Children’s nutrition, food safety, cleaner labels and affordable ingredients that will enable food manufacturers to create flavorful products with less sugar, sodium and no gluten or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were just some of the food issues addressed at the 2012 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo, June 25-28, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Enreco Inc., Newton, Wis., completed the sale of its flaxseed milling and bulk distribution assets today, retaining its Omega Fields retail products distribution division, which markets Omega 3-rich supplements for human and animal nutrition worldwide. Grain Millers Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn., assumed ownership of Enreco's intellectual and physical property, excluding Omega Fields, on June 20.
June marks the final month of the Grain Foods Foundation’s (GFF) spring campaign, RISE, through which we are highlighting the important connection between grains and energy. As I discussed in my April column introducing RISE, we have enlisted the support of former Olympian, soccer star and mom Mia Hamm as our spokesperson. It’s been an extremely successful campaign, and I’d like to use this column to share an update of our activities to-date.
Innovative, better-for-you ingredients, cleaner labels and smaller sizes hit a hole in one in today’s bar category, which is growing faster than Phil Mikelson’s swing.
Consider this: Some 59% of Americans report making changes to their diet to improve their health, and 69% are trying to lose or maintain their weight, according to a 2011 International Food Informational Council Foundation study. Nine out of 10 Americans, or about 88%, believe that fortified foods and foods with added benefits have at least some impact on overall health.
Every day, we open our newspapers, trade publications, health journals and other forms of electronic communications. And every day, there is at least one story that lays the blame for America’s obesity and Type 2 diabetes epidemic on the demon: Sugar. But not all sugars are being blamed; it’s the added sugar that gets placed into foods unbeknownst to the average consumer who is not reading their food labels.
Summer is here—finally! It’s time to hit a few golf balls and kick back. It’s also time to peruse our annual State of the Industry issues (June and July). This month, we’re covering the bakery market, which includes the bread aisle, sweet goods, cookies, bars, snack cakes, frozen baked goods, tortillas, pies and more.
Though the bread market is a bit on the downswing, bakers are still on course with a bevy of new products, healthful ingredients, quality touches, artisan processes and more.
June 18, 2012
It’s golf season, and that means it’s State of the Industry time. Have things changed much since last year? The sluggish economy is still bearish and has had an effect on bakers, though they continue to iron out new products and spin old favorites.
Watch out, golfing pros! Rookie cookie companies are charging down the green with unique ingredients and varieties, while classic brands are finding new ways to stay relevant within the market.
Cookies are a robust segment within the bakery industry. There are brands that have been around for decades and have become household names, but there are also many up-and-coming brands that offer unique flavors for niche markets and are set to become the next class of pros.
Baked goods have been a part of peoples’ diet for thousands of years, far longer than golfers have been hitting a little ball across a grassy surface with a long stick. As ingredients, production methods, distribution and a host of other factors have evolved, consumers at all income levels have been able to enjoy staples like breads and rolls, as well as sweet treats like cookies and pies.
A joint petition proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of folic acid in corn masa flour has been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration by Gruma Corp., the Spina Bifida Association, the March of Dimes Foundation, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Royal DSM N.V. and the National Council of La Raza.