fdnr aug

Current News, News Review, Feature Trends, Opinion. © Kennedy's Publications Ltd

ISSN 2043-9334

A recent survey of UK shoppers hasfound that a quarter of the nation�’sweekly supermarket shop is spent onjunk food.

The average grocery bill is £65 aweek and on average £17.22 of that isspent on chocolate, crisps, alcohol andsoft drinks. The study that was carriedout by weight loss experts, LighterLifehas shown that those buying food atAsda were inclined to spend the most onunhealthy food equating to £18.23.Those who shop at Tesco were the mosthealth aware, spending £16.65 on junkfood. A third of respondents admitted tooverspending due to the temptation oftreats whereas 81% of people boughtsnacks outside the weekly supermarket

shop. The average of £11.99 is spent onweekly top-ups and £20 on takeaways.Mandy Cassidy of weight loss organisa-tion LighterLife identified the entice-ment of calorific food a form of �“instantgratification�” for the consumer.

Quarter OfUK WeeklyShop IsJunk

Maine Ingredient To Be BannedWith the latest controversy regarding Bisphe-nol A or BPA, Maine is said to be the lateststate to be considering banning the product.

Proposed for January 2012, the Maine Depart-ment of Environmental Protection, are looking toban BPA from reusable food and beverage con-tainers. A unanimous vote was held for a publichearing to be called on August 19th 2010. Al-though the final meeting has not been confirmed,the approval by the board would would act as astepping stone for Maine's Kid-Safe Products Act,a legislature that was passed in 2008 and was usedto limit BPA use in many products sold in-state.

�“BPA would be at the top of our list�” SteveTaylor campaign director for the EnvironmentalHealth and Strategies Centre added. The inven-

tion of BPA dates back over a century, and is acommon chemical ingredient in polycarbonateplastic products such as baby bottles, cups andother food containers. Animal studies haveshown the product can limit hormone flow andpotentially growth. Following the hype, somelarger organisations have already began to find al-ternatives and replace the controversial chemicalwith other additives. The U.S Department ofHealth and Human Services' National ToxicologyProgram has also expressed concerns over themental effects of digestion of the chemical. Thereappears to be evidence of impact on the bran, in-fant behavioural tendencies and glands and foe-tus'. The FDA are joining the fight to find newand safer alternatives.

Illinois Corn BasedProducts PurchasesICI's National Starch

National Starch, previously part of the ICI group has beensold in a $1.3 billion deal.

Despite only recently being purchased by Dutch firm Azko-bel. The US food firm, renowned for its creation of fat replac-ers and thickeners commonly found in processed foods, hasbeen purchased by Illinois- based Corn Products. AlthoughTate and Lyle were once a contender, the innovation firm em-ploys 2250 people and last year made sales of $1.2 billion.

Now Online - Visit: www.foodanddrinknewsreview.com

Every Little Helps �– Tesco Win the Majority

2 / Food and Drink News Review - 23rd July 2010

Following the resignation ofSir Terry Leahy this pastmonth, Yougov.com has con-ducted a survey to see howthe UK really feels about theUK�’s largest supermarketchain. Marginally, the overallresult is in favour of Tescohowever with age and geogra-phy both playing a large part inUK opinion.

The younger generation

(18-34) recognised the con-venience that Tesco offers andtherefore 51% felt positiveabout the store.

The young generation iden-tified three main reasons forfavouring Tesco including va-riety of choice, cheap pricesand convenience. 45% ofadults agreed with the initialtwo reasons however they alsonoted the benefits of added

employment created by Tesco.42% of 35 �– 55 year olds con-demned the brand and 48% ofover 55 year olds believed thatit was �“a bad influence onBritain today.�”

Geographically there iscontroversy, the capital for ex-ample does not hold the super-market chain is great esteem,36% support the supermarketwhere 47% feel that it has be-

come �“too powerful�”. North-erners show little support forthe supermarket chain alsowith 48% of people believingit is a negative addition to theBritish economy. A large pro-portion of Scottish shoppershave backed the leading re-tailer with 57% describing itas a �“good influence�” and only27% identified Tesco as havingan overwhelming power.

ISSN 2043-9334Registered in England No. 01160274. Entire contents © 2010 Kennedy’s Publications Ltd.

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The Scottish food anddrink industry revenuehas increased from £1.4billion to £1.83 billion be-tween May 2007 and June2010.

BBC Radio Four's Foodand Farming Awards2010 are now acceptingnominations.

Two in three familieswant their food guaran-teed to be non-GM, anEnglish survey revealedthis month.

FISA �– Food Ingredi-ents, South America isnow open for registration.

Sales of conveniencefood hit £1.04billion inthe past year. Figures hadslumped from £1bn in2008 to £967million lastyear however ready mealshave made quite thecomeback this year.

The 19th Peterfood In-ternational Fair dateshave just been released asthe 15-17th November

FISA �– Food Ingredi-ents, South America isnow open for registration.

Agriculture ExhibitionSays It's Notthe Milky Way

A dairy farmer who has created a softdrink with a milky twist was told hecouldn't showcase his creation at theNew Zealand National AgriculturalFieldays near Hamilton.

The carbonated milk drink createdby Te Aroha farmer Richard Revell hasbeen banned by the organisers of theagriculture exhibition at MysteryCreek.They say allowing it to be show-cased would breach a commercialagreement with Coca Cola. Revell sayshe will keep trying and will give thedrink away at the entrance to Fieldays ifhe can't reach an agreement with organ-isers.

©Tesco 2010

Health Concerns OverSoft Drink IndustryOne in Four adults in the UK blamesoft drinks for the rise in obesity, ac-cording to Yougov. Three quarters ofrespondents (71%) clearly identified thedamage the sugary drinks can do to ourteeth however there was little connec-tion made between ageing and softdrink consumption despite the recentstudy launched by Harvard University.

The connection comes through thehigh levels of phosphate in the bever-ages and follows a recent discovery thatliver damage may be related to overconsumption of fizzy drinks. JamesMcCoy of Yougov stated �“The per-ceived health risks related to softdrinks... have been around for years.We are more likely to link soft drinkconsumption with tooth decay than toweight gain. It may be some time be-fore new health concerns such as liver

damage, filter through to the wider pop-ulation�”. 66% of adults are concernedabout soft drinks company's influenceon the younger generation, 29% be-lieved advertisements should be bannedfor sugary drinks, this relates to 75% ofrespondents describing Coca Cola as�“heavily advertised�” 51% of parentshave allowed their children to drinkCoca-Cola in the past year, 40% servedRibena and 57% prefer to serve theirchildren Robinson's Fruit Juice.

News InBrief

Food and Drink News Review - 23rd July 2010 / 3

Oh heaven help me! I am squeezed down to only350 words, perhaps 500 if my very able productionmanager can �‘can�’ it in. So I lead you in, ratherhurriedly I admit, to something that we discoveredlast week in the New York Times; The Candwich -a sandwich in a can. We also discovered a host ofother seemingly revolting creations by WaterfordFunding (USA), check out the Pepperoni Pizza Pocket and FrenchToasts too, that you can almost buy. The brains behind the product,Mr Travis L. Wright, is in trouble with investors who thought he wasgoing to use the massive $145 million they gave him to develop realestate�… oops! The Candwich will probably get a lot of publicityespecially with the pending lawsuit and I add, I am pleased to saythat we are one of the first European b2b press to pick up on this.Although we have not tried it. Do you blame us? Peanut butter andstrawberry jam sandwich in a can. Hmmm�… would you eat one?

Welcome to yet another unusual issue of FDNR which I amrather pleased with. You know why? Because it�’s outspoken anddoesn�’t publish the same old acutely monotonous, predictable,overdone,badly written-I-can�’t-stand-and over-technical-features(JUST TO GET THE ADVERTS!). Oh no, alarms ringing folks -word count says 237 words, so I have to move quickly on. I recentlystarted a group on my linkedin home page. You know the sort ofthing that will get us all together online and talking about completecrap? Well, my new group, you may be surprised to learn, is called�“Groups are a Waste of Time�”, I guess it�’s rather the opposite of whatmost editors would do. I was truly elated when I discovered thatafter one year, moreover, no-one had joined my group! Thank you toall those of you for not joining my group and allowing it to remainpure and clean with no members.

Write to me, please, a real letter, something I can read even! Can�’tjust one of you write to me and not send a press release about yourlatest marketing director, which quite frankly, no-one really caresabout.

Angus [email protected]

Current News, News Review, Feature Trends, Opinion.

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KANEGRADEKanegrade Ltd, Ingredients House, Caxton Way, Stevenage,Hertfordshire, SG1 2DF, United KingdomTel: +44 (0) 1438 742242 Fax: + (0) 1438 [email protected] www.kanegrade.com

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Health Products InYour Back GardenKew gardens UK experts recently identi-fed British produce such as raspberriesand elderflower could prove as valuableand exciting to new food developers as ex-otic fruits from Africa and S.America.

Monique Simmonds, head of innovationhas identified health promoting propertiesthat due to cultivated versions had not beenpresent however can be found in wild vari-eties of the fruits and plants. Experts at Keware willing to work with food and drink com-panies that want to explore the healthy ingre-dient options and discover which varieties aremore likely to contain the compounds.

According to Simmonds, Kew are cur-rently working with Nestle and Glaxo-smithKline. She continued by saying �“ Thereare scores of plants in our own backyard fromrhubarb to elderflower that have potentiallyinteresting properties. However, wheneveryou are using plants, you have to be sure thatyou are using the right varieties, and that theextracts you are using actually contain the ac-tive ingredients you are interested in�”. Kew

are currently running an international projectof which Simmonds has been keen to pro-mote, where Kew are hoping to build upon asearchable database for names of plantspecies.

FDF Fight ObesityClaimsFDF have recently challenged the pre-dictions made by Datamonitor, as theDepartment of Health has recentlydemonstrated through the figures pub-lished earlier this year that the historicalrise in obesity levels among young chil-dren had in fact levelled off.

They believe that the surge of effortfrom the Department of Health, Health careand professionals and the industry overallto tackle the issue are eventually beginningto reap the benefits of their hardwork.Granted there is a long way to go, howeverthe new the DH look forward to workingwith the new government to continue tocombat one of the country's greatest killers.FDF have announced that Datamonitor'srelease on childhood obesity was �“an ex-ample of a shameless healine-grabbing PRstunt �– rather than an attempt to provideany meaningful insight in to what remainsa complex issue for us all�”.

Hospitals AreNew Target Of SoftDrinks BanAccording to The Arab News, theDeputy Ministry of Health, Yacoub Al-Mazrou has announced the Ministry ofHealth's plans to ban the sale of softdrinks in hospitals and clinics.

"The decision was taken at the fourthmeeting of the Health Services Councilheld at its headquarters on Sunday nightpresided over by Health Minister Dr. Ab-dullah Al-Rabeeah," said Al-Mazrou. At-tended by 40 officials, the meeting washeld to plan national health strategy

"While banning soft drinks we want tointroduce fresh juices or dairy products asalternatives," he said. Al-Mazrou, who isalso the secretary-general of the HealthServices Council. There is already a ban inschools and therefore in order to enforcethe ban, the MoH will work closely withthe Ministry of Education.


4 / Food and Drink News Review - 23rd July 2010 This issue is printed on 100% recycled lightweight paper


Dairy ConfusingAccording to YouGov, who con-ducted a survey of 2,271 adults inthe UK there is still confusion circu-lating health messages in the dairyindustry. 82% of those that tookpart in the survey identified dairy asa healthy ingredient for childrenhowever were uncertain about therole of dairy in their own diet.

The term �“natural�” was regularlyused by the respondents to describethe positive attributes of milk andtherefore 65% claimed it to be benefi-cial. Women are more aware of thenegative effects of dairy with 37% of

women restricting their daily intake.Only 26% of men are concious of neg-ative effects that relate to increasedcholesterol levels. 65% of respon-dents believe that milk is healthy andnatural whereas 10% see it as a fatten-ing ingredient. 66% have identifiedcream as fattening and 59% describedit as 'indulgent'.

The survey appeared to be slightlyimpartial to the odd cheese fan with74% of respondents connoting wordssuch as tasty, 74%, traditional. 59%and 50% describing it as a versatile in-gredient. Cream connotes indulgent

whereas cheese was described as avaluable ingredient. Yoghurt is rarelydescribed as a fattening ingredient asonly 5% believe it to be unhealthy vs.71% who see it as a healthy product.Research director James McCoy hassuggested �“Cheese, milk and yoghurthave all benefitted from the lastingperception that they are 'traditional'and 'natural' are subsequently lesslikely to be seen as fattening or bad foryour health�”. In the UK, we do notshy away from these ingredients andtheir natural qualities only add to theiroverall popularity.

India's food inflation could risein the next two weeks, MontekSingh Ahluwalia, deputy chair-man of the Planning Commis-sion, said on Wednesday.

Food prices rose an annual16.74 per cent in end May,adding upward pressure on head-line inflation.

India �– Further Inflation,Further Rises

Land O'LakesReports IncreasedQuarterly SalesLand O'Lakes, US dairy com-pany has shown an increase insales for the first quarter of2010. The increase has been recorded at$120 million over last years lev-els. Land O'Lakes is currentlystrengthening its financial posi-tion as over half the company'sdivisions delivered stronger sales.The dairy foods business has re-duced losses in industrial process-ing and continually challenges thecommodity markets volatility bycontinually producing results�“particularly in the Eastern andWestern milk procurement re-gions�”. The following businessshowed improved sales; shellseggs and crop inputs. Althoughthis first quarter does show vastimprovements, net earnings wereset at $30.9 million which is dras-tically different to the $82.7 mil-lion recorded in the first quarterof 2009, which was a recordbreaking year for the company.

M&S Pull Their WheatAlthough Food and Drink News Review reported newheights in US Wheat Free Products, it appears the boomhas hit Britain as it now the Fastest growing food cate-gory.

Free From foods are flying off the shelves, described asthe fastes growing food category in 12 months and 5% offood and drink products were labelled as �“free-from�” . Ac-cording to Allergy UK, the intolerances are said to hit nearly45% of the country, more that 25 million people in the UKcould be suffering although many self diagnosed celiacsmay have misdiagnosed and perhaps hopped on the healthconscious band wagon.

In 2009 the gluten-free market grew 20% and hit£100million in sales, with available products doubling from2007. Marks and Spencer recently created their own lineof wheat free products with biscuits, muffins, rolls andloves using alternatives to wheat flour such as rice flour,tapioca starch and potato starch. Claire Hughes, a nutri-tionist at M & S has identified it as �“by far the largest singlequery we have, there's clearly a demand for these products,and we're delighted we're now able to cater for customerswho don't want gluten �– but also don't want to compromise

on taste�”. M&S have promised their ranges will accom-pany the appropriate holidays, e.g for Christmas free fromcakes, puddings and mince pies will be available.

FDA Under Fire American watchdog, the Food and Drug Administra-tion have faced heavy criticism recently regarding theirrather lax outlook on contamination and outbreaks.

A health advisory panel is believed to have urged a�“cultural change�” from within the organisation. The stancetaken on preventing outbreaks of illness, is �“flat-footed�”according to the health panel.

There has been criticism of the FDA's risk based man-agement and lack of structure and money. The FDA's re-

sponsibility to the entire nation is key however they havefailed to target facilities and products that are commonlymaking people sick. The report that was issued from theInstitute of Medicine, has detailed the FDA's ability to tryand solve problems after disaster has struck whereas anability to �“head off problems�” would be far more benefi-cial. According to Dr. Robert Wallace of the Universityof Iowa's College of Public Health, the FDA require �“acultural change, a different way of doing business�”.

©Marks & Spencer

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What was SAID about the FOOD INDUSTRY last month...

NEWS REVIEW6 / Food and Drink News Review - 23rd July 2010


EU Seeks New Labelling System(Reuters UK, June 15th)According to Reuteurs, the EU has backed a pro-posal to urge companies to clearly label the en-ergy, salt, fat and sugar content of their producton the front of packaging. This is part of an aimto restructure the way we tackle obesity in Eu-rope, as levels of obesity are rapidly on the in-crease. This is not the only addition to Europeanpackaging, MEP's in Strasbourg, France havealso voted for stricter country of origin labellingon meat, dairy, seafood, fruit and vegetables.The system that has been previously encouragedby consumer groups is the traffic light system.By using green, amber and red the relative levelsof salt, fat and sugar are clearly indicated. How-ever this has been rejected by the MEP's aftermuch industry lobbying. The Corporate EuropeObservatory campaign group has said that thefood and drink industry had spent �€1 billion toensure the traffic light system did not comethrough despite consumer group's opinions that itis easier to understand. It was developed byBritain's Food Standards Agency and is currentlyused by Sainbury's and Marks and Spencer. Thelabelling scheme has been rejected by other lead-

ing retailers including Tesco. As the new la-belling system is set to span the EU, it is still un-sure as to whether or not the UK will have toscrap their current labelling system in order tosuit the requirements of the new EU scheme.The system appears to be a long way off, RenateSommer, German centre-right MEP stated �“When the regulation will come into force I can'ttell you , but it'll be a long process�” she said.

One For The BreadwinnerTelegraph, (June 6th)According to the Telegraph, Britain�’s most ex-pensive loaf of bread retails at £21, overtakinglast year�’s Harrods special that was priced at £15per loaf. The loaf weighs 2kg and has been la-belled �‘The Shepherd loaf�”. The bakery respon-sible is Hobbs House bakery and the creator isfather of four, Tom Herbert. Herbert uses a 55-year-old sourdough recipe passed down throughthe family, organic Somerset spelt flour, Cot-walds�’ spring water and Cornish sea salt. Her-bert�’s customers can clearly distinguish adifference as he sells an average of 100 loaves aweek. He also has a long list of celebrity clien-tele including Liz Hurley, Tony Adams, rock-starKeith Allen and artist Damien Hirst. AlthoughHerbert is aware his price tag is a little steep, hebelieves that the 10inch by 10inch loaf is wellworth the money, �“I don�’t understand why peoplewill spend £20 on some quality cheese and theneat it with supermarket bread �– that just doesn�’tmake any sense to me.�” Herbert is a fifth genera-tion baker and believes his bread, which takestwo days to make is significantly better than anymass produced product. The shepherd loaf canbe ordered online atwww.hobbshousebakery.co.uk.

Sainsbury's Sees Small Rise WithAdded Vu-Vu-VoomBBC, (June 15th)The BBC has stated that Sainsbury's has seen itssmallest rise in quarterly sales for five years.The reasoning behind this has been identified aslow food price inflation and higher fuel costswhich in turn limited consumer spending. The12 weeks leading up to June 12th saw sales grow1.1% however after the added return of VAT to17.5%, there was a meagre growth of 0.3%.Tesco's quarterly growth was also set at 1.1%however with VAT taken in to account it onlygrew 0.1%. Tesco have similarly attributed thesame causes for small growth. Justin King, CEOof Sainsbury's believes that the budget cuts areonce again going to limit spending. �“It is goingto be flat across the market, and that is the keyreason why... customers' budgets are going to beunder strain�” he said. However he also com-mented on the World Cup and the sales boost theparaphernalia had given them, with 50,000 out of70,000 vuvuzelas already sold.

Increase Taxes, Lower Obesity LevelsReuters Chicago, (June 17th)Reuters have identified that raising the tax onsugary drinks will have a positive effect on thelevels of obesity. US researchers have identifiedthat the rise in soda prices by 35% caused salesto drop by 26% in a hospital canteen subse-quently forcing the consumer to opt for a health-ier, cheaper alternative. Dr Jason Block ofHarvard University, stated �“Obesity is at epi-demic levels. It's an incredibly difficult andcomplicated problem... regular soft drinks makeup about 7% of all calories consumed in theUnited States�”. He later described them as �“amajor driver�” of obesity. We cannot negelect thepossibility of diabetes often associated with theconsumption of sugary soft drinks, by increasingthe tax, it is simply one more way to cut downthe $147 billion spent on obesity each year by theUS. Healthcare system. This raise in taxes fol-lows first lady, Michelle Obama's 70 point planto cut chidhood obesity. Here, she called for ananalysis on the �“impact of local sales taxes onconsumption of less healthy foods.�” Accordingto the American Beverage Association, a tradegroup who's companies include Coca-Cola, Pep-sico Inc. Dr Pepper snapple group have stronglyopposed the taxes and believe that sugar-sweet-ened drinks do not pose a risk in the great obesitydebate.





Sealing Of Soft Drinks FakeryDaily Times, (June 10th)According to the Daily Times, Pakistan the healthdepartment and the police joined forces last nightto raid a fake soft drinks factory. Three arrestshave been made and the factory has been sealedwith authorities seizing over 800 1.5 litre bottlesof substandard product. They discovered drumscontaining chemicals, bottle caps, printing mate-rial and labels of famous drink brands within thebuilding also. The factory owner managed to es-cape however a warrant is currently out for his ar-rest. The raid comes after a district food inspectorhad received complaints from a brand about a softdrink being marketed under their name.

Coca-Cola Increase African InvestmentAfrica News (June 27th)Coca-Cola are set to invest a further 1 billion an-nually in to Africa. The FIFA World Cup sponsorhas made plans to double its current investment inorder to increase presence. William Egbe, presi-dent of the South African division was reported assaying "Over the past decade we've invested half abillion US Dollars every year across the continent,we are doubling are investment". The investmentis set to increase production of non-carbonatedsoft drinks including juices and water.Despite the hyperinflation, one of the largestgrowths is set to take part in Zimbabwe followingthe formation of a unity government last year.

Sweet Baby FoodThe Vancouver Sun (June 29th)The Vancouver Sun this week reported the latestto be targeted in the high sugar content battle, isbaby food. According to a study led by CharleneElliot of the University of Calgary, toddler food istoo sweet and 53% of pureed dinners and deserthave 20% of their calories coming from sugar. Re-searchers from Elliot's team analysed 186 Cana-dian food products, marketed especially to feedtoddlers. They compared the wide array of cereals,biscuits, yoghurts, desserts and dinners with simi-lar adult food products in order to see if they werehealthier.Professor Elliot was keen to dismiss the positivepresumptions made about the balanced content ofinfant foods, 'There is a presumed halo effectaround baby and toddler foods because people ex-pect these foods to be held to a higher standard,'said Professor Elliot. The study did not includesimple purees of fruits and vegetables, juices andbeverages, infant formulas and infant cereals de-signed to be mixed with breast milk or water.Professor Elliot went on to say 'Assessing sugarlevels in baby and toddler foods is challenging be-cause there is currently no universally acceptedstandard,'. The study concluded that foods withmore than 20% of their calories from sugar wereof a poor nutritional quality (a previously estab-lished fact) and over 50 % of those products ex-amined unfortunately met that criteria.The study, published in the Journal of PublicHealth, used established guidelines that suggestfoods are of poor nutritional quality if more than20 per cent of their calories derive from sugar.Forty per cent of products listed sugar - or somevariant like corn syrup, cane syrup, brown sugar,or dextrose - in the first four ingredients on thelabel. 'While some products derive their sugarcontent from naturally occurring fruit sugars,many products also contain added sugars. It re-

mains fair to ask why it is necessary to add sugarto these baby or toddler products in the first place.'Continuing with the reoccuring theme of thismonth, Elliot also observed the packaging and la-belling and concluded that perhaps the marketingmaterial played to adult conceptions.

American Farmers Face CriticismAfter Record Breaking YeildsAssociated Press, Champaign Illinois, USA(29th June)The Associated Press, USA have reported thatAmerican farmers are producing food at recordlevels. A federal advisory group has expressedconcerns that the agricultural department is too fo-cused on increased yeilds as opposed to the conse-quences of high production including water andair pollution. Advisory group member, Julia Ko-rnegay chairs the National Academies' NationalResearch Council who produced the recent reporton high productivity has stated "If farmers aregoing to meet future demands, the U.S. agriculturesystem has to evolve to become sustainable andthink broadly - past the bottom line of producingthe most possible," Having collected researchfrom a broad range of sectors, the report recom-mends that sustainabilty of farming needs to beimproved. Gary Schnitkey, agronomist and profes-sor at the University of Illinoise has counteractedthis report by stating "We're still looking at a situ-ation where we have population growth, so we'vegot to meet those needs...I think there's too littleresearch on agricultural productivity. We've got tokeep increasing output from these acres." An op-posing recent report suggested that 158% morefood is now being produced than 50 years ago andthat sustainability possibilities are widely beingexplored. However in order to meet the needs ofan ever increasing population, large yields mustcontinue and do not yet quite meet the nations re-quirements. According to the authors of this study,The USDA and state universities need to workclosely together on such research and increasetheir study of the economics and social effects ofsuch practices. Two thirds of agricultural researchat present is conducted to address a particularproblem, for example, how to rid soybean fieldsof a particular weed, or how to increase tomatoproduction while using less water. The authors of

this report are suggesting that the USDA, the Na-tional Science Foundation, public universities andfarmer-led groups should set up a research initia-tive focused on the effects farming has on landand watersheds. "Those emerging markets canmotivate farmers to transition to farming systemsthat balance and meet multiple sustainabilitygoals," the authors wrote. Schnitkey has alsoagreed that product orientated research can help inalleviating environmental concerns however canalso keep the focus on Americas need to producehigh yeilds.

80 Stone Family Saved My LifeScottish Sun (June 30th)According to the Scottish Sun, another attempt tomake the UK aware of the dangers of obesity isabout to hit our screens. The series, entitled "BigMeets Bigger" starts on the 30th June. The pro-grammer choses a variety of overweight and obesepeople from the UK and immerses them in the lifeof those bigger than them often overseas.Amereen, from Scotland is the first of the seriesand offers a success story at the end of it. Diag-nosed with polysistic ovaries, she is told she needsto lose weight in order to have children. Havingspent a week with Vangelina, Jenny and ElpidaManousakis who are morbidly obese, weighing ashocking 80 stone between them, Ameree changesher views on weight and urges her to shed thepounds. The most shocking part of the experiencefor her is the amount of fatty foods Elpida is pliedwith throughout the day. During the week,Amereen discovers she is pregnant, although tim-ing not great, she has already lost a stone since herreturn. Let's hope that her experience helps herfrom doing the same to her child... and we canhelp this generation that are set to die before theirparents!


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8 / Food and Drink News Review - 23rd July 2010


Truth In LabellingBy Katie Earlam

According to the Heart Foundation,we can keep our hearts healthy by�“following a balanced diet�”. Thecentral website dedicated to sufferersof Diabetes also indicated that �“ahealthy balanced diet will help you tocontrol your diabetes�”. A balanceddiet is commonly becoming the mostoverused term within the food anddrink industry, with a plethora ofproducts jumping on the �“to be eatenas part of a balanced diet�” band-wagon. As new aversions from thefood industry, suggest a pessimisticattitude toward the traffic light la-belling system, we begin to questionhow products can get away withscrawling �“ balanced diet�” across thefront of their packaging if their calo-rie, sugar, far or salt content exceedswhat is suitable for the consumer.

Why the backlash? Doesn't a con-sumer have the right to know whatthey are buying and ultimately digest-ing? If the encouragement continues�“to be eaten as part of a balanceddiet�”, we will have a generation of di-eters and bingers, whose presump-tions that eating three chocolate barsa day is okay as long as they havesome protein, fibre and carbohydratealongside it. Where is the realisationthat �“as part of a balanced diet�” is aclaim emptier than a genetically mod-ified coconut? In some cases, it is ascapegoat for those companies pro-ducing food with excessively highsugar content. The term merely high-lights their dependance on the con-sumer to eat a whole lot of fruit andveg alongside their product in order toallow for at least some form of bowelmovement.

Kennedy's has found that what theconsumer regularly fails to recognisethat a label that suggests �“low�” isoften substantially lower than theoriginal product however there isoften still high levels of the problembyproduct within the produce. Prod-ucts labelled �‘low�’ contain less of anutrient than those labelled �‘reduced�’�– but whether a food is labelled �‘diet�’,�‘light�’, �‘low�’ or �‘reduced�’, all of themare a healthier choice than standardversions of the same food. Accordingto diabetes.com we must also bear inmind that some foods are naturally

low in fat, sugar or salt, or high infibre. Starchy foods like cereals andpasta are always low in fat, yet somebrands are sold with the claim �‘low-fat food�’. Consumer groups are be-coming more prevalent as the issue oflabelling surfaces. Websites, groupsand petitions have been set up formore honest labelling.

One organisation that has a verystrong opinion about food and drinkpackaging is truthinlabelling.org. AUS organisation that is continuing togain support as it promotes theclaimed dangers of aspartame andMSG alike. The claim made here isthat, there is failure to distinguish dan-gers, if organisations are to continueto use ingredients that have even beensuggested to pose health threats thenthey should be labelled as clearly ascigarette packages.

Truthinlabelling.org points the fin-ger of blame at the U.S FDA, as heavywarnings or even banning the ingredi-ent lies in their hands. This statementwas found on their website.

�“If the FDA banned MSG, thedrug companies would lose billions.Think about how much money theymake treating asthma, migraineheadache, seizures, depression, heartirregularities and all of the the otherreactions to MSG. And cancer, too.Acid hydrolysed proteins contain car-cinogenic propanols. The U.S. Foodand Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be more interested in pro-tecting the profits of big business thanin safeguarding the health of con-sumers�”.

It is estimated that over 1 billiondollars has been spent by food anddrink companies campaigning against

the traffic light system which on June21st was rejected by EU parliament.The majority of respondents to oursurvey expressed concern as to whylarge amounts of money are beingthrown to reject a campaign that ulti-mately exposes a product for what itreally is. They also suggested that themoney could be better spent fundingthe correct packaging or indeed find-ing alternatives to sugar, salt and sat-urates.

Companies such as Cadbury's inthe UK have adopted the �“Be Treat-wise�” campaign which is a packagingwarning sign created in October 2006.A spokesperson for the British Nutri-tion Foundation commented that,

�“An approach such as this willhelp consumers to make informedchoices and understand the place oftreats in a healthy balanced diet�”.

To be treat-wise means becomingaware, what is the difference ofadding a colour scheme? The currentRDA system that we find on packag-ing today is often misleading as towho is eating the product. A largesum of food companies are usingAdult RDA�’s on products that aremarketed at children however someorganisations such as Rowntrees havealtered their packaging to offer achild's RDA instead.

We, as adult consumers knowthrough years of practise, what is gen-erally good for us and what is gener-ally not.

We know the difference betweenright and wrong. and only on occa-sion do we get caught out with a fruitjuice that offers the same calories as a

small English breakfast or a breakfastbar that offers the same sugar contentas a large Victoria sponge with extracream and jam. Or is this just thecase, is the majority of everything thatwe consume that doesn't clearly dis-tinguish itself on the outside of apacket, a hidden health scare. Hon-esty is the best policy, don't make con-sumers afraid to eat products justmake them understand their role in ahealthy diet.

According to the Daily Mail thevast majority of shoppers would liketo see the traffic light system installedon to all food and drink products. So-cial Media amongst the younger gen-eration is increasingly on the quest fortruth. Groups on Facebook such as�“Food Labelling, no more Jargons nomore Codes�”, �“Campaign for Truth onFood Labels�” and �“I want to knowwhat is in my food�” suggest that theyounger generation are becomingmore concerned about their food.

The common denominator of thesegroups is that the food and drink in-dustry have a responsibility to tell theconsumer what they are eating. It isrecommended and highly campaignedfor by the following organisations,The Cancer Council, The BritishHeart Foundation, The Diabetes Or-ganisation, Why with the nation'slargest health charities and councilsand the vast majority of all consumersis this labelling system not put in toaction? BHF have vowed to continuethe fight so watch this space.

If you have an opinion about this topicand would like to voice it, please getin touch!



10 /Food and Drink News Review - 23rd July 2010 This issue is printed on 100% recycled lightweight paper

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Cut Sea TangleA natural, alkaline food,Cut Sea Tangle fromOttogi has been naturallydried to retain both theoriginal taste and thenutritional benefits. The80g resealable plasticpouch is a convenientway to store the product.Also available is a CutSeaweed variety.Launched in April 2010,the product retails at�€1.33 and is available inSouth Korea.

Anise FlavouredCanistrelli BiscuitsTranslated RestonicaCanistrelli Anis, this newproduct from BiscuiterieRestonica is traditionallyprepared and made inCorsica. The premium,high-quality product retailsin a 300g pack. Launchedin France in June 2010, thepack retails at �€3.17 and isalso available in Lemon,Almond, Orange Blossom,Plain and White Winevarieties.

Popcorn ChickenRelaunched in Saudi Arabia with new packaging in June 2010,Pops2Go! Popcorn Chicken from Sadia has an updated design. Saidto be free from artificial colours and flavours, the microwaveableproduct is certified halal and retails as 35 to 45 traditional pieces in a250g pack. Cheese and Ketchup variations are also available in therange, which is available for �€1.59.

Green TeaConcentratedSyrupThe Nagomi brandhas launched thisGreen TeaConcentrated Syrup,available in a 0.29-l.oz. bottle, which wason display at theNightclub & BarConvention andTrade Show 2010 inLas Vegas.

Wallace�’s Double Choc Chip Muffin KitInspired by popular characters Wallace andGromit, Wallace�’s Double Choc ChipMuffin Kit from Bacheldre Watermillmakes eight double chocolate chip organicmuffins. The 330g pack contains flour,sugar, chocolate chips, cocoa powder,baking powder and cases; all that needs tobe added is butter or margarine, milk and asingle egg. The home baking set won theBest Organic Food Product in 2009 at theNatural Organic Awards, and is availablein the UK from Sainsbury�’s. Launched inJune 2010, the product is suitable forvegetarians, comes in convenientpackaging, and at just �€3.61, it could be anideal summer holiday activity for thechildren.

What�’sNew

Savoury Garlic Flavoured SaltDescribed as an all natural low sodium salt,NutraSalt�’s Garlic Flavoured Salt is not onlyan excellent source of potassium but it is alsoclaimed to help control blood pressure. Eachserving is said to contain up to 66% lesssodium than other salts. Kosher certified, theproduct has beenavailable in the USAsince February 2010,retailing in a 5-oz. jar.The salt was on displayat the Fancy Food WinterShow in San Francisco,alongside its othervarieties �– Zesty Italian,Classic Curry, Sea Saltand African Medley.

Caribbean Hot SauceThe perfect blend of spices,Shiloh�’s Caribbean HotSauce is designed toawaken the flavour ofsteak. All natural andkosher certified, theproduct is free fromartificial colours, flavoursand preservatives, as wellas trans fat and MSG.Launched in the USA inApril 2010, the 6oz.product is also available inOriginal Steak Sauce,Béarnaise Steak Sauce,Barbecue Steak Sauce,Harissa Steak Sauce, andChimichurri Steak Saucevariants.

Cooking Spray with Olive OilClaimed to be the ideal alternative toconventional oils and fats,Cooking Spray with Olive Oilfrom Solesta is available in anon-spill aerosol and issuitable for frying, grilling,roasting, baking, health grillsand seasoning. The product issuitable for vegetarians, CFC-and alcohol-free, and thealuminium can is fullyrecyclable. Cooking Spraywith Sunflower Oil is alsoavailable alongside the OliveOil variant in the UK. Eachpack costs �€1.80 and the oilswere launched in June 2010.


Fermented Red Ginseng DrinkMade and fermented using bifidobacteriumbifidum, GINLAC�’s Fermented Red GinsengDrink contains premium ingredients said toboost energy. Retailing in a multipackcontaining 15 x 40ml packs was launched inSouth Korea in June 2010 and costs �€19.61.

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Peppermint Herbal Infusion Tea

From Nerada Tea, organic Peppermint HerbalInfusion Tea is made from leaves grown solelyfrom nature�’s resources. The specially selectedherbs are cultivated without pesticides,fungicides or artificial chemical fertilisers. The60g pack retails at �€2.93, is made from 95%recycled material and contains 40 tea bags.The product has been available in Australiasince June 2010.

What�’sNew

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Green ColaJapanese Soft Drinkscompany, Asahi, haveintroduced a botanicalcola free fromcolourants, caffeine andpreservatives. Madewith black malt, the colaretains its characteristicfizzy sensation. Thebrand�’s �‘fresh quality�’technology, originallyfrom the firm�’s ciderdivision, brings out theflavour of the naturalingredients. Launchedon the 25th May 2010,the product retails at�€1.30.

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