Food, Supplements, Ingredients
Waves of grain
A month has gone by since the Commodity Classic in Texas. The economy still struggles but agriculture is holding its own.
The refrain I heard over and over again in my talks with growers and exhibitors at the show was “People need to eat.”
These sentiments were echoed in the business section of the March 21st issue of The Economist. The article, titled Green Shoots has a bold call-out, “No matter how bad things get, people still need to eat.” No, I am not comparing my crack reporting with the writers at The Economist but I am calling out the mantra of the Ag world, “People need to eat.” The article is mostly about China and how their consumption rate is growing leaps and bounds.
So, what ARE we eating, anyway? Transparency. It isn’t just about finance.
So Tuesday morning the Chicago Tribune had an article on mercury in high fructose corn syrup. Jeremy Piven grounded for over-abundant consumption of sushi, I get (sort of). But candy and soda with traces of toxic mercury? That’s just plain wrong.
I had the pleasure of speaking last week at the Focus on the Future conference – a gathering of food manufacturing and ingredient professionals. The people that really are in the driver’s seat of what we’re ingesting. Most of the intelligence presented focused on industry trends in supplements and functional foods. But a couple of speakers really made an impact on me…
From the Front Lines of Focus On The Future 2009
In a welcome break from our brutal Chicago winter, I’m now in Scottsdale, getting ready to speak Thursday at the Focus On The Future Conference. It’s a group of nutraceutical/functional food folks … companies that develop ingredients, manufacture food and supplements as well as a few retailers and consulting firms. Given the economic uncertainties facing all industries, quite a chunk of the discussion is on whether there’s opportunity for growth in 09 or whether the industry will see contraction.
Positive signs are ingredients that have recently cleared the FDA, opening doors for new product development. According to Sloan Research the areas of opportunity are for products that:
- fight body fat (no one actually diets anymore, finally!) and keep us feeling full
- help women in their prime (i.e., post-menopausal, now 44% of our female population) keep a healthy heart and fend off signs of aging
- help aging boomers keep their eyesight keen and their arteries clean
- and that may mitigate the incredibly unfortunate (but market opportunistic) condition of today’s children in the US—high risk for diabetes and other long-term chronic ailments due to the foods/drinks they are consuming as infants.
I was happy that speakers from both NMI and Sloan talked about the emerging sensibilities of Gen Y in food selection … and that they’re truly engaged in where the ingredients in their food actually come from, which is a key component of my talk on Thursday.
CBD Releases Results of Proprietary Food Survey
We’re happy to release the latest version of our ongoing survey regarding choice. That is, how young consumers go about selecting the foods that they purchase.
Last summer, more noise started being made about ingredients—what they really are, where they are sourced, and how food manufacturers incorporate them into their products. In preparing for a speech on “Marketing to the YouTube Generation”, I began to wonder if this generation of highly connected shoppers is aware of what’s in their food, and further, whether they really care.
We compiled a panel comprised 100 young women ages 20 – 30 to rank a list of ten criteria they consider when making a food purchase.
Taste and price are at the top of the list. However, six months ago, price was about in the middle. A result of economic uncertainty, no doubt. The middle rankings are related to nutrition—ingredient information, fat content, easy to read labeling, shelf life and organic.
The real shocker? Brand name and packaging ranked #8 and #9. A corporate record for sustainability was #10. However when we broke out the data to look at the youngest of the group (those age 20 – 21) brand name ranked last.
Consumers are finally paying attention and are committed to healthy eating.This means food manufacturers must pay heed and to be much more forthcoming about what’s in their products. Consumers will always be entertained by advertising and probably swayed by promotions. But the real market share, I believe, will go to those who offer substance over image.
Vertical Farming – coming to a highrise near you!
Large-scale farming in the middle of Manhattan? A self-sustaining farm on the Vegas strip?
building concept from atelier soa architects
Vertical farming isn’t an entirely new idea, as greenhouse-based agriculture is a global success allowing crop production year-round. What is new, is the plan that the “greenhouse” would expand to the size of an 18-30 story skyscraper that takes up an entire city block. In fact, prototypes have already been designed specifically for New York City and Toronto.
This may take place sooner than you think. Projections show that the world’s population is on track to include an extra 3 billion people by 2050. In order to feed that many mouths, traditional farming methods would need to expand to include a field the size of South America.
One 18-story high-rise farm could feed as many as 50,000 people.
U.S. Agriculture buzz in a word: Vilsack
December has brought more attention to U.S. agriculture and how the industry is reacting to some of the hottest topics at the forefront of daily news.
Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, an aggressive campaigner for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton before his state’s caucuses in January, has been named U.S. Agriculture Secretary by President-elect Barack Obama. (If his name sounds familiar, in 2004 Vilsack was one of three finalists to be John Kerry’s running-mate. He also campaigned for president himself, but dropped out of the race in February 2007. His unusual stance included cutting subsidies for commodity crops and putting those dollars towards environmental improvements, such as bio-fuel production plants and wind farms.)
Vilsack has been reputed to be an advocate for young farmers and has a defined view on our nation’s place within global agriculture. As a big supporter of renewable energy, he has been a key supporter of Iowa’s ethanol industry, helping to establish the state as the nation’s largest producer of corn.
Q: Where do you think Vilsack will take U.S. Agriculture and will this appointment be a good thing? Very interested in others’ thoughts here.
On other fronts…
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
