by Broad Street | Published 12/03/2013 | Alcoholic Beverages, Consumer Package Goods (CPG), Government Regulation, Health, Litigation, Marketing Trends, Organics, Retailing
Unlike organic, no government regulations limit the use of the term “natural,” nor are there any guidelines for its use. That may all be changing: a “food label modernization bill” was introduced in September in Congress that would require the FDA to establish a standardized labeling protocol. While the bill has not been passed, food companies are acting to remove “all natural” designation on their own or because of lawsuits. Over 100 suits have been filed against products ranging from Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (which contains partially-hydrogenated oils or trans fats) to Beam, Inc.’s Skinnygirl alcoholic drinks. One of the thornier issues is whether GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) are natural or not. Judges this past Summer in cases against Gruma Corp.’s Mission tortilla chips and General Mills Inc. Nature Valley granola bars have delayed ruling until the FDA decides whether GMO foods can be marketed as “all natural.”
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by Broad Street | Published 11/08/2013 | Government Regulation, Health
Scientists have been warning about the artery-clogging dangers of trans fat for some time. Now the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to ban them from all retail food products. In 2006, the agency required the listing of trans fats on all products sold at retail, and the ensuing backlash by consumers led many […]
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by Broad Street | Published 11/05/2013 | Health, Opinion
Whether marketing 100-calorie packs or replacing high fructose corn syrup with “natural” sweeteners, food marketers have been hoping to attack childhood obesity by tinkering with their products in a process called reformulation. This study casts cold water on the hopes of food marketers that reformulating their products will impact the childhood obesity problem.[1] Nearly 40% […]
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by Broad Street | Published 10/23/2013 | Consumer Trends and Habits
This study of Hispanic shoppers shows their behaviors changing according to the season (in contrast to general market shoppers)[1] with June, September and November being focused on “concern for family satisfaction” and “one-stop shopping.” These months coincide with Summer, back-to-school, and holiday shopping. While general shoppers are looking for price & value in the back-to-school […]
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by Broad Street | Published 09/19/2013 | Environment
One of the more-puzzling environmental disasters recently has not been the oil spill in the Gulf (human causes there), but the die-off of millions of honeybees in what has come to be known as Colony Collapse Disorder.
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