From the monthly archives:

September 2009

Paula Deen Serves Up Food Advice for Kids

by Janet on September 30, 2009

paula deenThe queen of Southern cuisine has a new cookbook for kids:   Paula Deen’s Cookbook for the Lunch-Box Set. I must admit, Paula is not my favorite Food Network star. No doubt she’s charming and entertaining, but I don’t really embrace her deep-fried, fat-laden style of cooking.  So the thought of her cuisine translated to kids made me a bit nervous.  It seems as though Barbara Walters had a similar concern when Paula made a recent appearance on The View to promote her new book.

Paula dishes up an enormous spread of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, strawberry cake, chocolate fondue, cookies, muffins and other Southern comforts, licking off her fingers as she described these so-called kid-friendly foods in her cookbook. The View ladies are digging right in and then Barbara asks a rather serious question:

“This is a cookbook for kids. Obesity is the number one problem for kids today. Everything you have here is enormously fattening. You tell kids to have cheesecake for breakfast . . .you tell them to have chocolate cake, meatloaf and french fries for lunch.  Does it bother you that you’re adding to it? No? Not at all?”

Paula mumbles something about moderation — “you know, we don’t eat this every day” — to an unconvinced Walters. The awkward exchange has fueled a heated debate in the blogosphere, with people passionately taking both sides — criticizing Walters for her “attack” and Paula for promoting high-calorie, fatty recipes for kids.

Yes, Walters comes down hard on Paula during this light-hearted segment (ironically, the abrupt question came soon after Paula told Walters how she reminded her of her mom and Aunt Peggy because she was so lady-like).  Ha!  Guess she didn’t know what hit her.

But how could Walters not ask this question?  How could the issue be ignored?  The entire segment was over-the-top indulgent — it seemed like a logical topic to bring up.   So can you really blame Walters…or was it just the way she said it?   What’s disturbing to me is that so many people will be looking to Paula for advice on what’s good for kids to pack in a lunch or eat for breakfast before school.  She even tried to talk about nutrition mentioning the “protein” they need.  Yes, Paula is a celebrity chef and she has a devoted following, but that doesn’t automatically make her an expert on children’s nutrition. Well, at least she’s not talking about hiding broccoli in brownies.

No, Paula is not the reason we have a childhood obesity problem in this country.  But is this the type of cookbook parents really need right now?   Was Paula ambushed by Walters on The View?  Was it a fair question?  Or should we just all calm down and shut-up?  Watch the video and let me know your thoughts.

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Are Beauty Foods Really that Attractive?

by Janet on September 22, 2009

glowelleThe latest food trend is all about appearance.  A slew of beauty foods and beverages claim to improve your skin and hair, or make you more attractive in some way.   It’s the trend of “beauty from the inside out” that a growing number of products are banking on.

Similarly, cosmetics are making more nutrition claims.  Check out my earlier post Nutrition Myths at the Makeup Counter.

The trend tracker Mintel indicates that there’s been a 306% increase in global food and beverage products with a “beauty enhancing” claim (from 2005 to 2008). That’s really quite significant when you consider that overall growth of global food and beverage launches was just 35% during the same time frame.  Already in 2009, nearly 300 beauty foods and beverages have been introduced, surpassing the total number launched last year.  Here’s just a sampling of the products…

Glowelle is a beauty drink created by Nestle that “provides the nutrition that skin craves.”  The 100-calorie ready-to-drink beverages and on-the-go packets are made with pomegranate, lychee and other fruits.  The antioxidants, botanicals and fruit extracts are said to increase the skin’s antioxidant barrier to help even the skin tone and protect from free radical damage.

self-beauty-elixir

Hansen Beverage Corporation introduced Self Beauty Elixir, another ready-to-drink beverage that’s infused with fruit extracts and botanicals.  The drinks contain 30% juice and are fortified with vitamins and minerals, including 500% vitamin E, 150% vitamin C and 100% vitamin A to “promote and support healthy skin and overall wellness.”

Borba beverages are sold in the beauty department store Sephora and claim to help your skin “improve itself from within.”  These antioxidant-rich drinks are made with a variety of trendy fruits and are fortified with vitamins.  One of the Borba Skin Balance Waters contains Guanabana fruit, green tea and grapeseed extract. Some are “age defying,” others are “firming” and “replenishing.”  The products claim to “promote skin’s natural elasticity, smoothness and resilence.”

The beauty trend is even bigger in other parts of the world… 499_image

In Japan, Kracie Foods recently launched fruit snacks consisting of dried mangoes, pineapples, papaya and cranberries coated with collagen and vitamin C.  It targets women in their 20s to 40s who are conscious of their skin health. Beauty Up Bitoroa Drink is a beauty beverage designed to induce quality sleep; it’s formulated with relaxing bercarnot and GABA, as well as collagen and six other purported beauty ingredients to boost skin’s elasticity and moisture.

The global beauty company Shiseido in Japan introduced a collagen-enriched beauty drink to promote a youthful appearance.  It contains fish collagen, CoQ10, Duxlong leaves, ginseng, lotus germs, amra and  hyaluronic acid.

tea tonic complexion teaIn Australia, Tea Tonic’s Complexion Tea is caffeine-free and rich in antioxidants.  Formulated by a naturopath and herbalist, the product claims to help “revitalize each cell of the body within, and is a positive step towards achieving beautiful luminous skin and a fabulous complexion.”

Magic Fruits in Germany are made with whole dried raspberries and contain the slogan “nibble yourself beautiful.”

So what’s going on here?  Can these products really make you more beautiful?  I think the beauty trend is a mixed bag.  On one hand I like the idea that people may be motivated to eat better if they think it can potentially improve how they look.  A junky diet could impact the health of your skin, your hair, your nails.  Nutritious foods do help inside and out (to an extent), and this benefit is getting more attention. Several new books tout the role of nutrition and appearance, including YOU:  Being Beautiful and The Beauty Diet.

beauty diet

But many of these new products are simply riding the beauty popularity wave and promising hope in a bottle.  Are they worth the money when you can find an array of beauty foods right in the grocery store?  Do we really need expensive vitamin-infused fruity beverages when we can eat actual fruit?

Instead of stocking up on manufactured, fortified beauty drinks, I think our attention should shift to real food — another reason to eat more fruits and vegetables.  As registered dietitian Lisa Drayer says, “looking great has never been so delicious.”

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There’s Got to Be a Better Way: I Say No Hip Hip Hooray for Hooray Puree’

by Janet on September 20, 2009

6a00d8341c58f853ef01157036110e970c-250wiI was shopping at my local Costco in Chicago today when I stumbled upon one of the many sampling stations set up throughout the store.  I had skipped the others, but this display caught my attention. All of these moms were gathered around a tall guy in a hair net talking about children’s nutrition.  He was demonstrating a new product called Hooray Puree?, tubes of frozen pureed vegetables to sneak into macaroni and cheese, brownies and other “kid foods.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Here was the concept of Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious come to life in the aisles of Costco!  I guess it was only a matter of time before a company jumped on this idea. Is it really an indication of the power of this trend?

If you read my earlier posts [Debating the Merits of Stealth Veggies and An Update on the Seinfeld Food Fight] then you know I’m not a fan of this stealth vegetable tactic.  I’d rather parents work on new ways to get kids to love vegetables, rather than focus on hiding them.6a00d8341bfc7553ef00e54f2ddeb28833-640wi

Even so, I know sometimes that means getting creative at mealtime.  It’s not always easy, but I think there are better ways to teach kids to enjoy eating vegetables. I appreciate the company’s interest in children’s diets, but the recipes they promote to use with the purees are not really going to help.  Each 4-ounce packet (including spinach, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and butternut squash) is equal to 1 vegetable serving.  But then most of the recipes only use 1 packet and they serve 4 or more.  That translates to less than 1 ounce of vegetables per serving!

For example, the beef stew recipe featured on the company’s web site is 1 can of Dinty Moore Stew and 1 packet of carrot puree.  So for one serving of this delicious stew, your child would get about a tablespoon of carrots!  Come on.

Similarly, the macaroni and cheese recipe is 1 box of mac n’ cheese plus 1 packet of butternut squash puree. Once again, that’s only 1 ounce of vegetables per serving.  I wouldn’t want parents to think they’re off the hook, they gave their kids vegetables with just a dollop of mushed vegetables mixed in. The meat loaf recipe features 2 packets of purees, but the recipe serves 6-8…so that’s still just about 1 ounce of vegetables per serving.  You’d be better off adding grated carrots and small bits of red pepper to your meat loaf mixture. There’s got to be a better way!

Hooray Puree is made by a Chicago-area company called ReeRee Foods in Elk Grove Village.  Since it’s a local creation, I feel a little bad being negative.  But I wish this desire to get kids to eat better would result in a different type of product.  I think this will only distract parents.  And even though the intent is admirable, the actual product — and stealth technique —  is not.

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Food Trend Update: The Fiber Free-For-All

by Janet on September 16, 2009

6a010536e3fd46970c011168528c33970c-320wiThe fiber floodgates have opened wide. Have you noticed?  It’s hard to miss the onslaught of new products proudly boasting about fiber on the front of package labels.

The fiber fortification craze was the topic of my article in today’s Chicago Tribune.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m a big fan of fiber. Research continues to document the multiple health benefits of a high-fiber diet.  And most Americans get only about half the fiber they need (25 to 38 grams per day).

But this is not your mother’s roughage.  The modern approach to fiber is a far cry from stewed prunes or a bowl of bran.  The new high-fiber foods are spiked with isolated fibers — a type of purified powder that differs from the intact fiber that is naturally found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. These so-called functional fibers (often inulin, polydextrose or resistant maltodextrin ) do not have a grainy or gummy texture, so they allow manufacturers to add fiber into creamy yogurts, clear drinks and other previously fiber-free places.

For my article, I interviewed registered dietitian Joanne Slavin, a University of Minnesota researcher and one of the country’s leading experts on dietary fiber. Slavin has conducted tons of research on whole grains, but she told me the evidence on these isolated fibers is much skimpier: ”This concept might make sense, but it’s less researched.  It’s an up and coming area.”

51qI5a3ZNyL._SL500_AA280_For example, some studies do suggest that inulin (often extracted from chicory root or Jerusalem artichoke) may boost beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract, but there is little or no evidence that this type of fiber helps lower cholesterol or aids regularity.

Other studies suggest eating a lot of fiber can help you control your weight.  But Slavin said this research is linked to people eating high-fiber, lower calorie foods like fruits and vegetables.  The weight loss benefits would not likely apply if you got most of your fiber from calorie-dense foods like chocolate snack bars, toaster pastries and ice cream with added fiber.

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Even so, Slavin said these isolated fibers may help make it easier for people to get more fiber.  “There are a lot more choices to get fiber, and that’s the upside,” she said.  “If fiber doesn’t taste good, people won’t eat it.”

Still, she worries that these new fiber-fortified products may give people an “out.”  She doesn’t want people to think “I’m off the hook” just because they snacked on a cookie or snack bar spiked with fiber.

It’s important to keep your focus on whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  These foods naturally contain fiber along with other health-promoting nutrients.  If you eat three fiber-fortified chocolate bars, you can meet your fiber goal, but it’s not the same as if you eat an abundance of “whole” foods that naturally contain fiber.  So don’t think these new fiber snacks are an equal trade-off.

It’s also a lot easier to overdo it on fiber with some of these dessert-like options.  Your health may not be in danger, but you could pay for it in digestive discomfort.

So bottom line, my message is this:

  • Eat more fiber.  That’s a good thing.
  • Remember that not all fiber is created equal.  Aim for a mixture of different types of fibers.
  • Be picky about the company your fiber keeps.  What else are you getting along with the fiber?
  • Eat fiber-fortified “desserts” in moderation.
  • Get a bulk of your fiber the old-fashioned way.

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Sensa Diet Smells Fishy To Me

by Janet on September 11, 2009

sensa-shakerThe latest diet to hit the infomercial scene is Sensa, a “natural weight loss system” designed to help you eat less by changing your sense smell and taste.  It appears to be a reincarnation of “The Sprinkle Diet” that got a lot of press a few years ago.  Now it’s back and coming on strong.  In fact, in Chicago I’ve heard radio ads that sound like they’re recruiting for a clinical trial using Sensa — offering to provide a free supply of the “sprinkles.”  No dieting, no exercise required. Sounds too good to be true, huh?

So here’s how it’s supposed to work.  You buy a month’s supply of the Sensa packets ($59.00) and sprinkle it on everything you eat.  The flavorless “crystal tastants” are supposed to make you feel full faster by stimulating the part of your brain that tells your body it’s time to stop eating.  The product claims to induce something called “sensory-specific satiety.” Sensa creator Dr. Alan Hirsch said it makes your brain think you’ve eaten more than you have and you’ll eat less and lose weight. What you eat doesn’t appear to matter.  The trysensa web site features a big piece of pie a la mode with someone pouring on the sprinkles.  Hmmm…what kind of message does that send?

Known as “Dr. Smell,” the Sensa creator Dr. Alan Hirsch is an interesting guy – he’s a neurologist, psychiatrist and founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Dr. Hirsch has pioneered much of the research on smell, taste and appetite — and his studies were the subject of a Dateline NBC feature several years ago.  It’s worth checking out…

His studies in the ’90s paved the way for Sensa.  The first study was published in 1995 and the second study doesn’t appear to be published (only presented at a scientific meeting in Prague).  Both studies are included on the web site in abstract form. The primary claim — people who sprinkled the tastant crystals on everything they ate lost an average of  30 pounds in 6 months, which was statistically significant more than those who did not use the sprinkles.  The Web site boasts:

Sensa’s results beat Weight Watchers, Atkins and the Zone with more pounds lost in less time.

The product is starting to get more attention, including a recent article in the New York Times:  A Slimmer You May Be A Whiff Away.

So what exactly is Sensa?  The ingredients don’t look so magical.  Actually, the packets contain similar ingredients to what you’d find in many processed foods…

  • Maltodextrin (corn starch)
  • Tricalcium phosphate (“bone ash,” a source of calcium used in supplements and fortification, also acts as an anticaking agent, so it probably helps the crystals not stick together)
  • Natural and artificial flavors
  • Artificial color yellow #5 (the second most widely used coloring that causes allergic reations, according to CSPI)
  • Carmine (the red coloring obtained from insects)SA_STK_GuaranteedLose30_012209_rr_550x550

There are some earlier studies that suggest maltodextrin may offer some satiety benefits (particularly when added to soup), but it surprises me that the sprinkles would have such a dramatic impact on fullness.  People have such a hard time getting in touch with their hunger cues (and certainly don’t always stop when they’re satisfied), so it’s hard to think that the sprinkles can help overcome this.  It’s great that people lost weight with the product, but I have some concerns:

  • What did they learn? Those sprinkles are not helping you learn positive new behaviors, not helping you address the reasons you’re struggling with your weight.
  • What about the quality of the diet? There’s basically no nutrition education involved with the program.  You can eat all the junk you want, as long as you add the sprinkles.
  • How long can this last? The program tells you to eat whatever you want.  What’s going to happen when you stop using the sprinkles.  Will you be sprinkle-dependent forever?  What about long-term results, lifestyle changes?
  • No exercise plan. Sensa proudly declares that you don’t need to exercise.  So there’s no encouragement of daily physical activity.
  • Your pocketbook. An additional $59.00 a month can add up quickly.  I’d rather people spend the money on fresh fruits and vegetables, which have tremendous satiety value — and a lot more nutrients than you’ll find in maltodextrin.

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An Update on Seinfeld Food Fight: No Veggie Plagiarism

by Janet on September 11, 2009

Photo credit: Joyce Dopkeen New York Times/Heidi Gutman NBC

Photo credit: Joyce Dopkeen New York Times/Heidi Gutman NBC

Looks like the fight between the deceptive and sneaky cookbooks is over.  Remember my previous article Debating the Merits of “Stealth” Veggies” about Jessica Seinfeld and Missy Chase Lapine?  It appears there was no culinary copyright infringement — the lawsuit was dismissed.  You can read more at CNN.

U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed all claims brought against Jessica Seinfeld’s cookbook, “Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food.”  In the lawsuit, filed in 2007, author Missy Chase Lapine accused Jessica Seinfeld of taking ideas from Lapine’s cookbook “The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids’ Favorite Meals.” Lapine’s cookbook was published in April 2007, six months before Seinfeld’s book.

“The court categorically rejected the claim that ‘Deceptively Delicious’ infringed the copyright and trademark of the plaintiff’s book,” said Orin Snyder, Seinfeld’s lawyer. “The federal judge ruled that ‘no reasonable fact finder could conclude’ that copying occurred here given that the works are ‘very different’ and that Jessica’s book ‘has a completely different feel.’ “

There’s an excellent review of the issue on the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog. Federal judge Laura Taylor Swain wrote:

Plaintiffs’ description of the allegedly protected expression –“giving instructions for making vegetable purees in advance, storing them for future use, and then using them in specially created recipes which include the pre-made purees as ingredients,” – is so abstract as clearly to fall into the category of unprotectible process or idea. It remains nothing more than the very idea that Plaintiffs recognized as unprotectible: hiding vegetables in foods children enjoy. Plaintiffs’ inclusion of process details, primarily focused on time-saving techniques, is insufficient to transform an unprotectible idea into a copyrightable expression of that idea.

6a00d8341bfc7553ef00e54f2ddeb28833-640wiSo maybe the fight is over.  I’m still not convinced the sneaky approach is the best way to get kids to eat their vegetables.

The end of the lawsuit will likely bring a whole new round of publicity for the book, however, I’m hopeful that this won’t be a validation of the stealth tactics. Read my earlier post.  The recipes weren’t even that nutritious!

The Meal Makeover Moms tested many of the recipes in the book, and they didn’t even taste good.  That’s so ironic since they were attempting to hide the supposedly bad taste of vegetables.

Now the case is closed.  Let’s go back to celebrating vegetables and finding new ways to have kids grow up loving broccoli, carrots and spinach — not hiding them in brownies.

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Hot Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Recipe

by Janet on September 5, 2009

On this Labor  Day weekend I am remembering the amazing Sheila Lukins, who recently passed away. Take a look at this wonderful tribute in the New York Times, in case you missed it.  Sheila was always one of my favorite food writers, and my tattered, dog-eared copy of the original Silver Palate17552074 Cookbook is certainly proof of that. My latest go-to recipe for parties is from her book Celebrate! (Workman, 2003). I adapted a recipe in a chapter entitled “Celebrate a Ripe Tomato” and it’s become my signature appetizer (or by default, it’s always requested when I’m hosting a party).  This weekend we’re off to a Labor Day cookout and this is what I’m bringing.

So in memory of Sheila Lukins, I wanted to pass along this fabulous recipe.  I don’t follow it exactly. It calls for a mint salad to serve on the side, but instead I top the tomatoes and goat cheese with slivers of fresh basil when they’re out of the oven.  I slice a French baguette and toast , then instruct guests to spread with the roasted garlic, then top with the softened tomato and goat cheese (crostini-style). I also toss in more cloves of garlic so there’s plenty to spread on the toasted bread.  The garlic becomes soft and caramelized, with a sweet, mild taste.  (I cut corners by buying the fresh, peeled garlic and I’ll often roast separately so I can monitor the garlic more closely, then I add at the end with the cheese; you want it soft and caramelized, but watch so it doesn’t burn.) The dish is a fun, interactive appetizer and it’s a beautiful celebration of summer with the tomatoes still left on the vine.

128654896771688821_400_0_0_0_false_color-emptyHere’s the recipe as it appears in the book:

HOT TOMATOES!

How many ways can you combine tomatoes and cheese and still come up with something special?  That’s probably an unanswerable question, but I’m always glad to run across a new marriage of these favorite ingredients.  This recipe is inspired by a real conversation-stopper at the restaurant St. John in London.  Garlic, mint, cheese, olive oil and roasted tomatoes join forces here in a powerhouse dish.

12 cloves garlic
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ripe tomatoes, sill connected on the vine
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 crottins de chevre (goat cheese rounds)
2 cups fresh mint leaves
Juice of 2 lemons
12 to 16 slices peasant bread, toasted

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Place the garlic cloves on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over them.  Close the foil, forming a sealed packet and place it in a small ovenproof dish.  Bake to soften slightly, 10 minutes.  Remove the packet from the oven and set it aside.  Raise the oven temperature to 400 F.
3. Carefully arrange the tomatoes (still on the vine) in an oven-to-table baking dish.  Season them generously with salt and pepper.  Arrange the garlic cloves around the tomatoes.  Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and bake until the tomatoes are softened and runny, 25 minutes.
4. Arrange the crottins around the tomatoes, and return the dish to the oven.  Bake until the cheese softens, another 5 minutes.  Watch carefully — you don’t want them to melt.
5. Meanwhile, coarsely tear the mint leaves and place them in a bowl.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the lemon juice.
6. To serve, pass the dish of tomatoes and cheese.  Everybody helps themselves to a tomato and a cheese and plenty of the sauce.  Spread the cheese and tomato on the toasts and pass the mint salad to scoop on top or eat on the side.

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Does Hollywood and the Fashion World Have a Morbid Take on Obesity?

by Janet on September 4, 2009

 

gweneth-paltro

What does pop culture tell us about being obese in America?  That’s the question posed in Newsweek’s Fat on Film.  The thought-provoking online article includes a slide show of various fat characters on film, including Gwyneth Paltrow (above) in Shallow Hal. (Did anyone even see that movie?)  The article says the portrayal of fat characters represents several archetypes, stereotypes and beliefs about what it means to be overweight and what role those who are fat should play in society.  In the article, Beth Bernstein and Matilda St. John, who have written extensively about the intersection of fatness and pop culture, explain  how what we see on screen tells us  how overweight people are viewed by Hollywood and, by extension, society.  It’s definitely worth a look.

On a  related topic, I enjoyed the buzz over a plus-size model who rocked the fashion world and blogosphere when her nude photo appeared in Glamour magazine alongside an article on women’s body confidence.  Lizzi Miller — all 180 glorious pounds of her — flashes a confident smile as her stomach bulges over her thong bikini.

MSNBC.com says…

Within a day, Glamour was inundated with comments, overwhelmingly positive, about the magazine’s showcasing a beautiful model unafraid to let it all hang out.  Web sites such as Facebook, MSN and Jezebel.com were consumed with dialogue over Miller’s photo, and Newsweek.com dedicated Web space to a renewed debate over women’s body image.

The response was so large and effusive that Glamour editor Cindi Leive says Miller is proving to be a game changer when it comes to fashion magazines — which often pay lip service to the idea of representing all women, but usually opt for the carrot-sticks-and-cigarettes, skin-and-bones types when it comes to cover girls.

“I think it absolutely will,” Leive told Matt Lauer on Today.  “You get a reaction like this and  you can really see it.  It’s also a sign of the times that women are really looking for a little bit more authenticity….Immediately, within hours of the magazine coming out, we had people telling us they were emailing it to friends, and that it was the first time they felt good about their bodies, looking at this picture.”

Lizzi Miller (below) has become known as the “woman on page 194″ in some blog posts.  One reader wrote to Glamour saying “Get this hot momma off of page 194 and put her on the cover!”  Other reader comments:  

“Thank you for showing a picture of a BEAUTIFUL woman who has a stomach and thighs that look like mine!  I have NEVER seen that in a magazine before!”

“This woman rocks and we need more women like her to make a mark on what the real woman looks like.”

Lizzi Miller, Glamour (Sept., page 194)

I agree with Newsweek.com:  It would be nice, every so often, to see a “normal”-sized model in something other than a story about how it’s OK to be fat—er, comfortable in your own skin.
 
 
 

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An Update on Global Consumer Trends of 2009

by Janet on September 2, 2009

It’s not going to be all work and no play for today’s consumer, according to Mintel.  Even as the economy drags people down financially and emotionally, this market research firm predicts a continued focus on enjoyment and life fulfillment.  While people around the world still feel pessimistic, Mintel sees them discovering ways to transform their lifestyles and lighten the mood. 

Here’s a look at Mintel’s five global consumer trends for 2009:

Trust
Trust is a paramount concern in 2009 as banks, food manufacturers and government officials suffer from losing people’s confidence.  In the U.S., 66% of adults say they have less trust in financial services companies because of recent economic developments.  Food companies are at risk too; 60% of Americans worry about food safety.

Control
When the financial bottom dropped out last year, already-choosy consumers found another reason to grasp for control:  security.  A Mintel survey of U.S. affluent adults found that two in five intend to permanently spend less and decrease their reliance on credit cards, thus increasing control over their finances.   “We see new values taking hold as people adapt to today’s tighter economy,” said Harry Foster, global analyst at Mintel. “Conservative and pragmatic are in, excess is out.  Consumers feel pessimistic about the future, so they’re taking cautious steps to ensure their safety and happiness now.”fling1

Playfulness
Despite negative feelings about the economy and pressure to cut back, people still want to enjoy themselves.  In the U.S., three in five people say they traveled domestically in the past year, but to save money, more travelers visit friends or family, spend time looking for travel bargains or choose cheap transportation.  Additionally, helping people achieve the balance between necessity and pleasure, food manufacturers have been releasing quirky, light-hearted new products.  Today, playfulness offers people a way to escape, engage and build relationships with brands.

simply-pb-packageSimplicity
In work and play alike, consumers around the world continue to seek simplicity.  More than two-thirds of Americans told Mintel they’ve been simplifying their lives over the past 6 months, while nearly 9 in 10 think there is “too much emphasis on material things in our society.”  Food manufacturers have followed suit, launching more products that appease people’s desire for clear functionality, clean ingredient labels and simple packaging.  Restaurants have jumped on this trend by offering all-inclusive meal deals that tell people exactly what they’ll get for their money.

Trading down, up and over 
Trying to save where they can, consumers continue trading down across spending opportunities.  Eight in 10 Americans say they’re cooking at home more now, while 52% admit to spending less at restaurants this year compared to last.  With so much trading down, however, many consumers also trade up in some instances to reward themselves.  Small luxuries like fine chocolate are a common treat, while other shoppers purchase gourmet food at the grocery store because it’s still more affordable than eating out.

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