'It's not the hours you put in your work that count, it's work you put in the hours.' Sam Ewing
Food for thought . . . WE live in an age when good nutrition practices - eat lots of whole grains, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables; hold the fatty meat and hydrogenated vegetable oils - are simple, straightforward and widely available. But visit a well-stocked health food store, pharmacy or supermarket, and you’d never know it.
The variety of dietary supplements can be overwhelming, with dozens of vitamins, minerals and extracts offered alone and in combinations targeted at every possible intersection of age, sex and activity. And that selection is a nutritional desert compared to the tropical rain forest–level diversity of supplements at more specialised stores. Dietary supplements are big business in the US: consumer sales in 2006 were estimated at $22.5 billion, with some 60% of Americans taking at least a daily multivitamin. But thanks to a regulatory structure designed more to promote the availability of supplements than to ensure that they deliver on their promises, it can seem impossible to figure out what--if anything--you should be taking. Read this great article on Scientific American
Food Industry News - CHINA'S MELAMINE SCANDAL
 Four baby deaths; China probe finds widespread milk tainting
Nearly 10% of milk samples from three top Chinese dairy companies was tainted with melamine, the government quality watchdog found after testing for the banned chemical that has killed four children. Reuters. Read more
 China worries about long-term effects of bad milk
Chinese parents agonised on Tuesday about the long-term health effects that their children could suffer after consuming formula milk which the government has confirmed was contaminated with a toxic melamine. Read more
 Rapid growth led China dairy industry to cut corners
Overly rapid investment in China's dairy industry coupled with a lack of quality control over thousands of inexperienced farmers tempted players to cut corners, ultimately leading to illness in thousands of infants, industry experts say. Melamine, a compound that mimics protein, has been found in milk products sold by 22 out of 109 Chinese firms, after it was blamed for an unusual outbreak of kidney stones in babies using milk powder this month. Reuters. Read more
 Choose your joint venture partner with care
The melamine milk crisis throws up some serious questions that foreign food firms must ask before they hop aboard a joint venture to take them into China. Read more
Other Food Industry News US: FDA issues rules for GM animals
Genetically engineered animals moved closer to the dinner table on Thursday as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made the process it will use to review new proposals public. Reuters. Read more
ASIA: Japan rice firm boss commits suicide after scandalThe president of a Japanese company that bought tainted rice and sold it for food committed has suicide, the latest development in a national food scandal. The firm in Nara, 380 km (240 miles) west of Tokyo, was one of 370 companies that had purchased contaminated rice meant for industrial purposes from Mikasa Foods, a small rice processing company in Osaka, a farm ministry report showed. Read more
US: Scientists, FDA face off over safety of BPA in consumer plasticsCritics questioned why the FDA based that ruling on three studies funded by the chemical industry, all of which found BPA to be safe at current exposure levels. Hundreds of independent studies in animals and cells suggest the strogen-like chemical poses serious risks. USA Today. Read more
US: FDA considers mandatory food-tracking systemSome lawmakers say a mandatory food-tracking system would help pinpoint problems such as a recent salmonella contamination that sickened 1 400 people. A proposal to be introduced next week would create a separate agency for food-safety issues within the Department of Health and Human Services. Reuters. Read more
 US: Unilever, Starbucks deal to push and grow Starbucks ice cream business
Starbucks Coffee and Unilever have agreed an exclusive licensing agreement for the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of Starbucks ice cream in the US and Canada. The agreement leverages Starbucks coffee expertise and passion for innovation and Unilever’s capabilities as the leading global manufacturer and marketer of ice cream. www.WeltOnline.com Read more
 EU: Red Bull unfazed by Euro review
Red Bull says it is not concerned over an upcoming European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) review the use of ingredients like taurine and glucuronolactone in energy drinks and remains committed to EU expansion. Read more
 ASIA: China's taste for chocolate
Life is sweet for people who work in the confectionery industry. Now it can be even sweeter in China, where market potential and a better understanding of confectionery culture is leading to a new bonanza of sweets and chocolates. "Chinese people in the past only considered chocolate as something with a sweet taste and brown color," said Elvin Ho, Asian Pacific regional sales and marketing director of Barry Callebaut, the world's biggest chocolate maker. Shanghai Daily. Read more
 Global growth potential lies in milk and water drinks
Global consumption of bottled water and milk-based drinks continues to rise amidst burgeoning demand in Asia, despite a number of challenges facing both industries, according to consumer analyst Zenith International ... by 2012, volumes for bottled water and milk drinks are forecast to rise by 19% and 32% respectively, according to the analyst. Foodnavigator USA. Read more
Sustainability should guide innovation, says Symrise VPIt is no longer enough for ingredients firms to look at their water and carbon footprint, says Symrise’s innovation chief, but sustainability should be a primary consideration for new product development. Read more
 Reformulated microwave meals could pose risk
Many manufacturers have failed to review the effects of microwaves on products that have been reformulated to reduce salt, sugar and fat, and this could put consumers at risk and waste huge amounts of energy, according to one expert. Food Manufacture. Read more
Ingredients Stuff No beating about the rooibos
The increasing popularity of rooibos tea globally is reflected in levels of product activity globally, with well over 200 launches recorded globally on The Innova Database in the 12 months to August 2008. Food Ingredients First. Read more
 Suppliers and manufacturers seek to manage seaweed shortage
A shortage of seaweed from Asia Pacific is having a serious affect on supply and pricing in the hydrocolloids market, and may ultimately prompt some users to reconsider formulations or seek new assurances from their suppliers. www.foodnavigator.com. Read more
Exploring nanotechnology’s potentialAn an article for Natural Products INSIDER, explores how nanotechnology will impact the dietary supplement and functional food industries. The technology, they say, will lead to enhanced packaging; improved delivery systems; enhanced uptake, kinetics and distribution within the body. Read more
Health & Nutrition Kefir is nutritious, but larger health claims are on shakier ground
The fermented milk drink aids in digestive health, but its immune-boosting benefits are open to debate. LA Times. Read more
Faster fattenersWhen it comes to making fat, not all sugars are created equal. Researchers have shown that fructose creates fat in your body more rapidly than other sugars. Science Central. Read more
 Consumers see benefit of fibre and whole grains
More consumers in the US are becoming aware of fibre and are trying to increase their consumption of whole grains as part of a healthy diet, according to a new survey. Foodnavigator USA. Read more
 Fat is where the flavour is
"It's really hard to cook without fat," says Jennifer McLagan (left), author of the book 'Fat' ... "It stops food from sticking. And fat is where the flavor is ... People are frightened that if they eat these things (they are) going to kill them. Fat will only make them happy and healthy." Melbourne Age. Read more
 One in eight Brits never eats any fruits or vegetables
A new study, titled 'Health of Britain - Perspective on Nutrition 2008', shows that only 12% of people meet the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day target. Read more
Six food mistakes parents makeMost parents can relate to the daily challenge of finding foods that children will eat. NY Times. Read more
 Fruit's seeds pack a healthy wallop
The pomegranate's juicy secrets are all over the news. But that's to be expected in the exotic fruit's rise to fame. Not too long ago, few Americans knew what a pomegranate was. And now the flavor has found its way into all kinds of products: pomegranate juice, pomegranate soda, pomegranate beauty products and pomegranate gum. Waterloo Courier, Indiana. Read more
Open alternative to WeightWatchers launchedLack of access to effective dieting programs is likely one reason why the obesity epidemic hits lower income families hardest. Many can not afford effective weight loss programs such as WeightWatchers. Slimlet.com, a new free online diet, has been launched. Medical News Today. Read more
Microbiology Stuff E coli findings unveil origins, growth, risks
At the conference, Jorge Girón, assistant professor in the department of immunobiology at the University of Arizona, revealed research on the interaction of E. coli with spinach. ThePacker.com. Read more
 How listeria moves from mother to fetus
Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than others to get listeriosis from contaminated food. French scientists have figured out how the potentially deadly infection crosses the placental barrier, a finding that may lead to protections for fetuses. Reuters. Read more
New Product Stuff
 Bud Light Lime debut gives Anheuser a sweet summer
Bud Light Lime -- the first-ever flavor extension of Bud Light that launched in May -- hit the million-barrel mark with little apparent cannibalisation of its sibling brands, driving parent Anheuser-Busch to its strongest summer in recent years. www.mediapost.com. Read more
 'Evian Les Petits' makes debut in the US
Evian Natural Spring Water is splashing into children's lunch boxes this back-to-school season with Evian Les Petits, the first kid's pack of premium natural spring water dedicated to children. www.PRmediawire.com. Read more
Nano droplet CoQ10 delivery promises higher absorptionA new delivery system for CoQ10 could increase its bioavailability by up to seven times, according to its US marketer SourceOne Global Partners... Read more
Hot Stuff Bad science: Don't let facts spoil a good story
Ben Goldacre: Academics' work can be 'grossly and crassly misrepresented' by the newspapers. The Guardian. Read more
 Ted Danson launches attack on British fish and chips
A leading Hollywood actor has attacked the traditional British dish of fish and chips for causing the near extinction of an endangered species of shark. The Telegraph. Read more
That's it for this week, folks!
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