Ground beef recall linked to E. coli - 8/8/2008
S&S Foods LLC. of California, is recalling approximately 153,630 pounds of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H. The problem was discovered through a joint investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), as well as product testing by the Virginia Department of Health. On July 31, the VDH announced an investigation into an outbreak of E. coli O157 infection at a Boy Scout reservation located in Goshen, Virginia. According to the VDH, approximately 84 camp attendees reported symptoms related to E. coli and 25 children have been lab-confirmed with E. coli O157 infection. A total of 8 scouts have required hospitalization. The frozen meat was intended for food service and institutional use and not for direct retail purchase.
A better-for-you burger — 15/7/2008
Researchers in Argentina are working on taking the beef fat out of the burger and replacing it with substitutes such as high oleic sunflower oil and fish fats rich in omega-3 fatty acids. The better-for-you burger, as reported by the Washington Post, is low-sodium and has no saturated fat.
"The taste is very similar to a regular hamburger because the oils and fats we've added -- even the seafood oils -- are neutral in taste and smell," said Alicia Califano, a chemist who helped to develop the burger recipe. "But if you tried to make a hamburger this lean at home, it would be really hard and dry."
According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, the average Argentine in 2006 consumed more than 140 pounds of beef. None of the other nationalities studied consumed even half that amount, with the exception of Americans, who consumed an average of 97 pounds.
World food production must rise by 50% by 2030 — 3/6/2008
United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon in an address at the World Food Summit being held in Rome that world food production must rise by 50% to meet the increasing demand. Ki-moon said that increasing hunger and civil unrest is being caused by food-price increases.
Ki-moon told the attendees that nations must minimize export restrictions and import tariffs during the food price crisis and quickly resolve world trade talks.
"The world needs to produce more food," Mr. Ban said. "Food production needs to rise by 50% by the year 2030 to meet rising demand."
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is hosting the three-day summit to try to solve the short-term emergency of increased hunger caused by soaring prices and to help poor countries grow enough food to feed their own.
Rising costs lead to skinnier packaging - 30/7/2008
Looking to cut costs wherever possible, large food companies such as Kraft Foods and Coca-Cola are finding innovative ways to streamline packaging.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the cap on a 20-ounce bottle of Coke is now 24 percent lighter than before, allowing the company to cut its plastic intake by a projected 40 million pounds. Kraft has developed new bottles for its salad dressings that use 19 percent less plastic and take up less space in shipping containers, allowing the company to fit 18 percent more bottles per truckload.
While focusing on the container itself when looking for savings is becoming more of a trend, it’s not new to the industry, said Joseph Hotchkiss, chairman of Cornell University's food science department. “Companies always put a focus on [cutting packaging costs], but in this environment, they are certainly putting more and more focus," he said.
Cutting down on what’s inside the packaging is another way companies have been saving money for some time. Consumers often find that their favorite products an ounce or two lighter these days.
Hooked on healthy food messages - 3/7/2008
New ingredients and health claims will drive consumers to try a product, but good taste will bring back business. Consumers respond to positive information. They want to hear about health and wellness rather than disease or deficiencies. They go for price value, as well as a product that will fit into their lives and extend their life experience rather than cause them to “jump” into a brand-new way of seeing or tasting foods.
“Taste is what it’s all about,” said Nancy Childs, PhD, professor of marketing at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. “The more health-related information and claims that manufacturers present, the more taste assurance the consumer needs.”
Speaking to consumers directly and personally, especially through the Internet if the audience is younger than 35 years old, is crucial. “Brands can create communities around which people can solve problems,” said Childs, who notes that young moms network over the Web with health information.
Scientists, educators and marketing experts gathered to discuss how consumers influence and receive food-health and food-safety messages at Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans.
Extracted from The Institute of Food Technologist (IFT) Daily News Reader,
http://www.ift.org/news_bin/news/newsFrames.php?aName=1216153076
