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| Editor’s Stuff: New SA functional beverage wins international plaudits |
 It’s not often that functional foods or drinks get born in this country, but a new one has just emerged in Cape Town. This innovative range, the brainchild of a surfing-mad doctor in the Mother City, may be still an unknown newbie here, but it has been causing quite a stir in beverage circles overseas, gathering up several awards at two top international events.
Move over Vitaminwater, here comes Stream Drinks! That’s the lofty ambition of the team behind this new functional range of beverages – and if their first steps on the world stage are any indicator, they could indeed be on to a winner.
 Still with functional beverages…for as long as people have been drinking alcohol, they’ve been trying to figure out a way to avoid its woozy, nauseated, sensory-amplified aftermath. But is there really any foolproof strategy for preventing a hangover besides, say, not drinking?
Yes, say the American developers of a new functional drink, aptly dubbed Mercy. Formulated with amino acids, antioxidants and vitamins, it has been designed to flush the body of acetaldehyde, the toxin that causes hangovers. Read more
Enjoy this week’s read – there are, as every week, great stories and insights!
Brenda Neall: publisher & editor
FOODStuff SA is a hub for food industry recruitment….Sir Juice is looking for a product developer. Click here!
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| Local Food Industry Stuff |
Talking to Parmalat SA’s new chief
On November 4, 2010, Parmalat announced the appointment of a new CEO – and for the first time in South Africa’s dairy history, one of the biggest dairy processing firms in the country is headed by a woman.
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International Food Industry News
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 US: Sugar farmers sue corn processors over “corn sugar” Corn sugarA group of sugar farmers and refiners have filed a lawsuit alleging the ‘corn sugar’ campaign launched by corn processors (in the wake of the anti-HFCS hype) constitutes false advertising under federal and state law. |
FDA issues first new rules under Food Safety Modernization Act The US FDA has announced two new regulations that will help ensure the safety and security of foods in the United States. The first rule strengthens FDA’s ability to prevent potentially unsafe food from entering commerce. It allows the FDA to administratively detain food the agency believes has been produced under insanitary or unsafe conditions.
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Truvia sweetener now #2 sugar substitute in US  Cargill’s Truvia brand continues to lead the way for natural sweeteners, now ranking as the number two sugar substitute in the US with a 12.8 percent share at retail within the sugar substitute category, a milestone achieved after just over two years on the market.
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Jamie’s kitchen nightmare: his US show is getting the chop  He crossed the Atlantic with a can-do attitude, a suitcase full of silly clothes, and the naïve conviction that a few flashes of that cheeky-chappy smile and some judicious use of Mockney would help him make it big in Hollywood. But, like so many other British stars, Jamie Oliver has discovered that American entertainment is a cut-throat business.
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Food Science, Technology & Safety Stuff
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Report identifies Top 10 pathogen-food combinations An American report, newly released, identifies the Top 10 riskiest combinations of foods and disease-causing bugs. Campylobacter and poultry, Toxoplasma and pork (and unknown sources), Listeria and deli meats, Salmonella and poultry, and Listeria in dairy products top the list.
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Is umami really a fifth taste? Taste, a sense often neatly organised into four categories – sweet, sour, bitter and salty, and more latterly five with umami – may, in fact, be significantly more complicated.
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Synthetic meat is the future It sounds like science fiction, but it’s not – synthetic meat and milk will be coming to a supermarket near you.
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Dutch hothouses could help solve world food crisis Dutch hothouses used to have a reputation for wasting energy. But nowadays it’s the most innovative sector in the Netherlands, producing food extremely efficiently using sustainable energy. Even the Chinese are interested.
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| Food Industry Trends |
EU: Top Ten Health Trends: “Proven” and “Soft” claims continue to dominate  The fourth batch of generic EU health claim opinions delivered by EFSA in April saw the previous trend of negative opinions continue: 20% successful, 80% unsuccessful. Companies that have managed to uphold health claims so far have been quick to promote this through marketing use of words like “proven” and “scientific support”. This trend comes as manufacturers opt for softer or passive claims (eg “low and light”) and the uncertainty around health claims continues.
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US: The soy market slumps While it was once the must-have ‘super food,’ essential for any healthy diet, according to a new report from Mintel and data from SPINS, America’s soy food and beverage market declined 16% from 2008 to 2010.
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How America starts the day: breakfast trends
Breakfast gives the body a jump start after a long night’s rest. And it appears that consumers are starting to believe what moms and nutritionists have been saying for who knows how long. Read more on emerging American breakfast trends…
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Brits go nuts for peanut butter  Peanut butter – it has long been one of America’s favourite foods, but new research from Mintel finds the passion has spread across the Atlantic. Indeed, over the last two years alone sales of peanut butter have rocketed by over 40%, making it Britain’s fastest growing sweet spread.
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| Health and Nutrition Stuff |
 Three gut microbe populations identified Much like blood type classifications, an international research consortium has discovered there are three types of gut-microbe populations that exist independent of race, country of origin, diet, age or state of health, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. The findings may help to explain and eventually treat a range of diseases including diabetes, intestinal cancer and Crohn’s disease. |
Quit drinking to cut cancer risk: new warnings More warnings on the link between alcohol and cancer have been in the news… Cancer Council Australia, for one, has revised dramatically upwards its estimate of alcohol’s contribution to new cancer cases and issued its strongest warning yet that people worried by the link should avoid drinking altogether.
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Why research linking booze and cancer won’t put us off drinking  New research and warnings pointing to a link between alcohol and certain types of cancer have again been making headlines. The health lobby – the anti-booze fanatics – will seize on the findings as an excuse to cajole and bully the public into giving up booze. It seems unlikely that the claims will change behaviour…
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Weird, Whacky & Wonderful Stuff
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So, what food was served at the Royal Wedding?  With the dress revealed and the wedding over, the day of royal festivities continued with a reception fit for – well, a princess. And just as fashionistas wondered what type of gown Catherine Middleton would wear, foodies buzzed about what would be served at the royal reception. Now we know…
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FOODStuff SA is published and edited by Brenda Neall.