Home

TrendWatch

Culinary Trend
Mapping Report
Trend Mapping Report
Subscribe to Side Dish Email Newsletter icon
Print
Side Dish, Food and Beverage Industry Trends: Center for Culinary Development
SIDE DISH - CCD's Monthly Compilation on Food and Beverage Industry Trends
Functional Food Pregnant Women

NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES

September 2008

Functional food brand for pregnant women…Luna is a French brand of foods for pregnant women that are made with organic ingredients and key nutrients like iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and fiber. Products include snack bars, vegetable soup, cranberry juice, tea infusions, muesli and an apple-prune dessert. (Springwise, 8/20)
  • Potato meets blueberry… A new artisan distilled spirit is Cold River Blueberry Flavored Vodka, a joint venture of Maine Distilleries and Wyman’s, a blueberry marketer. Maine’s two most important crops, potatoes and blueberries, combine to form the world’s only gluten-free flavored vodka. (PR Newswire, 8/1)
  • BDI Marketing announces retail debut of new mocha flavored Mini Thin Rush A.M. liquid energy shot…The shot is designed to provide people on the go with a highly energizing morning pick-me-up. The two-ounce mocha flavored shot is sugar-free and contains less than one carb per serving. The product promises six hours of energy and no crash. (BevNet.com, 8/1)
  • Kashi Company serves up whole grain pilaf sides in three savory flavors… Heat-and-serve Seven Whole Grain Pilaf sides provide nearly an entire day’s worth of whole grains in 60 seconds in the microwave. Flavors include Original, Moroccan Curry with currants, lentils and ginger, and Fiery Fiesta with roasted corn, black beans, red peppers and cilantro. (Yahoo Finance, 8/1)
  • Well-remembered brand is back, offering delicious and innovative products…Eagle Snacks has returned with two innovative snack products: Poppers are crunchy potato spheres in Honey Barbeque, Habañero, Sweet Onion, and Salt & Vinegar; Bursts are corn puffs that come in Cinnamon & Sugar, Caramel Dulce de Leche and White Cheddar flavors. (Earth Times, 8/4)
  • Mars takes M&M’s out of their shell… M&M Premiums are a departure with a new recipe and look. The candies are fatter, less uniform and have no candy shell, only a shiny topcoat with a marbleized, metallic-looking finish in bright colors. Flavors are Mint Chocolate, Mocha, Triple Chocolate, Raspberry Almond and Chocolate Almond. (New York Times, 8/8)
  • Applegate Farms launches probiotic yogurt cheese…The supplier of antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and cheeses has added fortified yogurt cheese to its line. The pre-sliced cheese has three probiotic strains. (Just-Food.com, 8/19)
  • New Products: Good for you meets great taste…Barilla launched Barilla Whole Grain Pasta with 51% whole wheat to deliver three times the fiber of traditional pasta. The line includes rotini, penne, spaghetti and thin spaghetti. (Food Processing, August)
Tomato

FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY HEADLINES

September 2008

The irradiation of produce...Commercialization News brought to you by Jan Matsuno, our Director of Commercialization, reports: "On August 22, 2008, the US FDA approved the use of irradiation to reduce pathogens on fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce. Many industry groups claim this is an important step to improve the safety of the nation’s food supply and prevent foodborne illness. However critics claim it will degrade the products’ nutritional value and ignores the bigger issue of proper growing, handling and sanitation practices. Consumer acceptance, of course, is yet to be seen. Meanwhile keep and eye out for the “radura” symbol on spinach and lettuce in stores near you!"
  • Whole Foods looks for a fresh image in lean times…The natural foods retailer is on a mission to revise its gold-plated image as consumers pull back on discretionary spending in a troubled economy. Budget-minded consumers can now find deeper discounts, lower-priced store brands and value-touting advertising. (New York Times, 8/2)
  • Consumers are raising cane over corn sweetener… Pure cane sugar, honey, and fruit juice are what many consumers seek on labels today for both health and taste reasons. Soda makers, like Hansens and Jones have transitioned to cane sugar and Jamba Juice also promotes its use of cane sugar. The debate continues, however, over whether corn syrup is as detrimental to health as critics claim. (Los Angeles Times, 8/2)
  • It’s basa-and-chips as shoppers choose sustainable fish…A catfish from the murky depths of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam is becoming a favorite of British diners. Basa, also known as tra or panga, is farmed in Vietnam and imported to the UK. This sustainable alternative to overfished stock is being promoted by TV chefs as well as retailers and processors focusing on responsible sourcing. (Telegraph UK, 8/3)
  • The Great Divide: Who says good nutrition means animal fats? Weston Price…An old philosophy to healthful eating promoted by the Weston A. Price Foundation is gaining new traction. Price, a Cleveland dentist in the 1930s studied primitive diets to better understand health issues and tooth decay. He found unprocessed foods as the key to better health, including butter, meat and fish fats, and raw milk. Books like Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon explain more. (Washington Post, 8/6)
  • Supermarket chains narrow their sights…Supermarkets are offering more and more local produce as consumers seek local products and transportation costs soar. Small- and medium-sized chains, many who have been selling local produce for years, are seeing sales growth while larger chains slowly make the switch. (New York Times, 8/6)
  • Farmed tilapia may be no better for you than a doughnut…New U.S. research has found that farmed tilapia, the second-most cultivated fish in the world after carp, have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and high levels of potentially detrimental omega-6 fatty acids, which may cause inflammations. This is due to a diet of vegetable oil which tilapia don’t consume in the wild. (The Toronto Globe and Mail, 8/6)
  • Restaurants cook up ways to accommodate food allergies…Some Milwaukee restaurants, such as Beans & Barley, Bacchus and Mr. B’s Steakhouse, are finding ways to help consumers with allergies, including training wait staff, providing special forms for the kitchen staff, highlighting allergy-causing ingredients on the menu and even offering gluten-free menus. (The Milwaukee Business Journal, 8/11)
  • From soda and chips to grocery staples…Shoppers are turning to convenience stores more often to shop for grocery products. Frozen food and prepared food sales have been growing for some stores as consumers resist buying food ahead of time or in bulk and dip into a store for a quick meal or pantry staple. (Washington Post, 8/9)
  • Coke, Pespi cultivate new, natural sweeteners…Producers are turning to the South American stevia plant as a new source of low-calorie sweetener. Pending FDA clearance, stevia-based drinks will be on their way to consumers. Right now, it is considered a supplement. The trick, though, is making it taste good. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/17)
  • Vitamin D3 stable for fortifying cheese… A new Canadian study suggests fortifying Cheddar cheese with vitamin D3 could be an effective way to raise vitamin D levels in the population. There is thought that deficiencies can lead to serious health problems and now that consumers are avoiding the sun for cancer reasons, deficiency rates are rising. (Food Navigator-USA, 8/18)