Industry News

Is Organic Produce More Nutritious?

The recent downturn in the nation’s economy, and rapidly increasing food prices have forced consumers to re-evaluate their spending decisions. Organics are a market trend that seems to be gaining steam while eating away at the pocketbooks of many American consumers. People believe that organic foods are healthier than non-organic foods, but how much healthier seems to be a weighing question on the consumer mind. A recent study conducted by the University of Copenhagen examined the nutritional contents of five different crops grown both organically and conventionally (with pesticides). The results of the study showed no significant difference in nutritional value between the organically and conventionally grown crops. The results of this study simply demonstrate the lack of effect on nutritional content from organically grown produce, and draw no conclusions about pesticide levels or environmental benefits of organics. Previous studies have effectively shown beneficial effects on greenhouse gas emissions, and support more local farming, reducing transportation related emissions.

Read full Story:Read Full Story: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/19/organic.cooking.pv/index.html

New Labeling Regulation in Hong Kong

Thousands of US food products exported to Hong Kong will need to recalculate their nutrition labels to comply with new food labeling regulations that were approved in May 2008. Hong Kong’s new nutrition labeling standards require products to label eight different nutrients: calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugars. Although all of the Hong Kong required nutrients are included in FDA labels, US labels will not comply with Hong Kong’s standards due to variations in rounding rules, definitions of nutrients, and recommended daily consumption. Along with nutrient quantities, the new Hong Kong labeling regulations have also set new standards for content claims on packaging. These changes are likely to have a negative effect on US/Hong Kong trade, with an estimated 25,000 products likely to forgo the process. The USDA is planning to work with the Hong Kong government to try to come up with a solution that will minimize the negative impact on trade in this situation.

Read full Story: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Legislation/Label-regulation-changes-to-hit-US-exports/?c=%2FcXgDTs85jSK2u1la9fYyg%3D%3D

Concerns about Stevia

Food manufacturers like Coca-Cola and Cargill have been anxious for the approval of the all natural, non caloric sweetener Stevia as a food additive. The sweetener is currently available as a supplement only, preventing its use in food products. While many consumers and food companies will benefit from the addition of the sweetener to the food market, the FDA is hesitant to approve its use due to many studies showing adverse affects of Stevia in high doses. Researchers have been studying the effects of Stevia for the past 40 years. Throughout this research negative effects on fertility have continued to arise as a result of a chemical called steviol, a byproduct in the breakdown of Stevia in the body. More recent research on purified forms of Stevia has shown to significantly lower blood pressure, and has shown no effects on fertility. While this may be good news to some food manufacturers, others are still cautious about past research and the possibility of negative effects on fertility.

Read Full Storey: http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/health/la-he-nutrition25-2008aug25,0,6930845.story

Snack Attack

The act of snacking between meals is making its way back into the American diet routine. Now that snacking is not only okay by dietary recommendations, but is actually being promoted consumers are looking for new and innovative food products to satisfy their mid day cravings. The NPD Group, a market research company has examined snacking behaviors and has reported some distinct markets that commonly consume snack foods. Children ages 6 to 12 and older adults (over 55) show the largest snacking rates. The NPD group also reported that the highest smacking times are typically in the evenings, but morning snacking has been showing strong growth. They also report that the most common snack foods are fruit, cookies, candy and gum, ice cream, and chips.

Read Full Article: http://www.csnews.com/csn/cat_management/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003850768

LabelCalc News

We’re Doing Barcodes

LabelCalc has partnered with Simply Barcodes to provide our clients with UPC and EAN codes for their products. Go to http://www.labelcalc.com/register/barcodes.aspx to receive 10% off.

Purchase Labels: http://www.labelcalc.com/register/barcodes.aspx

New Office, New Number

We’re expanding and moving our offices to bigger ones in San Francisco. Look for our new address and new local phone number on the website and our emails. Don’t worry; you can continue to contact us via our toll free number which is NOT changing: 415-398–4628.

Contact Us: http://www.labelcalc.com/contact.aspx

Introducing MenuCalc

For those of you who also work in foodservices and restaurants you may be familiar with LabelCalc’s sister company CookedApple. CookedApple’s same great recipe analysis and consultant style services are still available, but under a new name – MenuCalc. Be sure to visit our brand new website and check out all that MenuCalc has to offer: www.menucalc.com.