There has been a widespread rollout of products containing Stevia in recent times, with new products containing the natural sweetener increasing by 400 per cent globally between 2008 and 2012, and 158 per cent between 2011 and 2012, according to new research from global market research organisation Mintel. Europe is experience “phenomenal growth” and is now a key market driver for Stevia, according to Mintel. It accounted for a quarter of global new product launches containing Stevia in 2012,... ...Read more »

Confectionary manufacturer Wrigley has taken its new caffeine-added chewing gum, launched in the US in April 2013, off the market after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began an investigation into the safety of caffeine-added foods. Wrigley, which is a subsidiary of Mars Inc, said that it will temporarily stop sales and marketing of its ‘Alert’ caffeine-added gum after discussions with the FDA. Casey Keller, Wrigley President, said in a statement to US media that the Company made the... ...Read more »

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will investigate the safety of caffeine in food products, particularly its effects on children and adolescents. The investigation is a response by the food safety authority to a growing trend in the US for caffeine-added food products, and the announcement came just weeks after confectionary company Wrigley’s began promoting a new chewing gum that contains caffeine. Launching the new caffeine-added gum, Alert Energy Caffeine Gum, in... ...Read more »

Sales of bottled water will overtake carbonates as the leading global soft drinks category in the next two years, according to data from beverage market research company Canadean. Canadean said the global trend toward bottled water is being bolstered by its healthy image, as well as necessity in areas of the world that are lacking alternative safe water supplies. Asia The main driver behind the category re-positioning is coming from Asia, according to Canadean. Volume sales in Asia are predicted... ...Read more »

More than half of US consumers agree that labelling food or other products organic is just an excuse for companies to charge more, according to research from US market research organisation Harris Interactive. A March 2013 ‘Harris Poll’, conducted by the market research organisation, found that more Americans are concerned about the current state and future of the environment in 2013 than in 2012 (38 per cent in 2013, compared with 31 per cent in 2012). But this did not necessarily translate... ...Read more »

Kale, a green leafy cabbage-like vegetable, is a growing trend in the US and UK markets, according to global market research organisation Innova Market Insights. There has been a rise in use of the vegetable, which is part of the Brassica family that also includes broccoli and cauliflower, in a wide range of packaged food and drink products in recent years. The total number of global introductions of food or drink products with kale as an ingredient have more than trebled over the five-year period... ...Read more »

A scheme that offered a health insurance rebate that lowers the cost for healthier supermarket foods, such as fruit and vegetables and wholegrain foods, has been successful in improving the diets of shoppers. The scheme also appears to have reduced the consumption of nutritionally less-desirable foods. The findings by the global research organisation, RAND Corporation, which are based on a scheme developed in South Africa, demonstrates an alternative to tackling nutritionally-poor dietary patterns.... ...Read more »

A new trend for ‘mid-calorie’ products has appeared in the global carbonated drinks market, according to market research organisation Innova Market Insights. The new products, which Innova Market Insights said are “positioned as a halfway house between the taste of full-sugar products and the health benefits of sugar-free options”, are being trialled by Pepsi-Co, Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper Snapple as a way of renewing interest in the carbonated drinks market, which is considered a “mature... ...Read more »

A United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) report, ‘Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition’, has found that protein from dairy is nutritionally superior to protein from vegetable and cereal sources. The findings are based on a new method of measuring protein quality in food. The report, which is the result of the 2011 FAO Expert Consultation on Protein Quality Evaluation in Human Nutrition, found that the usual method for measuring protein quality was limited and... ...Read more »

Global sales of natural colours overtook sales of artificial or synthetic colours for the first time in 2011, according to new research from global market researcher Mintel and global food researcher Leatherhead Food Research. In 2011, global sales of natural colours were almost US$600 million, up by almost 29 per cent on 2007, demonstrating an annual growth of more than 7 percent. The increase in sales means the overall food colours market share held by natural colours is up from 34 per cent in... ...Read more »