August 27, 2004 Recent News
Need For Nutritious Lunches, Childhood obesity
Food Makers Race to Drop Trans Fats
Eat more fish and whole grains
Need For Nutritious Lunches, Childhood obesity
It's back-to-school time and time for parents to think about what their kids are eating. Over 16 percent of children nationwide are overweight and that percentage is expected to rise. Parents greatly influence what their kids eat and encouraging healthy eating habits is more important now than ever. Besides breakfast, lunch is the second most important meal for school-age children and provides one-third of their daily calories. One of the easiest ways parents can know if they're packing a nutritious lunch is to follow the food guide pyramid. A mixture of whole grains, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables and lean lunchmeats provide a variety of lunch possibilities. Prepackaged foods are a time-saver, but read the nutrient label and ingredients first. Fats, trans fats, salt, added sugars and high calories are found in many prepackaged snacks. The quantity of food packed is also important since portion size is another factor that contributes to overweight kids. Premeasuring items such as pretzels or cookies into the correct serving size shows kids just how much they should be eating of such foods.
(Excerpted from the Internet Broadcasting System 7/30/2004)
Convenience craze
Most new products introduced today are claimed to be "convenient," but consumers are also looking for great taste, high quality and healthful products. They are shopping for foods that require little culinary expertise or preparation effort. The average 7-Eleven store introduces 20 to 50 new products each week. Packaging is an essential ingredient of offering convenient foods. Consumers are attracted to portability, size as a hand-held food, easy opening and easy to close packaging. 75% of Americans take lunch to work at least once a week, and desktop dining is a fact of life. Employees are looking for convenient, energizing and nourishing meals and snacks for the office, creating new opportunities for food companies. More than half of employees surveyed admitted that they snack at their desks throughout the day. Fruits, vegetables, granola and nuts are popular snacks. Microwave meals, hot snacks, high-protein snack mixes and flavored coffees are desk foods that are popular. Several
specific products are discussed. Nutrition and availability are the drivers for this trend.
(Excerpted from Stagnito's New Products magazine 6/1/2004)
Food Makers Race to Drop Trans Fats
Some Substitutes Aren't Much Better ... Nearly two years before a new food-labeling rule takes effect, unhealthy trans fats are already beginning to disappear from many popular foods. That shift is generally good news for consumers, but it makes it more important than ever to read food labels. While some food companies have switched to unsaturated "good" fats or new high-tech oils that can boost the proportion of heart-healthy fats in a food, others are substituting highly saturated fats that aren't much healthier than the trans fats they replace.
(Excerpted from Wall Street Journal 8/10/2004)
Moderate Low -carb trend
The craze could be evolving into more modified consumer behavior, emphasizing carb-consciousness rather than "extreme deprivation." While consumers are not totally avoiding low-carb diet plans, a drop in popularity has been predicted for over a year. Some food makers are cutting back their plans for low-carb products, though sales of such foods are still climbing. Growth rates are said to have slowed, with sales of carb-consciousness foods going up only 42% in the 13 weeks ended June 12, compared to 95% growth in the prior 13 week period ended March 13. Low-carb weight managers tend to have higher incomes and be more health conscious. They are younger, obese, have higher cholesterol and are intense users of diets. Panelists agreed that "the hopeless feeling of an obese nation will likely give birth to yet another diet trend when the low-carb craze is done. Replacements for carbohydrates such as protein, fiber and alternate sweeteners and soy and gluten are possible protein sources.
(Excerpted from Bakers Journal 1 Jun 04)
Atkins Revolution
The self-styled Atkins Revolution is shifting a gear, transforming itself from a quick fix weight loss fad loudly condemned by many as no more than a bandwagon, to a more sustainable, long term health conscious lifestyle. Mood and perceptions are both changing as recent reports since the beginning of 2004 indicate that the low-carb diet fad has peaked but citing the effects it has had on the way people now want to eat and live. Coinciding with widely publicised doubts about medical condemnation of fat and cholesterol consumption, those identifying carbohydrates as the enemy have decided that a theme of moderation is the best route to survival.
(Excerpted from Business Wire 8/9/2004)
Eat more fish and whole grains
A federal advisory panel working to revise U.S. dietary guidelines is urging Americans to eat more fish and foods made with whole grains, rather than processed grains, for better health. The 13-member committee stuck close to the current set of dietary recommendations developed in 2000, but there were modest departures in its emphasis, including an increase in the recommended intake of foods containing certain vitamins and minerals, fiber, fish, dark-green vegetables and whole grains. The committee also urged Americans to consume fewer saturated and trans fats, added sugars and salt.
(Excerpted from The Wall Street Journal - 8/12/04)
"No diet" is the new diet
A survey of over 1000 adults found that only 9% were "on a diet," but 43% were following some sort of structured or organized eating program and 82% were restricting or limiting consumption of some kind of food. Seventy percent of the dieters were women, with the split on eating plans being 59% women and 41% men. Those watching their diets are limiting their fat intake (45%), sugar intake (38%), salt/sodium (34%), trans fats (30%), calories (28%) and cholesterol (26%). Only about 25% are limiting carbs and of those 86% say they are on a low-carb program. The survey suggests that consumers are moving way from structured diets and toward a less regimented eating program. Among those who are following low- carb, low-calorie or low-fat, the level of commitment is said to be lowest among those on a low-carb plan. There is likely to be an eroding of interest in low- carb programs as the less committed dieters move to different programs or new eating approaches While consumers may want to eat foods with carbohydrates, they could continue to be carb-conscious and to look for low-carb versions on the market. This would allow food makers to introduce a wider variety of low carb offerings to a broader consumer base. The survey also found that 69% of respondents recognized the importance of vitamins and minerals, protein (63%) and fiber (59%) in their diets.
(Excerpted from Business Wire 8/3/2004)
