'Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose.' Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, philanthropist
Food for thought . . .As soy soars, don't forget the niche products
One oft-heard company strategy in hard economic times is focusing only on core brands and axing the niche brands from the product portfolio. However, those who do not vet those niche markets may be throwing away a slice of the future. Take the soy beverage category for instance. A recent report (Soy Beverages in the US from Beverage Marketing orporation, August 2008) discusses market research showing that the category grew by 19.3% last year. US retail sales went from $545 million in 2001 to $676 million in 2002—a 24% increase—followed by a 30% increase in 2003. In 2004, US sales of soymilk and other dairy alternatives passed $1 billion, and in 2007 they reached nearly $1.7 billion. They’ve grown from a health-food-store specialty to a fixture in mainstream groceries with a respectable number of facings on the shelf. The moral of the story? While those niche products might mean beans in today’s market, if you pick the right ones, and feed and nurture them, they just might have the potential to grow into something bigger. Lynn A. Kuntz, from her blog, The Hot Pot. Kuntz is editor of Food Product Design
Food Industry News - CHINA'S MELAMINE SCANDAL
 EU bans children's food imports from China
The European Commission's ban comes amid growing concern over contaminated milk powder which has already caused infant deaths in China and affected thousands more children. Read more
Melamine in China – genesis of a crisisSanlu claimed that farmers who supplied cow’s milk to the company were the perpetrators, and some farmers have indeed already been put into prison. Food Ingredients First. Read more
 The milk of human cruelty
As tens of thousands of Chinese babies suffer, the ripple effects of the tainted milk scandal are being felt around the world. It is a scandal that continues to sour with each new day ... The scandal, which began two weeks ago when dozens of babies suffered kidney stones and even kidney failure after drinking a popular brand of infant formula that contained the chemical melamine, has since spread to more than 20 companies and affected products including fresh milk, yoghurt and ice-cream. The Melbourne Age. Read more
Other news
 SA: 17th IMS World Meat Congress, Cape Town 7-10 September 2008
All the speeches from this successful event are now available on the congress website. http://www.worldmeatcongress2008.co.za/
 WORLD: Impact of food prices on world hunger
Rising costs have caused an additional 75 million people worldwide to go hungry, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says, bringing the worldwide undernourished population to 923 million. "High food prices have reversed the previously positive trend toward achieving the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half ...Read more
 SA: GM setback for maize exporters
The World Food Programme, one of the biggest buyers of South African maize, may have to shop elsewhere due to a growing shortage of non-genetically modified (GM) local mielies. Read more
 WORLD: Coca-Cola is still No. 1 in brand value
Coca-Cola is again the world's most valuable brand, according to Interbrand's just-released annual list of the Best 100 Global Brands. AdAge.com. Read more
 US: Hershey reportedly in merger talks with Nestle
Swiss food group Nestle and US-based confectionery firm Hershey are reportedly in talks involving either a merger or a stake sale, said the Telegraph. Read more
US: Rumour heats up on Nestle link to HersheySpeculation has been rife for years that Cadbury would try to merge with Hershey in order to boost its US presence, but Nestle may be beating Cadbury to it now. Food Ingredients First. Read more
 US: Kellogg acquires Specialty Cereals
Kellogg Company, the giant US producer of cereal, biscuits and convenience foods, has acquired Specialty Cereals, a privately-owned manufacturer of natural ready-to-eat cereals based in Australia. Read more
 US: Nielsen: Americans to spend billions on candy this Halloween
Americans will spend $2.1 billion on candy this Halloween, The Nielsen Co estimates. That's roughly $7 for every man, woman and child. InsideNova.com/Media General News Service. Read more
 US: 'Greening' disease threatens the core of US citrus crops
A botanical disease that has hit Florida and now threatens California is raising fears that the price of citrus fruits and juices will soar in coming years ... It's already "a 10" on a threat scale of 1 to 10 in Florida, says Andrew Meadows of Florida Citrus Mutual, a growers' organization. USA Today :
 EU: France's restaurants feel the pinch
Nearly 3,000 restaurants and cafes in France have closed this year as the credit crunch begins to bite. Suddenly the only people with any time for long lunches across the Channel are the English. . .The Independent. Read more
 UK: Diageo takes responsible drinking online
Diageo, the world's leading spirits, wine and beer company, is launching an innovative website designed to promote responsible drinking worldwide. Read more
 UK: UK's answer to olive oil? Crop catches eye of Jamie Oliver - and the police
It's a trade boom for hemp growers as filmstars, athletes and the arthritic turn to new dietary sensation. Read more
 UK: Humble turnip makes comeback
Scottish sales of the "neep" have rocketed by 75% in 12 months as shoppers buy more veg. The Guardian. Read more.
 UK: Eating to save the planet
Remember Brown Rice Week, those seven days of ritual deprivation at university to clear Third World debt? Well, good news - it's back. Once again we are being invited to change the world through our plates, only this time it lasts 52 weeks a year and it's not just Africa that we're going to save, it's the entire planet. Read more
Health & Nutrition Energy drinks – busting your health for the buzz
They're readily accessible, legal, and potentially addictive. They claim to improve performance, increase concentration, and stimulate metabolism, yet these highly caffeinated, sugar-laden beverages are causing considerable concern among health professionals.Newswise. Read more
 Is Spain the new Japan of functional foods?
One quarter of Spain’s foods are functional, making it one of Europe’s most dynamic and successful market, according to a report presented recently to the EU-funded European Functional Foods Net. Foodnavigator USA: Read more
 Sorting through the claims of the boastful egg
It used to be, an egg was an egg, but now the incredible, edible egg is becoming unintelligible. NY Times. Read more
 Overdoing health claims can put consumers off
The health and wellness trend in food is expected to endure tough economic times but there is a danger that food manufacturers could over medicalise their products, according to a research specialist ... Meanwhile global sales of health and wellness packaged food are forecast to grow more than 20% in constant value from 2007 to 2012. Foodnavigator USA. Read more
 No additives or preservatives lead label claims: Mintel
Food products with 'no additives/ preservatives' claims are leading the way in European and international launches, according to data from Mintel. Read more
 Functional' foods promise good health — but can they deliver?
Consumers are getting a crash course in what critics contend is the faux science of food marketing ... If competitors and other food marketers were quick to notice Dannon's probiotic success, so were lawyers who are questioning the science underlying the marketer's health claims for Activia and DanActive, the probiotic yogurt drink launched in 2007, on the heels of Activia's popularity. Adweek.com. Read more
 Healthy drinking: tea total
Nothing soothes us like our favourite cuppa, but can we have too much of a good thing? The Telegraph. Read more
Ingredients Stuff US: DSM’s acrylamide mitigator wins scientific excellence award
Virgo Publishing has announced that PreventASe, an acrylamide mitigator from DSM Food Specialties, will receive the Food Product Design Scientific Excellence Award at SupplySide West expo, being held in late October in Las Vegas. Read more
 US: Database of isoflavone compounds in foods updated
A newly-updated food composition database of plant chemical compounds called isoflavones has been launched by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in the US. Read more
 US: Seaweed granules a salt alternative?
Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University have been working with Seagreens to develop the use of seaweed granules as an alternative to salt (sodium chloride) in processed food. Food Ingredients First. Read more
New Product Stuff
 US: General Mills plans 300 new products in next fiscal year
The chief executive of General Mills says the company will offset the soft economy by introducing new products and increasing its marketing, as well as by continuing to expand internationally. Ken Powell says the company likely will introduce 300 new items in fiscal 2009. Houston Chronicle/The Associated Press. Read more
 US: SABMiller launches Miller Lite in new aluminium bottle
Ball Corporation is bringing its new, 16-oz Alumi-Tek aluminum beverage bottles to market with Miller Lite. The sleek, resealable bottles feature a wide, 38mm opening that provides a smooth flow, are quick to chill and are 100% recyclable. Read more
Miscellany Most industries remain dependent on hazardous substancesMany obstacles, including insufficient investment and lack of training, keep scientists from embracing green chemistry and designing safer substitutes for the vast majority of compounds in use today. LA Times. Read more
 Turning bacteria into plastic factories
Escherichia coli (E. coli) can give you a severe case of food poisoning or, with a little genetic engineering, a useful plastic. Scientists at San Diego–based Genomatica Inc, have announced success in manipulating the bacteria to directly produce butanediol (BDO), a chemical compound used to make everything from spandex to car bumpers, thereby providing a more energy-efficient way of making it without oil or natural gas. Scientific American. Read more
That's it for this week, folks!
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