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Food Trends: January 2012

This month we look at “super” broccoli, QR codes, food fat taxes, bubble-gum–flavored strawberries and more.

by Denise Shoukas

Strawberries are the stars of the show in Queensland, Australia’s Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), where a team is focusing on creating different breeds of the favorite fruit. What kinds of breeds? Principal horticulturalist Mark Herrington gave an example of what could be created in the future using natural breeding techniques: the bubble-gum–flavored strawberry. Though such a concoction is years away, in the meantime, the research station boasts the success of its Rubygem strawberry, which is being grown and sold in Turkey, where it’s popular for its flavor and glossy red color. The scientists sold the intellectual property to Turkey, which means Turkey grows and sells the strawberries, with royalties returned to Australia. Turkey is currently exporting the berries to Moscow and Eastern Europe.

Broccoli Gets a Boost

As if the vitamin-packed vegetable wasn’t already a powerhouse, super broccoli has arrived. A team of British scientists has developed a new breed of broccoli that contains three times more glucoraphanin, a beneficial chemical believed to lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer, than conventional broccoli. “Super” broccoli was developed at two of the U.K.’s world-leading biological research institutes, the Institute of Food Research and the John Innes Centre, by scientists who used traditional plant-breeding methods to cross-pollinate a conventional British broccoli with a wild Sicilian variety. It’s now available in the U.S. under the brand name Beneforte, and boasts a sweeter flavor as it contains less sulfur.

Calcium-Rich Foods That are Free of Dairy

Researchers in India have discovered innovative ways to up the calcium in foods without adding dairy. In an attempt to benefit calcium-deficient children, scientists at the University of Pune and Hirabai Cowasju Jehangir Medical Research Institute have boosted such foods as pancakes, biscuits, breads and dips with the essential element by adding concentrated amounts of pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and cauliflower leaves. The manufacturing process itself helps as well: methods including malting and fermentation increase calcium absorption from these foods.

The SPF of Chocolate

In addition to its taste and antioxidant properties, there may be a new unexpected benefit for chocolate to tout. Scientists at Laval University’s Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in Quebec are studying whether eating dark chocolate helps protect against sunburn. Currently, they’re recruiting fair-skinned female volunteers to eat three squares of chocolate every day for 12 weeks. (By only including females, they can control the variability between men’s and women’s hormones.) Participants will then be exposed to ultraviolet light in a lab, and their skin will be checked for sun damage. A control group will be given a placebo, allowing the scientists to compare the degree of UV damage. Scientists were spurred on by research including a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in 2010 that showed that chocolate high in the antioxidant flavanol (i.e., those with high percentages of cacao), reached the upper layers of skin and counteracted the free radicals generated from exposure to UV radiation, making it a good secondary form of sunscreen. Green and white tea also contain epicatechin and catechin, the flavanols responsible for added sun protection.

Cracking the Code

Quick Response codes, or QR codes, are becoming a powerful way to reach consumers—and the wine industry is wholeheartedly jumping on board. “Many wineries are discovering that they can extend their marketing reach using QR codes on their labels and other print materials,” says Mark Smith, CEO of Sevencamp, the company behind QrCloud and Qr4Wine and a provider of customizable, fully automated, mobile marketing web services. “The challenge for manufacturers will be figuring out how to get a growing legion of potential viewers to scan their QR codes and to deliver a rewarding experience to them once they do.”

As would be expected, the target demographic most likely to scan QR codes skews toward the younger and social-media savvy, Smith notes. Many smartphones come with a free QR app, or the apps can be downloaded at no cost. Once scanned, the codes deliver in-depth information on the spot. Some codes open tasting sheets with information on the vineyards or vintage. Others link to winemaker videos and food-and-wine pairing suggestions. Until they become second nature when shopping, Smith suggests giving consumers a reason to scan them. “At this early stage,” he advises, “QR codes need to be wrapped in motivating text so that viewers will scan them.”

Harmoniously Raised Salmon

There’s a new category of salmon on the market: Harmoniously Raised Fish. “It’s not wild-caught and it’s not farmed—it’s a new category,” says Scott Nichols, director of Verlasso, the supplier of the fish. Like people, salmon get their omega 3s from their diet. Unlike traditionally farmed fish, Verlasso doesn’t feed its salmon wild-caught feeder fish, such as anchovies and herring. Instead, the company adds omega 3s to an oleaginous yeast, which grows much like other fermentations. In doing so, it uses 75 percent fewer feeder fish to produce its salmon rich in healthy fatty acids. Ultimately, the company hopes to decrease our dependency on these wild-caught varieties. To produce the “cleanest” fish, Verlasso salmon are raised in the waters of southern Patagonia (near Argentina and Chile), away from industrial development. They swim freely in spacious pens, resulting in a leaner fish than traditionally farmed salmon.

Traceability is paramount: Each phase of the fishes’ life is tracked to ensure integrity and freshness. Growth hormones are never used, so the fish grow at their own natural rate. Verlasso launched its premium salmon with New York-based online grocer FreshDirect, which also is committed to health, nutrition and sustainability, and plans to expand with retailers across the country. To find other sources, visit verlasso.com.

Slow Money Alliance

Cited by entrepreneur.com as “one of the top five trends in finance in 2011,” the Slow Money Alliance held its third annual conference in San Francisco in October. This progressive movement focuses on investing in local food producers and farmers as a way to strengthen the economy and communities. It featured investment opportunities for dozens of enterprises on the cutting edge of food trends, but also offered attendees the opportunity to participate in an emerging national conversation about how to fix the economy from the ground up. More than 1,000 people from 34 states and several foreign countries attended Slow Money’s first two national gatherings, and since last year’s conference, more than $4 million has been invested, and an additional $5 million has flowed to dozens of small food enterprises.

“We showcased 30 new food and farming entrepreneurs at the Slow Money National Gathering this year, all of them currently seeking capital,” says David Corson-Knowles, associate director of Slow Money. The organization has 2,400 members including, he adds, “investors, entrepreneurs, farmers, philanthropists and everyday folks concerned about where their food comes from and where their money is going.” For more information, visit slowmoney.org.

Food Fat Taxes

Foods high in saturated fat are wearing a much higher price tag in Denmark and Hungary. Both countries have introduced the food fat tax. The new law in Denmark taxes staples like butter and milk, plus cheese, pizza, meat, oil and processed foods that contain more than 2.3 percent saturated fat, while in Hungary citizens pay a tax on foods with high fat, sugar and salt content, as well as increased tariffs on soda and alcohol. Both governments hope to limit the populations’ intake of fatty foods and decrease obesity rates, but it looks like Hungary alone has the agreement of some scientists, who argue against Denmark’s tax, stating that saturated fat may be the wrong target, with salt, sugar and refined carbohydrates posing bigger obstacles to good health. Denmark’s move has incited international critiques: The Food Industry Group of New Zealand stated in a press release that the measure is unlikely to have any positive effects on national obesity levels; rather, it will only increase tax revenues.

Facebook Helps Small Businesses

You’ll “Like” this one. Facebook has teamed up with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help American small businesses grow and create jobs. Facebook has emerged as an important marketing tool for entrepreneurs, with more than half of the 800 million users connecting to a small business. The social site hopes to give small businesses a boost by helping them find customers through recommendations from friends.

Initiatives are already in place. Facebook is providing businesses with webinars, collateral, case studies and tips, as well as a cross-country road show, coordinated with state and local chambers of commerce and regional NFIB offices, through which experts meet directly with local businesses to achieve all the benefits of connecting with customers on the website. In 2012, Facebook Small Business Boost will begin awarding 200,000 businesses up to $10 million worth of Facebook advertising through $50 ad credits. The program will promote Facebook ad products, like its self-serve platform and sponsored stories, which allow brands to build paid advertisements out of user signals, such as likes and check-ins. For more information, visit facebook.com/smallbusinessboost.

Organic Food Colors on the Horizon

According to the Organic Trade Association, 75 percent of U.S. families are purchasing organic products and 41 percent are reporting they are buying more organic food than a year ago, up significantly from the 31 percent who said they bought more organic in 2009. Data like this paves a path for more organic versions of conventional ingredients. To meet the need, Danish company Chr. Hansen has created an organic food color project. A specialist in natural colors, the company switched away from synthetics in recent years, causing its colors and blends division to grow 26 percent from 2009 to 2010. While it is committed to creating a vibrant palette of colors, Chr. Hansen notes there are roadblocks, such as lack of organic supply. Additionally, demand is small at the moment, but would improve dramatically when regulatory requirements force processors to use organic colors. |SFM|

Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine.