June 04, 2003 Recent News
Food ingredient solutions; Flavor fever
Top 10 trends to watch and work on: 2003; a Sloan State-of-the Industry Report
The supersizing of America; Portion size and the obesity epidemic
Redefining the meal
Information Resources Inc. released a study titled "What do Americans really eat?" that closely examined the meal consumption and snacking habits of US consumers during the calendar year 2002. The study combined an Internet-based survey of 1,000 consumers, purchase diaries of 28,000 household panelists and InfoScan Retail Tracking Service data. Key findings were: snack foods are increasingly viewed as meal replacements and between-meal nourishment, traditional snack foods can be used in meal solutions and as meal replacements, and convenience consistently outranks price and nutrition in importance. The entire snack market is valued at $68.6 billion, with 2.5% growth in 2002. Primary growth drivers in 2002 were nutritious snacks/trail mixes, up 39.7%; frozen bread and rolls, up 28.5% and snack/granola bars, up 19.9%. Snacks that lost ground were frozen bagels, down 23.3%, chocolate-covered salty snacks, down 20.4% and corn snacks, down 5.6%. One in five meals are eaten in the car, which supports the fact that 70% of consumers prefer ready-to-eat snacks. Snack food selections vary with the time of day and eating occasion. IRI recommended that food manufacturers look beyond traditional market divisions to "define the playing field of the future."
(Extracted from Baking & Snack 4/1/2003)
Food ingredient solutions; Flavor fever
Flavor is a major factor in developing grain-based foods that are well received by consumers. Trends in flavor technologies and products include an increase in natural flavors and decrease in artificial flavors; combinations of the staple flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, berry, buttery and citrus; an increase in combinations of fruit flavors, especially tropical fruits; and an increase in Hispanic-oriented flavors. According to a spokesperson for a flavors company, the biggest trend seen there is a shift to indulgent, full-flavored products, but without the traditional caloric intake. In the Hispanic segment, popular flavors include mango, papaya, citrus, caramel, tres leches and crème brulee. Flavor trends usually begin in restaurants before being picked up at bakeries and grocery suppliers. The main target audiences for new flavors are upper-income consumers and children.
(Extracted from Milling & Baking News 4/16/2003)
Top 10 trends to watch and work on: 2003; a Sloan State-of-the Industry Report
Former White House economic adviser Todd Buckholz has written a study for the US Chamber of Commerce that finds there is little evidence that fast food is the cause of obesity in the US. Increased weight is said to be the result of super-sized snacks, eaten primarily at home, not fattier fast foods. According to the study, Americans have doubled caloric intake between meals. That, plus such trends as cheaper foods, rising personal income, more sedentary jobs and overall laziness are culprits, Buckholz says. The director for nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest says that fast-food marketing is a significant contributor to the weight problem and while its practices are not solely responsible, they are contributors. According to a George Washington University law professor, the report from the Chamber of Commerce underscores fears of the fast food industry that it will become the next Big Tobacco. He says actions to remove the onus from itself remind him of early attempts by tobacco companies to say that tobacco does not cause lung cancer. While food companies are cleaning up their act, "they are trying to prove the unproveable and deny the undeniable." The president of the Chamber said changes among fast food companies to create healthier meals and offer more choices are being made as an adjustment to changing consumer tastes, not because of fear of litigation.
(Extracted from Food Technology 4/1/2003)
Bar none
The US cereal bar market topped $1.6 billion in 2002, mainly through sales to two age groups: 15-24 year olds, and the over-65 set. Each age group has different reasons for buying the bars. The younger consumers snack more on bars and include them in exercise activity. The older consumers are more likely to use bars as a meal replacement. The missing demographic group - 25 to 64 year olds - are seen by Mintel as vital to maintaining strong sales growth, and may require developing a new type of bar to get their attention. There are currently two segments in the cereal bar category - energy/diet bars and breakfast/snack bars. The breakfast/snack segment has been around for about 20 years and is facing both maturity and high competition. The energy/diet segment is not as old, but is showing signs of maturity, as sales growth dropped from about 50%/year from 1998 to 2000, registering only about 20% annual growth since 2000. Supermarket sales of $1.2 billion account for over 75% of cereal bar sales, with convenience stores in the number two distribution spot at $185 million. Competition is intense, as 14 brands hold 2% or more of the entire market. Industry consolidation has led most of the major food companies to purchase cereal bar makers. Mintel suggests that other bar companies with 1.5-2% market share are potential takeover targets. The research company also sees development in new segments such as indulgent cereal bars that incorporate candy or beverage flavors, likely targeted at adults in the missing consumer segment.
(Extracted from Prepared Foods, 4/1/2003)
New times for cereal
Donna Berry, of Dairy & Food Communications, looks at product development in the cereal category. According to a survey by Kellogg, 72% of adult respondents age 30-35 eat cereal in the morning and 26% snack on it at other times of the day. This spells "opportunity" to cereal makers, as do increasing formulation possibilities. Studies show that breakfast helps children perform at peak capacity, and children are a mainstay consumer group. Though many children's cereals have as much sugar as some candy bars, parents see them as a good way to get vital nutrients to their children; and a study done several years ago showed that calcium-fortified ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals can significantly boost children's calcium intake. According to the director of food technical services at Roche Vitamins, RTE cereals "are the most common fortification vehicle and have been since the 1940s." It is now more common to fortify than not to fortify. Though there are no guidelines to limit fortification in cereals, manufacturers have to be careful not to overfortify, which could be toxic. Some trends in fortification are fiber, flax, fruits, nuts and soy. Undesirable problems that occur with cereals include trans fatty acids and acrylamide. Key in selling cereal is still taste and quality. Specialty starches are said to be useful in cereals to improve texture, mouthfeel, bowl life and shelf life.
(Extracted from Food Product Design m 4/1/2003)
New study finds American consumers eating larger portions of snacks, desserts and soft drinks at home
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, analyzed three government surveys taken over a period of 20 years, and reviewed answers to questions on portion size. They looked for specific foods, such as snacks, desserts and soft drinks, and also whether the eating was done at home or out. Overall, from 1977 to 1996, portion sizes increased both at home and out, for all categories except pizza. On average, Americans get 93 more calories form salty snacks, 49 more from soft drinks, 97 more from hamburgers, 68 more from french fries, and 33 more from Mexican foods. The finding of increased portions eaten at home indicates an overall change in eating behavior. It is important to be able to eyeball portion sizes and know how much you are really getting. According to researchers, Americans do not know the actual size of a portion. Relating to every day objects can help. For example, remembering that a fruit serving looks like a tennis ball will help. Americans overestimate the recommended serving sizes, and fewer than half of respondents accurately estimated the recommended serving sizes of pasta, meat or vegetables.
(Extraced from Food and Drink Weekly, 4/7/2003)
The supersizing of America; Portion size and the obesity epidemic
Barbara J. Rolls, PhD, of the Pennsylvania State University's Department of Nutritional Sciences, discusses the reasons for the amounts of food eaten in a variety of circumstances, and concludes that energy intake generally increases as the availability of food increases. An interesting exception to this finding is that young children are relatively consistent in the amount of food consumed, before they have been conditioned by environmental cues (cleaning one's plate, portion sizes) regarding food intake. While portion sizes have increased over the last few decades, both eating out and eating in, consumers need help to estimate and manage portion sizes to avoid overeating. Rolls recommends: education and consumer awareness campaigns on portion sizes and weight management, clearer labeling of food portion sizes on packaging; more point-of purchase nutrition information, some type of incentives for the food industry to improve nutritional quality and reduce portion sizes, better understand the influences on children's eating behaviors, consider how foods can be modified to balance portion size, good value, taste and caloric intake.
(Extracted from Nutrition Today 3/1/2003)
