"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Maya Angelou, American writer

 

Food bites... Do we need to pop pills?

"A daily multivitamin/mineral supplement does not offer health benefits to healthy Americans. Individual mineral/vitamin supplements can benefit some population groups with known deficiencies, such as calcium and vitamin D supplements to reduce risk of osteoporosis or iron supplements among those with deficient iron intakes. However, in some settings, mineral/vitamin supplements have been associated with harmful effects and should be pursued cautiously."

Proposed Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, released in June

Editor's Stuff - SA's high-tech, water-purifying "tea bag"

In many years reporting on the South African food industry, I have always relished opportunities to attend presentations by Prof Eugene Cloete, arguably this country's foremost microbiologist and, inarguably, a real South African scientific treasure. As I'm sure many would concur, he's a brilliant scientist and a great lecturer who always makes science accessible and entertaining.

Long time with Pretoria University, Eugene is now Dean of the Science Faculty at Stellenbosch (good move, Prof!) and he's been making big headlines in the past two weeks or so with his latest invention: a hi-tech “teabag” that can purify polluted water instantly – at a cost of just three cents a litre. The "tea bag" filtration system is so small it fits into the lid of a water bottle, and has already been hailed as a breakthrough in the battle against waterborne disease in poor areas.

It was developed using tiny nano-fibres – each about one hundredth the width of a human hair and packed together into a tea bag-like sac that filters out microscopic bacteria. The nanotech bag contains activated carbon which kills the harmful bacteria. It's application potential is simply awesome! Just consider, for starters, that about 1,2 billion people around the globe, 450 million living in Africa, do not have access to potable water. Furthermore, about 20% of child deaths in Africa (below the age of five) are caused by waterborne diseases.

This is a fascinating, good news story of note! Do read more here..... and you can listen to it explained by Prof Cloete and his colleagues here on YouTube. 

More good news! A new European study proves antioxidant potency of rooibos in humans

Also hitting the headlines this week, comes more good news about another South African treasure - a new European study that again confirms the wonders of rooibos. A collaborative study by scientists at four international research facilities has found the first clinical evidence that drinking rooibos tea significantly increases the antioxidant capacity in human blood, thereby boosting the body’s natural defences. Read more

The health evidence on rooibos is compelling; I want to drink it, but just wished I could enjoy the taste. It seems to be a love/hate affair when it comes to rooibos. Now, that's a challenge for a savvy food scientist - there must be many people who similarly don't like the taste but would delight in its benfits. Anyone out there looking at ways to retain rooibos' health functionality sans its perfumed non-appeal on the palate?

But three weeks to go! REGISTER FOR IUFoST 2010!

Come for a day, or three, or just the expo - this is an event that every food industrialist needs to be at! Go to the IUFoST 2010 website for all the details: http://www.iufost2010.org.za/

Enjoy this week's read!

Email Brenda Neall, editor and publisher: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Afrikaans translation: To translate this page, go to http://interpret.co.za/, and simply paste the URL into the page translator module. The translation is by no means perfect, but is a help if you want to read in your home language.

Local Food Industry Stuff

Pick n Pay eyes Africa and opens in Zambia . . .

Pick n Pay opened its first store in Zambia last week, in Woodlands, Lusaka and is the first of seven planned over the next five years. "The southern African region represents an increasingly attractive market for us. As disposable incomes continue to grow, the region's retail potential remains largely untapped and there is considerable opportunity for foreign investors. . . The opening of our new store is . . . an acknowledgement of the fact that beyond the boundaries of South Africa there is a rapidly developing community of consumers who are seeking a new shopping experience that offers value, convenience, choice and exceptional service," says CEO, Nick Badminton. Biz.community. Read more

. . . And international retailers likely to enter African market

SA’s major food retailers are world - class by any standard.They also offer huge growth potential in SA and beyond its borders on the back of rising spending power and population growth, two factors lacking in many developed economies. But does this make them sitting ducks as acquisition targets for foreign retail giants?

Talk that Wal-Mart is ogling Massmart and Shoprite abounds. Are other foreign retailers like Carrefour, Migros and Tesco also eyeing the local space? Are SA retailers hot takeover targets? Read more from FMCG Files and from The FInancial Mail 

Lancewood’s latest launch

Lancewood is already recognised for its range of award-winning cottage cheese, cream cheese and other products, and it has now ventured in the realm of hard cheese, launching Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella and an innovative Braai Cheese. FMCG Files. Read more 

Cadbury scoops four top marketing and advertising awards

At the National Business Awards, Cadbury South Africa walked off with the 2010 Award for Marketing Excellence, as the company judged to have delivered the most outstanding marketing programme, which has not only impacted significantly on company turnover, but also on brand profile. The reason isn’t hard to find: Over the past year, Cadbury South Africa’s marketing team has contributed to increasing its market share in all the categories it operates in – from chocolate to gum and candy. FMCG Files. Read more

Food Industry News

US: Vitaminwater isn’t healthy, rules federal judge

A few months ago, it was Kellogg. Two weeks ago, it was Nestlé. Last week, it was Coca-Cola - all bearing the brunt of regulatory disapproval of health claims. A federal judge has ruled that The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) can continue building a class-action suit against Coca-Cola's Vitaminwater range over alleged deceptive claims about its benefits.

The judge stated that the product does not comply with FDA standards largely because it emphasises words like healthy in descriptions of the beverage's nutritional value. In particular, Gleeson noted, it's called Vitaminwater, but the name draws attention from a more prominent, non-vitamin ingredient: sugar. CSPI reports that packing a supposedly healthy drink with vitamins violates the "FDA’s so-called 'Jelly Bean' rule [which] prohibits companies from making health claims on junk foods that only meet various nutrient thresholds via fortification." The ruling rejected Coca Cola's motion to dismiss the suit. Orlando Sentinel. Read more 

And can Vitaminwater really be considered healthy? Read more here

UK: Fast food chains drop watchdog's calorie-count display scheme

Fast food chains and restaurants have reportedly quietly sunk a plan by Britain's food watchdog to display calorie counts in eating outlets across the country.

With increasing numbers of Britons eating meals outside of the home – most often in cafés, sandwich stores and fast food outlets – the Food Standards Agency had set up a trial with many of the largest fast food and restaurant companies, in which they printed calorie counts next to products on the shelves, on menus or next to tills. But chains such as KFC and Burger King have failed to commit to extending the trials. Others have abandoned theirs. Only one major company of 18 firms that tested the idea, Pret A Manger, now displays calories next to all its products. The Independent. Read more

Who's signing up for stevia?

PureCircle, the world's leading producer and marketer of high purity stevia products, has announced five major contract wins, in addition to existing global supply contracts with PepsiCo, Merisant and Firmenich. New major contract wins include: Danone; Unilever; Bimbo Bakeries; Dean Foods and Kerry Ingredients. Flex-news-food. Read more

UK: Kraft silent spectator to mass exodus of Cadbury executives

Kraft Foods has remained a silent spectator to the mass exodus of Cadbury executives ever since it sealed the bitter $19.6-billion takeover of the iconic 186-year old UK confectioner in February 2010. The Mail Online said over the weekend that 120 out of 170 Cadbury managers and executives have since quit. Read more

Health and Nutrition Stuff

Fat chance: scientists are working out ways to rev up the body’s gut-busting machinery

Laws of physics — the ones about conservation of matter and energy — dictate that schemes for burning off all that fat are pretty much limited to two options: diet to lower the amount of energy consumed, or exercise to increase the amount of energy the body needs.

Most current antiobesity drugs work on the diet half of the equation, helping people limit calories by dampening appetite or by interfering with the digestion of food. Approaches that knock down cravings are based largely on research in the 1990s that worked out some of the biological underpinnings of hunger. More recently, though, experiments have deepened scientists’ understanding of the way fat locks up and releases surplus calories — providing hope that future therapies may offer a kind of virtual exercise. While there’s still no getting around the laws of thermodynamics, scientists are getting closer to finding ways to trick fat cells into releasing their stockpiled fuel. ScienceNews. Read more

Is vitamin-enhanced water real nutrition or hype?

Introduced in 1996, Vitaminwater, owned by Coca-Cola, has built a strong identity in the bottled beverage world. Part of its allure is its hip-looking packaging and its engaging product names, such as Revive, Focus and Connect.

Vitaminwater tastes OK, if you like fruity flavour without the fruit. There is almost no actual fruit, even in the Fruit Punch variety, and what little there is mostly provides colour. But it's the added vitamins and electrolytes that define Vitaminwater (and its competitors, including SoBe Life Water and Propel). Do the drinks deliver? www.northjersey.com. Read more

Study: Zero-calorie sweeteners do not prompt overeating

Some previous research has suggested that consuming low- or zero-calorie foods and beverages can prompt the brain to expect calories that do not arrive, thereby triggering hunger and subsequent overeating. However, the findings of this latest study suggest that this may not be the case.

The researchers tested the effect of stevia, aspartame or sucrose on satiety, hunger and blood glucose and inulin levels in both lean and obese individuals. They gave participants a stevia, aspartame or sucrose-sweetened pre-meal snack 20 minutes before meals, with each of the stevia and aspartame-sweetened snacks containing 290 calories, while the sucrose-sweetened snacks contained 493 calories. FoodNavigator-usa Read more  

The stomach's sweet tooth — is there a link between non-nutritive sweeteners and metabolic syndrome?

Diet drinks and artificially sweetened treats are calorie free, but new research indicates that they’re fooling more than your mouth — and may be messing with your metabolism. Newly discovered taste cells in the gut appear to send a "prepare for fuel" message to the body, a finding that may explain a link between diet soda and diabetes risk. Scientists have discovered that the biological machinery that allows you to taste sweet with your tongue also exists in the gut. Science News. Read more

Alcohol reduces the severity of rheumatoid arthritis, study finds

Drinking alcohol may reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research. It is the first time that this effect has been shown in humans. The study also finds that alcohol consumption reduces the risk of developing the disease, confirming the results of previous studies. ScienceDaily. Read more

US: Baby food diet fad a temporary fix

In 2010, dieters are going gaga over one of the most peculiar fad diets yet - the baby food diet. To follow it, all you need to do is, say, down 14 jars of Gerber a day and eat a healthy, adult dinner. Before your gag reflex kicks in, consider this: Baby food is made mostly from vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables, with few additives. Detroit Free Press. Read more

Food Marketing, Trends & NPD

Looking ahead with Coke: new drink textures and beyond

Scientists at Coca-Cola Co are working on developments ranging from plant-derived plastic to beverages with new textures, as the world's largest soft drink maker aims to stay ahead of consumers' quickly changing tastes. In a series of interviews with Reuters at company headquarters in Atlanta, Coca-Cola executives described how they are trying to identify their next billion-dollar brands, toying with new beverage formulations that may even take the company beyond liquids. Reuters. Read more

The end of hyper-consumerism

We work a lot, play a little, and marvel at how quickly time passes. What we don't do is spend much time pondering why we're doing the things we do or whether there might be a better way to live. At the tail end of 2009, Euro RSCG Worldwide undertook a seven-market study to better understand an emerging shift toward to "mindful consumption". Whereas in recent decades our spending had been quick and unthinking (I see, therefore I buy), now it is becoming more conscious and considered. The Atlantic. Read more

Feeding the Great Wellness Transformation

The world of wellness is currently undergoing a great transformation, with the generalised trend moving toward a higher-quality, more enjoyable life. This week, the Hartman Group bring you insights into how consumers are reimagining wellness as we know it and the foods that are set to fuel the way. Hartman Group. Read more

Resistance to temptation tied to mood

A study in the current issue of the Journal of Consumer Research indicates mood, positive or negative, has noticeable effect on choices made by consumers. US researchers conducted three experiments to show how strong feelings alter one’s ability to resist temptations. “While happy people make better and healthier choices, this is dependent on the intensity of positive feelings experienced,” they say ... The results of this study could prove valuable to consumers who seek to better understand their own purchasing behaviour as well as marketers intent on better targeting audiences with products or services. Progressive Grocer. Read more

 Food Science, Biotech & Food Safety

New antibacterial material for food packaging, bandages, shoes

A new form of paper with the built-in ability to fight disease-causing bacteria could have applications that range from anti-bacterial bandages to food packaging that keeps food fresher longer to shoes that ward off foot odor. A report about the new material, which consists of the thinnest possible sheets of carbon, appears in ACS Nano, a monthly journal. Chunhai Fan, Qing Huang, and colleagues explained that scientists in the United Kingdom first discovered the material, known as graphene, in 2004. ScienceDaily. Read more

Ajinomoto sodium reduction system ‘fools the tongue’

Ajinomoto has developed a new ingredient system that the company says can reduce sodium content in broths and snack seasonings by about a third without a noticeable difference in flavour. Ajinomoto’s new ingredient system is called Salt Answer RX-AX, and the company says it has spent two years developing application systems using Salt Answer to deliver salt-like taste in processed food products. FoodNavigator-usa. Read more

Latest food safety challenge: chocolate yoghurt

A German chocolate company — and the state of Schleswig-Holstein — are funding $2 million worth of research to find a method to safely add chocolate pieces to yoghurt. Why is the safety of chocolate in yoghurt a problem? Yoghurt is wet and dissolves the sugar crystals in chocolate, making it messy. Worse, chocolate is not sterile and yoghurt is an ideal bacterial growth medium. FoodNavigator. Read more

Good vibrations: A greener way to pasteurize milk

Food scientists at Louisiana State University think they’ve stumbled onto a tastier way to sterilize milk. They bombard it with sound waves. At the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting recenty, LSU graduate student Marvin Moncada Reyes presented data showing that his team in Baton Rouge successfully used sonication to knock out coliform bacteria – indicators of possible fecal germs – that can taint unpasteurized dairy products. The novel process heated milk, initially stored at 4 °C, to about 55 °C. ScienceNews. Read more

Pea protein popularity #1

Pea protein is gaining in popularity, with new product launches containing the ingredient up 21% in 2009 over the previous year, according to data from Mintel’s Global New Products Database. FoodNavigator. Read more

Pea protein #2: Roquette wins award for new pea protein

Roquette has been awarded by Frost and Sullivan for the improved version of Nutralys pea protein which it launched this year. FoodNavigator. Read more

Sustainability & Green Stuff

Latest 'green' packing material? Mushrooms

A new packing material that grows itself has been commercialised in the US. The composite of inedible agricultural waste and mushroom roots is called Mycobond, and its manufacture requires just one eighth the energy and one tenth the carbon dioxide of traditional foam packing material. And unlike most foam substitutes, when no longer useful, it makes great compost in the garden. ScienceDaily. Read more

Why mini cows could save the planet

When you hear the words "mini cows" they sound as if they are the result of someone's daft hobby. But miniature cattle could be the future of environmentally-friendly beef. In the US, where around 30kg of beef is eaten per person each year, farms are ditching Holsteins and Aberdeen Angus for their smaller counterparts. Guardian. Read more

UK: Insects proving food for thought at Swansea University

It is estimated 80% of the world's population include some sort of insect in their diet. Yet in the west, the idea is confined to reality TV shows. The upcoming Royal Entomology Society conference at Swansea University will hear insect protein may be key to alleviating famine. One man is on a mission to give us the taste for creepy-crawlies. Professor Arnold van Huis from Wageningen University in Belgium, and a UN's FAO consultant says: "Producing a kilogram of meat from a cow requires 13kg of vegetable matter as feed. "Yet 1kg of meat from a cricket, locust or beetle needs just 1.5 to 2kg of fodder, and produces a fraction of the CO2 emissions." BBC News. Read more  

Hot Stuff

Ultra Rice - food innovation to beat global malnutrition

A simple bowl of white rice sits on a conference table inside the Seattle headquarters of global-health NGO PATH. What looks and tastes like ordinary rice is actually the product of two decades of research and development. For every 100 grains of rice, the bowl contains one grain of Ultra Rice. It's actually not rice at all, but pasta fortified with vitamins and minerals and squeezed through a rice-shaped mold. Ultra Rice is now being produced and tested around the world as a potential solution to malnutrition. Seattle Times. Read more  

Brazil: Marketing to the poor — lessons from Nestlé's strategy in the Amazon

The bottom of the pyramid philosophy is one of inclusion and getting poorer people involved in markets and giving them opportunities for trade, enterprise development and income generation - commentary posted by Jacqui Dixon at CSR Asia, who explores an interesting question: ‘Is it bad to bring American candy to remote villages in the Amazon – or worse to keep it from them?’ It relates to ethical dilemmas of marketing to the poor as highlighted by the launch of Nestlé’s new marketing strategy in Brazil – a ‘floating supermarket’ designed to reach isolated riverside communities in the Amazon region. CSR.Asia. Read more  

Nanotechnology in food: What’s the big idea?

Let's get talking about nanotech. The science of the very small has filled the food industry with big ideas – but industry is torn on how to present nanotechnology to consumers, stalling product development. FoodNavigator. Read more

Miscellany

A bitter taste in the mouth? The myth of British gastronomy

The UK's restaurants, farmers' markets and artisan producers are the envy of the world. But the British food revolution is not all it's cracked up to be? Asked for areas of life where Britain has improved in recent years, most people would scratch their heads for a bit before coming up with dentistry, music festivals, fireworks, car maintenance, BBC4, espresso bars...It is a good bet, however, that this sparse and eclectic list would be topped by food. The default topic of conversation for the middle-aged middle class, food in Britain has improved immeasurably since the prawn cocktail era . . . The Independent. Read more