According to a report from Australian food law specialists FoodLegal, Australian beverage and food companies will need to watch closely what emerges from a recent American lawsuit. Foodlegal has reported that parents of a 13-year-old girl from Maryland, USA, have filed a lawsuit against Nestle USA, manufacturer of ‘Deer Park’ and ‘Poland Spring’ bottled waters with added fluoride, and also against Gerber Products Company, which manufactures baby food and infant formula products containing... ...Read more »

Sour cherries could help athletes reduce muscle damage to recover faster from a tough workout, according to new research published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Researchers at the Sports and Exercise Science Research Center at London South Bank University, in the UK, gave 10 trained athletes 1 ounce of a proprietary cherry juice concentrate, CherryActive (made from sour Montmorency cherries) twice daily for seven days prior... ...Read more »

A new study suggests that the sweet summery treat, watermelon, might not just help you relax in the summer sun, but actually improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. The latest superfood was tested in a study on nine subjects with prehypertension – a precursor to cardiovascular disease. Assistant Professor Arturo Figueroa and Professor Bahram H. Arjmandi found that six weeks of daily doses of 6g of an amino acid extracted from watermelons, L-citrulline/L-arginine, showed improved arterial... ...Read more »

PepsiCo is to create a nutrition business unit to develop new products in a series of food categories. The US food and drink giant said yesterday (7 October) that it has set up a “global nutrition group” to “deliver breakthrough innovation” in fruit and vegetables, grains, dairy and functional foods. “The creation of this global nutrition group is part of our long-term strategy to grow our nutrition businesses from about $10bn in revenues today to $30bn by 2020,”... ...Read more »

Super Foods For Super You is a new easy-reference guide by nutritionist and avid gardener Amber Jessica Mackenzie. The book lists entries for a wide variety of ‘super foods’ or ‘functional foods’, as well as offering plain-English explanations of terms like ‘antioxidant’ and ‘phytochemical’. Each entry in the book, from Acai to Yoghurt, includes basic information on the food, a list of its properties and recommended uses, and tips on gardening. Allergy... ...Read more »

A dietician for the British Heart Foundation has said the body would not routinely recommend functional food and drinks for health benefits.The comments to just-food come on the back of a report by market intelligence firm Key Note on Wednesday (23 June) that revealed the UK functional food and drinks market is expected to continue to grow over the next five years, but at a slowing rate. The report found that the major issue in food and drink development and manufacturing remains health, boosted... ...Read more »

The functional food and drinks market in the EU is expected to continue to grow over the next five years, but at a slowing rate, according to a report by market intelligence firm Key Note.The functional foods report revealed that the major issue in food and drink development and manufacturing remains health, boosted by the threat posed by the rising level of obesity. Yet the inclusion of several functional elements in food products has reportedly proved confusing to consumers and some products are... ...Read more »

When it comes down to buying fresh greens, Australians are buying carrots, lettuce, potato and tomato, twice as much as any other vegetable. The data comes from a new quarterly report by Australian Vegetable Industry (AUSVEG). Chief Executive Officer of AUSVEG Richard Mulcahy said the reports are designed to get behind consumer preferences and help vegetable growers make easier product development decisions that better respond to consumer needs in future. “Understanding the industry as it moves... ...Read more »

The latest in a long line of functional or ‘super’ foods, coloured chickpeas have recently been found to be more beneficial than the more well known cream and beige chickpeas. Coloured chickpeas have significantly higher antioxidant qualities than the regular cream and beige color varieties, according to a new study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago. Known to be high protein, chickpeas are the second most important pulses in the... ...Read more »

Against the background of growing health consciousness among consumers, the demand for foods that support and enhance health is continuing on an upward trajectory. This is evident from the growing uptake of natural and safe alternatives such as functional foods and beverages and dietary supplements, all of which form an integral part of the nutraceuticals space. Consumers are displaying a preference for convenience food with palpable benefits. Responding to this trend, the food industry has been... ...Read more »