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OTHER BUSINESS360 SOLUTIONS... Insights & Outsights, a light-hearted annual retrospective (2013 and 2014). Email us for more | | Subject: | FOOD BUSINESS NEWS | | Period: | February 27, 2016 to March 5, 2016 | | Geographies: | Worldwide | | Categories: | All Categories | | Contents | |
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 Nestlé announced it will use only cage-free eggs in its food products within five years. The company uses 20 million pounds of eggs a year to make three brands of ice cream, Toll House cookie dough, Buitoni pasta, lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s breakfast foods. The move to using exclusively cage-free eggs isa response to consumers, the company says, that establishes “a precedent for farm animal welfare." Nestlé is also developing pilot projects with suppliers and the World Animal Protection group to create a roadmap for sourcing cage-free eggs in Europe and elsewhere.
"Nestlé to Use 100% Cage-Free Eggs for All U.S. Food Products by 2020", News release, Nestlé, December 22, 2015
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 Subway Restaurants has expanded its policy of using only antibiotic-free chicken in its sandwiches and meals to include all meats. The chain will transition to serving only protein from animals that have never been fed antibiotics across all of its 27,000 U.S. restaurants by early 2016. In June 2015, the company said it would remove all artificial colors, flavors and preservatives from its sandwiches, salads, soups and cookies in North America by the end of 2017.
"SUBWAY® Restaurants Elevates Current Antibiotic-Free Policy", News release, SUBWAY, October 20, 2015
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 A Michigan-based retail grocery chain is combining its house organic and natural foods line under one brand name and says sit plans to expand the 225-product family to 325. Meijer says the products – including granola chips, coconut oil, macaroni and cheese, juice boxes and spices – will be branded “True Goodness” to reflect consumer desire for healthier options, especially less-processed foods. They will contain no artificial ingredients or hydrogenated oils. USDA certified organic items will not contain GMOs, growth hormones, antibiotics, conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or ionizing radiation.
"Meijer expands and renames organic and all-natural line", Detroit Free Press, September 19, 2015
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 Wild Harvest, whose product line includes 300 items “free from more than 100 undesirable ingredients,” said it will only offer eggs from cage-free chickens by the end of 2015. The brand sells more than 38 million eggs a year under 12 product varieties (SKUs). Wild Harvest introduced an 18-count cage-free egg in 2015, along with a free-range, Non-GMO Project-verified 12-count egg package. Wild Harvest is one of the brands offered by the Supervalue family of private brands.
"Wild Harvest Announces Plan to Source 100 Percent Cage-Free Eggs by Year End", News release, Wild Harvest, August 05, 2015
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 Following in the footsteps of fast-food competitors Chipotle, Panera Bread and Pizza Hut, Papa John’s International Inc. says it will spend a small fortune to remove as many as 14 disliked artificial ingredients from its menu items by the end of 2016. It has already eliminated monosodium glutamate (MSG) from salad dressings and trans fats from garlic sauce. On the new shun list are corn syrup, artificial colors and various preservatives used in dipping sauces for pizza and chicken poppers. Pizza Hut announced similar plans a month ago. The initiative will cost Papa John’s about $100 million a year.
"Papa John's spending $100M to clean up menu", MSN, June 30, 2015
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 Nestlé USA has promised to replace artificial flavors and reduce sodium content in 250 products across six brands of snacks and frozen pizzas in the U.S. Brands include DiGiorno, Tombstone, California Pizza Kitchen, Jack's, Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets. The company said it would also add “guidance tools” to food packages to educate consumers on portion sizes and the importance of a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables. The goal of the changes is to help satisfy consumer demand for “convenient, great-tasting foods that have an improved nutritional profile." Earlier in the year the company announced it was eliminating artificial colors from some chocolate candies.
"Nestlé USA Removes Artificial Flavors, Cuts Sodium in Pizza, Snacks", Nestlé, June 02, 2015
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 Yum! Foods subsidiary Pizza Hut says it is removing all artificial flavors and colors from its pizza line by the end of July. The company is working with suppliers to reformulate its menu following continuous testing to make sure flavors have been preserved. It has already gotten rid of hydrogenated oils (artificial trans fats) and MSG, and has cut sodium levels. Its Nutrition Bold Goal is to reduce sodium content in 20 percent of its pizzas to one-third of the daily recommended dietary allowance by the end of 2020.
"Pizza Hut Announces New Brand Standards For Ingredients", News release, Pizza Hut, May 26, 2015
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 Panera bread has published a list of ingredients it either has removed or will remove from its bakery-café foods menus by the end of 2016 and replace with simpler ingredients. Included on the list are artificial colors and flavors, sweeteners and preservatives. The first menu items affected are salad dressings and salads, including the Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad and the Kale Caesar. The company said it consulted “third-party scientists and experts” to develop the so-called “No No List” of ingredients it plans to do without.
"Panera Bread Becomes First National Restaurant Company to Share List of Unacceptable Ingredients", News release, Panera Bread, May 05, 2015
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 McDonald’s USA has announced a commitment to sourcing only chicken not raised with antibiotics, and milk from cows never treated with the artificial growth hormone rbST. The new antibiotics policy, developed with the cooperation of sourcing farmers, supports the company's “Global Vision for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Food Animals,” introduced in 2003. The company said it hopes to implement the new antibiotics policy to its supply chain over the next two years. Instead of antibiotics, farmers who supply chicken to McDonald’s will use ionophores, an antibiotic not used for humans that helps keep chickens healthy.
"McDonald's USA Announces New Antibiotics Policy and Menu Sourcing Initiatives", News release, McDonald's, March 04, 2015
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| Companies, Organizations | | | | Time was, finding an insect in a bake mix might provide grounds for a lawsuit. So, while the world spends gobs of money – $65 billion by 2017 – on pesticides to rid the planet of bugs, it is remarkable that a small Oregon company is deliberately turning insects into baking ingredients. The name of the company, Cricket Flours, gives a pretty good idea of the business model. Founded just two years ago, the company is developing a brownie mix using protein-rich, sustainably produced crickets, raised in North America specifically for people to eat. The brownie mix contains a dozen of the milled bugs, plus organic gluten-free flour and organic Peruvian cocoa powder. The founders say their mix has less sugar, fewer calories, and twice... More "Company with Eugene roots launches development of brownie mix with milled crickets", The Register-Guard, February 25, 2016
Food writer Ashlie Stevens reports a steady rise in the amount of information available about artisan bread making on the Internet. That includes Instagram posts (43,000), searchable Twitter hashtags (#justbaked, #breakingbread, and #loafingaround), and scads of YouTube videos and blogs. It’s a remarkable phenomenon that is “increasingly anomalous in a world of fast food and microwave meals.” Making artisan bread is a process that requires huge amounts of time, because it is manual labor and “non-tech assisted.” It also uses quality ingredients. It is a social phenomenon – an online artisan bread community – that in the digital age helps bread makers of all types enhance their skills and even grow businesses.
"The unexpected rise of artisan bread in the on-demand era", The Daily Dot, February 24, 2016
| Marketing Magazine, March 03, 2016 Hindustan Unilever Limited, February 26, 2016 Mobile Marketer, February 26, 2016 Accenture Consulting, February 25, 2016 The Wall Street Journal, February 25, 2016 Fortune, February 25, 2016 | |
| Market News | | | |
Restaurants, food trucks, wine bars and waffle shops in California are replacing tortillas, pita bread, regular bread, and bagels with waffles. They stuff them with pulled pork, apple slaw, and chicken parmesan – creating “stuffles. They slap rib-eye or avocado, lettuce, and tomato between two waffles, creating “wafflewiches”. In the dessert category, waffle aficionados create “puffles,” which are stuffed puffed pastries cooked using a waffle iron. The trend hasn’t escaped the notice of big food, either. Eggo is now marketing a frozen waffle breakfast sandwich.
"Food trend alert: Waffle-mania is on the rise", San Jose Mercury News, February 24, 2016
There’s a new noodle in the neighborhood. Soba originated in Japan, but unlike ramen, it is traditionally made from buckwheat. Food writer and cooking teacher Sonoko Sakai is an evangelist for soba: she believes it deserves more attention in the U.S. because buckwheat, used mainly as a cover crop in rotational systems, would contribute to environmental and personal health. Sakai is working with Anson Mills, a producer of heirloom grains, to develop and market Japanese buckwheat flour. Company founder Glenn Roberts expects his buckwheat flour will soon be available for commercial sale.
"Not thrilled by ramen? Try soba noodles, made with buckwheat flour", The Post and Courier, February 17, 2016
| Working Mother, March 01, 2016 Campaign Asia, February 29, 2016 The Guardian, February 28, 2016 Talking Retail, February 25, 2016 Fortune, February 25, 2016 Prepared Foods, February 24, 2016 Food Ingredients 1st, February 24, 2016 | |