Marketing genius or smoke and mirrors? Triscuits, those slightly salty wheat thins,  are being sold with a small surprise inside. No, not a toy from China, rather a small bag filled with … seeds!

Kraft is encouraging its customers to connect with real, natural, local food by no less than growing it at home or at a community garden. Their  “Home Farming” website invites people to join the movement and plant herbs and veggies.

While cynical observers may play this down as a marketing trick by a company famous for processed foods (cheese “products“, anyone?), we think this is a great idea. Getting people to connect to the soil and appreciate the hard work it takes to bring forth food from the land is a wonderful idea, even if the instigator has additional motives.

As for Triscuits themselves, they’re for the most part a better than average snack option in the savory category. Take for example the BAKED WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT ORIGINAL, which has only 3 ingredients – whole wheat flour, vegetable oil, and salt. A serving is only 120 calories, with 1 gram of saturated fat (relatively low) , 3 grams of fiber (very good), and 180mg of sodium (8% of the daily max).

The problem is that a serving size is defined as 28g (one ounce), but people don’t know how many Triscuits that works out to. So how will they know when to stop?

The number, after counting, is 7 Triscuits per serving. SEVEN. That’s a mighty tiny serving, don’t you think?

This before we dress up the Triscuit, for example with some cheese (more saturated fat and calories), as shown in the product package.

What to do at the supermarket:

When looking for savory snacks, check the side panel for important information:

1. How big or tiny is the serving size? Does it represent what you’d normally consume in an “eating event”.
2. Look at the ingredient list to see that it does not contain any surprises such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (trans fat) or “flavorings”.
3. Read the nutrition facts panel to understand how many calories you’re getting and their breakdown protein/fat/carbs.

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/fooducate

New! Choose a better breakfast with CerealScan™ by Fooducate

One of the interesting sessions here at the annual Food and Nutrition Conference in Denver hosted a panel of 3 experts who presented their views on what the rating systems are, why and how they were created, and how they will improve nutrition.

First up was  Susan Crockett, PhD, RD, FADA, who for the last 10 years has been with General Mills. She presented the Smart Choices program of Fruit Loop infamy, and addressed the specific backlash against pre-sweetened cereal. In her attempt to justify the benchmark that allows such a culinary and nutrition horror to be considered a smart choice, Dr. Crocket first provided a background on how General Mills is committed to health and nutrition. She then showed that the Smart Choice panel was composed of both industry and academic experts, and lastly dug deep into the numbers to show how the benchmark for cereals was chosen.

Let us say that we commend General Mills that contribute 5% of pretax profit to nutrition and wellness programs. That was about $80M last year. But let’s not forget that this is a huge profit driven enterprise. The company and its peers has seen consumer confusion regarding nutrition labels and decided to handle it as a business opportunity. Working with “non-industry” experts is a way to lend credibility to the program. However, many experts are affiliated in some way or another with the industry.

As to sugar in cereal – the Smart Choices panel took a recommendation for 10% of daily calories from added sugar. In a 2000 calorie a day diet, that means 200 calories. They divided the 200 calories into 4 eating events of 50 calories. 12 grams of sugar, which is what you’ll find in Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and others, add up to 48 calories per serving. And that, by their book is a Smart Choice. Wonderful, no?

We were left with some hope, as Dr. Crocket said that Smart Choices is continually evolving, and that with time benchmarks will be adapted to feedback from the field.

Next speaker was Annette Maggi, MS, RD, LD, FADA from NuVal. Maggi is the director of the business arm of NuVal, which licenses its 1-100 rating system to supermarkets for display on shelf tags. The NuVal system was not funded by the industry, rather by a group of scientists with a stated goal of becoming a nutrition GPS at the supermarket. The idea is to tag every single product in the supermarket with a score. That way, in the supermarket, people can compare products within a category.

So far 33,000 products have been scored. In an earlier talk we had with Prof. Keith Ayoob, of the Nuval Scientific board, he said that the group was working on rating over 100,000 items in supermarkets. The Nuval algorithm is quite complex when compared to Smart Choices, with hundreds of factors taken into consideration for each product.

Without referring specifically to Smart Choices, Maggi stated that one of the clear advantages of NuVal was its independence. A Kraft PR spokesperson tried to refute that statement in the ensuing Q&A by mentioning that the wife of one of the NuVal board members has a conflict of interest.

Last to present was Susan Moores, MS, RD who does not represent any rating system, but has been working with grocers on a variety of health and nutrition issues over the years. She provided an interesting viewpoint whose main message was stop looking for the numbers and the stickers, focus on the food: “A number will not put a meal on the table”.

Moores said that the nutrition labels have had an effect on industry. Food manufactures have reformulated products to get better scores. For example, the notorious Froot Loops lowered sugar by one gram and upped fiber by one gram. Supermarkets who adopt one system or other are able to differentiate themselves.

Mostly though, these programs have created controversy and chaos. And wherever there is a mess, there’s an opportunity for dietitians to help their clients  with guidance and sound advice.

The session was very informative, but did not provide any substantially new information. Our position is that any industry funded rating system is inherently flawed because of the direct conflict of interest between companies’ need to sell more processed food to make more money, and consumers’ need to get away from these types of foods.

What to do at the supermarket:

Skip the health claims, benchmarks, and other marketing tricks. Learn to read a nutrition panel and familiarize yourself with ingredients to watch out for in the ingredient list. When sugar is the first ingredient in a cereal, that is not a smart choice, no matter how many PhDs in the room will tell you it is.

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/fooducate

Help us test our new food comparison tool: alpha.fooducate.com

An online petition is circulating on the web, asking Kraft to remove unsafe ingredients from its foods sold in the US. The petition, by MomsRising.org claims that Kraft has voluntarily removed artificial colorings and sweeteners from products in the UK, EU, and Australia. The move by Kraft was mostly due to pressure from consumer groups and government, yet here in the US, Kraft continues to sell the products with the undesired chemicals.

What you need to know:

Global conglomerates have to adapt their products to local tastes, agricultural production, and regulation. Mexican Coca Cola is a simple example, it’s manufactured with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup as in the states.

When it comes to artificial colorings, Europe is ahead of the curve compared to the US. It’s no surprise then, to see that Kraft has figured out a way to remove the fluorescent-like Yellow #5 and Yellow #6 from its Mac and Cheese products.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the exact same product sold here in the US.

Are you familiar with other examples you may have noticed in your travels? Please share in the comments below.

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/fooducate

Help us test our new food comparison tool: alpha.fooducate.com

The “Smart Choices” front of package food labeling scheme officially launches this week. 500 Packaged foods from ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft, PepsiCo, Sun-Maid, Tyson and Unilever are already approved.

The program hopes to take nutrition confusion out of your life by presenting a simple green check mark on the front of packaged foods that have passed a nutrition benchmark.

While we applaud the initiative to simplify food nutrition information, Smart Choices has substantial drawbacks, which we outlined in the past.

Granted, there are several advantages, such as simplicity, uniformity across brands, and the front-and-center calorie information provided on some labels. However, we think that this industry backed initiative, along with fifteen others was born in a vacuum created by the lack of initiative of the FDA.

Here are six reasons why Smart Choices won’t really help shoppers. Read more…

When will food marketers give us a break?

If it isn’t enough we have to deal with acai berry internet scams, now top manufacturers like Kraft are pushing acai at us in snacks?

The new strawberry acai sugar free gelatin may be a great tasting snack, but please Kraft, don’t lay the bogus health halo on consumers.

What you need to know:

Unfortunately, Jell-O’s website does not provide any nutrition information regarding its products (perhaps because there’s not too much to talk about). Here is what we got from the supermarket on Raspberry Goji flavor:

Ingredient list: Water, Gelatin, Contains Less than 0.5% of AD/PIC and Citric Acid (for Tartness), Sodium Citrate (Controls Acidity), Aspartame and Acesulfame Potassium (Sweeteners), Salt, Red 40, Blue 1, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Vitamin E Acetate, Beta Carotene.

Did you notice that there is absolutely no real fruit in here? This despite the beautiful images of berries on the package…

On to the ingredient glossary:
Gelatin (E441) – gelatin is derived from the collagen in the bones of animals and fish. It’s what makes plain water become Jell-o.
Adipic Acid – an artificial substance used in creating nylon. In foods it is used to aid gelling and as a flavorant (would that by nylon flavor?).
Citric Acid (for Tartness) – a natural preservative that is used in beverages to add an acidic, sour taste. Although it is naturally found in citrus fruit (oranges, lemons), industry has a found a cheaper way to manufacture it. This is through a fermentation process in which a mold called Aspergillus niger is used to ferment a carbohydrate such as molasses. sounds grosser than it really is.
Sodium Citrate (Controls Acidity) – a food additive. Tastes a bit salty and a bit tart.
Aspartame and Acesulfame Potassium (Sweeteners) – these are zero calorie sweeteners but some studies suggest that prolonged usage, especially if begun as a child, increase the risk of cancer.
Red 40 – the most popular artificial food coloring. Food manufacturers in the EU have been asked to remove it from their products.
Blue 1 – an artificial color. some studies showed that it may cause cancer.
Natural and Artificial Flavor – that’s what makes it taste like raspberry goji jello (as if most of us even know what goji or acai taste like naturally…)
Vitamin E Acetate – a form of vitamin E
Beta Carotene – a precursor, or inactive form of vitamin A

The nutrition label is simple – 10 calories, no fat, no carbs, 1 gram of protein. No vitamin A, despite the fact that beta carotne is listed as an ingredient. No vitamin C, no any vitamin or mineral as a matter of fact.

So where are the antioxidants, you ask?

They’re in the citric acid and added vitamins, but how effective and bio-available are they when detached from their natural form? Science still does not have an answer.

Wouldn’t eating a fresh apple or a banana be a better source? Of course it would, but Kraft doesn’t sell those items. They’re not profitable.

What to do at the supermarket:

Jell-O is a fun treat and very young children can enjoy it. Heck, we loved it as kids.

But the artificial food colorings are worrying. The artificial sweeteners even more so.

So, if you really must, at least choose the “regular” sweetened version (Yes, that means sugar and high fructose corn syrup).

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/fooducate

Help us test our new food comparison tool: alpha.fooducate.com

The long weekend marks the beginning of this year’s barbecue season, and if you’re like most Americans, there will surely be some form of frankfurter sizzling away on your grill.

Hot Dogs are a big business (billions of dollars a year), and as the weather heats up, so do the marketing battles between the market players.

As food companies like to sue each other every once in while in turf wars, how timely it is to read about a weiner war, with Kraft’s Oscar Meyer Brand getting sued by Sara Lee (Ball Park brand) over “We are tastier” claims.

From a nutritional standpoint, the products are very similar, and sadly, very poor in nutritional value.  Read more…

It’s not the most important meal of the day. And it’s not the heartiest either. Lunch, the get-it-on-the-run or have-it-at-the-computer meal doesn’t get enough respect. And how could it, when products like Oscar Meyer’s Lunchable’s take its name in vain.

We tried and tried to find something healthy and nutritious among the dozens of Lunchable products. Unfortunately all we encountered was a nutrition desert, left in shambles by sodium blizzards and trans fat torrents.

Read on for an analysis of Oscar Meyer’s Lunchables Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Stackers… Read more…

Are the FDA and the Food Industry taking a more proactive role in protecting the public from food-borne pathogens?

If we’re to judge by the handling of the current pistachio recall, compared to the peanut recall just 3 months ago, the answer is yes.

Here’s why:

1. Last week, the FDA, for the first time, told consumers to avoid a product category. This, despite the fact that no reports emerged of sicknesses from salmonella infected pistachios. This action was intended to prevent the replay of several deaths and illnesses in the days and weeks following initial peanut recall earlier this year.

2. The FDA also strongly urged Setton Pistachio to recall its entire 2008 crop! That’s about 10 million lbs. of pistachio, around 5% of total production in the US.

3. Both federal and state health officials quickly arrived at the California processing plant to inspect sanitary conditions. They found multiple issues, including the use of the same bins and conveyor belts for both raw and roasted pistachios. (Roasting at a high temperature is supposed to kill salmonella, but if the roasted nuts are then placed in a contaminated bin, you’re back to square one)

4. Pistachio growers have put up a website to inform consumers which products are safe and which are not. The FDA is happily linking to that site instead of trying to play catch up and update everything on its own.

5. The FDA has notified all other pistachio producers to be on their best, as random and frequent inspections are to expected in all plants in the coming weeks.

This is great start. Here are a few suggestions to make things even better:

1. Mandate stricter sanitary protocols. A Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan (HACCP) is a scientific food safety approach that requires analyzing where contamination sources in production processes, taking measures to prevent contamination in those critical areas, and then reviewing the results through pathogen testing. Currently the system is required only in meat and poultry processing plants.

2. Enable the FDA to mandate recalls, instead of leaving the decision in the hands of the manufacturers.

3. As with medical doctors, hold plant owners and managers personally responsible for safety breaches. Nothing like the prospect of personal fines or jail time to motivate folks to the highest standards in food safety.

4. Mandate processors to report contaminated foods that they receive from their suppliers. It seems that Kraft had received multiple shipments of tainted pistachios from Setton in the past few months. The salmonella was discovered through Kraft’s internal testing. However, besides addressing the issue with Setton and receiving alternate shipments, Kraft did not notify the FDA.

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/fooducate

Help us test our new food comparison tool: alpha.fooducate.com

Image via Wikipedia

Is the massive peanut recall (still ongoing) replaying itself, this time with pistachios?

Could be.

Last night, the FDA issued a consumer alert, warning consumers that

The FDA and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are investigating Salmonella contamination in pistachio products sold by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc, Calif. The company has stopped all distribution of processed pistachios and will issue a voluntary recall involving approximately 1 million pounds of its products. Because the pistachios were used as ingredients in a variety of foods, it is likely this recall will impact many products. In addition, the investigation at the company is ongoing and may lead to additional pistachio product recalls.

Read the full alert..

The first incident was reported last week by Kraft, whose Back To Nature Trail Mix was found to contain salmonella.

This is just another example of how one processing plant selling tainted raw materials to hundreds of manufacturers  can create a huge mess for consumers, supermarkets, and the manufacturers themselves. Not to mention hospitalizations and even death.

Until an overhaul of the US food safety system is enacted, we will continue to see these massive recalls.

What to do at the supermarket:

The US manufactures about 136 million metric tons of pistachios a year, so the amount recalled (500,000 metric tons) is less than half a percent.

Do you want to take a chance?

Stay away from pistachio products for now. It may take weeks or even months for all manufacturers to “voluntarily recall” tainted products.

Update: The voluntary recall by Setton Pistachio has just been announced by the FDA.

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/fooducate

Help us test our new food comparison tool: alpha.fooducate.com

flickr photo: monkeyc.net

The American Grocery Shopper Survey, one of the largest of its kind, surveys 50,000 consumers about shopping habits and preferences. It is conducted by Brandspark International every year and additionally produces the Best New Products Awards.
Here are some interesting tidbits:

52% of consumers plan to eat more at home in 2009 compared to last year.

71% of shoppers are worried about health claims of products they purchase.

80% of early adopters in supermarkets are women. This is easily explainable – 70% of a household’s primary shoppers are women, and they usually spend more time shopping.

Three trends for early adopters:
- greater awareness and concern about chemicals and artificial sweeteners in food
- more health conscious
- believe in branded foods as representing higher quality

Top motivators for buying new products are:
- value for money
- better quality
- added health benefits

Top 3 trusted food brands
- Kraft
- Campbell’s
- General Mills

Most important health concerns:
- healthy living
- weight loss

Green issues:
- 58% of consumers want new products to be “natural”
- 70% of consumers are interested in buying environmentally friendly products, but 75% believe manufacturer claims are more PR than substance.
- Only 40% of shoppers are willing to pay more for greener products.
- 78% think manufacturers need to reduce packaging waste.

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

Help us test our new food comparison tool: alpha.fooducate.com