"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results."

Winston Churchill, British prime minister

Editor's Stuff - The 2010 food trend fest begins!

JUST as the shopping malls open for Christmas in October, all the trend gurus of the food world are getting in on the prediction act for 2010 rather early this year, each seemingly trying to scoop the other. Unlike 'Joy to the World' in October, this is a delight for the food industry journalist and some pertinent reading for the food industrialist.

There's definitely a sense that as 2009 saw the commercial world turned on its head, the post-recession (we hope!) era will be ushering in a swathe of interesting new acts or new routines that are adding a different spin to established acts.

This week, Mintel, The Hartman Group and Food Processing Magazine, all in the US, presented some of their views of 2010. And while their Tarot readings are all pragmatically suited to the times, they definitely come across with a positive subtext.

So, while the USA is not SA, there's still plenty of good market intelligence to be gleaned from this week's trend chapter.

US: The next wave: wellness food trends for 2010

The argument can be made that, in an economic meltdown that turned R&D into “Wait and See,” trying to hit on what are the coming health and wellness food trends is merely throwing punches in the dark. The past year’s fiscal fiasco sent many a good company reeling. But the good news is a number of industries — not just food and  beverage makers — are starting to stagger back to their feet and focus on ways to improve their positions. Read more

US: Food and beverage industry trends to watch in 2010

This has been a year we’d all like to wrap up and file away under never again, please. All of our institutions and basic beliefs in the American dream have been tested and found wanting. Technology, globalisation, and the current financial crisis have left many of us reeling. As we pick up the pieces and head into a new decade, it’s time to reflect and prognosticate on the issues and trends that will most likely affect the industry next year. The most important issues include.... Read more  

Mintel predicts 2010's trendy flavours

Mintel predicts new flavours and scents will make an appearance in the US marketplace in 2010, as well as some familiar ones … reinvented.

“As the economy recovers, we expect people to continue the trend of eating at home,” notes Lynn Dornblaser, Mintel’s leading new products expert. “The home cook is becoming more advanced with his or her cooking skills by trying new spices and flavours, as well as preparing everyday items in new ways.” Mintel has identified six key flavours and two scents trends that will be recognisable in 2010. Read more

Reflections on Food

This excellent slideshow from research company, the Hartman Group in the US, highlights the "reimagining of convenience foods and healthy eating trends". As it states: "What is being said in the marketplace today is that consumers are buying what they need NOT WHAT THEY WANT. Remember today's needs for consumers were yesterday's wants." See more

And in case you missed Innova's insights from two weeks ago ....

Simplicity heads top NPD trends for 2010

Levels of new NPD activity are continuing to hold up well in the face of the difficult global financial situation, with the number of launches in the first 10 months of 2009 ahead of the total achieved in the same period of 2008, according to Innova Market Insights.

Looking forward to 2010, some key trends and developments are emerging that are likely to have a profound effect on the market over the next 12 months or so and Innova Market Insights has identified its top ten new product trends for the coming year. . . Read more

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 SA Food Industry News

Tiger Brands 1: Belt-tightening consumer worries SA's food leader

Tiger Brands faces a tough financial year as the South African consumer continues to keep the reins tight, but chief executive Peter Matlare plans to increase the company's volumes to boost earnings. The R30-billion consumer goods group behind Black Cat peanut butter and Koo beans this week reported an 8% increase in turnover for the year to September, but flat volumes growth in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories would continue until the middle of next year, according to Matlare. Read more

Tiger Brands 2: Gains made from cheaper choices

In reporting its latest results, Tiger Brands, said profit was boosted as people switched to maize from more expensive staples such as rice, and commodity prices fell from the high prices seen the year before. Profit from the company’s grains business, which accounted for two-fifths of net income, rose 41% to R1,4bn from a year earlier, even as sales of Tastic and Aunt Caroline rice fell. Read more  

Milkworx: Getting the recipe right

The folks at Milkworx have always made great ice cream but they were not so good at running the business. Milkworx recently won a supplier award from fast food chain McDonald's but this has not prevented it from incurring losses in its last four financial periods. This should change, but first the ice cream maker had to be taken over. Chemicals and food company Ububele now controls Milkworx through a reverse listing which took place last week. Ububele CEO Theo Kleinhans says it has big plans for Milkworx... Read more

Crumbed chicken boosts Rainbow profit

Rainbow Chicken benefited from the sale of crumbed frozen foods in the six months to September and would continue to roll out new product innovations in an effort to increase its market share. Read more

Digging deeper on SA's food prices

The controversy over food prices has abated somewhat, because food inflation has fallen from a high of 16% last year to 5%-6% last month. But the competition commission is still trying to root out the causes of high food prices. And members of parliament's portfolio committee on economic development are putting pressure on competition commissioner Shan Ramburuth to achieve more. The commission recently briefed parliament on competition issues in the food and agro processing industries.

Ramburuth explained that food prices in SA had been pushed up by anti competitive behaviour that began well before the farm gate. "Other factors exist as well, but there is anti competitive conduct throughout the agro food chain - and not just the producers, but the [suppliers of] inputs, too, are involved." Read more

Food Industry News

China executes two people for roles in melamine milk scandal

Nestlé looms large over battle for Cadbury

Britain's appetite for fast food, "junk" and healthy, is proving insatiable

The number of takeaway outlets in Britain's 10 largest cites rose by 8% last year as cash-strapped customers looked for cheaper food options. The common perception is that Britain is a nation of fatties whose insatiable appetite for fast food is driving the rapid expansion of chains such as McDonald's and Burger King on the high street. But in terms of outlet numbers, the real growth story is actually with chains perceived to have a healthy eating image. Read more  

Has the food industry 'has found its mojo?

One year on from the economic crisis… three days of crowds in the packed FiE exhibition halls of Frankfurt Messe. The food industry looks to be bouncing back, but there are some changes in its focus.

While the food industry is often said to be more resilient in recession than other industries that do not produce goods that are essential for human survival, most companies have been keeping a close eye on cost in the last year. Firms reporting impressive growth have been in the minority. But although the official visitor figures are not yet published, the mood at this year’s FiE was taken as a sign that fortunes are swinging up once more. Read more

Coca-Cola lays out its vision for the future at 2010 meeting

Amid some 200 analysts, investors and media last week, Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent made a confession. "There was a period when our company did lose its way," he said. "We were too internally focused and not focused enough on the changes taking place with our consumers and customers. In essence, we were too busy looking at the dashboard and were not sufficiently paying attention to the world outside of our windshield."

While Coca-Cola remains the dominant beverage company in the world, and controls nearly 51% of the global carbonated soft-drink business compared to Pepsi's 22%, according to Beverage Digest figures, it had, perhaps, been too focused on soft drinks at a time when other beverage categories were on the rise, said Bill Pecoriello, CEO at ConsumerEdge Research." Read more

Food prices face a welcome perfect storm

There’s a perfect storm building for food prices. You don’t have to scan the horizon to see the signs; the clouds are developing all around us - at a faster rate than anyone expected. It’s a lethal cloudscape of high energy prices and climate change that threatens to send prices soaring – but this may not be a bad thing: Provided the world’s poorest are insulated from its effects.

Today’s historically low food prices will end soon with significant and, for some, catastrophically high, rises in the years ahead. That means food policy-makers and food companies should plan now how best to mitigate the effects of this building storm. Read more

UK: Sainsbury's launches first ever 'buy now free next time' promotion

Sainsbury's has launched its first ever 'buy now free next time' promotion. The deal is similar to a "buy one get one free" offer, only customers are given a coupon which entitles them to collect their free item at a later date.

The concept is being trialled at more than 470 stores across Britain. The supermarket giant will then measure customer reaction to the promotion to see if it will be extended to other products. The idea could help prevent people wasting food because they would not be lumbered with double the amount of produce they would normally buy in one visit. Read more

Symrise creates new consumer health unit

UK: McDonald's to trademark slang-brand 'Maccy D's'

McDonald's has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to register its popular slang name, 'Maccy D's', as a trademark. The term has been used widely in the UK for many years when referring to the fast-food chain, but has not previously been officially adopted by McDonald's itself. Read more

Food Science & Technology Stuff

European revision on safety of artificial colours

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has revised its advice about the safety of the six artificial colouring foodstuffs that the 2007 Southampton University study suggests as being linked to increased hyperactivity in children.

In a scientific opinion published last week on the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of these additives, following a review of further research, EFSA has advised that the ADIs for quinoline yellow, sunset yellow and ponceau 4R should be reduced. There were no revisions to the ADIs for carmoisine, allura red and tartrazine. Read more 

Danisco award for meat product research

The Danisco Award 2009 of DKK 250,000 has gone to Hanne Christine Bertram, Senior Scientist at the Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, for her research in meat and meat products. The research has given an important understanding of water binding in food and particularly in meat and meat products. Her work has provided a new understanding of how the water distribution in meat affects its technological quality and how the protein structure in meat influences the water distribution. Read more

Sweet as can be: How E coli gets ahead

Scientists have discovered how certain bacteria such as Escherichia coli have evolved to capture rare sugars from their environment giving them an evolutionary advantage in naturally competitive environments like the human gut. Read more 

Painless method of killing crustaceans developed

The heart-rending sound that a lobster makes as it is boiled alive puts off many a home chef from preparing the dish for a dinner party. But now anyone can serve up a buttered lobster freshly cooked in their own kitchen, safe in the knowledge that it has been humanely killed, thanks to a British entrepreneur. Read more

Engineer discovers why particles disperse on liquids

Even if you are not a cook, you might have wondered why a pinch of flour (or any small particles) thrown into a bowl of water will disperse in a dramatic fashion, radiating outward as if it was exploding. Pushpendra Singh, PhD, a mechanical engineering professor at NJIT who has studied and written about the phenomenon, has not only thought about it, but can explain why. Read more

Pulsed electric field technology takes step forward

An award winning study has brought a novel technology, used in food processing, one step closer to being used on a commercial scale. Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing’s commercial uses have been limited so far. However, a study by Professor Dr Stefan Töpfl identified promising applications, as well as equipment design to bridge the gap from lab scale to commercial application. His "Food processing by pulsed electric fields – bridging the gap from lab-scale to commercial application" - has won the 11th G C Hahn Research Prize 2009, recently bestowed by Tate & Lyle. Read more

Seattle lawyer turns into a safe food crusader

Health and Nutrition Stuff

When you eat may be just as vital to your health as what you eat

When you eat may be just as vital to your health as what you eat, found researchers. New experiments in mice revealed that the daily waxing and waning of thousands of genes in the liver - the body's metabolic clearinghouse - is mostly controlled by food intake and not by the body's circadian clock as conventional wisdom had it. Read more

Scientific research has yet to prove benefits of antioxidant-rich berry juices

"Superberry" drinks of all shapes and sizes are crowding the coolers, most made from berries we've never seen before, and some we can't pronounce: acai (it's ah-sigh-ee), goji, mangosteen, maqui. They make pomegranate seem downright plain ... Manufacturers of these juices, including pomegranate, claim that the fruits' superhigh antioxidant content means they are super good for you - much better than your average apple or orange, for example, but are they? Read more  

Green Stuff

If words were food, nobody would go hungry

Investment in agriculture is soaring. So, worryingly, is distrust of markets and trade.

“The world’s attention is back on your cause.” That was Bill Gates talking to agricultural scientists gathered recently to honour the late Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution. The tycoon-turned-philanthropist was right. Last week, the world — in the guise of 60-odd heads of state including the pope — held the first UN food summit since 2002. As the world’s attention turns from the receding financial crisis, it is switching to one emerging in agriculture.

The UN conference on food security took place at a point of relative calm between two storms. The first occurred in 2007-08, when world food prices experienced their sharpest rise for 30 years. Food riots swept through three dozen countries and two governments (Haiti’s and Madagascar’s) were overthrown by the events that the price rises set in train. The next storm is likely within a few years and everyone fears its arrival.  Read more  

Four ways to feed the world

It is humanity's oldest enemy. Despite all our science, a sixth of people in the developing world are chronically hungry. It gets worse: global population is set to grow to 9.1 billion by 2050, while global warming will have a serious impact on farming. What can be done?

The FAO says feeding 9 billion people will require a near-doubling in food production. All nations will have to take part, but attention will be focused on poor countries, where there is most room for improvement and where better farming will give poor farmers income to buy food. New Scientist outlines the top priorities. Read more 

Bluefin tuna trade ban on the cards

In a world where wildlife is under increasing pressure, good management can mean the difference between survival and extinction. In the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the management of bluefin tuna is in the hands of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) — and the results can scarcely be described as good. Bluefin have been fished from these waters for 7,000 years but in the past 40, while they have been under the aegis of this group, their numbers have declined by three-quarters.

In recent years the organisation, which is notorious for ignoring the advice of its own scientists, has been under some pressure. Moves have been made to transfer responsibility for the bluefin to a different body, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This organisation has the power to ban trade in an endangered species such as the bluefin entirely. Read more

Maize genome offers hope of improved varieties

Scientists have sequenced the genome of maize, providing data for plant breeders around the world aiming to improve maize varieties in the face of hunger and climate change. Just published in Science, the research will not only have far-reaching effects on the development of new maize and other cereal crops but also represents a major scientific accomplishment, say researchers. Read more

Cassava sequence unravelled

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the staple crop cassava, and say this should lead to the development of more virus-resistant and nutritious varieties.

The draft genome, of a single cassava variety, has pinpointed about 95% of the genes and could accelerate breeding programmes. The large roots of the cassava plant provide daily sustenance for more than 750 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But the crop is susceptible to many viruses and is not very nutritious. Read more

Americans' eating habits more wasteful than ever

After their biggest meal of the year this Thanksgiving weekend, Americans might reflect on the fate of those moldering leftovers. Nearly 40% of the food supply in the US goes to waste, according to a new study, and the problem has been getting worse.

"The numbers are pretty shocking," says Kevin Hall, a quantitative physiologist at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in Bethesda, Maryland. Food waste is usually estimated through consumer interviews or garbage inspections. The former method is inaccurate, and the latter isn't geographically comprehensive. Hall and his colleagues tried another approach: modelling human metabolism. Read more

UK: GM crop sceptics 'emotional', Government food watchdog report claims

Public opposition to genetically-modified food is based on “emotion” rather than “reason”, claims a UK Food Standards Agency report which will help shape future Government policy. The study, published as the Government embarks on a major review of the current restrictions on GM crops, suggests opponents are motivated by “ideological” considerations while others take a “pragmatic” line.

It portrays those against the controversial technology as being sceptical about science in general, relying on “emotive language” to make their case, often drawn from “popular press slogans”. Campaigners dismissed the report as “patronising” and an attempt to “pigeonhole” opposition. Read more

Packaging Stuff

Cubis - innovative ‘cubed' beverage bottles

Notwithstanding cans, stand-up pouches and Tetra Pak-like carton, the most common packaging for beverages in the present world is the glass or plastic (mostly PET) bottle of various sizes and shapes, but always cylindrical and narrowing at the top to form an orifice from which the beverage can be drunk or poured.

All these cylindrical beverage containers have the same the supply chain problem: they stop optimal use of the freight volume during transportation. This means that large volumes of space around the bottles and around the neck and shoulder go unused.

To optimise logistics, a beverage bottle (or packaging in general) should be a rectangular cuboid (six rectangular faces), also called a rectangular hexahedron, or rectangular parallelepiped. And that’s exactly what Cubis is. Read more

Tetra Pak to trial green plastic for carton closures

Tetra Pak has agreed to carry out a limited trial to source green plastic from Brazil for use in its carton packaging in what the company said is a first for the sector. Read more

Award for nano solution to bottle leaching

Scientists at Nottingham Trent University have picked up an innovation award for a nano-based packaging solution that permits the use of anti-microbial materials in plastic food packaging by solving the problem of leaching.

Anti-microbials are rarely used in food and beverage packaging because of leaching. By using nanofillers and developing an antimicrobial nanocomposite, they have fixed this problem, and can protect plastic from microorganisms. Ultimately, the innovation will help extend the shelf life of food and drink products, making it particularly suitable for sensitive beverages. Read more

Miscellany

US: Only in America - nutritional drink for precious pooch!

Introducing Petrol, a dog treat beverage that's now been launched in the US. Petrol is formulated by a veterinary nutrition expert, and contains 100% natural flavourings plus six added vitamins and minerals for optimum canine health and wellness.

"Many consider their pets a member of the family and as such they want their pets to enjoy the same quality of ingredients in their food and variety they demand for themselves," said the company's president, Jennifer Smith. "Petrol is a treat that's better than water in delivering hydration and delicious nutrition to help keep dogs healthy." Read more

An hour of sudoku can help you lose weight

An hour spent on crosswords and sudokus burns more calories than are contained in a chocolate chip cookie, brain trainers claim. Mental exercises such as puzzles and quizzes are said to burn an average of 90 calories every hour – more calories than are contained in a jammy dodger or a chocolate hobnob.

Mental agility expert, Tim Forrester, from brain training website cannyminds.com which published the claims, said giving the brain a workout burns calories in the same way that giving the body a workout does. Read more

Capitalism by chocolate

Hershey's chocolate flavour has been compared to sour cheese, laundry soap, and, in one particularly memorable instance, baby vomit. With the recent news that Hershey is considering purchasing England's beloved Cadbury brand, what will happen to Cadbury chocolate, asks The Guardian's Steven Almond, should it win the bid?  Read more

Astronauts to grow carrots in space

New research from Tuskegee University in the US soon will allow astronauts to grow their own vegetables in gardens onboard the International Space Station, beginning with carotenoid-rich carrots full of nutrients to boost their immune systems. Read more  

That's it for this week, folks!