Consumers Going All In On Allergy Free Foods

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Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase in the number of people who suffer from food allergies. The increasing number of individuals with food allergies is one of the top reasons why most people develop specialized diets with preference to clean eating and non-GMO foods.

With consumers suffering from food allergies, more people want access to allergy free foods. In the 2004 passage of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, all food manufacturers in the United States are required to label their products with ingredients that may contain top allergens such as dairy, soy, gluten, peanuts, eggs, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. This is the reason why you will see these ingredients in the label list in plain language. Thus, if the product contains “soy lecithin,” it should still indicate “Soy” on the package.

Allergy Free Food is on the Rise

Katherine Allmandinger, manager of strategic insight for Nielsen’s health and wellness practice, noted that there is a growth of allergy free foods in the market today. About 46% of consumers say that the allergy free claims of food manufacturers influence their purchase decisions.

In fact, there are two types of consumers who buy allergy free products–the worriers and wonderers. While worriers have medical bases to avoid a particular kind of ingredient due to adverse reactions, this only reflects a low percentage of the actual consumers who want allergy-free foods.

It is essential to take note that average consumers are not necessarily looking for allergy-friendly foods because they suffer from specific allergic reactions. Instead, they look for these foods because they want to cut out on too much dairy or they want to jump in on the bandwagon of eating healthy.

How Food Manufacturers Make Allergy-Free Products

Before the popularity of allergy-free foods, people only ate naturally allergy-free food. For instance, Enjoy Life, a food company in the United States, has been making allergen-free products for over a decade. Their factories were some of the first to have no cross-contamination with other products.

 

On the other hand, other food manufacturers are developing products that use alternative yet non-allergen ingredients. For instance, snack company Quinn uses sorghum instead of other gluten-containing grains to create their products. They also tested other ancient grains to be able to develop allergy-free products for their customers.

Allergy-Free Foods are a Trendy Niche in the Market

As food allergies continue to rise all over the world, the allergy-free food trend will likely flourish as more and more people want food products that are healthier. In fact, there are many noticeable booths and shops that showcase allergen-free options. Moreover, many food manufacturers are innovating their products so that they are not only healthy but that they also pass the taste test.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Ad Industry: The Missing Link in Getting Children to Eat More Veggies

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It is the job of advertisers to convince ordinary people to buy a particular product. And with advertisements featuring crisps, burgers, and fizzy drinks, it is no wonder why it is so easy for people to indulge in unhealthy eating habits. But what if ads can turn around the eating habits of people and convince them to eat healthily?

The Popeye Moment

Well, this has happened in the past. Remember the iconic cartoon character Popeye? The spinach-gulping sailor boosted the rise of spinach sales during the Great Depression of 1930. In fact, regions that grow spinach erected status of the sailor out of gratitude. This was also the generation when people consumed more vitamins because they ate healthily.

This is the reason why ad man Dan Parker thinks that it is time for the marketing industry to deploy ads depicting healthier eating habits to entice viewers particularly children to eat healthily. Currently, many children perceive vegetables as the bad guys and this is the reason why they don’t eat vegetables. But if this perception can be changed, it will encourage children to eat more veggies.

Dan Parker worked with the campaign group Peas Please that is backed by famous chefs like Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in order to roll out a campaign to alter our perceptions on vegetables and eating healthily.

Normalizing Veggies Consumption for Children

One of the most important methods of changing the perception of people towards eating vegetables is to normalize it. The thing is that the food industry has played with our desire to fit in. For instance, we have been persuaded that eating a snack during mid-morning and mid-afternoon is normal and that eating large portions of meals is normal.

If advertisers can perceive eating healthy as normal, then this can work for everyone. Frozen food company Birds Eye, for example, spends money on marketing vegetables and is supporting the Peas Please campaign. The core message of the company is to normalize frozen vegetables.

How the Internet Can Encourage Everyone to Love Vegetables

Showing infomercials about eating healthy is also helpful. Today, this can be easily done by using the social media to promote eating healthy among people. Campaigns should be effective enough such that it can make people feel and think differently about vegetables. The holy grail is how to raise the idea that eating vegetables can be fun.

This can be easily done by seeking help from celebrities whom children and people, in general, look up to. For instance, school children from the Pentrefoelas Community School in Wales posted pictures on social media together with chefs and football players while having fun holding carrots and cabbages. This can be done anywhere to show to everyone that eating vegetables is not boring.

The thing is that effective advertising can stir emotions. Dan Parker noted that if you are in an emotional state, then you become more susceptible to subliminal messages which makes it is easier to influence you to do something… in this case, buy and eat healthier foods.

Inspired by www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org

Infographic: What is Clean Eating?

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Do you know what clean eating is? The clean eating trend has taken over the food and beverage industry over the past few years. Consumers believe it is a way to eat whole foods and packaged products with simpler ingredients. Two of the essential whole foods to clean eating are fruits and vegetables. Check out this infographic below created by the American Heart Association to learn more about the clean eating.

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Innovative Premix Products for Infants to Grow By 2028

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New market research predicts increasing growth of nutritional food premixes for infants over the next ten years. With more parents wanting to feed their precious babies with only the best infant formula, companies have developed innovative nutritional premixes with nucleotides, organic ingredients, probiotics, and botanicals—aside from the usual ingredients like Vitamin D, DHA, ARA, and iron to name a few.

Infant formulas are food products that are intended to give the right nutrition to babies and infants. When it comes to infant nutrition, premixes play an essential role in formulas. Infant nutrition premixes are customized blends that are intended to improve the overall nutritional value of infant formula.

More Formula Consumption in Near Future

The trend of unique infant formula is growing in developed countries particularly in North America due to the increasing awareness associated with different blends of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other fortifications. In fact, North America shares a large regional market for nutritional premixes for infant formula, and it is forecasted that the value of the market will rise to $103 million by the end of 2028.

Powdered infant nutritional premixes are preferred because of their convenience compared to liquid infant mixes.  Aside from convenience, the contamination of powdered premixes is lesser compared with liquid premixes.

Which Ingredients Are Popular in Powdered Premixes for Infants?

 

There are different types of ingredients put into powdered nutritional premixes. But one of the most popular ingredients used is nucleotides. Nucleotides are added widely not only in infant nutrition but even in pharmaceutical nutrition industries.  Premixes containing amino acids such as threonine, lysine, and methionine to name a few are very popular as they are the primary amino acids needed by small children to grow well. Infant nutritional premixes are now becoming more functional as they are designed to help improve bone health, digestion, and immunity of infants.

Infant nutritional premixes are gaining traction and are now competing with the sports nutrition market as one of the industries that use nucleotides, vitamins, and other dietary supplements. Formula producers are looking for more natural premixes from fruits and vegetables to create more attractive packaging.

Key Players in The Market

The company Future Market Insights (FMI) released a report titled “Infant Nutritional Premix Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2017) and Opportunity Assessment (2018-2028)” which revealed that there are now a lot of critical players taking a bite of the infant nutritional premix niche. These include Plc, Glanbia, Royal DSM N.V., GmbH & Co, BASF, Watson-Inc., Hexagon Nutritional Pvt. Ltd., Farbest Brands, Vitablend, ADM company, and Jubilant Life Sciences to name a few.

The market for customized infant nutritional premix is becoming popular and is expected to get stronger as more and more people are looking for infant food products that contain more value than the usual conventional baby formula products.

Inspired by thefinancialconsulting.com

Personalized Diets: Can Your Genes Really Tell You What to Eat?

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The idea that our genes contain the blueprint for personalized nutrition is the driving force behind personalized nutrition testing. Websites and food companies are currently proliferating such as Nutrigenomix, Profile Precise, and Habit to name a few who provide these personalized services. But, is this true? Well, the answer is not straightforward. But, here are a few details on the idea behind genes and diets.

Personalized Testing Pairs Genes With Nutritional Needs

So, what is personalized testing for? In one article, a writer tried Habit. And the first step in the process is getting tested. You can do it yourself with the use of an at-home test kit for DNA and blood samples. Blood samples are taken twice. The first time is before drinking a high fat and sugary test drink and the second one is after taking the drink.

Then the samples are analyzed and based on the results you will be categorized into one of the seven diet types. Examples of which are range seeker, balance seeker, protein seeker, and fat seeker to name a few.

With the writer’s results, she was analyzed as a protein seeker which meant that her diet should consist more of high protein than any other food group. Other details are also included in the report, which would give you great insights into your personalized diet as well as further cementing your theories about your food response. As an example, the writer’s detailed report confirmed her thoughts on caffeine—that she has a gene variant that makes her sensitive to caffeinated food and drinks.

The high sugar drink acts as a fasting blood test, although it tests a person’s glucose response, it is not a test based on DNA. Further, the test also studies the FTO gene which is linked to weight gain in people who have this gene variant.

habit nutrition plan for genes personalized

Systems Approach

Based on the example above, the personalized testing is not merely based on genes. It is a systems approach that is integrated together, and from there, each is given a customized recommendation.

The idea behind these personalized testing is that it gives people reliable evidence of what their body is currently experiencing. And these values can be instrumental in helping them to rein in their food urges and resist temptation—and maybe even embrace a healthy lifestyle.

Experts Take

Plenty of experts have pointed out that when it comes to pieces of advice on diets, it is quite deceiving to say that our genes are the blueprint because they are not. Although DNA does influence our weight, it is minimal. Our DNA cannot ever dictate to us when it comes to eating that piece of moist and delicious cake. It’s your behavior towards food that dictates which food you put into your body. According to studies, genes only account for five to ten percent of the risk connected with diseases related to diets like type-2 diabetes and obesity.

Inspired by www.npr.org/sections/thesalt

Premium Juice Brands Working on Lowering Sugar in Their Drinks

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Sugar has long been a battle for soda companies and shelf-stable juices, but premium juice brands are now facing the challenge of reducing sugar in their healthy drinks. Premium juice brands typically use fresher ingredients without any added sugars. However, adding some fruit juices and flavors can quickly increase the sugar content in their drinks. In response to the growing fight against sugar, juice brands are innovating the formulations, processing methods, and marketing to take sugar head on.

Not All Sugars Are Created Equal

It is no easy task to eliminate the sugar in these juice brands. CEO of Suja Juice, Jeff Church, says he has watched the market evolve in just the past five years. When Suja Juice started, it had roughly 25g of sugar per bottle, but after listening to consumers, they have decreased the sugar to 10 grams or less per bottle. Church believes that consumer demographics have played a considerable role in the lower sugar options in the market. Baby boomers are more tolerant of higher sugar content than millennials. However, both carry significant weight in sales. Church believes this has forced brands to take a broad focus on reducing sugar.

On the other hand, Ryne O’Donnell, CEO of Sol-ti, is taking a different approach. He believes consumers need to understand that not all sugars are created equal. He believes that adding beneficial fruits and vegetables that may be high in natural sugars outweighs the potential negatives.

Courtroom Controversy for Juice Brands

Some of the first juice brands have faced courtroom controversy from anti-sugar crusaders. Odwalla, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola, faced backlash and a class action lawsuit for the phrase “evaporated cane juice” on its ingredient label. The lawsuit was ultimately withdrawn, but the Odwalla was hit with another suit based on their “No Sugar Added” phrase on their packaging. They are currently in private mediation with no expected ruling or settlement until the middle of 2018.

 

Center for Science in the Public Trust also filed a lawsuit against Pepsi’s Naked Juice brand in 2017. CSI believed naked was mislead consumers through marketing products with the wrong fruits and vegetables on the packaging and use of phrases like “No Sugar Added.” Pepsi settled and agreed to update its packaging with more accurate ingredients and decrease the font size of “No Sugar Added.”

New Brands on the Block Looking to Capitalize

Edit Fruit Juice was founded in 2013 with the idea to solve the technical issue of eliminating natural sugars from fruit. The company’s patented process enables them to extract 90% of all natural sugars from the fruit so that their 100% fruit juice contains less than 1g of sugar per serving.

Other brands are adapting by adding natural sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit. However, some premium juice brands don’t like the idea of adulterating pure juice. It will be a battle of brands trying to create the most premium juices while decreasing sugar at the same time. They still have to taste delicious and make consumers feel like they are making a healthy choice.

Inspired by bevnet.com

 

The CDC Says Only 1 in 10 Adults Eat Enough Fruits or Vegetables

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The Center for Disease Control released new research in November 2017 detailing the issues with adult fruit and vegetable consumption in 2015. The new study found that just 1 in 10 adults meet the U.S federal recommendations for fruits and vegetables. Depending on age and sex, the national guidelines recommend adults to eat at least 1.5 to 2 cups per day of fruit and 2 to 3 cups per day of vegetables.

A Closer Look at CDC Research

An average of only 9 percent of U.S. adults met the intake recommendations for vegetables in 2015; ranging from 6 percent in West Virginia to 12 percent in Alaska. An average of only 12 percent met their intake recommendations for fruit in 2015; ranging from 7 percent in West Virginia to 16 percent in Washington D.C. The overall results pointed to an alarming trend that consumption was lower among men, younger adults, and adults living in poverty.

“This report highlights that very few Americans eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day, putting them at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. As a result, we’re missing out on the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that fruits and vegetables provide.”

Seung Hee Lee Kwan, Ph.D
CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity

Barriers to Increased Consumption of Fruits and Veggies

The CDC has indicated again as it has revealed in previous studies that there are significant barriers to consumption. They have found that high cost, limited availability, limited access, and perceived lack of cooking and preparation time are the top barriers stopping people from eating more. How can we can we fix these issues?

Strategies to Increase Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables

my plate usda cdc fruits and vegetables nutrifusionIt’s understood that consuming fruits and veggies is critical to reducing your risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and obesity. The CDC developed a guide with strategies to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Here are a few:

  1. Start or expand farm to institution programs in childcare, schools, hospitals, and workplaces
  2. Improve access to retail stores and markets that sell high-quality fruits and veggies
  3. Ensure access to fruits and vegetables in cafeterias and other foodservice venues in worksites, hospitals, and universities

GrandFusion is Key to More Fruits and Vegetables in Your Processed Foods

NutriFusion has worked hard to create a nutrient-dense fruit and vegetable powder that stabilized and concentrates the natural vitamins and minerals. This is incredibly important to processed food manufacturers and brands. You are now able to add the nutritional equivalent to 2 servings of fruits and vegetables with pinky nail’s worth of powder. Interested in learning more about how GrandFusion can make your products healthier with essential micronutrients? Visit your industry-specific page to learn more.

 

Branded Produce Now Represents 38.5% of Total Produce Sales

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Nielsen recently released a report that showcased the growth happening in the produce aisle. According to their report, branded produce dollar share grew by 7.7% between 2012 and 2016. Based on this kind of growth, it should be no surprise that branded produce is ripe for more sales.

Consumers are Choosing Branded Produce Over Their Non-Branded Equivalents

In just the last year, branded produce sales grew by 8% with unbranded equivalents’ sales decreasing by 8.6%. Consumers are not attracted to produce brands like traditional brands instead they emphasize the information that brands share on packaging like organic, non-GMO, vitamins, etc.

The branded produce snacks market has started to take off with items like hummus and carrots, guacamole cups, pre-made salads, etc. The category now represents $1.1 billion in sales with branded options controlling 72% of the market share.

Dole Partners With Disney to Sell to Kids

Everyone wants kids to eat healthier, but it is still the biggest challenge for parents and food manufacturers. Dole partnered with Disney to feature famous characters from Frozen, Star Wars, and more on their point of purchase displays and packaging. This has helped Dole sell healthier snacks to parents because their kids are putting the products in the cart.

Branding the Future of Fruits and Vegetables

Branded fruits and veggies have plenty of room to grow over the next ten years as more people engage in healthier lifestyles. Don’t expect a huge advertising spending spree from these brands, but look out for new packaging, labeling, and social media efforts to resonate with younger millennial shoppers.

Inspired by www.nielsen.com