SupplySide West: Hot Topics for Food Industry

LAS VEGASAll the hot industry topics were represented during the Food & Beverage Education track at SupplySide West, including nutrigenomics, naturally functional foods and beverages, emerging trends, and the best approaches to controlling food allergens in the manufacturing setting.

One size doesnt fit all when it comes to clinical research since every person has highly individualized genetics and metabolism. But analysis of nutrigenomic and metabolomic details yields more accurate results. This topic formed the basis of a Food & Beverage educational track session dubbed Individualized Nutrition & Metabolic Variability," presented by Andrew G. Swick, Ph.D., associate professor and director of obesity and eating disorders research at the University of North Carolinas Nutrition Research Institute.

The key takeaway from this forward-thinking presentation was that one size certainly doesnt fit all when it comes to clinical research. Every person has highly individualized genetics and metabolism, and treating individuals as a group when it comes to clinical research can easily result in less-than-scientific results. As Swick noted in his talk, When youre running a clinical study, how much do you really know about your subjects?" Unless you are analyzing the nutrigenomic and metabolomic details of your subjects via technology-enabled phenotyping, he contents that the answer to that question is not much."

As such approaches become more ingrained into how researchers conduct clinical trials, we will find that the results from such investigations grow ever-more consistent and verifiable. Such results will then translate into the ability of nutritional product manufacturers to better communicate believable and clear messages to consumers.

Next up was Suzy Badaracco who brought a combined background in toxicology, culinary arts and human nutrition, among other pursuits, to the table during her SupplySide educational session, If you can Google it, its not an emerging trend anymore."

She noted identifying an emerging trend can be a tricky business. And, chances are, once you have heard about an existing trend, it might be too late to capitalize on the momentum it will carry into the marketplace. The trick is to pinpoint indicators of a trend as they surface.

Badaracco provided a fascinating look at her approach to identifying and tracking trends in food and beverage, using indicators from health, consumer behaviors like how they spend their leisure time and where they travel, governmental initiatives and legislation, and technology to see where and how the next big things in food will emerge.

Some glimpses at future directions for the industry provided by Badaracco included:

·        People dont want functional these days, they want whole" foods

·        Comfort foods are depressing and boringpeople want experimental and exotic"

·        Gluten-free will downsize, but pointed the way toward allergen awareness"

The day shifted gears to the hot subject of food safety. Contamination of food with the big eight allergenspeanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, milk, egg, soy and wheatresults in altogether too many food and beverage product recalls. And even one can be too much for some companies. Recalls are costly, but loss of consumer trust in a product in the wake of that recall can prove even more troublesome.

During a Food and Beverage track educational session at SupplySide West, Jane Griffith, GFSI technical director for ASI Food Safety Consultants, Inc., investigated best approaches to avoiding contamination and controlling allergens in food manufacturing facilities. As she noted, the big eight allergens account for around 90% of all food allergies, so controlling thoseat the very least (and perhaps beyond, and looking at other known allergens, where applicable)is paramount for every product manufacturer.

One key point Griffith brought up was the fact that FDA has a skeptical view of may contain" and similar disclaimer-type label statements and could be viewed as an attempt by a manufacturer to cover less-than-thorough GMPs.

In the end, the trick is to balance risks with costs to determine the best allergen-control approach for any given manufacturer, whether employing separate lines for runs of products that contain allergens or cleaning lines between runs, among other concerns. Having complete transparence with ingredient suppliers is also necessary, as a finished-product manufacturers ship is only as tight as that of their ingredient supplier. Comprehensive employee training is also a must.

After all, one recall is one too many.

Next up was an extensive overview of what ingredients, products and concerns, which are top-of mind for todays consumers A. Elizabeth E. Sloan, Ph. D., president, Sloan Trends & Solutions, Inc. told the audience: Some of you may have heard that fortification is down. Thats true." But she continued with the good news: Products delivering those nutrients those nutrients in a more-natural, food-like form," are more popular than ever. While the interest in traditional fortified foods has waned, natural fortification and inherent nutrition has moved center stage."

The concept of natural, real and clean resonates with todays chemophobic consumer she said, citing research data that says that 39% of consumers believe that chemicals are the no. 1 food-safety issue. Clean" has overtaken fresh" as the most important element of a shelf-stable food. In addition, all-natural" had the No. 1 spot of all product claims last year. The natural claim is more important to consumers, more so than organic, although the latter term is more important in foods and beverages that are considered closer to the farm."

Sloan noted that antioxidant content is one of the hottest areas, with one-third of the population actively seeking out more antioxidants, particularly to address cancer and heart health.

Rounding out the day was a session on superfruits. Phytochemicals tend to be a hot button, especially among younger consumers, and carotenoids and resveratrol are experiencing heightened interest. In the superfruit area, consumers are looking at North American superfruits, like berries, instead of exotic types, like acai. Research indicates that the next superfoods to hit the big time are spices, pulses, ancient grains, and heirloom and hybridized foods. Consumers are now looking for products that include fiber, potassium, magnesium and beta carotene. Protein is another nutrient that is important, especially if the source is close to the food, e.g. whey protein fortified dairy foods. And she reminded the audience that made in the USA" is an important selling point for the large number of consumers who feel imported foods are less safe than those from this country.

A look at cutting-edge research at the David H. Murdoch Research Institute (DHMRI), NC, was presented by Sheetal Ghelai, Ph.D., associate director, DHMRI. The research institute forms partnerships with industry, academia and the U.S. government to provide research resulting in improvements in global crop production, human nutrition, food innovation and human health. Included was a review of specific research conducted at one of the institute partners, North Carolina State, including sequencing the blueberry genome, identifying plants with antimicrobial activity and examining the benefits of traditional foods of indigenous peoples.

Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., principal, Corvus Blue LLC, and Kimberly Lord Stewart, author of Eating Between the Lines, invited attendees to a Functional Ingredients Try-athon," an activity that sampled a number of ingredients in a focused manner within a defined context. Some of the ingredient tasted included coconut milk, almond crème, bean flour, an erythritol-based sweetener, bitterness masking agents and curcumin.