July 08, 2002 Recent News
A taste for "on the go" consumption
U.S. companies fret they may take blame for obesity
China keeps choice open for Asian maize importers
Biotech Crops environmentally safe - Study
Gene-altered foods failing to whet sales firms find
A taste for "on the go" consumption
A recent Datamonitor survey indicates that the Europeans are catching up with North Americans in the trend to eat "on the move." In Europe, spending on food, drink and personal care products to be consumed on the move is estimated at 68 billion euros. Food makes up about 75% of consumption and is worth about 51 billion euros. Time spent traveling makes a big difference in consumption. Germans make more trips on a daily basis; the British are second and the Spanish are the most stay-at-home Europeans. Italians spend the most time in traveling, at about 90 minutes a day, while the Germans and British spend about an hour. Poor infrastructure and traffic delays are a strong factor in consumption of on the move products. The British eat the most on the move, with 5% stocking up on snacks before a trip; for all of Europe, the average is 2.5%. The British spend about 221 euros a person a year on hot snacks when they travel; and the Dutch, French and Germans following in the rankings. Cultural differences and social attitudes play a part in on the move consumption, with many Europeans, especially outside the UK, believing it is rude. Marketing will need to emphasize time saving benefits of on the move consumption and also stress other positive benefits. Better product design would also help those concerned about annoying fellow travelers.
(Excerpted from Meat International 6/1/2002)
Ready, steady, eat: cooking
The amount of time people spend preparing food has dropped over the past twenty years from an hour a day to 20 minutes, according to research group Taylor Nelson Sofres. This seems odd, given the popularity of cooking shows on television and books on cooking. A combination of "busyness" and family disintegration are noted as factors in this situation, with the growth of the ready meal market seen as a major culprit. In the UK, where ready meals first appeared in the early 1980's, the market was valued at $1.6 billion in 2001, up 16% from 2000. Growth in the category is accompanied by quality and variety increases, leading more people to buy them. Ready meals are extremely popular in America, Britain and Sweden because of a prevalence of single family households and working women. In France, Germany and the Netherlands, they are a bit less popular, and the Spanish and Italians "barely acknowledge their existence."
(Extracted from the Economist 8 June 2002)
U.S. companies fret they may take blame for obesity
Since a Surgeon General's report came out in late 2001 saying that obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the US and a World Health Organization preliminary report endorsed taxes on sugar-rich foods aimed at children and stricter high-sodium, high-fat labeling rules, food companies have been on the defensive about their products. Some are said to be thinking of putting out ads to discourage people from overeating their products and others are looking at legal issues just in case they are the object of lawsuits charging them with causing a "burgeoning national health crisis." While recent cases have involved mislabeling, some attorneys see this as "the DNA for future obesity suits." Philip Morris, which owns 84% of Kraft Foods, paid out huge settlements over tobacco and is now considering what might happen with foods. The associate general counsel who oversees litigation at the company points out differences between the tobacco and health issue and the food and health issue and says the latter would be much more difficult to prove. Still, the head of Kraft corporate affairs is said to be devoting about 25% of his time to the obesity issue, going on fact-finding missions and speaking to groups. Coca-Cola has handed out pedometers to middle school students in several cities to promote competitive exercise games, and PepsiCo is setting up the PepsiCo/Cooper Aerobics Center partnership to work to develop healthier foods and other products. Food and beverage marketers are considering social-marketing measures, including public service announcements about the importance of eating in moderation and new in-school physical fitness programs. People outside the industry, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest, say that while physical activity is important, it is only half the equation. Given the ingredients in some food products, there is no way to eat those foods and then exercise to keep a normal weight. A report from the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, "From Wallet to Waistline: the Hidden Cost of Super Sizing," looks at the effects of larger portion sizes at fast-food restaurants. The report compares price, calories and saturated fat content in different food sizes from fast-food chains, convenience stores and elsewhere. According the three reports, bundling larger sizes of food together at discounted prices encourages overeating.
(Food Chemical News Daily 19 June 2002) (Extracted from the Wall Street Journal 13 June 2002)
Grains: growing
Prices for a bushel of wheat in Chicago for July delivery rose 15.26 cents and prices for a bushel of corn for July delivery rose 16 cents up from the previous week. However in London the price of a tonne of wheat fell 1.75 pounds from the previous week.
(Extracted from Agence France-Presse , 28 June 2002)
China keeps choice open for Asian maize importers
China has continued to be a "constant source of cheap corn," according to this article, and US exporters' hopes that the smaller crop in Argentina would send them more business are fading. China's Jilin Grain Group (JGG) says China hopes to export about 6 million tonnes of corn this year. JGG, one of two authorized corn exporters, expects to ship 4 million tonnes and COFCO will export two million. A plan which includes a waiver of value-added tax and road construction tax should help China in the international market. China is projected to have a 120 million tonne crop in 2002/3, 10 million tonnes over last year. Its stocks are thought to be about 63 million tonnes. Because of surpluses and the large crop, some reports say China has an export potential of 8 million tonnes, double what the USDA has estimated. The US and China are sharing the world's second largest corn importer after Japan, South Korea. Also included is brief information on the rapeseed and soy crops.
Biotech Crops environmentally safe - Study
The Council for Agriculture Science and Technology (CAST) has issued a new report on the environmental benefits of genetically modified crops. After reviewing a broad range of scientific literature on agriculture and the environment, the researchers concluded that soil, air and water quality all benefit form the "responsible use" of biotechnology. Genetically modified corn requires less herbicide and pesticide application that can contaminate water sources. Biotech corn does not require tillage resulting in less soil erosion. No tillage means soy beans can be planted closer together, resulting in more rows and greater yields per acre. No tilling can save up to 9.2 liters a hectare of farm machinery fuel. The report provides "definitive" scientific work to support the environmental claims of agricultural producers who use biotechnology. The full report is available online at 
http://www.cast-science.org/ and http://www.talksoy.com/.
(Extracted from the State Department Press Releases and Documents 25 June 2002)
Gene-altered foods failing to whet sales firms find
Food manufactures are impatiently waiting for the biotech industry to develop crops that have some nutritional or health benefit for consumers. There is no marketing advantage for the food manufacturers in the current technology, which helps the farmer fight insects and weeds, but offers no benefit to consumers. Food manufacturers feel that they have had to deal with one controversy after another regarding genetically modified corn and soybeans. Austin Mills, senior vice president at General Mills, "Candidly we have told the biotech industry that we are in a perilous situation until consumer benefits arrive." Other food manufacturers agree with Sullivan, but they continue to support biotech, because they believe the technology holds promise.
(Extracted from the Chicago Tribune 28 June 2002)
A-maize-ing food packages
Cargill Dow will be introducing food packaging made from corn in an Italian supermarket chain, IPER, this summer. IPER will use thermoformed containers made from NatureWorks PLA for packaging their private label fresh pasta. Cargill Dow has stepped up its supply of NatureWorks biodegradable materials with the world's first global-scale polyactide (PLA) plant, in Missouri, USA, capable of producing upwards of 140 million tonnes NatureWorks PLA per year.
(Extracted from Packaging Magazine 20 June 2002)
