Currently browsing posts about: Snack foods

That’s my question when I see what food companies are trying to do to reduce the content of sugar and salt in their ultra-processed junk food products.

To put it another way, does making an ultra-processed food or beverage slightly better for you convert it to a good choice?

We can argue about this, but companies really are trying hard, as this collection of articles from FoodNavigator.com indicates.

Special Edition: Nutrition and reformulation strategies

Most shoppers say they want to reduce consumption of products that are high in fat, salt and sugar. But many struggle to cut HFSS foods and beverages from their diets and reformulation efforts often face the headwind of perceived quality issues. Meanwhile, the fortified food market in Europe is expected to see a CAGR of 5.2% through to 2025. While reformulation efforts take out the ‘baddies’ is there also an opportunity to add positive nutrients through fortification?

• What reformulation really looks like in 2021: ‘Reformulated products need to be better nutritionally and equally tasty, if not tastier’: With calls to reformulate food and drink products to reduce fat, sugar and salt, we explore: What influences prompt brands to reformulate? What does the process really entail? And can it be done successfully during a global pandemic?.. Read
• ‘No added sugar’: Fibre and stevia predicted to ‘shake up’ sugar reduction:  Fibre and next-generation stevia are expected to play key roles in sugar reduction as a growing number of manufacturers seek out ‘no added sugar’ claims, according to Mintel… Read
• How UK brands are reformulating to avoid the HFSS ad ban:  UK food brands are currently digesting planned government legislation coming next year which will prevent marketing and advertising of HFSS being shown on TV (pre-9pm) and online from 2022 and limit where these products can be placed in bricks and mortar stores… Read
• What does the future hold for reformulation?  With the impending publication of part two of the National Food Strategy in the UK, IGD convened major retailers, manufacturers, food service companies and members of the National Food Strategy team to discuss reformulation, the challenges, and opportunities. Here Hannah Pearse, Head of Nutrition and Scientific Affairs at IGD, shares an overview of the conversations from a series of roundtable discussions… Read
• Kellogg cuts sugar and salt across Europe and UK: ‘The process is trial and error’:  The Kellogg Company has pledged to remove at least 10% of sugars and 20% of salt from its children’s cereals across European and UK brands… Read
• Does the UK’s proposed junk food ad ban reduce the motivation to reformulate?  The Food and Drink Federation says UK plans to restrict in-store promotions of foods high in fat, salt and sugar will deter companies from developing lower sugar and fat alternatives… Read
• Cereal Partners Worldwide talks breakfast renovation: ‘Innovation can be less, rather than more’:  The joint venture between Nestlé and General Mills is taking a ‘dual strategy’ approach to cereal renovation that is ‘both reductionist and increasing’, says Gharry Eccles, Vice President UK and Oceania of Cereal Partners Worldwide… Read
• Snack sector looks to lentils, beans and insects as ‘health by stealth’ hits limit:  As the snack sector reaches its technological limits in cutting salt and fat from products, European manufacturers are accelerating reformulating efforts using lentils, beans, other vegetables — and even insects — as a way of meeting consumer demand for healthier snacking options… Read

I was fascinated to see this article about how offering kids greater amounts and varieties of snack foods encourages them to eat more and, therefore, take in more calories.  Snack variety has a greater effect than just larger package sizes (1).

This article immediately reminded me of the infamous cafeteria diet studies of the late 1980s.  The investigators fed rats all kinds of junk foods and compared the calories they ate to those eaten by control rats allowed only rat chow.  The cafeteria-fed rats ate more (2).

This, of course, is what Kevin Hall and his colleagues found when adults were allowed to eat as much as they wanted of ultraprocessed junk foods (3).

The message is clear: junk food encourages overeating; overeating means taking in more calories; more calories means more weight.  Eating a lot of junk food is a sufficient explanation for obesity.

References

1.  Kerr JA, et al. Child and adult snack food intake in response to manipulated pre-packaged snack item quantity/variety and snack box size: a population-based randomized trial. International Journal of Obesity (2019).
2. Prats E, et al.  Energy intake of rats fed a cafeteria diet.  Physiol Behav. 1989 Feb;45(2):263-72.
3. Hall K, et al.  Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake .  Cell Metabolism 2019; 30:67–77.

BakeryAndSnacks.com’s Special Edition: Snackex 2019 introduces the concept of “Snackification,” which as far as I can tell is the conversion of three square meals a day to all-day snacking.  Alas, snacks have calories; the more snacks the more calories consumed.  And most are ultra-processed, the term used to describe foods that are best consumed in small amounts.   The more snacks consumed, the happier the snack-food industry will be.  Hence: the push.

• BakeryandSnack Chat Podcast: Everything you need to capitalize on the rise of snackification:  Sebastian Emig, director general of the European Snacks Association, outlines the upcoming Snackex – held every second year – that congregates the entire value savory snacks chain in one place… Listen now     
• How to capitalize on tomorrow’s snackification opportunities:  If you play in the snacking arena, you are urged to register for Snackex 2019 to fully understand the dramatically changing snacking landscape… Read
• Bell’s snack seasoning portfolio addresses consumer cravings for experimentation:  For the upcoming edition of Snackex – being held in Barcelona, Spain, on June 27 and 28 – Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA will be showcasing snack seasonings focused on the arising foodie culture, which addresses the current consumer crave for experimentation… Read
• Debut appearance for Brazilian peanut exporters at Snackex 2019:  Under the auspices of the Brazilian Chocolates, Peanuts and Candies Manufacturers Association (ABICAB), four Brazilian peanut producers will be showcasing their products at Snackex in Barcelona, Spain, on June 27 and 28… Read  
• Chilli & lime: Griffith Foods’ low sodium snack solutions pack a punch:  The Griffith approach – ‘To blend care and creativity to nourish the world’ – has over the past century distilled into a solid track record of innovation, new products and bespoke solutions… Read  
• The future of snacking revealed:  GoodMills Innovation has invested extensively in cereal ingredients that provide snacks with additional health benefits to enable producers to keep ahead of the rapidly changing snacking scenario… Read  
• Eggs and India: Visitors invited on a unique taste journey with ManeMane – a leading manufacturers of flavors, ingredients and fragrances – is bringing a touch of India to Snackex 2019… Read

We are seeing intense pressure on food companies to adopt more sustainable supply-chain and production practices.  But can an ultra-processed food ever be sustainably produced?  Or, is a sustainable snack food an oxymoron?

In BakeryandSnacks.com’s Spotlight on Sustainability, snack food companies say what they are doing to reduce their impact on the environment:

• ‘Last 10% is always the hardest’: Inside General Mills’ push for sourcing, agriculture and communities: According to its 2019 Global Responsibility Report, the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company sources 85% of its top ten ingredients in responsible ways. Read more 
• General Mills’ mega push towards healthy farming practices to lessen Big Food’s footprint: General Mills has committed to advancing regenerative agricultural practices on one million acres of US farmland by 2030. Read more
• General Mills reinvents cereal plan after crop failure of eco-friendly grain: General Mills’ plans to roll out a new cereal made from Kernza across the US have stalled. However, instead of crying over spilt milk, the company has put a new spin on marketing climate beneficial foods. Read more
•  Grupo Bimbo: One of the world’s most ethical companies baking bread for billions the world over: Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo began as a humble family store in 1945, growing into the largest baking company in the world and a relevant player in snacks, with net sales of $14.2bn in 2017. Read more
• Mondelēz on track to achieve 2020 sustainability and healthy snacking goals: Mondelēz has said it is on target to achieve its 2020 goals in healthy snacking and sustainability. Read more
• Mondelēz expands sustainable wheat program to cover 100% of European biscuits by 2022: The Oreo maker has announced it is expanding its Harmony program to ensure that its entire European biscuit production will be made from sustainable wheat within the next five years. Read more
• Barilla reconfirms responsible agriculture commitment with the launch of 100% sustainable wheat biscuits: Italian pasta producers Barilla has reconfirmed its commitment to responsible agriculture with the extended use of 100% sustainable soft wheat across its Mulino Bianco brand of products. Read more

I keep saying that food companies are not social service or public health agencies and should not be viewed as such.  They are businesses, and everything they do must aim to promote sales and returns to investors.

BakeryandSnacks.com, an industry newsletter to which I subscribe, has collected several of its articles on the anti-hunger activities of its member companies.  Is this public health or public relations?  Read and decide.

• Editor’s Spotlight: The food companies committed to fighting world hunger: World hunger remains a persistent crisis, with approximately 842 million people going hungry every day. We look at the bakery and snack giants that are leading the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Read more
• Cereals on-demand: UN to pilot ‘game-changing’ Food ATMs for African refugees: The United Nation’s World Food Program (WFP) and World Vision International (WVI) are planning to pilot automated teller machines (ATMs) in refugee camps in East Africa, which dispense locally sourced foods like cereals; much like a banking ATM dispenses cash. Read more
• Consumer watchdogs call out Kellogg’s for allegedly slashing fortification in Mexican children’s breakfast cereals: Three consumer watchdogs contend that Kellogg’s has allegedly removed essential micronutrients in its breakfast cereals sold in Mexico, despite 1.6 million children in the country suffering from chronic malnutrition. Read more
• Researchers develop disease-resistant climate-smart grains to help eradicate poverty in Africa: The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) says it foresees rolling roll out new varieties of drought- and disease-resistant grains to African farmers next year to increase food security in the region. Read more
• Calling for entries: General Mills launches second Feeding Better Futures Scholars Program: General Mills is again calling on young innovators across North America for solutions on hunger relief, food waste and sustainable agriculture. Read more
• Call to action: FAO places nutrient-rich millets center stage to boost global innovation: The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has approved India’s proposal to observe 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Read more
•  Kellogg’s partners with global food banks to get the most needed foods to people in need: Kellogg is collaborating with Feeding America and The Global FoodBanking Network to make it easier for people to fight hunger by donating the foods hungry families request most from food banks across the globe. Read more
• Cereal giants Kellogg, Post and General Mills partner with Walmart to #fighthunger: Kellogg Company, Post, PepsiCo, Unilever, General Mills and ConAgra Foods are some of the suppliers to have joined with Walmart in its ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change’ program in the US and Puerto Rico. Read more

When Torsten Veblen wrote The Theory of the Leisure Class in 1899, he could not possibly have imagined this product when he invented the term “conspicuous consumption.”

I am indebted to BakeryAndSnacks.com for its noting the new “bling in snacks:”

Japanese snack maker Koikeya…collaborated with gold-leaf maker Hakuichi…to create the Koikeya Pride Potato Kanazawa Gold Leaf Salt chips. The chips are crafted with particular care to the ingredients and frying process, using gold leaf pieces in two different sizes to ensure the chips are thoroughly coated.

The Koikeya Pride Potato Kanazawa Gold Leaf Salt chips are priced at 300 yen for a 68g bag, available at convenience stores across Japan.

The snack maker is also offering an exclusive set that comes with three packages of extra gold leaf that consumers can sprinkle onto the chips.The set, priced at 2,000 yen ($18), includes three 68g (2.4oz) bags of the chips and three 0.12g (0.004oz) packets of extra gold leaf.

Gold-plated junk food?

Fortunately, gold has no calories.

While Brexit—Britain’s leaving of the European Union—is in turmoil, the industry newsletter, BakeryAndSnacks.com has a few articles on its effects on this industry.  Complicated, no?

• Brexit: ‘If the worst case scenario happens the UK will make ‘No deal’ and will have to trade on WTO terms’: If the worst case scenario happens in Brexit negotiations the UK will make ‘No deal’ and will have to trade on WTO (World Trade Organization) terms, the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations, says Baker Botts. Read more
• Have your cake and eat it: The Brexit effect on bakery and snacks: BakeryandSnacks asked exhibitors at ife 2017, held in London at the beginning of March, what effects Brexit may have on their companies. Read more
• Fewer biscuits for your buck thanks to Brexit: McVitie’s to shrink packet size: Pladis UK has announced it is reducing the size of the McVities Digestive biscuit pack, thanks to a weak sterling following Brexit. Read more
• Beyond Brexit: Five legal issues UK food firms need to protect against in 2017: The year ahead will present UK food companies with a range of major legal challenges over and above the fallout from Brexit, according to leading food industry lawyer Peter Cusick. Read more
• Brexit and its impact on businesses to take centre stage at ECMA Congress: Brexit, the Circular Economy, plastic waste and digital technology are some of the highlights at this year’s ECMA (European Carton Makers Association) Congress. Read more

I am ever indebted to Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, the Canadian obesity specialist, for keeping a sharp eye out for the more amazing ways food companies push junk foods.

Check out his Weighty Matters blog.  This particular post describes the “Smart Snacks” for kids endorsed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association in partnership with the Clinton Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Check out Freedhoff’s selection of “Smart” items drawn from Amazon’s more complete list of Alliance-endorsed items.  Here is his first example (but don’t miss the others):

These are all junk foods tweaked to make them slightly less junky, thereby raising the questions I always like to ask in these situations: Is a slightly better-for-you product necessarily a good choice?

I’ve written about the Alliance’s partnerships previously.  As Freedhoff explains,

In case you’re not familiar with it, the Alliance For A Healthier Generations is the name given to the partnership program founded between the American Heart Association, The Clinton Foundation, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with pretty what at first glance looks like pretty much every food industry corporation on earth…[this] is a partnership with the food industry whose job is to promote sales, not to protect health.

Freedhoff asks:

How is it possible that the American Heart Association, The Clinton Foundation, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation would describe a child washing down a bag of Doritos or a Pop-Tart with a can of Diet Coke as them consuming a Smart Snack?

The American Heart Association should not be a participant in this Alliance.  The “Smart Snacks” program’s endorsement by the Alliance covers these particular products but, by extension, the rest of those companies’ products—and the companies that make them.