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 South Korea and other Asian countries are aggressively tackling their food waste problems. On the national level, South Korea’s food waste management system is part of a decades-old recycling effort created to ease pressure on landfills. Food waste is collected and recycled as animal feed or compost. Or people can buy a home food waste processor that turns table scraps into dried powder for fertilizer. Other countries serious about putting food waste to good use include: Japan (two million tons into animal feed, 0.6 million tons into animal feed, annually) and Taiwan (0.4 million tons a year into pig feed).
"South Korea cuts food waste with 'pay as you trash'", The Straits Times, April 24, 2016
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 Somehow it doesn’t seem like a concept that needs refinement: milk and cookies. But the Dirty Cookie bakery in Tustin (Orange County), Calif., created a variation that just might take off. It is the cookie shot, basically a dense cookie made with organic flour, coated by hand with premium Belgian Chocolate, then formed into a “shot glass” that is filled with flavored milk. The shot glass part comes in three flavors: chocolate chip, cookies and cream, and red velvet. But there are special flavors: pumpkin, s’mores, matcha, lavender-lemon, and caramel apple. The “milk” can be house-made Madagascar vanilla cream or chocolate cream, both made from either organic whole milk or almond milk.
"A bakery in California came up with a creative way to serve milk and cookies", Business Insider, April 21, 2016
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|  Market researcher Mintel finds that nearly half of German consumers want a coffee shop experience, but without the expense. To achieve that they are drinking more coffee at home, often choosing easy, convenient specialty coffee capsules or pods offering a diverse array of flavors. Half of German consumers feel the coffee brewed from the capsules is as good as that bought in a coffee shop. Younger “on-the-go” Germans are turning to ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee shops to get their morning caffeine jolt: two in five Germans aged 25 to 34 say they are interested in these offerings. But the desire for the real coffee shop experience is still strong enough in Germany for Starbuck’s to open several cafés within Rewe super- and hypermarkets... More "Hot Demand For “Coffee Shop Experience” At Home In Germany", Blog, Mintel, April 20, 2016
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 Accelerating its program to remove unpopular additives from its foods, Nestlé announced it will remove artificial flavors and colors from ice cream products sold in the U.S., including Dreyer's, Haagen-Dazs, and Skinny Cow. In addition, the company said it will modify remove high fructose corn syrup and genetically-modified ingredients from some of ice cream products. Nestlé last year removed artificial flavors and colors in ten chocolate candy brands in the U.S., as well as from DiGiorno pizza, while also reducing salt.
"Nestle Axes GMO Ingredients and Additives in Some U.S. Ice Cream", Bloomberg, April 20, 2016
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 PepsiCo’s Quaker brand is unveiling two “supergrain” hot breakfast cereal and granola products. In the cereals line, Honey Almond and Apples & Cinnamon contain oats, barley, rye, flax and quinoa in a pouch. Each serving contains 7 grams of protein from grains, whey and seeds, five grams of fiber and 3 - 4.5 grams of total fat per serving. The granola products (Cinnamon Apple Walnut and Blueberry Pecan) contain fruit pieces and nuts, oats, wheat, flaxseed, quinoa, sunflower seeds, amaranth and barley. Supergrains Instant Hot Cereal and Real Medleys Supergrains Granola are available at grocery stores throughout the U.S. now.
"Oat Expert Quaker Brings New And Delicious SuperGrain Varieties To The Breakfast Table And Beyond", News release, PepsiCo, April 20, 2016
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 Ohio-based Biowish Technologies has developed a wash for fruits and vegetables that not only preserves products longer, it is biodegradable and certified organic (at least in the State of Washington). Tests conducted on bananas in India showed that the wash keeps them green nine days longer than conventional wash. That’s quite an advancement for retail grocers, but perhaps not so much for banana farmers. To remain competitive, they have to commit to buying and using the product. Though it boosts a farmer’s yield and reduces waste, “it also puts you in bed with a single vendor.”
"This Organic Fruit Wash Keeps Bananas Green For Weeks", Fast Company, April 20, 2016
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|  The realization that single-family households in Toronto, Canada, throw out about 275 kilograms of food scraps each year – 75 percent of which is composted by the city – led one cooking teacher and caterer to find a way to reduce food waste. One solution comes in the form of good old-fashioned root-to-stalk cooking of seasonal produce. For hygienic reasons, she discards only the much-handled outermost leaves of a cabbage. Everything else – except the pulpy core – is cooked. Chopped broccoli stalks are pureed for hummus, soups or stir-fries. Potato peels are roasted with olive oil and salt until they are as crunchy snack as potato chips. Other oft-discarded vegetable parts that can be put to good use include woody asparagus ends,... More "Vegetable scraps go upscale: Root-to-stalk chefs cook with kale ribs, potato peels", National Post, April 20, 2016
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 A USDA scientist and his colleagues have developed a variety of wheat without an enzyme that causes browning in apples, black spots in avocados and the undesirable gray discoloration that occurs in hard white wheat products like fresh noodles, fresh and frozen breads, and refrigerated biscuits. High levels of polyphenol oxidase put U.S. hard white wheats at a competitive disadvantage with wheats from Australia in the Asian markets. The scientists screened 3,000 wheats for polyphenol oxidase, mated those with low levels of the enzyme, and came up with breeding lines with near-zero levels of polyphenol oxidase. They developed a wheat with no polyphenol oxidase: good news for the milling industry and exporters of wheat products.
"New wheat line eliminates discoloring in foods", Phys.org, April 19, 2016
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 Food scientists at General Mills – which has promised to rid its cereal line of artificial flavors and colors – have succeeded with all but one brand. Turns out the marshmallows in Lucky Charms – blue moons, rainbows, pink hearts, yellow hourglasses and neon leprechaun hats – present a sticky problem. Each color change modifies the total flavor experience of a bowl of the cereal. The scientists have tested dozens and dozens of flavor and color combinations, so far with no luck. As food writer Chase Purdy notes, “The subtlety of Lucky Charms makes the task of achieving vibrant colors with muted flavor all the more challenging.”
"The scientists trying to rid Lucky Charms of artificial colors are baffled by the marshmallows", Quartz, April 19, 2016
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 A multinational facilities and foodservice management company said it is collaborating with businesses, government agencies and nonprofits to achieve the Obama administration’s goal of reducing food waste in the U.S. by 50 percent within 14 years. Sodexo has developed a model that the foodservice industry can follow to cut food waste, free up landfill space and reduce methane gas emissions. The Zero Food Waste to Landfills scheme follows the guidance offered by the recent ReFED report, which outlines 27 strategies to halve food waste by 2030. Though one in five U.S. children are in danger of hunger, America spends $218 billion growing, processing, transporting and discarding food that is never eaten, the company said.
"Sodexo Commits to Zero Food Waste to Landfills", News release, Sodexo, April 18, 2016
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 The USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates that 133 billion pounds of food in the available food supply – $161 billion worth – go uneaten each year. To help combat the enormous waste problem, the agency offers a free downloadable app called FoodKeeper for Apple and Android devices that helps consumers remember when food stored in the refrigerator, freezer, or pantry was purchased. It allows users to set up automatic notifications when products are nearing the end of their recommended storage date. The app also: advises on storage methods that extend shelf life; discusses more than 400 food and beverage items; and offers cooking advice to eliminate foodborne bacteria.
"USDA Tips for Reducing Food Waste and Preventing Illness", News release, U.S.Department of Agriculture, April 18, 2016
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 Fried bread in various forms is available all over the globe, but a Hungarian street snack known as lángos has foodie hearts here in the U.S. all aflutter. Lángos starts as a ball of dough infused with potato that is flattened and fried till crispy, then topped like a pizza. But the variations are probably endless. The chef at a San Francisco restaurant enhances his version with smoked salmon, "ranch" kefir, and fennel fronds. A New York City chef uses Yukon gold potatoes, then decorates with Cabot cheddar cheese, grated broccoli, scallion, sour cream, and radish.
"Even Splashy New York Restaurants Can’t Resist the Appeal of Fried Dough", Grub Street, April 17, 2016
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 Two British entrepreneurs have developed a way to take excess, but still fresh, fruit or fruit that is judged unsuitable for selling, and turn it into a healthy “fruit leather” snack. "Snact" comprises apples, bananas, mangoes, and other fruits that are blended, spread out and dried in a dehydrator for eight hours before being cut into small pieces. The bendable and chewy fruit snack is sold in 20-gram bags. Available flavors include apple and raspberry; apple and mango; and apple, blueberry and banana. According to the U.N., 45 percent of all fruit and vegetables produced globally ends up in landfills.
"The innovators: fruitful idea turns waste food into a tasty snack", The Guardian, April 17, 2016
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 A new gadget linked to a smartphone app may help significantly reduce the £700 ($1,022) worth of food British households waste annually. The Foodsniffer ignores the use-by date and gets right to the “nose” of the matter, analyzing the gases emitted by foods and transmitting findings to the app. The gadget purportedly can let you know if food is fresh, needs thorough cooking, or is downright hazardous to your health. The $129 Foodsniffer was created by a Lithuanian inventor – a company slogan is “You can’t trust your nose! – who claims the device is 85 - 90 percent accurate.
"The END of wasted food? New gadget claims it can tell if your food needs binning", Daily Express, April 14, 2016
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 Saskatchewan farmers rejoice! The USDA and Health Canada have decided that high-protein, gluten-free canary seed is fit for human consumption. The upshot is that the seed, which is about the size of flax and sesame, can be used in energy and snack bars, cookies, muffins, crackers, breads, tortillas, and pastas. And sprinkled on hamburger buns and bagels. Besides protein, canary seed is rich in fatty acids and fiber. And it might make a good substitute for sesame seed, which is on the top ten list of allergenic seeds. Saskatchewan, by the way, is the top producer and exporter of canary seed.
"Health Canada approves canary seed for human consumption", The (Toronto) Globe and Mail, April 13, 2016
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 France’s AccorHotels announced it will try to reduce food waste in its 3,900 hotels by 30 percent by planting vegetable gardens at many of its facilities. The group said it generates 25-30 percent of its revenue by serving 150 million meals a year. It implement its plan by first determining how much food it is wasting. Restaurants will be required to weigh and record food that is discarded to best determine how to cut waste. The company said it is supporting “urban agriculture” by planting 1,000 vegetable gardens at its hotels over the next four years. The global chain includes the Pullman, Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure and Ibis hotel chains.
"Major hotel chain to grow vegetables at 1000 properties to cut food waste", The Guardian, April 13, 2016
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|  A former British architecture student has found a way to turn used coffee grounds into flammable bricks that can be used as fuel for wood-burning stoves, at the same time reducing food waste. The technology involves removing the oil from the grounds – collected from coffee shops, retailers, airports and coffee factories – then compacting them. The coffee bricks then burn without any coffee aroma. So far, Bio-bean has dealt with companies that spend a lot of money to transport and then dump the used grounds in landfills. The company picks up the waste grounds, processes them, and sells them back to their clients as cheap fuel. Bio-bean feels consumers will also save a lot of money burning coffee ground briquettes rather than... More "This fuel made from old coffee will launch in the summer, at half the price of wood", The Telegraph, April 11, 2016
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 A Redmond, Wash.-based start-up has raised more cash in a third financing round, bringing the total to $30 million, to support further development and marketing of a machine that reduces food waste by turning unsold and scrap food into a useful product. WISErg's machine, called the Harvester, is used by food stores to dispose of food waste. Customers include Whole Foods Market, Costco and PCC Natural Markets. The Harvester grinds food waste into a slurry that the company takes and processes into a fertilizer that can be used on organically grown crops. There are Harvesters in more than 20 locations in Seattle alone.
"From food waste to fertilizer: Redmond startup attracts $12.3M", Business Journals, April 11, 2016
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| Products & Brands | | | |
Brand origin is as important as nine other purchasing drivers for 46 percent of global respondents, with 28 percent saying brand origin is more important than other factors affecting purchasing decisions, according to Nielsen. Data from the market research firm’s “Made In Which… Country?” report revealed 59 percent of respondents said they buy local brands because they support local businesses, with 65 percent of North American respondents expressing the opinion. When buying online, respondents said they are more likely to buy global brands for durable and electronics and local brands for consumable products.
"Made in... Which Country? Nearly 75% of Global Consumers List Brand Origin as Key Purchase Driver", Nielsen, April 26, 2016
In the Middle East and North Africa region, 46 percent of Arabs believe that chemicals in cosmetics are toxic, according to “The Future 100: MENA Trends and Change to Watch in 2016” report by Innovation MENA Group. This belief is driving the trend among consumers to adopt natural beauty products, including those sold by global brands Naturisimo and Lush. Data from the study, which also highlighted trends in other market segments, such as technology, travel and hospitality, and retail, also revealed a growing trend among beauty brands involving the use of superfood ingredients to create products and recipes. Another trend in the beauty and personal care segment identified by the study involves the expansion of standard beauty... More "Future 100: MENA Trends and Change to Watch in 2016", JWT The Innovation Group, April 20, 2016
| Euromonitor International, April 24, 2016 The Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2016 Bloomberg, April 22, 2016 NUTRAingredients-USA.com, April 21, 2016 Fast Company, April 20, 2016 The New York Times, April 20, 2016 Fast Company, April 18, 2016 Marketing Magazine, April 18, 2016 | |