Currently browsing posts about: Snack foods

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.

I am indebted to BakeryandSnacks.com for this insight into food of the future: jellyfish snacks.

Westerner that I am, I think of jellyfish as exquisite creatures pumping away in the Monterey Bay Aquarium or as horrible stinging aggressors on the beaches of Florida.  Until now, I never thought of eating one.

But now a recent paper extols the potential of jellyfish as chips.

As an example, we have studied jellyfish – a food material mostly uncommon to the Western palate, but a delicacy in traditional Asian cuisine having a gastronomic history of more than a thousand years. It is eaten mainly for its interesting crunchy mouthfeel resulting from a month-long salt preservation using sodium chloride and alum. This preservation drastically changes the texture of the jellyfish from being gel-like to resembling that of pickled cucumbers.

We have used state-of-the-art two-photon microscopy and super-resolution STED microscopy to visualize the rearrangements in the filamentous network constituting the jellyfish mesoglea gel during the transformation from a soft gel to a crunchy texture. We further interpret our data in light of polyelectrolyte theory and a modified Flory-Higgins theory that describes ionic gel collapse in poor solvent to suggest an alternative preservation method. Using ethanol, we thus have created what can be classified as jellyfish chips that has a crispy texture and could be of potential gastronomic interest.

As BakeryandSnacks.com explains:

Jellyfish are widely eaten in Asia, by typically marinating the bell (or body) in salt and potassium alum for several weeks to produce a pickle-like texture.  However, the Western palate is unaccustomed to this food source and the jellyfish is often described as “slimy”​ and “tasteless”.

But now, “Scientists from the University of Southern Denmark have developed a technique to turn jellyfish into a crunchy chip, potentially creating a market for aquatic snacks….”

As for nutrition, jellyfish are mostly water and sea water at that; their nutritional composition is like that of sea water, high in sodium but not much else.

Can’t wait to taste one.

Yum?

I subscribe to a bunch of newsletters, one of which is BakeryandSnacks.com.  It tracks the market for baked goods and snack foods throughout the world.  Here, for example, is its roundup of articles about that market in China—the fastest growing bakery market in the world.

Special Edition: China market report

China’s bakery sector has been the most dynamic around the world – growing in double digits in the past decade – and shows no signs of slowing down, despite quickly becoming saturated with both large and artisanal Asian and foreign players. To coincide with the country’s Lunar New Year celebrations and proceeding Bakery China – Asia Pacific’s largest event for the bakery and confectionery market to be held in Shanghai in May 2018 – BakeryandSnacks examines the world’s fastest growing bakery market.

• • Be it baguette or mooncake: China’s dynamic bakery market shows no signs of slow-down: Chinese appetites for bakery products continues to grow unabated, despite a market saturated with Asian brands and a continued upswing in foreign offerings… Read
  • China’s bakery and snacks sector predict e-commerce sales boost for Lunar New Year: Chinese bakery snack manufacturers are betting on e-commerce to boost their sales over the Lunar New Year, reports domestic confectionery trade body China Candy… Read
  • NPD Asian snacks online: umaibo, mocha and cornicks: China’s Lunar New Year offers snack and bakery producers big opportunities to boost annual sales… Read
  • China’s bakery industry at pivotal point: says national food association: The current development of China’s bakery products market is still immature, but experts believe it has reached the pivotal point for improvement… Read

BakeryandSnacks.com is another industry newsletter I subscribe to for keeping me up to date on what’s happening with baked goods and snacks.

Special Edition: Is grain-free the new gluten-free?

Grain-free may still be niche but it’s gaining traction among consumers who perceive it as the next step to better health. ‘Going completely grainless’ is becoming increasingly popular among consumers who are moving away from processed foods and incorporating natural ingredients, such as nuts, legumes and pulses, into their diets that boost their intake of proteins and minerals. The grain-free trend is an extension of the gluten-free trend, which is predicted to reach $4.35b by 2013 in the US, according to MicroMarketMonitor.

• Promise Gluten Free sells majority stake to UK private equity firm: Mayfair Equity Partners (MEP) has bought a majority stake in the Donegal-headquartered Promise Gluten Free for an undisclosed amount… Read
• Grain-free trend just sprouting in bakery, but may overtake gluten-freeMany bakery industry professionals believe the grain-free trend will catch on – drive by a demand for more natural, less processed ingredients – and will eventually supersede gluten-free… Read
• Rice-based enzyme will bring gluten-free bread to the next level, says DSMDSM has unveiled a rice-based baker’s enzyme which boosts the softness and moistness of gluten-free bread, allowing it to compete with wheat-based breads in texture, it says… Read
• Witte dryers safeguard gluten-free foods from cross-contaminationThe Witte Company has developed a range of dryers and coolers that eliminate the need for a dedicated, gluten-free drying system… Read

And just for fun, I’m adding this fascinating one from the B&S daily feed:

• Prehistoric grains identified in Swiss Alps lunch box:
  Scientists have discovered a 4,000-year-old ‘lunch box’ – obviously lost by a plucky primitive traveler crossing the Swiss mountains – contains microscopic traces of ancient wheat and rye… Read

I always like to share FoodNaviagator-USA’s special editions—collections of articles on one theme, in this case, what’s happening with snacks from the industry’s perspective.

Special Edition: Snacking trends 

What’s hot in snacks? Sprouted grains? Posh jerky? Chickpeas? Gourmet marshmallows? What’s the difference between a meal and a snack, or are the lines becoming increasingly blurred? What’s a suitable portion-size? This FoodNavigator-USA special edition explores the hottest new trends and brands in the market.

• Consumers want tooth-friendly confectionery treats: Consumers don’t want to compromise – they want both sweet treats and good oral health. And of course great taste! Learn how Zerose^® erythritol delivers with this infographic highlighting a recent clinical study and proprietary consumer research…   Click Here
• yusō founder: The next generation of snacks is fresh, satisfying and healthy: Japanese onigiri – protein-filled sticky rice balls wrapped in crunchy seaweed – are gaining traction in US restaurants. But if yusō founder Sarah Sturtevant has her way, they could also give retailers convenient new savory options in their emerging refrigerated snacking sets… Read
• Serial snacker: Can Jason Cohen strike CPG gold again with Road Crew Crunch? Most entrepreneurs are lucky if they strike CPG gold once. Jason Cohen has done it multiple times, and reckons he could be onto a winner again with Road Crew Crunch, a simple combination of chocolate, nuts, rice and pretzels he discovered on a family vacation in Vermont… Read
• Perfect Bar CEO: The refrigerated snacking category is on fire: Getting retailers to give up valuable space in the chiller for nutrition bars was a tough sell when Bill Keith first started knocking on doors in 2006. Today, Perfect Bars are the third best-selling snack bar in the natural channel, and their success has prompted many retailers to completely rethink the way they merchandise snacks… Read
• Crunchsters secures financing to bring sprouted mung beans to the US snacks aisle: Most Americans are pretty clueless about mung beans, but Crunchsters – a Boulder-based start-up determined to put them on the culinary map – reckons it’s only a matter of time before the protein- and fiber-packed beans become an essential part of every retailer’s healthy snacks set… Read
• BjornQorn’s mission-driven sun-popped corn attracts both buyers and brand collaborations: The Brooklyn-based small-batch popcorn brand saw its sales double after a collaboration with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, which used the snack in one of its summer flavors… Read
• Baby and toddler snacks often fall short on nutrition while marketing misleads parents, review reveals: Food manufacturers should voluntarily expand the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative for improving food advertising to children to include marketing of baby and toddler food and drinks, the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity recommends after it found marketing for baby and toddler snacks are likely to mislead parents about nutritional content… Read
• Startup brand DNX Bar bets on the meat bar category: Distributor United Natural Foods has signed a deal to distribute DNX Bar’s beef and bison meat bars. Founder John Rooney believes it’s a sign that the meat snack category is poised to exit the ‘trendy’ realm and become a new snack-aisle staple… Read
• Quinn Snacks removes more than gluten from pretzels, shows consumers its supply line: Historically consumers who wanted a gluten-free alternative to a wheat-based product had to sacrifice nutrition, taste or accept the presence of other common allergens in the ingredient list. .. Read
• Pasta Chips secures $3m cash injection: Pasta Chips has secured a $3m investment from Advantage Capital Agribusiness Partners, LP (ACAP), along with Silas Capital and Emil Capital Partners… Read
• What’s the size of the sprouted food prize? To Your Health Sprouted Flour Co – the Alabama-based supplier of the organic sprouted grains in Kashi’s cereals – has expanded its facility for the third time to meet surging demand, says founder Peggy Sutton, who is predicting revenues of $6m in 2016, 10-years after she first started sprouting grains in mason jars in her kitchen. .. Read
• Full of beans? BRAMI lupini bean snack firm raises $1.5m in seed funding round: BRAMI, the New York-based brand bringing the Mediterranean lupini bean to the snack aisle, has closed on a $1.5m seed round of funding led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures, AccelFoods and Enlightened Capital… Read
• Malted milk helps startup root cookies in nostalgia & be on cutting edge of current trends: The founders of startup Malt Shop Cookies are hoping to jumpstart their new ecommerce business by launching on Cyber Monday the online sale of their line of malted milk cookies before expanding into more traditional brick and mortar stores next year… Read
• Pulse Innovation Forum highlights: Introducing lupini beans, and do we need a ‘Got Milk?’ style campaign for pulses? From terminology (do US consumers get the word ‘pulses’?), to positioning (what are the key selling points?), and how to deal with flatulence questions, the recent FoodNavigator-USA Pulse Innovation Forum covered a lot of ground. Here are some of the highlights from the 60-minute session, supported by Ingredion, which is now available on demand. .. Read
• FOOD VISION USA 2016… THE TRAILBLAZERS: Hippeas carves out new territory in snacks, ‘What really gives me confidence is the level of consumer engagement’ Give peas a chance? It’s tough breaking into the ultra-competitive snacks market with a brand that resonates across all retail channels, but Hippeas – one of three winners in this year’s trailblazers challenge at Food Vision USA – has managed to pull it off. So what is founder Livio Bisterzo doing differently?.. Watch now
• Startup The Little Kernel shows when it comes to RTE popcorn smaller can be better: Based in part on the idea that good things come in small packages, the founders of The Little Kernel earlier this year launched a line of tiny pre-popped popcorn, which they say is sweeter, crunchier and easier to eat than regular sized popcorn because it won’t get stuck in consumers’ teeth… Read
• New Pop sets itself apart in crowded RTE popcorn category by offering first ‘skinless’ option: Already recognized by many as the epitome of a convenient and better-for-you snack, ready-to-eat popcorn is about to become even healthier and easier to enjoy, claim the founders of New Pop as it makes its US debut… Read
• Four emerging trends to watch in snacks in 2017: From sour and heat combinations to charred flavors and California garlic, Sensient Natural Ingredients outlines key flavor/ingredient trends to watch in the snacks category in 2017… Read
• Pure Growth Organic seeks to make organic accessible & acceptable to children: Rightly or wrongly, organic snacks often are stereotyped as “esoteric” products that sacrifice flavor and fun for nutrition and are “hard on the wallet” compared to their conventional counterparts, according to the CEO of Pure Growth Organic… Read

Jennifer Harris and colleagues at the Rudd Center have a study out in Obesity on how food companies are making products to meet the USDA’s nutrition standards for snack foods—but look just like the original products that don’t.

These, the press release says, are confusing to parents and children.

A fact sheet provides the evidence.

Students believed that look-alike Smart Snacks and the less-nutritious versions of the brands sold in stores were similar in healthfulness and expected them to taste the same.

No wonder.

This, of course, is the result of “nutritionism,” the defining of the healthfulness of a food by its content of specific nutrients—vitamins, salt, sugar, saturated fat.

The “healthier” versions raise the question: Is a slightly better-for-you product a good choice?

Not necessarily, alas.

This is why food-based standards make more sense.  Snack foods have a place in kids diets, but ideally a small one.

I subscribe to BakeryAndSnacks.com for its information about what’s happening in those industries.  It occasionally collects articles on specific topics.  This one is on healthy snacking.

ESA [European Snacks Association] chief Sebastian Emig says the snacks industry is willing to embrace change to meet demand for healthier, more natural snacks. From the novel Coldbake vacuum process that adds active functional ingredients to foods, to the predicted rise in snacks with savory flavors or sprouted grains, this special edition explores some of the technology and ingredients that could help manufacturers make those changes.

Sprouted grain snack opportunities: flavor, free-from and Europe: They are still niche – and not cheap to work with – but sprouted grains are set to continue to grow in importance to the snacks industry… Read

Crowdfunding bid to drive development of ‘entirely new’ functional snacks: Carritech Research has launched a crowdfunding campaign to expand commercial development and licensing of its Coldbake process, which enables snacks and biscuits to be produced at lower temperatures than traditional methods… Read

Bars of gold: Veggie inclusions to maintain growth in healthy snack bars?: With sales of healthy snack bars booming in the US, industry experts predict vegetables and savory flavors could become key weapons in maintaining growth… Read

Insects, wholegrains and air-popping to shape future snack innovations, writes ESA chief: European Snacks Association director general Sebastian Emig discusses innovation drivers in Europe’s snacks market… Read

Zeelandia slashes sugar, fat and calories with ‘healthy’ muffin recipe: Bakery ingredients and processes business Zeelandia has developed a blueberry muffin claimed to have around a third less sugar and less than half the fat of a regular muffin… Read