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Supplements - do we ask too much?
25-Feb-2008 - Taking a range of supplements from vitamin A to zinc is becoming part of everyday life. But as the latest study is published questioning their efficacy, people could be left wondering do they work?
Making a meal out of saturated fat
18-Feb-2008 - The food industry across Europe needs to make a big effort to reduce saturated fat in food regardless of whether national agencies set targets - and it should not wait around for governments to do all the awareness-raising with its consumers.
The ethical cocoa confusion
11-Feb-2008 - While most consumers agree that ethically-sourced cocoa is no bad thing, an ever increasing number of different schemes risks muddying the issue and puzzling chocolate fans.
Branding Vs label info: who's the enemy?
04-Feb-2008 - Product branding and information provided to consumers on food labels are again at loggerheads, and industry doesn't seem likely to accept new EU labelling proposals without a fight.
Probiotics, friend or foe?
28-Jan-2008 - The headlines are sensationalist: twenty-four people have died in a probiotic trial. Therefore, probiotics may be fatal. Throw those yoghurt shots away!
Exotic fruits or local berries? You choose
21-Jan-2008 - As consumer demand for exotic superfruits increases, so will the impact of transport on the environment. But as policy makers and green campaigners devise more ways of monitoring greenhouse gases, who will win the environmental tug of war?
How natural is 'natural'?
14-Jan-2008 - The refusal by regulators to provide a formal definition of the term 'natural' will ultimately lead to confusion for consumers and a legal headache for manufacturers.
Back to tap: bottled water's enviro-woes
07-Jan-2008 - It looks set to be a vintage year ahead for Chateau Eau De Source Public - or as it is more humbly known, tap water - as consumers find themselves encouraged to shun the mineral variety of the product to reduce packaging waste.
Time for antioxidants v2.0
17-Dec-2007 - 'Antioxidants' crop up every where, from beverage cans to cereal packets. But industry must wake up to over use of the antioxidant tag before the term loses meaning for consumers.
Infant nutrition: Too close for comfort?
10-Dec-2007 - Industry has to walk a tightrope between lending a benevolent hand to support infant nutrition for the good of public health, and cynical marketing that seems to cash in on sensitivities.
Industry's role against HIV/AIDS
03-Dec-2007 - Following World AIDS Day, the food industry should reflect on its own potential to advance the fight against a disease that continues to sweep a devastating toll.
Why all the fuss about stevia?
26-Nov-2007 - Over the past half year, stevia has been the focus of attention as the search for a perfect natural sweetener continues. But why are the birds circling when the ingredient has not been approved in the two major Western markets - the United States and Europe?
Are trade shows relevant?
19-Nov-2007 - The new crop of business cards yielded by another trade show season have been duly filed away. But the big question remains. Were the three days at FIE followed, for many, by another three at SupplySide West, really worth the blisters, the jet lag, and the not inconsiderable expense?
Meat, cancer and credibility
05-Nov-2007 - The big 'Cs' got the meat industry in trouble last week - cancer and credibility.
The weather excuse
22-Oct-2007 - With all the threats facing food and beverage production -- from contamination in the food chain, to rising input prices -- there appears to be one menace that towers above the rest, namely 'The Weather'.
Time to get serious on health claims criteria
15-Oct-2007 - The European Food Safety Authority's task to assess thousands of health claims is a headache in anyone's book - and one made worse through vague instructions to industry.
Will value-added lose out to the basics?
09-Oct-2007 - Food companies have been focussing on value-added products in a bid to reduce their reliance on commodities, which can fluctuate wildly and deliver slim margins. But now that prices of basic foods are at an all-time high, can value-added foods still compete for their share of the consumer buck?
Ripping the red tape
01-Oct-2007 - They say that patience is a virtue. But when it comes to the regulatory process on both sides of the Atlantic, patience too often results in dust gathering in the "to do" box on some regulator's desk.
Consumers and the confidence crisis
24-Sep-2007 - Consumer demand - the holy grail of any industry - is a fragile and easily manipulated treasure. But influencing consumers for anything other than their own benefit will, more often than not, carry unintended consequences.
Arnie and the clones
17-Sep-2007 - Cloned foods have not yet made it to our grocery aisles, but in the advent of such a rollout consumers must have a defined right to decide if they want to swallow the technology or not.
Hooked on Es
10-Sep-2007 - This comment was amended to correct a statement about bans of additives in other countries. Some of the chemicals were previously banned by Norway, Austria and Australia but those bans have since been removed. Allura red AC, tartrazine and sunset yellow are allowed in the US, while quinoline yellow, carmoisine and ponceau 4R are not. None of the colour additives are currently banned by Australia, which lifted a ban on quinoline yellow in 2003. The country does not permit tartrazine to be used in medicines.
Food prices and the death of the productionist model
04-Sep-2007 - Last week saw a string of communications about food price rises: first warnings were aired about wheat, then meat, then dairy. It's a vertiginous view from the heights of the commodity markets, and it's clearer than ever before that we need to re-jig our basic food supply systems if we are to feed the world in the future.
Is it harsh? Is it fair? No it's a consumer watchdog
27-Aug-2007 - In 1993, it seemed superheroes had reached their lowest peak when Superman was slain by an unstoppable monster known as "Doomsday".
A helping hand to the confused consumer
13-Aug-2007 - Consumers are bombarded with an overload of nutritional advice and product marketing - be it from magazines, television shows, and product advertising - and without a degree in nutritional science, it's a wonder they can make sense of it at all.
Reflections from IFT
06-Aug-2007 - As the dust settles on this year's IFT Food Expo 2007 in Chicago, health and wellness and food safety came through as the star performers, and drivers for the future of the industry.
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