INNOVATION STATION - BLOG

60,000 consumers attended Slow Food Nation this year, an organization committed to preserving good, clean, and fair food.  Food purchases are increasingly driven by transparency.  Consumers want to know what is in food, where it came from, and how it was produced. 

Author Michael Pollan has urged companies to stop making nutritional claims on their products.  He warns that many food companies are overdoing claims, and not to "make money off of people's irrational fears." 

Perhaps health claims will be less effective at selling food than products made from high quality, honest ingredients the consumer can find in their kitchen.

Natural and organic market to $32.9 billion this year

NEW YORK — The natural and organic food and beverage market will reach $32.9 billion this year, according to "Natural and Organic Food and Beverage Trends in the U.S.," a new report from Packaged Facts.

Between 2005 and 2008, Packaged Facts estimated market growth of 67.6% with a compounded annual growth rate of 18.8%.

"While natural and organic products are no longer recession proof, Americans are waking up to expect natural and organic food in their stores — food that is pesticide-free, hormone-free and non-G.M.O.," said Tatjana Meerman, publisher of Packaged Facts. "And suppliers and retailers are quickly acting to provide it to them. We believe this consumer demand will continue to spur the strong growth for these products."

Even current economic conditions as the result of rising prices of fuel and grain are not enough to stop the growth of the category, which is predicted to have strong single-digit growth through 2013.

DHA Not Just Baby Food:

Functional bars & snacks growing fast in the US

Sales of functional bars and snacks have almost tripled in the US between 2002 and 2007, to reach US$197 million, with more growth expected in this sector in the next few years (according to Mintel’s US Report on Functional Foods, from May 2008).

The brain health segment will also prove popular, as around three in five consumers of functional food mentioned that they would like to see more foods that can support healthy brain function (from same report). Kellogg’s ‘Live Bright’ brain health bars therefore come at an ideal time, when the market is still in development, and as consumers becoming increasingly focused on what they want from functional foods.

 Photo and news release courtesy of Mintel.

DHA can be incorporated into a range of items including confections and inclusions. The developers at Parker Products can help you incorporate DHA Omega-3's into your new product in a variety of ways. Whether by using ingredients naturally rich in DHA such as dairy or seeds, or by using naturally produced flavorless DHA supplements, let us help you create a product that will emerge as a trendsetter today.

Here are a few informative articles related to the Food and Mood Blog below:

Scientists Learn How Food and Mood Affects the Brain

Omega-3's May Improve Brain Function

There are many sources of Omega-3's besides fish oil.  Many of nature's nuts and seeds are rich in these essential fatty acids.  Consider incorporating ingredients such as flax, chia, hemp, pumpkin seeds and soy to naturally fortify your product with this brain boosting nutrient. 

About Organic Confections:

The Nibble

The Organic Confections line is made by Parker Products, an ingredients manufacturer that supplies many other confections manufacturers. Their own Organic Confections are premium products that use only the purest, minimally processed, natural, organic-certified ingredients available.

• Healthy foods totaled $120 billion (21.2%) in U.S. foods in 2006.
• Healthy foods have grown at annual rates of 6.7% and 8.6% from 2002-2005
• U.S. natural products sales grew 9.7% across all retail and non-retail channels to reach $56.76 billion in total sales

Join us at the Healthy Foods International Exposition and Conference June 18-19th, 2008, at the Dallas Convention Center. Parker will be showing our line of organic retail confections, as well as introducing some fun, new better-for-you ideas.

For more information visit the Healthy Foods International Expo website. See you there!

Chef Jason Gronlund, of McIlhenny Tabasco, was interviewed at the 2008 RCA Annual Conference. Gronlund discussed the flavor dynamics of Tabasco and how it lends itself as a multiple flavor layer in many food applications.

Parker Products paired up with Tabasco at the RCA Conference to create a melody of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. Samples of "Tabasco Spiked Party Bark" were handed out to attendees to demonstrate how Tabasco can lend itself to many applications.

The bark was a combination of white and milk chocolate, salty party mix, and Tabasco powder. Chef Gronlund explained how when tasting the bark your mouth is filled with smooth, creamy white chocolate, cocoa, saltiness, then all of a sudden "because of the fat that's in the chocolate closing down and encapsulating the capsicum, you get a burst of heat at the back of your throat creating a strange and unique sensation."

View Chef Gronlund's interview with Food Processing Magazine News and Trends Editor, Diane Toops here.