasts that “better for you” foods, such as organic and light or low-calorie foods and beverages, will be among the fastest-growing food trends over the next decade. NPD is predicting a 41% growth in organics alone.

The back story here is that consumers are shifting their priorities. They’re interested in not only what’s good for their health, but also what’s good for the health of the planet.

A recent MamboTrack study found that the majority of natural/organic consumers were not willing to give up eating healthy, despite the economy. Respondents said they would continue to buy healthy foods and many indicated that the “cost” of not doing so was too high — with costs to their health and the planet.

Organic food is better for the environment because it reduces our chemical exposure, with less contamination in the soil and the air (not to mention what we eat).

Moreover, organics are typically grown in a sustainable manner that not only treats the environment well but provides the workforce with a fair living and safe working conditions.

Economically speaking, a fair living for one benefits all. Plus, organic agriculture reduces our dependence on fossil fuels used to create chemical fertilizers.

And coinciding with the surge in organics is a distinct interest in eating local. Farmers markets are growing and often feature local organic farms. This too ties into quality-of-life for the agricultural workforce, increasing the number of self-employed farmers and entrepreneurs and further balancing wage disparities.

This trend toward organics will have a lasting impact. Young families are committing to natural and organic living, raising a new generation of children who will see these earth-friendly habits as a regular way of life.

Don’t count high fructose corn syrup out just yet. Stevia is not going to take over the sweetener world, as many have been predicting. In fact, the Center for Consumer Freedom launched a new ad campaign this week that stresses the similarities between HFCS and sugar.

“The myth that high fructose corn syrup is somehow a greater contributor to obesity than cane sugar, beet sugar, or honey has been soundly debunked by nutritional experts, but HFCS is still widely misunderstood by the public,” said Sarah Longwell, the spokesperson for the campaign.

Print ads appeared this week, and television spots will soon follow (shown at right). In these, actors dressed as an ear of corn, a sugar cube and a honey bear standing in a police line-up play up the “wrongly accused” theme, as the “victim” in the commercial is unable to identify the sweetener responsible for making him gain weight because all three sugars are nutritionally the same.

The television commercial will air on MSNBC, Fox News, CNN and CNBC and will run for three weeks, according to CCF officials. more…

I wish I could take credit for the phrase used in the headline, but it came from a story I spotted in the Philadelphia Inquirer this week about a burgeoning eco-kosher movement that seems to have its roots in the City of Brotherly Love.

Eco-kosher! Now, what the heck does that mean? Kosher food is already popular with non-Jews who like the sanitary and processing standards that govern the ancient law of Kashrut. Food prepared under kosher supervision is said to be cleaner, and therefore, more healthful.

Such beliefs have propelled sales of all kosher foods in the United States to new highs. According to Packaged Facts, sales of certified kosher foods in the supermarket channel topped $200 billion in 2008, up from $150 billion in 2003. Countless numbers of supermarkets serving large Orthodox populations have set up kosher delis, meat departments and bakeries – including Wakefern/ShopRite, Supervalu’s Jewel-Osco banner, Whole Foods (pictured) and Safeway-owned Genuardi’s, to name a few.

Kosher covers the processing and preparation of food, but it does not yet include the fairly new concepts of sustainable agriculture, worker welfare and all the other intangibles that increasingly make up the whole health movement.

“The emphasis now is on what it really means for a particular food to be fit to eat,” Mark Kaplan, a Reform Jew who has helped start community-supported agriculture programs with synagogues, told the Inquirer. more…

It only took about two hours walking the exhibition floor at last week’s Natural Products Expo East show in Boston before we began noticing some common threads running among the exhibitors. Here are some of the more interesting ones we’re going to follow up on in our next print issue of SN Whole Health, coming out in late November:

- Licorice. I can’t tell what’s healthful about this candy item, though the products we’re seeing are a far cry from the childhood Twizzlers sticks. These are adult products, with grown-up flavors and ingredients that include (in the case of one company) a distinctly satisfying herbal variety. One exhibtor told me there are cough-supressant proerties associated with licorice.

- Green Tea Powder. This is probably the tea category’s answer to all the powdered drink mixes and powdered functional sports beverages that have hit the market in the past 18 months, something we’ve written about here, as well as the print publication. The tea powder is sort of like Japanese matcha, that strong-grassy flavored powder that’s great hot or cold. Some brands come in single-serving pouches and are flavored additionally with ingredients like lemon or ginger.

- Rice Cake Machines. Talk about an action station. Long a fixture in Asian food stores, these small-footprint devices make a distinct “Pop” sound each time they spit out a crisp, fresh rice cake. One manufacturer told us they are already in talks with retailers like Kroger and Safeway, so could these machines do for Asian enthusiasts what the in-store tortilleria has done for Mexican food lovers?

(Photo credit: Peyri Leigh)