August 19, 2002 Recent News
Social & consumer research; obesity..by choice
Food industry coalition moves to counter blame for obesity
Report: Biotech crops lower production costs
US may set guidelines for biotech-free crops
Oregon targets altered foods, California may follow, agriculture would be affected if labels OK'd
Americans becoming food smart
Americans are becoming smarter about the impact of diet on health. Diet plays a part in four of the top seven leading causes of death (heart attack, cancer, stroke and diabetes). A recent study showed that 75% of consumers named a specific food they believe contributes to good health. Also, 3 out of 4 claimed to have changed their diet during the past 5 years because of health concerns. Baby boomers are those most concerned about food and health. Approximately 94% of Americans older than 50 believe there's a strong connection between diet and good health. And 81% have become more health conscious as they age. Food processors and restaurants are paying attention because boomers ages 45-55 spend more than $2,600 per year on restaurant food, more than other age group. Menus will have to provide details on entrees, specifying calories, fat and sodium etc. Some experts believe DNA will help categorize people into genetic types allowing the tailoring of food recommendations for each type. Restaurants will follow suit by offering a number of menus for various health profiles.
(Extracted from The Food Industry Newsletter, 8 July 02)
Social & consumer research; obesity..by choice
New Nutrition Business journal summarizes four new sets of research on obesity trends, in several countries. Research by Michael G. Tordoff of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA, suggests that the quantity of food available overrides any instinctive "nutritional wisdom" consumers may possess. His experiments with the amounts and types of foods made available to rats showed that the animals would consume all the food offered, regardless of its nutritional makeup. A long-term study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers tracked dietary patterns of 63,380 Americans between 1977 and 1996. Overall, the participants increased their energy intake by eating foods with higher energy content, such as pizza and soft drinks. Coupled with decreased physical activity, increases in obesity, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and other health risks resulted. The trend held true across all age groups: 2-18 years old, 19-39, 40-59, and 60 and above. An increase in eating restaurant food including fast food, as well as more snacking, were also implicated. Another UNC at Chapel Hill study documented increases in childhood and adolescent obesity in Brazil, China and the US between 1991 and 1997, while obesity actually decreased by nearly half in Russia due to economic pressures. Meanwhile, Datamonitor's new report, "Diet, Exercise and Physical Appearance," forecasts the value of the European diet food and drinks market will reach 98 billion euros by 2006, and that nearly half of all Europeans will be overweight by then. At the same time, the report finds an increased interest in using exercise and diet to manage their body shape. This interest is expected to lead to increased spending on "diet" foods by both normal weight and overweight consumers and "token" diet products for the overweight "will be a particular growth area."
(Extracted from New Nutrition Business 01 July 02)
Food industry coalition moves to counter blame for obesity
The International Food Information Center (IFIC) is partnering with the American Dietetic Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, International Life Sciences Institute and the National Recreation and Park Association, with funding from food companies, to demonstrate that the food industry is part of the solution rather than the problem in obesity in the US. The group's "Activate" program includes an Internet web site to teach children and their parents how to lose weight and live healthier lives. The Kidnetic.com web site was launched June 26. Speaking at the Independent Bakers Association annual meeting, Susan Borra, an officer at the IFIC, said the root cause for obesity "is simple: an imbalance between calories-in and calories-out."
(Extracted from Milling & Baking News 16 July 02)
Report: Biotech crops lower production costs
The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) has issued a report on the impact of biotechnology on the US food supply and agricultural environment titled "Plant Biotechnology: Current and Potential Impact for Improving Pest Management in U.S. Agriculture." The researchers analyzed 40 case studies of 27 crops and concluded that just eight varieties of genetically modified crops provided higher yields and lower production costs worth $2.5 billion in 2001. The GM crops included corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, squash and papaya. Insect resistant corn provided the highest increase in production, at an additional 1.75 million tons, while herbicide-resistant soybeans resulted in about $1 billion less herbicide use. In 2001, approximately 25 million acres of GM soybeans were grown using the no-till method, accounting for about one-third of the US soybean crop. The reviewer, R. James Cook of Washington State University, notes that such advances in agriculture allows US consumers to "spend only about 10-percent of our incomes for the highest quality and most abundant food in the world." The NCFAP report is available on the Internet at www.ncfap.org.
(Extracted from Agweek 24 June 02 and Milling & Baking News 18 Jun 02)
US may set guidelines for biotech-free crops
As the US begins talks with World Trade Organization partners on opening markets, the USDA is proposing a voluntary system to verify if shipments of US products have been genetically altered. Under the program, which would stop short of labeling products "biotech free," companies would detail to the USDA how they segregate GM and non-GM crops at all levels of the food chain, and federal inspectors would review the system and verify that minimum requirements for crop production, handling and processing were followed, similar to the federal inspection system for meat. The USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration would certify the program and monitor compliance. The procedure would verify the process but not the product, and companies could sell their crops as "USDA Process Verified." Another story reports that the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which advises President Bush, has offered guidelines on how federal agencies should handle the possibility that unapproved biotech crops find their way into nearby crop land. Under the proposal, the FDA would primarily focus on determining the toxicity and allergenicity of a new biotech crop in case of unintentional contamination. Companies would submit scientific data to the FDA showing the crop variety does not have an adverse effect on the environment or consumers field testing the product rather than waiting until the testing is complete, as is the case now. Policy recommendations are also given for the USDA and the EPA, both of which regulate biotech crops along with the FDA. Part of the proposal is to have the USDA establish a procedure that would quickly assess the risks if traces of an unapproved GM variety should contaminate food and animal feed. (New York Times 2 Aug 02) A spokesman for the National Environmental Trust said the policy couldn't be better for the industry and worse for the general public. "This is a giant liability pass for the biotech industry," he said. The legal director of the Center for Food Safety said this would devastate US food and farm exports as foreign countries seek non-biotech products because it is, in essence, "allowing the commingling of unapproved biotech crops in our food supply." A White House official pointed out this was a starting point for biotech negotiations with trade partners and the final document would largely be shaped by the agencies it covers. The proposal appeared in the Federal Register August 2.
(Extracted from Reuters News 1 Aug 02 and 8 Aug 02)
Oregon targets altered foods, California may follow, agriculture would be affected if labels OK'd
Anti-biotech activists are beginning to use the ballot box to force state legislatures to label food containing GM foods. Oregon voters will decide on this falls Ballot Measure 27 and a campaign is planned in California as well. Many of California's agriculture segments will fall under the labeling rules proposed in Oregon, including meat and milk. Oregon does not process most of the food grown in the state, so processors and farmers who wish to do business in Oregon will need to adhere to these labeling measures if passed. The three largest crops that come from GM seeds are corn, soybeans and canola oil. The language used in the ballot measure is so all encompassing that most foods would need to have a GM label, because it requires a label on any food that uses a GM-based agent in its processing - even if the agent does not end up in the final product. Pat McCormick, who leads the Coalition Against the Costly Label Law, said " If a chicken in Arkansas eats any GM corn in its feed, and then lays eggs, and it's eggs are powdered and then used in a cake mix in Oregon-that cake mix will require a label, even though the feed never ended up in the cake mix. The breadth of the application of this is staggering." Criticism is not stopping the activists who are ready to go with several other campaigns if Oregon is successful, including California, Colorado, Washington and North Carolina.
(Extracted from the San Jose Mercury News, 13 Aug 02)
