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 A ConAgra food subsidiary that makes frozen French fries and other potato side dishes says it will phase out GMO ingredients over the next 12 months. Alexia Foods says the project, which entails Non-GMO Project verification, is 90 percent complete. The company also announced two new side dishes – flavored sweet potato fries and truffle fries – made with organic potatoes Alexia products are available at natural, gourmet, club, grocery and mass retail stores.
"Alexia Announces Non-GMO Commitment And New Innovations", News release, Alexia Foods, June 11, 2016
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 Five agrichemical companies control most of the seeds that are used to grow our crops, according to the Clif Bar Family Foundation, which recently launched the Seed Matters initiative to tout the benefits of high-yielding organic seed as opposed to the nutrient-poor GMO seeds developed by industrial agriculture. The problem is, consumers aren’t really aware of the importance of the seeds used in farming. To rectify that, Seed Matters hired an ad agency to develop Mr. Seed, a foul-mouthed animated organic seed character, to get its point across. That point is that “public funding is at stake” and seed is rapidly becoming consolidated and privatized. There has to be a broader conversation – even if it’s laced with obscenities – about the
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"Why This Animated, Foul-Mouthed Organic Seed Is Talking Dirty About Your Food", Fast Company, June 09, 2016
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 Scientists at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service have developed – and patented – a special blend of rice flours that reduces oil absorption during cooking and are nutritionally and functionally “equal or superior to their wheat-based counterparts.” Maryland’s CrispTek LLC is now marketing rice flour-based brownie, cookie and muffin mixes under the brand name Choice Batter. The scientists who developed the technology that led to the rice flour blend – which can be used for grilling, baking and frying – say rice-based batters absorb 50 percent less oil than traditional wheat batters. In addition, they are naturally gluten-free, and free from common food allergens such as peanuts, dairy foods, soy, and from artificial colors, flavors
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"New Rice Flour Mixes Available To Make Yummy Treats", News release, USDA, June 08, 2016
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 Euromonitor has responded to the social media-driven trend toward ethical consumerism by creating a 26-market database, Passport Ethical Labels, that quantifies packaged food and beverage product labels by three categories: people/values, the environment and sustainability, and animal welfare. Consumers, of course, have no intention of stopping consuming because of concerns about the Indonesian rainforest, slaughter houses, chicken sheds, pig farms, dubious food additives, etc. They still want convenience, but also a less guilty conscience. The newest data show that the global market for ethical labels on branded packaged foods, soft drinks and hot drinks totaled $794 billion in 2015, three-quarters of which comprised environment- and
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"Passport Ethical Labels – Key Findings", Blog, Euromonitor , June 08, 2016
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 A research team in Canada has created a dietary supplement from commonly available nutrients that reverses brain cell loss and cognitive decline. The team has been testing the concoction since 2000 in both normal and rapidly aging mice bred to experience severe declines in cognitive and motor function in only a few months. The mice lose more than half of their brain cells by one year of age, the human equivalent of severe Alzheimer's disease. The formula of 30 vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and nutraceuticals includes vitamins B, C and D, folic acid, green tea extract, and cod liver oil. It was fed to the mice daily over several months and completely eliminated the severe brain cell loss and cognitive decline.
"A multi-ingredient dietary supplement abolishes large-scale brain cell loss, improves sensory function, and prevents neuronal atrophy in aging mice.", Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, June 08, 2016
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 There is a growing list of foods and food ingredients that people deem unhealthy or, for some, are actually allergenic. The food industry has responded by marketing packaged food products that are “free from” these ingredients, which include grain (especially wheat), dairy, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish. These eight account for 90 percent of allergic reactions to food, which have been on the rise. The CDC says food allergies now affect approximately one in 13 children. The free-from trend has grown into a $190 million market, with sales in the year ending January 24 surging 26.5 percent in the combined conventional and natural channels. Gluten-free, meanwhile, by itself is a $25 billion market. Allergies don’t account
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"Free-from foods rise to the occasion", New Hope Network, June 06, 2016
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