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| Low Salt Partnership In response to the growing interest in
reducing salt in food,Tate & Lyle has Soda-Lo is designed to reduce salt
levels in food by up to 30 percent without The partnership agreement was
spearheaded by Tate & Lyle’s Open “This is a significant deal for Eminate LTD and we are delighted that Tate & Lyle is working with us and the University of Nottingham to fully commercialise our novel salt reduction technology,” said Neil Davidson, chairman of Eminate. The technology alters the size, form and structure of salt crystals to increase their saltiness.This allows an overall reduction in the amount of salt needed to retain the same flavour profile. Soda-Lo is ‘clean label’, in contrast to other low-sodium products, which replace sodium chloride with other ingredients, such as potassium and magnesium. The technology received the “Most Innovate Research Project” at the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards in January 2001, as a healthier natural alternative to standard salt. Eminate, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Nottingham, was launched in 2006. Based on expertise in the design and commercial application of micro and nano particles, the company works across a range of sectors including healthcare, food and ingredients and functional foods. Tate & Lyle will assume responsibility for manufacturing, product development, sales and marketing of the new item.The company said that food manufacturers, primarily in the UK and US, are already using the product. “The Soda-Lo salt reduction technology is an excellent addition to Tate & Lyle’s Health and Wellness offering. Salt reduction is a high-profile priority for many of our customers who are committed to formulating reduced salt products to meet growing consumer demand,” said Karl Kramer, president of Innovation and Commercial Development at Tate & Lyle. A global release for the product is expected in 2012. Money Still Matters Although surveys continue to suggest
that Australian consumers are According to a nationwide poll, 80 per
cent of shoppers say that price is more The survey, which was based on the
Newspoll Online Omnibus and included “In this challenging environment, where household costs are rising and consumers are intent on snapping up bargains either online or in the shops, loyalty goes out the window, said Jackie Crossman, managing director of Crossman Communications. The survey indicated that when it comes to trusting overseas suppliers, food shoppers are very comfortable with food from New Zealand, with 96 per cent confident and 60 per cent very confident with their products. The UK follows closely, with a 91 per cent confidence rating; France rated 87 per cent. “The threat from Asian countries is much less significant, though Australians could easily get turned on to food from South America – in particular Chile which is known for top quality produce – if there was a major education push from that market, Crossman said. Consumer attitudes remain a bit mixed when it comes to price, however, as 53 per cent of those surveyed said they would like the federal government to provide protection to food manufacturers, even if it resulted in higher prices. Royal Winners ARich Glen Olives has topped the honours list at the 2011 Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards. The family owned and operated producer won the Victorian Government Trophy, best overall product, for its Agrumato Zesty Lemon and Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The oil was also named a Champion in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil category. “All of our products are 100 per cent Australian, natural, untreated and preservative free,” said Rosalind and Daimien Vodusek, the owners of the Yarrawonga olive business. The couple extract up to 100,000 litres of cold pressed oil each year, which is then infused with local organically grown citrus fruits. The olives are harvested and pressed the same day, using a climate-controlled storage and processing plant, which the owners’ say provides the fresh quality of the oils. Victorian food producers were awarded 15 out of 26 trophies in the annual Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria sponsored event, which aims to promote best practice and excellence in the industry and to celebrate boutique producers and regional specialists. “We are delighted that Australian fine food producers continue to embrace the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards and we will continue to focus on quality product categories in this competition.The RASV is committed to educating Australians about fine food and in profiling our winning producers to consumers,” said Mark O’Sullivan, RASV CEO. Other 2011 Royal Melbourne award winners include Baci Kisses Gelato from Fritz Gelato in Victoria; Casalingo Sausage from P. Princi Butchers in Western Australia; Bellissimo Coffee PNG Single Origin from Bellissimo Coffee in Queensland; Duck River Premium butter from Fonterra Australia-Spreyton in Tasmania and Woodside Cheese Wrights from South Australia. Light ALL Right Vibrantly coloured fruit and vegetables, such as tomatoes, broccoli and berries, are frequently perceived as being healthier than less colourful options. However, it appears that white coloured fruit and vegetables may need to be reconsidered after a study in the Netherlands found that a higher intake of white fruit and vegetables, particularly apples and pears, was inversely associated with having a stroke. The decade long study of 8988 men and 11,081 women categorised fruit and vegetables into four colour groups: green, orange/yellow, red/purple and white.The first three groups included citrus, leafy green vegetables, lettuces, berries and red vegetables, while the white group was comprised of garlic, leek, onion, apples and pears, apple juice, apple sauce, banana, cauliflower, chicory, cucumber and mushroom. Potatoes and legumes were excluded as they differ significantly in nutritional value from true vegetables. Food consumption data, body weight, height, blood pressure, serum total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol and lifestyle factors such as physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, among others, were recorded and factored into the data analysis. During the 10-year period, 19 fatal and 226 nonfatal stroke cases occurred within the test population. Lower consumption levels for white fruit and vegetable consumption provided a significant association with a higher frequency of incident and ischemic strokes. Every 25g/day increase in white fruit and vegetable consumption resulted in a 9 per cent lower risk of stroke. A 25g/day increase in apples and pears in particular was also inversely associated with stroke. No relationship existed between incident stroke and the consumption of green, red/purple and orange/yellow fruit and vegetables.The beneficial effect of apples may be related to their high dietary fibre content and the presence of the flavonol quercetin. Details of the study can be found in Stroke. Selling Sugar to Youth Companies are using more sophisticated techniques to market sugary drinks to young consumers while increasing the deluge of products, according to a new Yale University study. The report asserts that American youth are being bombarded with marketing for full-calorie sodas and sports, energy and fruit drinks, although beverage companies have promised to improve child-directed advertising. Researchers at Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity say that the study, which they describe as the most comprehensive and science-based assessment of sugary drink nutrition and marketing ever conducted, shows that beverage companies are specifically targeting young people, including heavy marketing of energy and highly caffeinated drinks, which is against the medical advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The findings indicate that the sugary drink companies have shifted their marketing focus away from traditional media to digital and other new social media channels such as community events, cause-related marketing, produce placement and smartphones. The report found that many fruit and energy drinks have as much added sugar and calories as full-calorie soda. Two- thirds of the drinks marketed to children contain at least 15 grams of sugar per serving, which is the maximum amount of total sugar per day recommended by the American Heart Association. Researchers said that even a 6-ounce child-sized pouch of Capri Sun Originals contained around 14 grams of added sugar. Although many companies have pledged to stop marketing unhealthy drinks to children, from 2008–2010 exposure to full-calorie soda TV ads actually doubled. The report singles out Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper Snapple as heading the increase, with twice as many TV ads for their sugary drinks. Young people are also being targeted through product placement and sponsorships, with 63 per cent of all full-calorie soda and energy drink ads on TV including sponsorship of an athlete, sports team or league or event. The researchers also say that companies are specifically targeting black and Hispanic youth as a source of future revenue. Digital media is a growth area for promoting sugary drinks. Twenty-one sugary drink brand had YouTube channels in 2010 with more than 229 million views by June 2011 and 42,000 children visit the MyCokeRewards.com website per month. “Our results clearly show that the beverage industry’s self- regulatory pledges are not working. Children are seeing more, not less marketing, for drinks that increase the risk for serious diseases,” said Kelly Brownell, co-author of the report and director of the Rudd Center. The study is based on data from Nielsen, comScore, Arbitron, independent studies and in-store audits. The researchers analysed a wide range of media marketing channels and sales data, including TV and radio advertising, product placement, social media (including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube), product packaging and retail promotion strategies. It included around 600 products from 14 companies. The study recommends a number of actions from beverage companies including developing and marketing child-friendly products, making nutrition and ingredient information (including caffeine content, which is not mandatory) more accessible and to stop targeting teens with marketing for sugary drinks and caffeinated products. Sticky Business Frustrated fruit lovers have a chance to put their money where their mouths are. Entrepreneur Scott Amron claims to have created a full dissolvable fruit sticker that also acts as an organic cleanser and is looking for financial partners to promote the product. Amron says that, when wet, his Fruitwash Label dissolves into a natural substance – a simple solution for those who find the process of peeling off stickers from apples and pears a rather painstaking process and also for those who find the label aftertaste not to their liking. What’s more, Amron says the label emits an organic fruit cleaning wash that helps remove wax, pesticides, dirt and bacteria from the fruit. Amron said he initially aimed to create a label with a separate section, containing a small amount of fruit wash, which customers could break open and use to cleanse their fruit. But he realised that the users wouldn’t need much to clean a single piece of fruit so instead developed a dissolvable, but still water-resistant, label that contained the wash. Amron, who has a degree in electrical
engineering, is also a conceptual artist.
Along with providing information
about his fruit label his website, Amron is seeking funding for his invention by selling stakes in the patent. New ISO for Tracing Fish A new ISO standard regarding the traceability of finfish products aims to improve food safety by providing accurate information about the origin and nature of the products to all relevant stakeholders. During the past decade a number of serious food crises have impacted numerous countries, their consumers, producers and suppliers. In response, policymakers and scientists have highlighted the importance of traceability of food products as an area of concern. In response, a new standard, ISO 12875:2011, “Traceability of finfish products – Specification on the information to be recorded in captured finfish distribution chains”, now specifies information in marine-captured finfish supply chains that will now need to be recorded. The standard includes specifications on how fishery products are to be identified and what information needs to be generated and retained by all food businesses that trade the products throughout the distribution chains, from catch to caterer. Potential users of the new standard include processors, transporters, wholesalers, retailers, caterer, auction markets and fishing vessels. “ISO 12875:2011provides a generic basis for traceability and will help to guarantee the health protection of consumers and ensure fair practices in food trade of finfish products,” said Rolf Duus, secretary of the working group that developed the new standard. Fallout from the Milk War Queensland’s dairy industry is feeling the impact from a spate of natural disasters and the retail milk war, to the tune of a five per cent drop in revenues. A report from Queenland’s Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation has provided an economic forecast for the state’s milk production for 2011–12 of $229 million, which is five per cent less than 2010–11. The report attributes the decline to the state’s recent natural disasters and the supermarket ‘milk price war’. The report forecasts milk production of around 470 million litres, down from 510 million litres in 2010–11 and 529 in 2009–10. “This Prospect report is another in a long list of reports that details that dairy farmers are facing a disastrous impact from the unsustainable low retail prices of $1/litre for supermarket store brand fresh milk,” said Brian Tessmann, president of Queensland’s Dairyfarmers’ Organisation. Tessman also said that the dairy industry was expecting “real” action following the anticipated report from the Senate Economics Committee inquiry into the retail milk war on 1 November. The organisation has put forward 10 recommendations to tackle the current problems in the industry and restore the sustainability of the fresh milk industry. These include a mandatory code of conduct for the entire supply chain that ensures contracts, prices and supply conditions are sustainable. It also requests a strengthening the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to prevent predatory pricing and deceptive and misleading conduct and for the ACCC to monitor prices, costs and profits regarding the supply of drinking milk. |
