Search results: superfood

Fabio Parasecoli.  Food.  MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series. 2019.

This is the latest work of my NYU Food Studies colleague, Fabio Parasecoli, a prolific scholar and writer.  The book is explained as:

A consumer’s guide to the food system, from local to global: our part as citizens in the interconnected networks, institutions, and organizations that enable our food choices.

The book is a short (200 pages or so), small-format set of seven chapters on food systems, health and nutrition, the environment, technology, hunger, and what’s next.

Here’s an quick excerpt from a section in the Health/Nutrition chapter subtitled “Looking for easy solutions.”

Superfoods offer simple–and lucrative–answers to very complex problems: rather than dealing with changes of habits or diets or trying to understand intricate metabolic functions, their consumption assuages the concerns connected with ingestion.  The attractiveness of superfoods and exotic or traditional remedies is also related to the diffusion of an approach to eating and health that has been described as nutritonism, characterized by “a reductive focus on the nutrient composition of foods as the means for understanding their healthfulness, as well as by a reductive interpretation of the focus of these nutrients in bodily health,” with little concern for the level or processing or quality.  Consumers attuned to such approaches shift their attention from foods to individual nutrients: polyphenols in red wine are good antioxidants; lycopene in tomatoes can prevent certain kinds of cancer….Why worry about a balanced diet when you can make up for any deficiencies by consuming vitamins, fiber, or fortified foods? (pages 68-69).

A man after my own heart, obviously.  This is a short, easy introduction to most of the major food system issues under discussion today.  It also comes with a useful glossary.

Full disclosure: I read and commented on an earlier draft of the nutrition chapter and like the way it—and the other chapters—came out.

I don’t know about you but I am having a hard time keeping up with what’s happening in the market for plant-based meat and dairy substitutes.

For one thing, they are under attack from meat producers.  Here’s the latest on the politics.

Why the attack.  Just take a look at what I’ve collected on this topic in the past couple of weeks.  You can see at a glance why this trend is taking off.  Everyone wants to get into this act in every way they can.

• • • • Could yeast be a viable alternative to soy and pea protein? ‘It has all the essential amino acids, is readily available and affordable’:  Israeli start-up FFW is championing yeast as a ‘major protein source’ – offering an alternative to soy and pea protein in the plant-based space, founder Leonardo Marcovitz tells FoodNavigator… Read
      • Walnuts: The next big thing in plant-based meat in foodservice?  Foodservice operators bored of textured soy protein for meat-free tacos, filled pasta, bruschetta and other dishes are experimenting with a new plant-based meat alternative from walnuts that “mimics the taste and texture of ground beef,” says the California Walnut Board… Read
      • Disrupting the meat industry: Global Food Industries ready to launch plant-based burgers:  UAE food firm Global Food Industries (GFI) has announced plans to launch its plant-based ‘not-chicken and not-beef burgers’ in November.— 
      • Introducing the NaSu Burger: ‘The basic idea is totally different to Impossible or Beyond’:  FoodSolutionsTeam (FST) is a company built around the mission to tackle food waste through the development of natural and sustainable products. With so much interest in vegan product development, the company is bringing out the NaSu Burger – a clean label and sustainable alternative for finished product manufacturers… Read
      • Foodservice an underveloped channel for plant-based cheese, says new Daiya Foods CEO:  ‘Next-generation’ plant-based burgers are rapidly gaining traction in fast casual restaurants. But they don’t all come with plant-based cheese (yet), highlighting a key area of opportunity for Daiya Foods, one of the early pioneers in dairy-free, says new CEO Michael Watt… Read
      • Sacha Inchi: A super seed ready for prime time? Amazon Health Products debuts Starseed brand:  Sacha Inchi could be the next hot plant-based superfood, but how much is known about its nutrient content? And can the supply keep up with future demand as the ingredient takes off in popularity?.. Read
      • Oatly developers ready for repeat success with patented quinoa milk: ‘We can do it again with Quiny’:  The business developer behind Oatly and a team of Bolivian scientists have developed Quiny, a patent-protected and naturally sweet quinoa powder for plant-based milks, and are gearing up for a Latin American launch… Read
      • Survey: A rising generation of food consumers embrace new food technologies:  As new food technologies emerge, such as cell-cultured meat and new fermentation-based ingredients, younger generations such as Gen Z and millennials are more open and quicker to embrace these new advancements, according to a consumer perception survey conducted by global communications consultancy firm Ketchum… Read more
      • Plant-based protein bar with less than seven ingredients targets female consumers:  Japanese natural snacks subscription service company Snaq Me has launched its second-generation plant-based protein bar, CLR Bar, nationwide. Read more
      • The next fake meat? Pork (Bloomberg): Impossible Foods, the maker of plant-based faux meat, is looking to expand into pork, and hopes to move into the Chinese market.
      • Nestlé to develop plant-based products from microalgae:  Global food giant Nestlé is partnering with ingredients firm Corbion to explore the use of microalgae in plant-based products… Read
      • Chobani goes all oat with new yogurt and milk launches:  After disrupting the category 12 years ago with its Greek offering, the company is now using the cereal grain to strengthen its market dominance, while adding milk and a dairy creamer.
      • Disrupting the meat industry: Global Food Industries ready to launch plant-based burgers: UAE food firm Global Food Industries (GFI) has announced plans to launch its plant-based ‘not-chicken and not-beef burgers’ in November.  Read more 
      • Introducing the NaSu Burger: ‘The basic idea is totally different to Impossible or Beyond’:  FoodSolutionsTeam (FST) is a company built around the mission to tackle food waste through the development of natural and sustainable products. With so much interest in vegan product development, the company is bringing out the NaSu Burger – a clean label and sustainable alternative for finished product manufacturers… Read  
      • Plant-based protein bar with less than seven ingredients targets female consumers:  Japanese natural snacks subscription service company Snaq Me has launched its second-generation plant-based protein bar, CLR Bar, nationwide. Read more  
      • BLC taps palm and shea fat to mimic ‘palate-appealing’ behaviour of meat:  Bunge Loders Crocklaan is expanding into the vegetarian burger category with a range of plant-based offerings – made from shea and palm fat – to help bring texture, bite, appearance, and flavour closer to the ‘real thing’….Read more  
      • There’s a cadre of highly trained flavorists trying to make plant-based meats taste like meat. The Washington Posts has the intel. 

I’ve been collecting items related to plant-based meat and dairy foods from the various newsletters I read.  I am having a hard time keeping up.  This is a super-hot topic with investors pouring money into these products.

Things are moving so quickly that Food Dive has established a plant-protein tracker to help readers keep up.

Even a quick scan of just the titles of these articles will make clear just how hot this area is.

Let’s start with the in-fighting.

• Impossible Foods CEO: Plant-based competitors ‘suck’ and stifle industry growth: Pat Brown, who started the California company eight years ago, said other offerings in the market only serve to reinforce the idea that faux meat options “are terrible.”

Here’s what he’s talking about.  I’ll bet they don’t agree.

• Nestlé’s Awesome Burger debuts in crowded plant-based meat space: Sweet Earth founders Kelly and Brian Swette discuss their relationship with the Swiss food giant, the creation of the product and why it will beat its competitors.
• Chickpeas: The next big protein source for plant-based meat? Nutriati unveils TVP:  Virginia-based Nutriati has commercialized what it claims is the world’s first textured chickpea protein, providing plant-based meat formulators with a Non-GMO protein source that rivals soy, wheat, and peas in the functionality and nutrition stakes, and could also simplify ingredients lists by removing the need to add methyl cellulose… Read 
• Ripple Foods launches ‘superfood’ milks, relaunches yogurts (‘we messed up’), explores new low-cost plant protein sources: Ripple Foods has debuted a new, improved line of creamy plant-based yogurt alternatives (following an abortive launch of a Greek-style product last year); unveiled a new line of ‘superfood’ plant milks infused with matcha, turmeric and acai; and built some IP around the extraction of protein from ‘secondary’ feedstocks such as sunflower meal… Read 
• What’s next beyond soy, pea, and wheat for plant-based meat? In conversation with ADM:  Soy, wheat, and peas currently dominate the plant-based meat market, but what’s next? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Ana Ferrell (AF), VP of marketing, and Kurt Long (KL), commercial director of protein specialties and flexitarian solutions at ADM, to talk plant proteins… Read  
• Parabel USA unveils neutral-tasting, beige-colored protein hydrolysate from water lentils:  Parabel USA – best known for its green-hued ingredients from the ‘water lentil,’ a micro aquatic plant also known as duckweed/Lemna/Lemnaceae – has unveiled a neutral-tasting, beige-colored protein hydrolysate suitable for a wide range of applications from plant-based burgers to sports nutrition products… Read  
• Conagra Brands talks plant-based meat: ‘In 7-10 years we’re talking about a $30bn opportunity in the US’  Gardein has quadrupled in size over the past four years and is now the second largest brand in the meat-alternative space behind Morningstar with annual retail and foodservice sales topping $170m. And there is still a significant opportunity to grow in both channels, says brand owner Conagra Brands… Read  
• Atlantic Natural Foods: Shelf-stable is area of untapped opportunity for plant-based meat, poultry, seafood:  While the shelf-stable market for plant-based meats and eggs is small compared with the frozen and chilled segments, it represents an area of significant untapped opportunity, says Atlantic Natural Foods (ANF), which is gaining traction in this market with its Loma Linda and neat brands… Read  
• PowerPlant Ventures partner: ‘The plant-based milk market didn’t take off until they solved the taste issue; the same applies to plant-based meat’  Insect protein remains frustratingly niche, and cell-cultured meat – while groundbreaking – could be a tough sell. But plant-based meat is something mainstream consumers can understand and embrace, provided products truly deliver on taste and price, argues a co-founder of PowerPlant Ventures… Read  
• The ‘clean taste and smooth texture of almond protein are unparalleled in the protein space,’ says Blue Diamond:  Plant-based protein is a hot ingredient in the food industry right now, as formulators experiment with everything from mung beans to sacha inchi. But how does almond protein square up vs the competition?.. Read  
• Vegan start-up takes on mozzarella, parmesan and brie: ‘It’s all about the classics’:  Israeli food tech start-up Goodfoods is developing dairy-free alternatives to classic cheeses based on cashew nuts. It is ‘dairy reinvented’, founder Michal Peleg tells FoodNavigator… Read  
• MycoTechnology unveils texturized fermented vegetable protein for plant based meat applications:  >As the race to expand protein options for plant-based meats heats up, Colorado-based MycoTechnology has thrown its hat into the ring with a texturized version of PureTaste, a vegetable protein produced via the fermentation of pea and rice proteins with Shiitake mushroom mycelium (roots)… Read
• Tyson expands presence in plant-based sector with New Wave Foods investment: US processor Tyson Foods has completed an investment in plant-based shellfish business New Wave Foods… Read
• Tyson Foods launches plant-based range:  US processor Tyson Foods has launched its first range of plant-based and blended products… Read
• Hormel Foods unveils plant-based range: Hormel Foods has become the latest producer to enter the plant-based meat alternatives market with the launch of the Happy Little Plant brand… Read
• Plant-based and cell-based investment skyrockets: Investment in plant-based and cell-based meat alternative companies has grown significantly in the past two years, new research has shown… Read
• Cargill increases investment in pea protein business: US food giant Cargill has invested $75m in pea protein producer Puris to help it double capacity at its Minnesota site… Read
• Smithfield Foods enters plant-based market with Pure Farmland range: Smithfield Foods has thrown its hat into the US plant-based ring with the launch of a new soy-based portfolio… Read
• Thurston Butchers becomes the first in the UK to sell plant-based meat: Thurston Butchers in Suffolk has partnered with THIS to become the first UK butcher to sell plant-based meat alternatives… Read
• US plant-based market now worth $4.5bn: US retail sales of plant-based foods have grown 11% over the past 12 months, according to new data… Read
• Is plant-based reaching saturation? Innovation opportunities in a meat-free market: While certain plant-based categories are booming, others are lacking in innovation. So where do market opportunities in vegan product development lie? FoodNavigator hears from industry experts at Oatly, Bol Foods, and Sainsbury’s… Read

As for what the meat industry thinks of all this…

• Meat industry needs to ‘restore pride’: The meat industry has become a ‘pharmakon’ and needs to communicate its benefits to the public, according to a leading food expert… Read 

And the New York Times’ take on Big Meat’s getting in on this action.

I think this collection of articles from FoodNavigator on the dairy industry is especially clear in revealing three notable trends: (1) the ongoing decline in milk consumption, (2) a more recent decline in yogurt consumption, and (3) an increase in production, availability, and marketing of dairy products high in fat.  Take a look:

 Special Edition: Dairy innovation

It’s been a challenging year for many dairy brands, with continued weakness in fluid milk and yogurt categories and growing competition from dairy-free alternatives. But there has been no shortage of innovation, spanning everything from ‘intentionally less sweet’ high protein yogurt launches to  whole milk and even ‘triple cream’ offerings as fat roars back in some parts of the category.

• Retail sales of French-style yogurt Oui have topped $100m, says General Mills: US retail sales of yogurt have tailed off in the past two years as Greek has lost its luster. But this is just a temporary blip, predicts the president of General Mills’ US yogurt business, who is confident the overall category will return to growth… Read
• Peak Yogurt taps into keto trend with 17% milk fat ‘triple cream’ yogurts: ‘Milk fat is one of nature’s original superfoods’:  Fat is back in the dairy aisles, if the recent proliferation of products touting their whole milk (c. 3.5% milk fat) credentials is anything to go by. But San Francisco-based start-up Peak Yogurt is taking the trend one step further in a bid to carve a niche in the market with ‘triple cream’ yogurts boasting 15-17% milk fat with low or no added sugar that tap into the keto trend… Read
• Tillamook CEO talks dairy innovation and ambitions of reaching $1bn in sales:  Tillamook County Creamery Association has had a loyal regional following in the Pacific Northwest for more than 100 years (founded in 1909), but in order to secure its next 100 years the dairy co-operative needed to execute a national growth strategy set forth by CEO Patrick G. Criteser who has ambitions of hitting $1bn in annual sales… Read
• Whole-fat and convenient merchandising drive dairy sales moving forward, IRI:  Fat has not only become more accepted among consumers but also the focal point of many popular diets such as keto and paleo. As a result, sales of some, not all, whole-fat dairy products are reaping the benefits of a renewed interest in fat influenced by convenient merchandising at retail, according to IRI… Read
• Full fat and Icelandic pockets of growth in lackluster US yogurt market; while flavored milk and lactose-free help offset declines in fluid milk:  US retail sales of yogurt have continued to fall over the past year, although there have been pockets of growth in Icelandic style and full fat products, according to data from Nielsen and SPINS… Read
• American cheesemakers must balance innovation & cost with consumer education to thrive:  Free from the constraints of the appellation d’origine contrôlée that dictate how cheese in Europe is made, American cheese makers are able to add innovative twists to traditional methods to create unique products that meet evolving consumer demand, according to leadership at the American Cheese Society… Read
• Siggi’s launches whole milk Simple Sides, says top line grew 36% in latest 52 weeks:  Icelandic skyr brand siggi’s aims to expand its share of the US yogurt market with a move into the ‘mix-ins’ category via the launch of Simple Sides, a new line of whole milk skyr with a side of dried fruits and nuts containing no added sugar… Read
• Chobani gears up for national rollout of low sugar, high protein, Hint Of yogurts:  Chobani is rolling out its Hint Of… low sugar, high protein, Greek yogurts nationwide in August following a successful debut in the Pacific, Northeast and Florida markets, with ‘new formats’ of the brand hitting stores in January 2019… Read
• Arla introduces skyr cream cheese line: ‘We’re trying to get in early on that adoption curve…’:  It’s not as big as Greek just yet, but the explosive growth of Icelandic skyr in the yogurt aisle could inspire a flurry of skyr-infused spin-offs in other parts of the store, predicts Arla Foods Inc, which has recently launched a skyr cream cheese in the US market with three times the protein and just over half the calories of regular cream cheese… Read
• General Mills unveils ‘intentionally less sweet’ YQ by Yoplait: ‘It’s unlike anything that exists in the yogurt aisle today’:  Following on from the success of its French-style yogurt Oui, General Mills has unveiled YQ by Yoplait, a 99% lactose-free yogurt made with ultra-filtered milk (milk filtered to concentrate the protein and reduce the lactose/milk sugar) that “delivers big on protein with an intentionally less sweet taste.”.. Read
• Ample Hills Creamery hopes square pints will build brand awareness, loyalty and community:  By thinking inside the box, the husband and wife duo behind Brooklyn-based ice cream company Ample Hills Creamery hopes to better connect consumers to each other and the brand with the launch of unique square-shaped pints at retail… Read
• Got milk? Yes, but not as we used to know it, Jim:  While sales of plain dairy milk have been declining for years, and US yogurt production has dropped off after peaking in 2014, new data shows the continued growth of cheese, butter, and ready-to-drink coffee, yogurt drinks and protein beverages featuring dairy milk, suggesting that the growing interest in all things plant-based has not prompted a mass consumer exodus away from dairy, but that consumption habits are changing… Read
• Plant-based and dairy drive growth in yogurt side-by-side, Danone exec says:  While still growing at a healthy clip, the yogurt category is slowing slightly – but Danone North America still sees significant potential for the segment, especially related to options that are plant-based, lower in sugar, packed with science-back probiotic strains and dairy-based, according to a top company executive… Read
• Children are drinking less milk and juice as they get older… But what are they drinking instead?  New government data* shows that water accounted for 43.7% of beverage consumption among US kids aged 2-19 in the period 2013-2016, followed by milk (21.5%), soft drinks (19.9%), and 100% juice (7.3%)… Read
• a2 Milk rolls out at Walmart: ‘It’s a real validation of our business proposition’:  Tummy-friendly brand a2 Milk is now in more than 6,000 stores in the US, including Walmart. However, the reception from the wider dairy industry has been “lukewarm at best,” claims its US CEO Blake Waltrip: ‘There’s an irrational fear that this is somehow going to vilify milk, when in fact it’s going to bring consumers back to milk.”.. Read

Now published: my new book about how food company sponsorship of nutrition research affects public health.  For information about the book—blurbs, reviews, tweets, how to get—click here.

For my public speaking engagements about the book, click here.

If you are in New York, join the launch party at NYU today, 5:00 p.m., Bobst Library 3rd floor.  RSVP here.

And here are some early reviews:

Oct 29  Jane Brody.  Confused by nutrition research?  New York Times.

Oct 28  Hailey Eber. How the food industry fooled us into eating junk.  New York Post, 42-43.

Oct 23  Nestle M.  Superfoods are a marketing ploy (excerpt).  The Atlantic .

Oct 22  Àlex Pérez.  Una verdad desagradable no vende.  ElPiscolabis (Spain).

Oct 18 Nature Magazine (2018;562:334-335): Felicity Lawrence reviews Deborah Blum’s The Poison Squad and Unsavory Truth as “Poisoned Platefuls.”

Oct 2  Science Magazine.  Cyan James, “A nutrition expert aims a critical eye at the research and marketing practices of food companies.”

For review copies, interviews, etc, contact Kelsey Odorczyk at Basic Books: Kelsey.Odorczyk@hbgusa.com

For information about the book, see Basic Books/Hachette,  IndieBound,  Amazon

For reviews and media accounts, scroll down.

Portuguese translation, Elefante Editora, 2019:

Summary

Is chocolate heart-healthy? Does yogurt prevent type 2 diabetes? Do pomegranates help cheat death? News headlines bombard us with such amazing claims. They are reported as science, and have dramatic effects on what we eat.  Yet, as food expert Marion Nestle explains, these studies are more about marketing than science; they are often paid for by the companies and trade associations that sell those foods. Whether it’s a Coca-Cola-backed study hailing light exercise as a calorie neutralizer, claims for beef as a health food, or a report from investigators paid by a blueberry trade group concluding that this fruit prevents erectile dysfunction, every corner of the food industry knows how to turn conflicted research into big profit. As Nestle argues, it’s time to put public health first. Written with unmatched rigor and insight, Unsavory Truth reveals how the food industry manipulates nutrition science—and suggests what we can do about it.

Blurbs

“What happens when one of the country’s great nutrition investigators follows the money in food and science? You get this riveting, provocatively-written book, which deftly explores how the processed food industry has deepened our dependence on its products by sponsoring and manipulating food research for decades. This book should be read by anyone who has been seduced by the words, ‘New study shows…’—which is all of us.”  —Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat

“Marion Nestle is a tireless warrior for public health, and her meticulous research and irrefutable arguments are desperately needed right now. This book, as frightening as it is, compels us to discover where true health begins: nutrition starts in the ground, with real food that is sustainably grown, eaten in season, and alive.”  —Alice Waters, founder, owner, and executive chef of Chez Panisse

 “In clear, concise language, Marion Nestle details the many ways our ideas about what to eat are being manipulated by Big Food.  If you want to make better choices, read this book.”  —Ruth Reichl, former editor of Gourmet Magazine

 “Marion Nestle is a national treasure.  She has the courage to take on multinational corporations and the wisdom to separate the facts from the spin.  If you care about our food system and the health of your family, Unsavory Truth is essential reading.”  —Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation

“Marion Nestle has been a guiding light for sanity, credibility, and justice in food and nutrition for decades; she stands alone in her field. In Unsavory Truth, she exposes the awful deceptions practiced on eaters by manipulative food companies using ‘scientific research’ try to make themselves look good.”  —Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything

 “Marion Nestle is a truth-teller in a world awash with nutrition lies of one kind and another. In this scintillating and eye-opening book, Nestle reveals how much of our confusion about food in modern times has been spread by the food industry itself, which passes off marketing as science and funds ‘research’ designed to show that its products are harmless. Unsavory Truth is essential reading for anyone in search of hard facts about what to eat.”  —Bee Wilson, author of First Bite and Consider the Fork

Reviews and media

2021

July 7   SPINS: What We’re Reading

2019

June 6  Review in American Journal of Public Health 2019;109(7):952-953.

Mar 11  Interview with VegSource with Jeff Nelson

Mar 5  TVO (Canada) The Agenda with Steve Paikin: Battling bias in nutrition research.  Also on YouTube.

Feb 17 Cover story based on Unsavory Truth, San Francisco Chronicle: “The myth-making of food”

Feb 5  KQED San Francisco, Michael Krasny’s Forum

Feb 2  Sarah Boseley reviews Unsavory Truth in The Lancet

Jan/Feb  Nutrition Action Healthletter: Peter Lurie’s editorial

Jan 25  Interview with Holly Friend of LS:N Global

Jan 22  KPFK radio interview , Feminist Magazine with Lynn Harris Ballen

Jan 21  Cookery by the Book, podcast with Suzy Chase

Jan 16  Kara Goldin’s podcast on Unstoppable, Unsavory Truth

2018

Dec 21 The Hagstrom Report’s five best ag books of 2018

Dec 19  Podcast with Max Lugavere, The Genius Life Episode 39 (iTunes), on Unsavory Truth

Dec 17  Radio interview with Rose Aguilar, KALW San Francisco on Unsavory Truth

Dec 14 Podcast review by Narsai David, KCBS

Dec 13  Lecture on Unsavory Truth (video) at Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center

Dec 13  Online interview at PLoS Blog

Dec 12  Podcast with Wooden Teeth

Dec 6  NYU Journalism Kavli Conversation on Science Communication with Paul Greenberg, moderated by Robert Lee Hotz

Dec 3  Interview (podcast) with Bhavani Jaroff of iEat Green

Nov 30  Conor Purcell interview for Undark’s Five Questions

Nov 29 Paul Thacker on Unsavory Truth in the BMJ

Nov 28  Podcast interview with Monica Eng on Unsavory Truth: Chewing episode 55

Nov 26  Lisa Held on Unsavory Truth, Edible Manhattan

Nov 19  Interview with Gabrielle Lipton, Landscape News

Nov 18  Video of interview with Dean Malcolm Clemens, Forum at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco (audio file).

Nov 15  Review by Gavin Wren, Medium.com

Nov 15  Video of keynote at launch of UCSF Food Industry Documents Library (my talk is in Part I: 14:30)

Nov 12  Jennifer Bowden on Unsavory Truth in New Zealand’s The Listener.

Nov 12  Interview with Jesse Mulligan, Radio New Zealand

Nov 10  Review in New Scientist

Nov 7  Podcast interview with The Potter Report

Nov 7  A. Pawlowski.  What are superfoods?  The truth about blueberries, dark chocolate and pomegranate.  Today.

Nov 6  Interview with Paul Thacker.  Tonic.

Nov 4  Lorin Fries.  Who decides what you eat?  (Hint: it’s not only you).  Forbes.

Nov 1  Review in New York Journal of Books

Oct 31 Review from New York Magazine’s The Cut

Oct 31  Interview with Julia Belluz in Vox

Oct 30  Excerpt from Unsavory Truth on Medium.com: “When Big Soda Started Stalking Me”

Oct 30  NPR radio interview with Brian Lehrer

Oct 30 Yoni Freedhoff, Weighty Matters.

Oct 30  Jane Brody.  Confused by nutrition research?  New York Times, Science section.

Oct 29  RT America video interview on Boom Bust about Unsavory Truth.

Oct 28  Hailey Eber. How the food industry fooled us into eating junk.  New York Post, 42-43.

Oct 23  Nestle M.  Superfoods are a marketing ploy (excerpt).  The Atlantic .

Oct 22  Àlex Pérez.  Una verdad desagradable no vende.  ElPiscolabis (Spain).

Oct 18 Nature Magazine (2018;562:334-335): Felicity Lawrence reviews Deborah Blum’s The Poison Squad and Unsavory Truth as “Poisoned Platefuls.”  “Nestle…could make a fair claim to [Harvey] Wiley’s mantle today…The book is a remorseless dissection of the corruption of science by industry.”

Oct 18  Interview with Maggie Tauranac on Unsavory Truth, FoodPrint

Oct 16 Podcast with Danielle Nierenberg on Unsavory Truth and other matters

Oct 2  Science Magazine: “There is indeed something rotten in the state of dietary science, but books like this show us that we consumers also hold a great deal of power.”

Sept 25 La Stampa (Italy): “I cibi di lunga vita sono illusori e troppi sponsor li promuovono.” (The newspaper clip).

Sept 24  Publishers Weekly: ” a groundbreaking look at how food corporations influence nutrition research and public policy.”

Aug 13 Booklist: “This well-documented, accessible venture makes a compelling argument.”

Aug 1  Kirkus: “Nestle proves yet again that she is a unique, valuable voice for engaged food consumers.”

July 17  Phil Lempert’s Lempert Report: Get ready for a new era of transparency (video)

July 9  David Wineberg, “Nutrition: conflict of interest as a career,” Medium.com.

Feb 12 Finnish Public Radio interview about Unsavory Truth (Google Translate, English)

Jan 31 Profile in New Scientist: The Unpalatable Truth about Your Favorite foods

Tweets (Highly Selected)

Michael Pollan, October 30

Ing Fei Chen, October 16:  Undark

Yoni Freedhoff, October 7: his mentions

Basic Books, October 2: Mark Bittman blurb

Basic Books, September 25: Ruth Reichl blurb

Basic Books, September 6: Eric Schlosser blurb

Basic Books, August 28: Alice Waters blurb

Michael Pollan, August 18: “This is a terrific and eye-opening book”

Bee Wilson, August 17: “I feel lucky to have an advance copy …A great piece of investigative writing.”

Basic Books, August 17: Bee Wilson blurb

The Institute of Food Technology publishes a newsletter.  IIts December 27 issue provides a roundup of food-trend predictions from a bunch of sources.

I’ve picked out a few examples from among the long lists.

The editors of Food Technology: Animal Welfare Versus Price: The stigma of conventionally produced animal products will decrease as consumers realize that they cannot or will not absorb the higher costs associated with “humanely raised” beef, poultry, and pork.  —Toni Tarver, Senior Technical Editor

McCormick: Handheld Flavor Fusion: Take to the streets for the latest fusing of global cuisines. Carts, trucks, and food halls are merging high-flavor fillings with unique crepes, buns, and breads for loaded street fare you eat with your hands. Arepas are a taco-sandwich hybrid made from crispy corn cakes stuffed with sliced meat, veggies, and spicy tzatziki sauce.

Firmenich has announced fig as “Flavor of the Year” for 2018 based on the growing appeal for this healthy and fruity flavor worldwide. Long touted for its culinary uses as well as its health benefits—including its high fiber content and a variety of essential minerals such as magnesium, manganese, calcium, and potassium—fig has surged in popularity in recent years.

Innova Market Insights: the global market for dairy alternative drinks is expected to reach $16.3 billion in 2018, up dramatically from $7.4 billion in 2010….As consumers become more concerned about naturalness and minimal processing techniques, the industry is reviving traditional processes such as fermented foods and cold brew tea and coffee, alongside the development of new ones.

Whole Foods: Because powders are so easy to incorporate, they’ve found their way into lattés, smoothies, nutrition bars, soups, and baked goods. For an energy boost or an alternative to coffee, powders like matcha, maca root, and cacao are showing up in mugs everywhere. Smoothie fans are raising a glass to powders like spirulina, kale, herbs, and roots. Even protein powders have evolved beyond bodybuilders to pack in new nutrients like skin- and hair-enhancing collagen.

Mintel: Concerns over safe packaging disposal will increasingly color consumers’ perceptions of different packaging types, and impact shopper purchase decisions. While collecting waste plastic from the sea to recycle into new packaging can raise consumer awareness, it won’t solve the problem. In order to keep plastic out of the sea, a renewed effort toward the circular economy is needed to keep packaging material in use.

National Restaurant Association: According to the survey, menu trends that will be heating up in 2018 include donuts with non-traditional filling, ethnic-inspired kids’ dishes, farm/estate-branded items, and heritage-breed meats. Trends that are cooling down include artisan cheeses, heirloom fruits and vegetables, and house-made charcuterie.

Sterling Rice Group: Moringa is the Thinga: Consumers just can’t get enough of the green, which is why we predict that moringa—a superfood derived from the dried leaves of the “tree of life”—will be popular in 2018 and beyond. With more protein, fiber, calcium, and vitamins than matcha, watch for moringa to become the next matcha or golden milk.

CCD Innovation: Cannabis Cuisine: Ready or not, modern and artisan THC- and CBD-enhanced cuisine goes beyond brownies in 2018 thanks to “potrepreneurs” at all levels.

Grubhub:  10 dishes expected to rise in popularity in 2018 (based on orders in 2017):

1. Lettuce chicken wraps
2. Poke
3. Bulgogi bibimbap
4. Roasted cauliflower
5. Spicy tonkotsu ramen
6. Kimchi fries
7. Cinnamon buns
8. Pumpkin soup
9. Brisket sandwich
10. Yellowtail belly

I knew you would want to know.

Food Navigator is an industry newsletter with articles about topics of interest to food companies.  This is one of its occasional collections of columns on a particular topic, in this case, beans, seeds, and grains.

Beans, chickpeas, peas and lentils are now appearing as added value ingredients in every part of the store, from chips and snacks to salads, soups, pastas, dips and baked goods. Non-GMO, gluten-free, high in protein, fiber and micronutrients, and low in fat, beans in particular are undergoing a PR renaissance among consumers, who have been eating them for years in tacos and burritos, but now see them as a more wholesome alternative to soy, rice, corn and potatoes in their snacks. So where will they go next, and who is driving innovation, both from a formulation, and branding perspective? We also take a look at ancient and ‘heirloom’ beans and grains.

•  Manufacturers answer FAO’s call to increase pulse consumption in 2016 with new bean-based snacks: In declaring 2016 the year of the pulse, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN issued a call to action to increase the consumption and popularity of legumes such as chickpeas, lentils and beans which are under used in the US… Watch now
• How consumer demand is resurrecting ancient grains from the past: Data from SPINS reveals that sales of products featuring ‘ancient grains’ grew 16.6% year-over-year to $198,884,358 in 2016… Read
• Rancho Gordo brings heirloom beans to American doorsteps: Working with farmers from Central California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, and Mexico, Napa-based Rancho Gordo is resurrecting long-forgotten beans and bringing them back to the American table…Read
• Modern Table Meals serves up bean pasta as meal kits or plain: The team of moms is cornering the category with a double whammy-pulse-based pasta for both the time-strapped parent and the aspiring chef with more time on their hands… Read
• The Good Bean rides bean-based snacking wave in the Year of the Pulse: The Good Bean – a Berkley-based snack brand built around the garbanzo bean (chickpea) – more than doubled its sales in 2015 and expects to do so again in 2016 as pulse-based snacking (beans, peas, lentils) gains momentum. .. Read
• US volumes of pulses surge 8% in 2015, outpacing overall fresh food growth of 1%: Volumes of pulses (defined as leguminous crops – beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils – harvested for dry grains) surged 8% in the US in 2015, while overall volumes of fresh food (retail, foodservice, institutional channels combined) grew by a more modest 1%, according to Euromonitor International… Read
• Beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas: The hottest ingredients in the snack developer’s toolbox? North American pulse growers still export a lot of their wares, but domestic demand has ramped up significantly in recent years as beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils have started to infiltrate every aisle in the grocery store, from hummus, bean dips, pasta and salads, to chips, brownies and nutrition bars, according to pulse processor AGT Food and Ingredients…Read
• Inclusion of pulses in processed food grew the fastest, says Pulse Canada: Of the many culinary ways pulses can be used, inclusion as an ingredient in snack foods or pasta really ramped up, Pulse Canada data says. We chatted with the industry association to learn more about the state of pulses… Read
•  Full of beans: Banza chickpea pasta now in 2,000+ stores… ‘It’s been a wild ride!’: Unlike some of the more esoteric products at Expo West, Banza chickpea pasta is aimed squarely at mainstream consumers who are looking for more protein and fiber in their pasta, but are not prepared to compromise on taste or texture (no mush). .. Watch now
•  Bean pasta category emerges to meet demand for high-protein, fiber-packed and gluten free options: Ongoing interest in products that are gluten free and better for you are colliding with the international push to celebrate 2016 as the year of the pulse to create a burgeoning category of pasta created from legumes rather than more traditional wheat or rice… Display
• Whole grains consumption increases thanks to plant-forward diet, focus on new flavors: Once shunned for their distinct taste and texture, whole grains are gaining acceptance among more Americans for these same attributes thanks in part to innovative restaurateurs and chefs who are using them to round-out increasingly popular plant-forward dishes, according to the Whole Grains Council… Read
•  Taste Test Friday: Banza chickpea pasta with One Hop Kitchen Bolognese offers a twist on a classic: On the menu for this edition of Taste Test Friday is a blind sampling of a classic American-Italian meal: pasta with Bolognese sauce – but with a twist. .. Watch now
• World Peas acquired by Snack it Forward: Austin based World Peas – best known for its coated peas and fava bean snacks, has been acquired by L.A. based Snack it Forward LLC – which makes freeze-dried fruit snacks (Sunkist Fruit Chips) and trail mix… Read
• NY start-up unveils the ultimate plant-based protein snack: BRAMI lupini beans: Lupini beans have a nutritional profile to die for. The problem is, most Americans have never heard of them. But that could change rapidly if the New York based entrepreneur behind BRAMI snacking beans gets his way… Read
•  Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Quinoa’s rise to superfood superstar status and the challenges it must address: Quinoa was one of the first superfoods to take America by storm more than a decade ago, and one of the few such stars to sustain its reign long enough to push past being a fad food to become a staple on restaurant menus and households across the country, but the popular grain faces challenges as it become commoditized. .. Listen now
•  Whole grains 101: Highlights from the 2015 Whole Grain Summit: The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans say half of our grains should be whole. So how are we doing? FoodNavigator-USA headed to Portland, Oregon, for the 2015 Whole Grain Summit  – organized by Oregon State University and the Grains for Health Foundation – to find out….. Display
• Eating more whole grains could reduce risk of chronic diseases, study finds: New research that demonstrates a clear association between eating whole grains and the reduced risk of chronic diseases supports the 2015 dietary guideline’s recommendation that Americans “shift” their diet by making at least half their grains whole grains. .. Read
•  Selling complex carbs in a post Grain Brain world: Do grains really make us fat and sick? Grains, according to the author of best-selling book Grain Brain, are “silent killers”. Not only are they making us fat, says Dr David Perlmutter, “but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more…” But is there any truth behind these assertions, and if not, what can the grain chain do to fight back?.. Watch now