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"If you're in a bad situation, don't worry it'll change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry it'll change."
John A Simone
Food Bites . . .Think again about "natural"
 "People think that the more natural something is, the better it is for them. That is simply not the case. In fact, it is the opposite that is the true: the closer a plant is to its natural state, the more likely it is that it will poison you. Naturally, plants do not want to be eaten, so we have spent 10 000 years developing agriculture and breeding out harmful traits from crops. 'Natural agriculture' is a contradiction in terms."
Prof Ottoline Leyser, York University
 Editor's Stuff - Magnificent McCains
 If I were to award a New Product of 2009 prize, I'd be ready to dole it out right now. My NPD laureate is McCain for its simply delicious new McCain HomeFries. In the last few months I've become a devoted fan and if ever a product actually delivered on its promise, then this is one of them.
Oven chips have always been a compromise, never quite as good as the real, deep fried thing, but now clever coating technology means that you can really-truly enjoy the taste and texture of fried chips but with the convenience and lower fat content of oven-baked chips. McCain HomeFries are deliciously golden and crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. If you haven't tried them, do. Letitia Human, McCain's senior product manager - retail potato, reports that the launch has exceeded all sales expectations. "All three variants are in the top 13 frozen potato products in the market – two of the variants are in the top 10. By the second month since launch, the range has achieved a 10% share of the frozen potato market (Synovate Aztec Jun’09)." That's some performance. She adds that McCain believes that this product is so good that it appeals to even the fussiest eaters and is bringing new users into the frozen chips category. "The response from consumers so far confirms that the product indeed delivers on every promise we make," she says.
This product is a winner thanks to modern food technology which brings me to one of the best quotes I've read about the wonders of the modern food industry: "Imagine if we didn't have food science. Imagine if we had to produce all of the food that we are producing now without the expertise, the understanding, the knowledge and the interventions of food scientists. What do you think our food supply would look like?" So says Prof John Floros, head of Penn State University's Department of Food Science. What indeed! The large and clear of polymer ID Well, after giving McCain's a big bouquet, I want to give a boob this week to Pick n Pay for accepting plastic packaging without a polymer ID logo on it - in this instance, the absence was noted on a punnet of the season's first strawberries. A boob, too, to the supplier, Zibo. It's incredulous, and shameful, in this green day and age that packaging manufacturers don't, as a matter of course, include polymer IDs on their products.
"Without the logo, waste plastic is just rubbish," to quote Woolworth's 'green' warrior, Tom McLaughlin. Read more about polymer ID here. Valuable resource on NPD  Creating New Foods: The Product Developer's Guide – the Web Edition is a FREE web-based e-book that will be of value to those involved in any aspect of new product development. This is an initiative of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science & Technology (NZIFST) and I'm delighted to help promote it to all South African food industrialists.
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SA Food Industry News
  Foodcorp's multi-pronged innovation
Foodcorp, South Africa's third-biggest food group, has embarked on an adventurous innovation path, with packaging playing an important role as brand differentiator. We speak to two key people guiding this journey. Read more
Unilever SA's boss on doing business in the recession In January, Gail Klintworth, the chairwoman of Unilever South Africa, was extremely unpopular, notes an article in Business Report. That is among her senior staff who were told there would be no salary increases this year. But this and other cost-saving measures have helped the fast-moving consumer goods giant to cope with the recession and subsequent drop in demand for processed food, home and personal products.
Talking recently to the KwaZulu-Natal branch of SAAFoST (SA Association for Food Science & Technology), Klintworth said the most important strategies in the recession were to cut costs, continue to invest in advertising and remain committed to employee development as the good times would return. Read more
More from Unilever's Gail Klintworth You might expect the person tasked with managing South Africa’s biggest basket of famous brand names to be sweating just a little in these recessionary times. Come on, it’s tough out there and we must be using less detergent, spreading our margarine a little thinner or cutting back on the shampoo.
“There’s no doubt,” says Unilever’s power-petite marketing boss, Gail Klintworth, that price has become a more significant determinant in brand choice but it’s now more critical for brands themselves to work harder.
In a cool no-sweat, 20-minute sit-down at Unilever’s Umhlanga Rocks HQ, Klintworth addressed a wide range of subjects from brand loyalty to how ad agencies should be changing their thinking. Read more
 Competition authority 'is a hammer seeking a nail'
A "hammer looking for a nail" was how the Consumer Goods Council of SA (CGCSA) described the Competition Commission with its investigation into possible anti-competitive behaviour of the country's five major retail groups, which formally began last week. Read more
Appletiser endorsed by the 5-a-Day for Better Health Trust  In line with the World Health Organisation's daily recommendation of at least 400g of a variety of vegetables and fruit each day in the form of a minimum of five 80g servings, 5-a-Day encourages South Africans to eat more healthily. Made from apples, pears or grapes, the 'Tiser range is an easy way to get one of these servings with just 200ml - the other four should come from a variety of fresh or frozen vegetables or fruit.
"We are pleased that with Appletiser joining 5-a-Day, South African's now have a healthier option when selecting a carbonated beverage," says Jane Badham, registered dietician and CEO of 5-a-day. [No link]
Afriplex launches 'bush mango' for weight management market  Paarl's Afriplex has announced the launch of a new weight management ingredient, a powder extract derived from Irvingia gabonensis or bush mango, a fruit tree native to west Africa.
Afriplex's marketing manager, Billy Smith says keen interest in Irvingia gabonensis prompted demand for the development of an active extract that's produced in a HACCP-certified environment. One internet article describes the plant as the "newest supplement to hit the weight loss marketplace, saturate the internet with ads and light up the discussion forums". Read more
Rooibos at centre of competition complaint The Competition Tribunal will hear a complaint over alleged anti-competitive practices related to the globally popular rooibos tea. Cape Town-based organic products processor and supplier, Coetzee & Coetzee, has complained to the Competition Commission that Rooibos Ltd is abusing its market dominance because of agreements with packing and branding companies. Read more
Food Industry News EU: Innovation drives Unilever's volume rebound  Unilever's leading executives have pointed to the food giant's innovation programme - and increased advertising spending - for the recovery in its sales volumes. CEO Paul Polman (right) and CFO Jim Lawrence both cited Unilever's programme of product launches as a key factor in the company's volume growth, which returned after falling in recent months. Read more
US: US House approves food safety billThe US House of Representatives has approved major changes to food-safety laws, providing the US FDA with greatly expanded authority to regulate the way food is grown, harvested, and processed. Read more
UK: Organic food debate boils over following FSA report
 The British scientist who concluded that organic food is no healthier than conventional produce has been bombarded with abusive messages from zealous environmentalists.
Dr Alan Dangour, a nutritionist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Independent that hundreds of people had contacted him since his work was published, with many accusing him of dishonesty and incompetence in emails peppered with swear words. Read more
 COMMENT: Why food is about more than nutrition
Most shoppers know the feeling. You stand in front of piles of organic produce and wonder what those premium prices are buying you over and above what you get from budget foods. A new study [see above] has concluded that, on nutrition grounds, the answer is nothing. But we are missing the point when we worry about the nutritional pros and cons of organic food? Read more
 COMMENT: It's wrong to believe that natural is always best
At last, the myth about organic food being better for us has been exploded. Maybe now we can get down to the serious business of feeding our growing population.
But last week, the organic movement's image suffered a blow when the Food Standards Agency published a report that examined the different nutrient levels found in crops and livestock from both organic and non-organic farming. It also looked at the health benefits of eating organic food - and decided that there were none.
These were harsh words and they went down like a slimy caterpillar on a lettuce leaf with the movement and its devotees. Read more
US: Healthy-eating Smart Choices logo makes debut Smart Choices labels, designed to help US shoppers to eat more healthily, have been officially rolled out across hundreds of products. Around 500 products made by the likes of Unilever, ConAgra Foods, PepsiCo and Kellogg will use the logo. By May next year, it is hoped that over 1 200 products will carry the label.
The Smart Choices Program, first launched last autumn, measures products against a set of nutritional criteria, including limits on ingredients like saturated fat and salt, as well as the amount of "nutrients to encourage", including calcium, potassium and fibre. Read more
Senomyx, Firmenich enter into a research, commercialization and license agreement Senomyx, the US company focused on using proprietary technologies to discover and develop novel flavour ingredients for the food, beverage, and ingredient supply industries, and Firmenich have entered into a collaborative research, development, commercialization and license agreement for Senomyx's novel flavour ingredients intended to enhance the taste of sucrose, fructose, and Rebaudioside. Read more
UK: Compass Group bans 69 endangered fish species from its restaurants The Compass Group, the world's largest contract caterer, has banned 69 species of fish from menus at thousands of restaurants across the UK and Ireland in a move hailed by campaigners fighting to protect threatened stocks. Compass has decided to follow the advice of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) on fish for consumers to avoid because of environmental concerns. Read more
US: Having fish and eating it too Can we have our fish and eat it too? An unusual collaboration of marine ecologists and fisheries management scientists says the answer may be yes.
In a research paper in a recent issue of the journal Science, the two groups, long at odds with each other, offer a global assessment of the world’s saltwater fish and their environments. Their conclusions are at once gloomy — overfishing continues to threaten many species — and upbeat: a combination of steps can turn things around. Read more
 US: Kellogg CEO expects eat-at-home habits to continue
Kellogg CEO David Mackay said consumers will remain frugal and eat at home more often even after the economy improves. He also said some people simply found that they enjoyed eating more meals at home. Read more
Spotlight on FOOD ALLERGIES
 Think you have food allergies? Think again
The most commonly used tests can be inaccurate, leading some people to limit their diets needlessly. Read more
 A strategy for fighting food allergies
Studies suggest that exposure to such foods at a young age could help kids develop tolerance for them. Read more
 Cause of rise in real food allergies is unclear
Theories about hygiene and vitamin deficiency or excess abound, but don't fit the data. Read more
Food allergies get curiouser and curiouser  Most of us are familiar with the idea that peanuts can trigger a life-threatening allergic reaction. But peanuts aren't the biggest concern in every country. In Greece peanut allergy is rather rare, but people are more concerned about melon. In the south of Italy, apple juice might trigger a skin rash and stomach pains, a reaction that would puzzle those in northern Italy. Why such regional differences exist is just one of the many mysteries surrounding food allergies. Read more
Food Trends and NPD
UK: Iconic Oxo cube gets remodelled Britain's Premier Foods is relaunching its distinctive Oxo beef extract with an X-shaped block of cooking stock, replacing the cube. The £2-million transformation means that after 100 years of duty in family kitchens, the old shape is being given a makeover, according to the manufacturers.
More than two million Oxo cubes are sold every day, and half of UK households use them to add extra flavour when preparing meals for their families. Read more
 SA: Another creamy first for Clover
Clover recently launched another first for South Africa, Clover Café Crème, a 100% natural, reduced fat, fresh
dairy cream designed for mixing with hot drinks. Read more
 SA: More Local 'n Lekker pleasure from Cadbury
Cadbury's Local 'n Lekker Dairy Milk slabs have been a huge success for the confectionery giant. In 2007, sales hits over four million units within a few months! The third range has just hit the shelves. Read more
What Britain eats: three decades of grocery shopping in graphic glory
 The Times recently published an awesome infographic detailing three decades of grocery shopping in Britain.
The landscape of British eating has changed dramatically in the last three decades. This interactive visualisation documents the changing face of British grocery shopping, whether it be the rise and rise of the banana, the decline of liver, the growth of the ready meal, or the determined plod of the pork sausage. The data is brought it to life with an innovative graphic tool. Do take a look here.
Health and Nutrition
 Snake oil or fish oil? Americans shelling out $33.9 billion a year on alternative health treatments
People in the US spent $33.9 billion last year on alternative health goods and services, ranging from antioxidant supplements to yoga, according to a new study released today by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read more
XXXL: WHY are we so fat? Men are now on average 8kg heavier than they were in the late seventies, and for women that figure is even higher: 9kg. The proportion of overweight children, age six to eleven, has more than doubled, while the proportion of overweight adolescents, age twelve to nineteen, has more than tripled.
Such a broad social development seems to require an explanation on the same scale. Something big must have changed in America to cause so many people to gain so much weight so quickly. But what, exactly, is unclear — a mystery batter-dipped in an enigma. Read this brilliant essay here
Food additive may one day help control blood lipids and reduce disease risk  Scientists have identified a substance in the liver that helps process fat and glucose. That substance is a component of the common food additive lecithin, and researchers speculate it may one day be possible to use lecithin products to control blood lipids and reduce risk for diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease using treatments delivered in food rather than medication. Read more
Food Science Stuff
An overdue revolution: moving food microbiology labs into a new era Until comparatively recently, the tools available to the food microbiology laboratory were antiquated in comparison with those at the disposal of analytical chemistry departments and other disciplines. After a long wait, the revolution in molecular biology that has already changed other branches of microbiology beyond recognition is set to propel food microbiology into the twenty-first century.
Now that they are at last equipped with a state-of-the-art toolbox, food microbiologists are on the brink of new discoveries and possibilities of playing a wider and more important role in maintaining the safety and quality of our food supply. Read more
 Molecular trap makes fresher beer
A material that could lead to beer with significantly longer shelf life has been designed by researchers. The approach works by removing riboflavin, or vitamin B2, which causes changes to beer's flavour when exposed to light passing through the bottle. The process can be applied to beer, milk and other beverages. Read more
 Oxidized alpha-tocopherol degrades oils
Research published in Journal of Food Science has shown that oxidized alpha-tocopherol decreased the oxidative stability of soybean, corn, safflower, and olive oils, and this, the researchers said, is reason to remove it to improve the oxidative stability of food during storage. Read more
No sweet tooth for Europe If you take your coffee without sugar or your pancakes without syrup, chances are you've got some European ancestry in your blood. New research reveals that people whose early relatives lived in Europe are more sensitive to sweet tastes than those whose ancestors came from other parts of the world. Read more
 Wild introduces blend to boost antioxidants in chocolate
Ingredients firm Wild has created a blend of plant extracts that confectioners can add to chocolate in order to boost the antioxidant content. The product includes extracts from green and white tea, green rooibos and grape seeds. Read more
Miscellany
Zapping the bottled water industry with controversial documentary, Tapped  Tapped is a film about the multi-billion dollar bottled water industry and its effect on "climate change, pollution, health and our reliance on oil." Kind of like the recent movie, Food, Inc, the film goes into terrifying detail about the highly unregulated industry that supplies 29 billion bottles of water each year. Fun summer viewing! Read more
Food of the Apollo 11 lunar landing Forty years ago this past July, the Apollo 11 flight is remembered as a giant leap for mankind, a moment when the world came together to watch Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong hop, skip, and jump across the lunar surface. But the glamour and excitement of the moon landing overshadowed the more menial aspects of the eight-day flight mission surrounded it, days filled with NASA-mandated rest periods, science experiments, and, of course, eating.
The food aboard Apollo 11 represented the height of late 1960s technology. Tubes of apple sauce and stew were ditched for meals that could be heated by the astronauts and eaten with real silverware. The Apollo crew even dined on thermo-stabilised Cheddar cheese spread and hot dogs during the moon mission, bringing at least a bit of America in July to the sterile flight craft. And yes, there was bacon — foreshadowing the current bacon craze, the first meal eaten by man on the moon was none other than bacon cubes, coated with gelatine to combat crumbs. Read more here and there's even more interesting detail here
 UK: New plastic beehive designed to encourage honey-making in the city
They are among the least demanding pets. They never need feeding or walking and are extremely good at looking after themselves. The only difficulty for the sentimental owner would be in trying to remember all their names. Read more
That's it for this week, folks!
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