by Janet on June 22, 2009
“Naturally sourced” is a hot trend and companies are quick to tout this attribute on product labels. “Natural” is now the leading claim on new products, according to the Mintel Global New Products Database, which indicates that the claim was included on 23 percent of foods and beverages launched last year.
The recent Institute of Food Technologists meeting in Anaheim, California, featured a ton of examples. Take a look at this IFT trend tour that showcases the array of naturally sourced products on display.
Included in this video is black garlic, which is one of the emerging flavors and foods that Dana McCauley writes about in the Topline Trends section of her food blog. Dana is a wonderful food trend tracker and I encourage you to check out her site (”a recipe writer’s diary”). Black garlic was also hailed as an “it” ingredient by The Washington Post: “In relatively short order, black garlic has morphed from obscure dietary supplement to trendy top-chef ingredient.”
Black garlic even has its own web site Black garlic, where you can learn more about this product, find recipes and order it online.
It does appear that black garlic is poised to be the next naturally sourced super food. So what is it? Black garlic is made by using a patented, month-long heat-curing process that boosts the antioxidants and natural compounds in raw garlic that have been linked to a reduced risk of cancer. The fermentation also creates a softer, chewy texture and a slightly sweet, licorice taste. Forms of fermented garlic have long been eaten for health reasons in Korea and Japan. In fact, black foods overall are a hot trend in Asia – a topic I wrote about previously for the Chicago Tribune.
So it seems…natural is the big buzzword and black is the new black.
Tagged as:
black garlic,
food trends,
IFT,
Mintel,
natural,
naturally sourced ingredients,
new food products,
nutrition trends
by Janet on June 20, 2009
It’s been called the year of the home cook. Increasingly, families are foregoing restaurant fare and staying at home for meals. In fact, in-home cooking is fast approaching a 25-year high, according to the NPD Group. But things have changed. Home cooking looks different than it did during the past two recessions when prepared meals and frozen entrees ruled. This time around families are more likely to cook from scratch, according to Information Resources Inc.’s Competing in a Transforming Economy webinar. The IRI data indicates that 53% of consumers are cooking from scratch more frequently — sending sales of sauces, spice blends, marinades and seasonings soaring.
Elizabeth Sloan reviews these trends in this month’s Food Tcchnology. She says consumers are attempting to prepare restaurant-style foods at home and are looking to these prepared sauces and seasonings to build maximum flavor flexibility into their family meal routines. As consumers turn to one-dish meals, casseroles, woks and crock pots to stretch less-expensive cuts of meat, Sloan predicts that we’ll see more sauces and seasoning mixes tailored to specific preparation methods and appliances. With an increase in “cooking enthusiasts” in this country, look for finishing, hot drizzling and high-end dessert and spirit/wine-based sauces to get more attention, she said. Other ”saucy” trends:
- Bread dipping sauces (other than oils), appetizer sauces,especially for fish/shellfish, and healthier versions of classic continental sauces such as Bordelaise
- Local artisan and varietal sauces, and sauces designed by celebrity chefs or high-end restaurants
- Upgraded soups for cooking, such as chanterelle or porcini mushroom cooking sauce
In an effort to sample the world of foodservice flavors at home, consumers are redefining convenience food, looking for products that assist with flavors (e.g., marinating sauces or rubs), according to the Hartman Group’s Reimagining Convenience Food report. Sloan writes that U.S. consumers are most likely to look for American regional flavors in their sauces and marinades, but expect sauces coupled to international regional cuisines, such as Brazilian churrasco sauces and Argentinean chimichurri sauces to be the next wave.
This summer, now that grilling season is in full swing, expect to see a greater demand for grill-specific marinades, sauces and rubs. The variety of ready-made grilling sauces is exploding, but I tend to make my own. My favorite new guide is the book just released by my good friend Elizabeth Karmel called Soaked, Slathered and Seasoned: A Complete Guide to Flavoring Food for the Grill. I encourage you to check it out this summer. It includes 400 creative recipes for marinades, brines, barbecue sauces, glazes, mops, salsas, dipping sauces, pestos and tapenades for foods on the grill. It truly opened my eyes to the possibilities of a sauce.
Tagged as:
barbecue,
economy,
nutrition trends,
recession,
sauces,
spices
In a few weeks, the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo will showcase “The Best of Food Thinking 2009.” This is where the major food and ingredient companies from around the globe will showcase the latest, greatest products — hoping to be the next big thing. This month’s Food Technology journal has a preview of what will be unveiled at the meeting. Here are a few highlights:
- Beauty From Within. Several companies will be touting ingredients for “beauty foods,” which appear to be coming on strong lately. There’s even a session on the science of beauty foods, including the role of vitamins, essential amino acids and other nutraceuticals on skin health.
- Fiber. Looks like fiber will be a big deal on the exhibit floor — promoted for heart health, immunity and digestive health. It’s all about barley and oat beta-glucans, ancient grains, prebiotics, maltodextrin and gluco polysaccharides.
- Joint Health. New “natural” remedies are on the way for arthritis and inflammatory diseases — ingredients that claim to stimulate cartilage tissue and ease joint pain.
- Eye Health. Could marigolds be the new super flower? One company is touting a natural extract of marigold flowers that contain lutein and zeaxanthin — two carotenoids linked to eye health. These are the same nutrients found in eggs (and there’s even an enriched egg that was co-developed by ophthalmologists).
- Weight Management. With obesity a global health problem, numerous products are showcasing the ways they can be part of the solution. Ingredients include CLA, which the company says can be used to make “marketable claims” about reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle. Other ingredients are focused on satiety or appetite control, including Hi-Maize resistant starch and Slendesta potato extract.
Other major players appear to be probiotics and healthier fats, including companies touting various sources of DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids. There’s even a high DHA omega-3 fortified brownie “positioned for the children’s nutrition market.” Protein looks like it will be a hot nutrient on the exhibit floor, with whey-derived ingredients promoted for muscle strength and healthy skin. The Chia Company will be there boasting about the wonders of this super seed — which is beginning to show up in a range of products. But, you know how I feel about that…if you read my earlier post about chia seeds.
The article in Food Technology talks about a range of “forward thinking” new products that will be on display — probiotic ice cream, nutricosmetic licorice, heart-healthy chocolate chip muffins and satiety smoothies. A conference like this is where it all starts. So stay tuned — like it or not, these new fortified foods will be coming soon to a store near you.
Tagged as:
Beauty foods,
chia seeds,
functional food trends,
Institute of Food Technologists,
new food products,
nutrition trends
by Janet on February 20, 2009
The economy is starting to cut into the growth of the green movement, according to new consumer research from Mintel. The number of Americans who say they almost always or regularly buy green products remains unchanged since last year, at 36%. This comes after tripling the previous year — from 12% in 2007 to 36% in 2008.
Marcia Mogelonsky, PhD, senior research analyst at Mintel, explains the shift in green shopping behavior…
“People’s priorities have changed because of economic hardship. A substantial number of shoppers are now struggling just to provide the basics for their families, so green living is no longer top of mind for many Americans.”
Cost is the biggest barrier. Mintel’s survey found the majority of adults are willing to pay only a little extra for green products. More than half of respondents (54%) say they would buy more green products but the products are too expensive.
“Today’s shopper is looking for value,” said Mogelonsky. “Value doesn’t mean just low prices, but cost is definitely a factor. True value includes health and safety benefits, quality, convenience, appeal and trust, all at a reasonable price. Companies who provide those benefits, as well as appease shoppers’ green sensibilities, will enjoy success despite the recession.”
Even though the trend is slowing, Mintel predicts a 19% growth for green products overall through 2013. Markets including green personal care and environmentally friendly household cleaners are expected to perform especially well. Organic food, the most mature segment, will experience slowing but steady growth over the next five years, despite lower prices from private label organics and competition from natural and local foods.
Despite the green slow-down, the number of green labels continues to grow. Check out the range of eco-labels that are now being used on foods and beverages today.
Tagged as:
green,
Mintel,
nutrition trends,
organic
by Janet on February 19, 2009
One of the fruits that I grew to love this summer in Lebanon was the prickly pear — known as cactus fruit or subbair. These seed-studded fruits grow wild on my father-in-law’s property around his house. And I would love to eat these succulent fruits for breakfast. I was amazed at the markets near his house where the cactus fruit would be stacked high on display…and the peeling of this thorny, desert fruit was turned into an art form.
Prickly pear cactus has a long history in Mexico and Rick Bayless writes lovingly about the fruit (tunas) in his cookbook Mexican Kitchen, which features Crimson Prickly Pear Sauce.
Now it seems this ancient fruit Opuntia ficus indica (eaten for 9,000 years) may be the next big thing. One of the trendiest drinks in the Southwest is the Prickly Pear Margarita and the flavor is showing up in a range of new-age beverages, 
including energy drinks, juices, flavored teas (including Snapple) and functional beverages. Prickly pear is gaining popularity in the alternative medicine world and dietary supplements of the fruit in powder or pill are now stocked in health food stores and marketed online.
One prickly pear-flavored drink called Urban Detox claims the beverage can help with a hangover. Curiously, there does seem to be a study from Tulane that attempts to support this claim, however, the research was conducted with an extract from prickly pear, not with this drink. The company claims benefits from the anti-inflammatory properties of the fruit. An animal study from the University of Arizona found that the pectin isolated from the fruit helped bring down LDL cholesterol levels.
One company is beginning to market a line of prickly pear extracts for use in foods and beverages to “support healthy glucose levels.” Some preliminary research suggests that fiber-rich prickly pear fruit may help reduce blood sugar levels, but it’s too early to draw major conclusions.
Plus, you won’t be helping your blood sugar all that much if you indulge in the most popular forms of prickly pear — candy, jellies, syrups and sweet beverages. You’re better off with the whole fruit — which is widely available in the Southwest, but increasingly found in supermarkets and farmer’s markets throughout the country.
It’s overkill to put prickly pear too high on a health pedestal, but this is a nutritious fruit — high in vitamin C, fiber and phytonutrients known as flavonoids. So if you can find prickly pears near you, check them out. They have a devoted following, including Carolyn Niethammer who has assembled a collection of recipes in the Prickly Pear Cookbook. But if you’re new to prickly pear, you may find the pebble-like seeds in the fruit a little hard to get used to — but stick with the fruit instead of the pills or “functional” drinks. Although, the margarita sounds like it’s worth a try.
Tagged as:
fruits,
Lebanon,
nutrition research,
nutrition trends,
prickly pear
by Janet on February 9, 2009
Kosher has hit it big. No other claim was used more frequently last year on new foods and beverages, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database.
“Kosher” was at the top of the list of all new product launches — beating out “all natural” and “no additives or preservatives.” 
Yet food safety was the primary driver, not religion. Research conducted by Mintel indicates that people who purchased kosher products thought they were produced under stricter supervision than what is provided by government inspection. Many thought the kosher symbol guarantees that the food is free of contaminants or disease. (particularly meats).
More than half of the consumers who purchased kosher foods did so because they considered them to be safer than products not certified as kosher.
With foodborne illness outbreaks constantly in the news, it’s no surprise that people are nervous about the safety of the food supply. Yet, this food safety halo over kosher foods may be more perception vs. reality.
Mintel valued the market for kosher-certified foods at $12.5 billion. According to the firm’s database, 4,477 new kosher-certified processed products were launched in the U.S. in 2007, compared to 1,491 in 2205 and 399 in 2003.
Tagged as:
food quality,
Food Safety,
kosher,
labeling,
natural,
nutrition myths,
nutrition trends
