Refresh

It felt like one of those only-in-New-York things: The grand opening of an “eco-bodega” down in SoHo. There were natural and organic products set out on crates and wooden shelves, a shopkeeper clad in overalls (ok, a paid actor) mingling with the patrons (ok, press only). There were light fixtures made out of tomato cans and other shoddy-chic touches, including one of those generic plop-down ATM machines that are in just about every convenience store, and that nobody ever uses.

After about an hour of mingling and munching in the tiny space, the lights went down and a man in a tan suit started belting German opera.

It was an interesting, if surreal, experience. But here’s my point: The concept behind the BoHo Bodega, as it’s called, is in fact part of a larger trend in the retail world.

They’re called pop-up stores. It’s where a company touches down, whips up a frenzy to sell as much as it can, and then quickly closes up shop. BoHo Bodega, in this case, is only open for five days, ending this Sunday — and all proceeds go to charity. Target, Gap, Vitamin Water and other companies have done the same trick, looking to test new products, drum up interest in the brand, and just give their retailing model a shot of adrenaline.

Pop-up stores have worked well in the recession, with consumers looking for the kinds of deals they offer and not really wedded to any one shopping mode. They also seem to work well for the health and wellness industry, which is all about experimentation, and whose products really fit well in small-scale, focused locations like this.

Could supermarkets do it? Sure! Many of them are already doing the store-within-a-store concept. Why not just take that out and set it down somewhere else?

We’ve heard it from others, have said it ourselves and now it seems the Food and Drug Administration is hearing it: It’s time to review nutrition labeling.

Yesterday, the FDA stated as much. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced a sweeping initiative that includes the following:

• Reviewing existing labeling programs for violations of federal regulations;

• Drafting a set of nutrition criteria on which all existing and future labeling programs must be based;

• Commissioning an 18-month study to determine how consumers use nutrition labeling programs; and

• Opening a dialogue with the food industry to determine whether a single set of symbols is necessary.

Hamburg must have been getting an earful from critics of the ratings systems and programs currently out on the market, some of which admittedly are sorely lacking in credibility.

“Some nutritionists have questioned whether this information is more marketing-oriented then health-oriented,” she stated. “And judging from some of the labels that we’ve seen, we think that this is a valid concern.” more…

Whether it’s the media fanning the flames of fear, or a true epidemic, we are about to go into flu, cough and cold season. Many of our stores are offering flu shots, the hand sanitizer and wipes market is booming and there are some food reminders to put out there. From a dietitian’s standpoint, much of the readiness to survive any illness comes from prevention but the other part — the one most consumers forget — is to is get back to eating real food again.

Here are some tips for helping our customers with both of these challenges.

• Focus on the fact that citrus season is here with oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes along, with the multitude of juices. The Florida Citrus Commission has some great recipes. Mixing the juice with some seltzer or soda water results in a spritzer that has some nutrition power. The goal ? Vitamin C and a host of protective nutrients that fits most diets.

• Emphasize the message to include probiotics in the diet. Yogurt, yogurt smoothies (both dairy and soy based) may build immunities and are good follow-ups to a bout with the flu, since they replace important gut bacteria that might have been wiped out with antiobiotics.

• Include a prevention corner in the store, with citrus, supplements, probiotics and other protective foods, along with an assortment of hand sanitizers and wipes. The pharmacy probably has some great additions too. more…

Now here’s a label to match the times: a new rating system, called the Affordable Nutrition Index, seeks to show consumers the most nutritious foods based on price. According to the developer, a professor at the University of Washington, the ANI is “the first and only tool” that assesses food’s nutritional profile and cost value to create a nutrition-value-per-dollar score.

“In today’s economy, more people are making food choices based solely on cost, so it’s important to guide them on ways to get nutritious options without hurting their wallets,” said Adam Drewnowski, PhD, ANI’s creator, who also was a driving force behind the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition, introduced to the public in June. That program has its own Nutrient Rich Foods Index.

Drewnowski, who directs the Center for Public Health Nutrition at University of Washington - Seattle, based the ANI scale on values determined by the earlier initiative, as well as price data from the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion 2001-2002 database, a 2008 survey of Seattle supermarkets and… soup prices from Campbell Soup Company.

Campbell’s, which has been a leading force in lowering sodium levels in prepared foods, partially underwrote the program and sent out the first news release announcing the ANI. The objective was to compare ANI values of most Campbell’s canned soups (regular and condensed) to those of selected vegetables, fruits and snacks. In the process, Drewnowski developed this new methodology, which factors in the current consumer obsession with price. more…

It really says something about a supermarket’s commitment to fresh, local food when you can count the CEO among the list of growers.

That’s just what’s happening at Sunflower Farmers Market, where founder and chief executive, Mike Gilliland, operates a 40-acre farm in Longmont, Colo., that’s about to make its first shipment to stores. There’s cabbage, peppers, radishes, collard greens, bok choy, and a whole host of other crops popping up. Indeed, Gilliland’s farm isn’t just a figurehead — it’s a bona fide supplier, with plans to expand threefold next year as well as add a wind- and solar-powered greenhouse.

What’s most powerful here, though, is the message, and what it says about Sunflower’s strategy and its success. If you’ve been following retail news lately, you know that Sunflower has been growing like a weed ever since its founding in 2002, after Gilliland left the top post at now-defunct Wild Oats. The company got a $30 million injection of capital from a California investment firm last year, and now has 27 stores spread across six states in the southwest.

Sunflower likes to go after the cost-conscious consumer. But as the retailer’s quirky mantra indicates (“Serious Food. Silly Prices”), quality is also a main focus. That’s not an easy line to toe, but the company has clearly been successful, and Gilliland’s ambitious farm project is a good indication as to why.

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…