To ease international trade in organic produce, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) has launched a Web site with an interactive map showing up-to-date, country by country information on organic standards and trade arrangements. The Organic Trade Resource Guide site will serve as a resource for U.S. exporters who need to know about export requirements and organic regulations worldwide, the OTA said. U.S. companies can select a target country and find out if the market is open or if trade barriers exist. The site also describes the country’s laws and standards for organic, contact information, etc.

A leading U.S. organic yogurt producer told an audience at College of Holy Cross (Mass.) that organic farming methods are superior to conventional for many reasons. Gary Hirshberg, head of Stonyfield Farm, said organic, sustainable food production is not only better for people and the environment, but it can also make good economic sense. As an example of how organic methods work better, he said traditional sugar cane production involves burning the cane fields to harvest crops, a process that is wasteful and destructive to topsoil. His farm in Brazil, however, separates cane from waste material and puts the waste back on the field, leaving the topsoil unharmed.

A nonprofit trade group representing fish-derived omega-3 product manufacturers has filed a class action lawsuit against Dean Foods and White Wave Foods for making certain “structure-function claims” for an organic milk product containing plant-derived DHA. Filed by  the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (Utah) against Dean Foods and White Wave Foods, the suit alleges that Horizon Organic Milk with DHA-Omega-3’s claim to support brain health is “false, misleading and reasonably likely to deceive the public” because the DHA is derived from algae, not fish oil. The suit says no scientific studies have shown a “causative link” between DHA algal oil – a plant source – and brain health. Such claims have only been validated for fish-derived omega-3s.

Unhealthy dietary patterns in children as young as a year old are the root cause of America’s childhood obesity problem, Nestlé Nutrition research has found. One-third of the calories consumed by toddlers from the age of 12 months and up come from between-meal snacking on nutrient-poor foods. Bad eating habits start early in life, according to the study, which noted that those habits mirror those of older children and adults. The solution starts with giving parents and guardians better nutrition guidance, establishing healthy eating habits early, and making simple dietary changes. For example, parents could make snack times “mini-meal” times when kids could eat fruits, vegetables, low fat yogurt, and whole grain foods instead of junk.

U.K.-based market researcher Frost & Sullivan reports that manufacturers of functional ingredients for immune-boosting and cardiovascular supplements are profiting handsomely from Europe’s fear of epidemics such as the deadly swine flu. Sales of immune-boosting ingredients are steadily growing, thanks to a growing awareness of the relationship between a healthy immune system and prevention of flu-like diseases and respiratory ailments. Likewise, a Frost & Sullivan analyst said, there are “significant opportunities for ingredient manufacturers” because of the extent that cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, affects the European population. However, the analyst warned that manufacturers need to better educate consumers about the benefits of their ingredients in order to stand out from the competition.

U.S. researchers told a nutrition conference that potatoes are one of the best nutritional values in the produce department, providing significantly better nutritional value per dollar than most other raw vegetables. Per serving, white potatoes were the largest and most affordable source of potassium of any vegetable or fruit, the researchers said. For the study, which was funded by the United States Potato Board, the researchers merged nutrient composition data from the USDA Food and Nutrition Database with the USDA national food prices database. They also obtained frequency of consumption data and used the Affordable Nutrition Index to assess nutritional value per dollar for potatoes and for other vegetables. They found that potatoes were the lowest cost source of dietary potassium, in fact half that of most other vegetables.

A review in HBR looks to the arrival of sustainability as the primary driving force of financial success for companies, with the trend driven by three factors. First is the growing quantification of factors once considered irrelevant or priceless (such as externalities); second, social investing has emerged as a meaningful value-seeking discipline and is a force for change; last, industries look to be coalescing around standard metrics by which to rate sustainability. A critical element in the shift towards sustainability competition will be the broad acceptance of standard value-chain indices that amass relevant data in a full assessment of each product’s sustainability credentials.

National Starch has come up with a unique set of words, including some newly-coined ones, to better describe the consumer food texture experience. The new Texicon food texture language was created to “translate the consumer texture experience into measurable scientific terms,” according to National Starch. By using the new language, National Starch customers can quickly target and achieve the right texture in their products. Among the new words being used are “crinchy,” which describe food that is between crunchy and crispy, and “flumpy,” which describes mayonnaise as it comes from the jar. The Texicon language applies to a range of low- and high-moisture systems, such as baked snacks, creamy dressings, barbecue sauces, yogurt, sour cream, etc.

The Organic Industry Examiner reports that organic food delivery services are springing up in metropolitan areas around the country, creating a new type of food delivery industry that is “more than just a trend.” Urban Organic in New York City, for example, delivers organic groceries three times a week, while Greenling offers a similar service in two Texas cities, and Healthy Bites serves the Washington, D.C. area. Their business models are dissimilar – Healthy Bites, for example, delivers full meals using organic foods twice a week – but all promise “organic when available,” certified pesticide- and GMO-free foods.

The Warsaw Journal reports that Poland has the right mix of resources and other factors that could make it “an important player” in Europe’s growing organic foods market. The country so far has been a small consumer of organic foods – only 0.2 percent of food purchases in 2009, or about €50 million, were in the organic category – but consumer interest is growing. With European and global organic demand on the rise, organic production in Poland is increasing as well, thanks to competitive prices, a large workforce and many small-scale, traditional farms that are easy to convert to organic methods. Through 2010, the number of organic farms and total area devoted to organic food production have soared: from 3,760 to 20,000 farms, and from 82,730 to more than 500,000 hectares. The number of processing plants in turn grew from 50 to nearly 300. Also driving expansion has been the rapid development of a sales network for organic products in Poland. The number of organic stores should grow from 300 in 2010 to around 500 by the end of 2011.

Cargill has introduced a customizable functional stabilizer system that allows yogurt makers to keep raw material costs down while providing the creamy products consumers expect. According to the company, Vitex AYS stabilizers feature modified food starch and hydrocolloids that create “a cost-effective alternative to gelatin” while maintaining yogurt flavor and texture. A Vitex AYS product manager said the rising cost of gelatin and starch was the motivating force behind development of the stabilizers. 

An online survey of 2,112 adults conducted in August for Whole Foods Market found that food prices have had a major impact on their food buying patterns. Eighty-two percent said current food prices have affected their grocery shopping, and more than 75 percent said they have changed their cooking and eating habits due to the economy. Large majorities saying they would buy natural or organic foods if they could afford it. Seventy-one percent said they would buy natural/organic foods over conventional foods if the prices were the same. And 70 percent said they would buy organic if prices fit their budgets. Twenty-four percent said natural/organic foods would account for only a quarter of their total household food purchases in 2011.

Though nutricosmetics haven’t caught on in other parts of the world, market data from Datamonitor show high per capita spending in Asia, particularly in Japan. Nutricosmetics sales are  growing especially strongly in China, which is  expected to overtake Japan by 2015, according to market researcher Frost & Sullivan. Driving the phenomenon in China are rising disposable incomes, increased concerns about beauty, and strong cultural acceptance of the beauty-from-within concept, thanks to centuries of use of herbs and plants to cure beauty-related problems. In this report, Happi.com outlines nutricosmetics market opportunities for both established companies and new entrants in the Asian region.

Researchers at Teagasc, the Irish agency that provides advice and services to the agriculture and food industries, have found that two varieties of seaweeds harvested in Ireland are rich in essential fatty acids (lipids) known to reduce the risk of heart disease. Seaweeds contain a number of heart-healthy compounds, including ACE inhibitors and antioxidants, as well as fatty acids. Eight Irish and Canadian seaweed species were tested in the study, though two – Pelvetia canaliculata and the sustainable Irish seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum – had the highest percentages of lipids per dry weight. Further study is needed, but the researchers said these lipids could potentially be used in foods such as bread and soup. In Ireland, approximately 36,000 tons of seaweed are harvested annually.

Twenty-five percent of food samples tested recently in a lab in the Indian state of Bihar were found to be contaminated or adulterated. Products such as cereals, wheat and wheat flour, graham flour, refined flour and “sattu,” rice and grams were contaminated with dust, insects and fungus. Milk and milk products were found to be adulterated with starch and sodium bicarbonate. Spices and condiments were adulterated with artificial yellow color, lead chromate, brick powder and dust. Under India’s Food Safety and Standard Act, which took effect last month, people caught selling adulterated food can be fined and/or imprisoned. Genetically modified food, organic food, health food and dietary supplements, alcohol and beverages can be tested under the law act, along with tea, coffee, soft drinks, jelly, ketchup, etc.

A report from the charitable arm of the AARP says that almost nine million Americans aged 50 and over were at risk of hunger in 2009, a 79 percent increase from 2001. People aged 50 to 59 are the youngest of the Baby Boomer generation – they are too young for Social Security and too old for programs targeting families with children. In 2009, 4.9 million 50- to 59-year-olds were at risk of hunger, representing a “staggering” 38 percent increase over 2007, AARP says.  Between 2007 and 2009, the most dramatic increase in food insecurity was among those with annual incomes more than twice the poverty line. “The recession has taken an especially large toll on older people, particularly those in the middle class,” says AARP Foundation President Jo Ann Jenkins.

Software and IT services firm Solarsoft Business Systems announced that Unilever is extending implementation of Solarsoft’s manufacturing intelligence solutions to all Unilever manufacturing sites in the Americas. Informance software tracks real-time performance in manufacturing environments. Unilever says it has been using the solutions to accelerate and enhance its total productive maintenance (TPM) program in ten ice cream plants in North America and will install the software in 35 additional factories in 13 countries in 2011. The company says the software installed at the ten ice cream plants where it was tested brought “real-time actionable insights.”

With the U.N. declaring countries in the so-called Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, etc.) in a state of crisis or emergency because of severe drought and famine, Unilever says it is working with disaster and emergency relief partners to determine how to boost relief efforts. East African countries are enduring the worst drought in six decades, according to the U.N. About 2.8 million people need immediate life-saving assistance; 450,000 are affected by the famine. The company says its local businesses in Kenya and South Africa have been donating cash and food products; the Unilever global business has pledged €500,000 in cash and food products through UNICEF, Save the Children, Oxfam, Population Services International (PSI) and WFP.

Products in the digestive health category are selling well, thanks at least in part to Dannon’s aggressive marketing campaign for its Activia yogurt. Ads featuring actress Jamie Lee Curtis have made countless people aware of the importance of digestive health, says Danielle Harrison of National Enzyme Co. And probiotics aren’t the only beneficiary of the campaign. Nonprobiotic ingredients that have experienced an uptick in sales include aloe vera, fiber and enzymes. The business development manager at Xsto Solutions says his company’s products, including a Japanese chelated zinc and L-carnosine ingredient, is experiencing double-digit growth. PepZin GI, supports a healthy mucosal lining in the digestive system.

French retail chain Carrefour reported a 2.3 percent increase in sales in the first half of 2011 to €39.6 billion ($56.3 billion), but a drop in profit of €927 million ($1.3 billion), compared to a profit of €14 million a year ago. The company attributed the drop in profit to “unsatisfactory performance” in France and a “tough environment” in Europe. Weak sales and unsatisfactory profit performance were the key problems in France, along with underperformance in Italy and Greece. Latin America, however, experienced solid growth in sales, and included an “encouraging turnaround” in Brazilian hypermarkets. The company also reported good growth in China and a confirmed recovery in Taiwan.

Nestlé announced that it has revised its Nutritional Compass food label imprint, found on 97 percent of its products globally, to help consumers “make more informed choices about a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle.” The Compass comprises four information boxes that form a circle around the corporate logo. The company has added a “Good Question” box with product specific queries that are answered in a “Good to Know” box. A “Good to Remember” box offering supporting information has been merged with a “Good to Talk” box providing company contact details. Lastly, a Nutritional Information box states nutrient content, such as amounts of protein, carbohydrate, fat and sugar.

Portuguese researchers report that coriander oil is toxic enough to a variety of harmful bacteria to be used in foods to prevent food-borne illnesses. The researchers tested coriander oil against 12 bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Solutions containing 1.6 percent coriander oil killed or reduced the growth of the tested bacterial strains. According to the researchers, coriander oil damages the membrane surrounding the bacterial cell, inhibits essential processes and ultimately causes cell death. They suggest that in addition to use in the food industry, coriander oil could be used as a natural alternative to antibiotics in lotions, mouth rinses and pills.

British retailer and Walmart business unit Asda announced that it is creating 7,000 jobs for the Christmas holiday season this year, including opportunities for shop floor colleagues, home delivery and customer service jobs. The positions are part of a £5 million ($8.2 million) investment in customer service for Christmas shoppers, the company said. Job openings will be available at Asda stores in the U.K. beginning in September; applicants who successfully complete an assessment process will begin work in November. The company is also offering 750,000 hours overtime to existing employees.

Pallet and container pooling solutions provider CHEP says it has renewed a contract – and 15-year relationship – with Procter & Gamble. The company said it works closely with P&G to support retail supply chain activities like sustainability and standardization. CHEP’s returnable and reusable pallets are used to transfer numerous consumer goods, fresh produce, beverages and automotive products. Customers besides P&G include Sysco, Kellogg's, Kraft, Nestlé, Ford and GM.

Consumer demand for foods with functional health benefits is on the rise, especially among baby boomers who are putting their trust in foods and beverages to prevent or manage health conditions. The trend is driven by several forces, including the economic downturn, increasingly expensive health care, and a growing awareness that a healthy diet is strongly associated with good health. According to Steve French, managing partner at Natural Marketing Institute, about 70 percent of baby boomers say they want to take more responsibility for their health – particularly by eating a healthy diet – because of uncertainties regarding America’s health care system. The result is increased sales of food products that address digestive, heart and joint issues, and of functional products believed to have medicinal qualities.