Campbell Soup Company and dry food manufacturer Symington's have signed a deal to launch in January 2011 “Campbell-branded” dry soups and meals in the UK. UK-based Symington's is responsible for the products’ development, production and distribution, and Campbell will control marketing and retain brand control. The products include 12 varieties of “Cup Soups,” five varieties of “Simmer Soups,” four varieties of “Savoury Rice,” and four varieties of “Savoury Pasta,” all bearing Campbell’s branding. 

In a recent webcast, several food industry experts shared their insights into U.S. regulations governing food and supplement health claims and into consumer purchase preferences. Attorney Anne Maher pointed out that food and supplement ad categories that are the most closely monitored have to do with treatment/cure prevention claims, immunity claims, products for children’s health/performance and weight loss. As to consumer buying trends, food marketing professor Nancy Childs said that nutrition is important to consumers but most important is taste. Citing data from FMI Research, she noted that health claims as a purchasing influence slid from 29 percent in 2008 to 25 percent in 2009. However, functional foods are still important despite the recession, because they “provide value and justify higher/holding prices to consumers.”

Oil-in-water emulsions (e.g., mayonnaise) and water-in-oil emulsions (e.g., margarine) have been around a long time. But a more recent type of emulsion, a double phase or multiple emulsion  known as water-in-oil-in-water (WOW), is gaining favor in the food and beverage industries because of its potential in fat reduction and other applications. WOW emulsions are difficult to make, requiring processing through a high-pressure homogenizer to create stability. But the possible benefits make the complex process worth undergoing. WOW emulsions are expected to be used as delivery vehicles for flavors and active ingredients, including health-promoting ingredients – water-soluble vitamins, botanicals, polyunsaturated fatty acids and others – in functional foods. Other possible applications include fruit pigment protection and salt reduction. Using WOW technology, for example, a food product could taste saltier to a consumer, but actually contain less salt.

A small British software company has developed an app for the iPhone that makes it easy to determine whether a food or ingredient contains allergenic ingredients. The app – known as IsItInIt – uses barcode-reading technology and the smartphone’s camera to determine the ingredients on more than 85,000 food products. Nutritionists see the advance as a major breakthrough for Britons who suffer from food allergies. To make the technology work, users enter details of their allergic condition, including specific offending foods and ingredients, at a Web site. The site’s database then synchs up with the app on the phone. A red warning signal is transmitted to the user as soon as the bar code is scanned into the phone. About 45 percent of Britons – 25 million people – suffer from food intolerances.

Commercial weight-loss companies are ramping up their advertising campaigns to promote new dieting programs to recapture former clients and win over new ones. Weight Watchers ($1.4 billion in sales in 2010), Nutrisystem ($527 million) and Jenny Craig ($480 million) rule the $3.2 billion commercial weight-loss center category but are not resting on their laurels. All three are rolling out innovations designed to entice dieters who switched to less expensive do-it-yourself dieting schemes during the recession. Nutrisystem’s new ad agency developed a campaign emphasizing real people rather than celebrities. Weight Watchers is pushing its refurbished calorie-counting system (PointsPlus), while Jenny Craig is touting its new Metabolic Max Program that customizes weight-loss programs to clients' "unique metabolism.”

Reacting to complaints that goods being sold in the country as organic were not organic at all, Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry announced tighter regulatory control over organic and biodynamic goods. Organic products in Egypt often cost twice as much as conventional goods, because they purportedly contain no chemical additives and have not been genetically modified. However, until now there has been no certification process, consumers could not file a complaint with the government and companies were not required to be accountable. Under the new decree, manufacturers will need to be accredited by auditors registered with the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOSQ), organic companies will have to register and be certified, and EOSQ may inspect facilities and shut them down if they do not meet organic standards.