Archive for category: Beverages & Drinks

Brick-And-Mortar Stores Still Here to Stay Amid Online Grocery Platforms

in , , , , ,

In the digital age, people have the luxury of buying whatever they need online. However, there are still many consumers who prefer to shop the traditional way. In a report released by The NPD Group, only 7% of consumers in the United States shop online for their groceries.

The Rise of Online Shopping Platforms

Consumers are not willing to adopt the online grocery shopping platform for various reasons, and one of them is that they want to pick out fresh items by themselves. There remains a significant number of the US population who prefer shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.

 

For instance, Amazon recently purchased the popular grocery chain Whole Foods to extend the online shopping experience of their Amazon Prime members. The acquisition is a big step for online shoppers including young professionals and urban consumers. The NPD Group predicts that online shopping will also expand faster due to the convenience factor appreciated by most shoppers.

In the same study, around 20 million of consumers who are new to online grocery shopping increased their virtual shopping activities, particularly on foods and beverages. The reason for this is that many online groceries offer a variety of unique products that traditional grocery stores do not carry. The diversity of products is another selling point of online grocery stores. But even if this is the case, it is a far cry to the hundreds of millions who still prefer to shop at brick-and-mortar grocery stores.

Why Are Traditional Grocery Stores Still Popular?

So why are brick-and-mortar stores here to stay? While one of the strongest points of online shopping is the convenience, there are still many barriers that they need to address. Aside from the fact that many people want to check and pick out food themselves, many people report the nostalgia that shopping in brick-and-mortar grocery stores provides. Another barrier to shopping for food online is higher costs.

 

Most consumers believe that online stores do not maintain high overhead costs so they can offer lower prices. However,  it is the consumers who have to suffer from paying delivery charges or even membership fees. Consumers, in a nutshell, simply want to get their food fresh and now!

What Should Brick & Mortar Grocery Do?

While online grocery stores are becoming popular among the millennials, brick-and-mortar stores are here to stay. But to improve the shopping experience for their customers, they need to step up their strategies. According to Darren Seifer, industry analyst of the NPD Group, B&Ms need to market unique needs of consumers so that they can compete with online groceries that are offering a wider variety of products that brick-and-mortar stores do not usually carry.  By doing so, they can keep up with the pressure of time and the demands of their customers.

Inspired by www.npd.com

Farmers Globally Use Untreated Wastewater to Irrigate Crops

in , , , ,

Irrigation is a necessity of farmers. But important news revealed recently that farmers all over the world are using untreated wastewater to irrigate their crops. In a study published in the journal, Environmental Research Letters, found out that 50% of farmers globally use untreated municipal wastewater to grow food.

The Use of Untreated Wastewater in Agriculture

This frightening statistic indicated that around 36 million hectares of croplands in urban areas rely on heavily polluted water for growing crops. In the study, five countries were identified that use 85% downstream wastewater to irrigate their crops, and these include China, India, Mexico, Pakistan, and Iran. This was a far cry from the 2004 study that noted only 20 million hectares of agricultural lands reuse wastewater.

The reuse of wastewater for agricultural purposes is caused by the increasing problem of water pollution as well as the declining availability of fresh water. According to the lead author of the study, Anne Thebo, the problem is very evident in many developing countries where many places lack wastewater treatment facilities.

To make matters worse, poor farmers who cannot afford to get commercial inputs like fertilizers rely on wastewater to provide nutrients to their plants. In a report released by Associated Press, several farmers in Mexico used wastewater as they produce bigger crop yields compared with treated water.  After all, sewage effluence may contain high amounts of human excrements but, while containing high amounts of nitrogen, also carry pathogens that can be transferred to food.

The Dangers of Farmers Using Untreated Wastewater

The use of untreated wastewater does not only pose threats to local farmers but also to the consumers. Consumers who unknowingly eat raw vegetables and fruits that are grown using wastewater may suffer from food poisoning. Food safety is a pressing issue in the food industry, and the use of untreated wastewater puts people at risk to the exposure of roundworms and pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella. In fact, there have been numerous instances when produce coming from Mexico has led to outbreaks.

 

Vegetables and fruits from Mexico, for example, were found to have been contaminated with Salmonella, hepatitis A, and Cyclospora (an intestinal parasite) include cantaloupes, basil, salad greens, and cilantro.  In 2013, consumption of these products had resulted in hundreds of people all over the United States to experience severe food poisoning while some people died from it.

The Implications of The Study

The published study aims to reveal what is happening in many agricultural lands all over the world. The result of the survey also indicates that considerable strides should be made all over the world regarding improving sanitation in urban areas by investing more in wastewater treatment plants. The thing is that further effort is necessary aside from developing wastewater treatment facilities but also implementing better sanitation policies to address not only the recycling of wastewater in agriculture but also for the protection of surface water and its quality.

Inspired by www.modernfarmer.com

Coconut Oil as Unhealthy as Butter and Beef Fat

in , , ,

Coconut oil is extracted from the meat of mature coconuts using heat. It is preferred by many people because it can last for six months at room temperature without spoiling. While experts argue about the health benefits of coconut oil, recent studies suggest that this particular type of oil is as unhealthy as butter, lard and beef drippings.

Why Is Coconut Oil Unhealthy?                                                                                                           

What makes coconut oil unhealthy? The American Heart Association noted that coconut oil contains high amounts of saturated fat. Saturated fat is the type of fatty acid that is linked to the rise of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. LDL is also dubbed as bad cholesterol that can clog arteries thereby increasing the risk of stroke and heart disease.

The fat in coconut oil is 82% saturated fat, which makes it larger than that found in butter (63%), pork lard (39%), and beef fat (50%). This is the reason why it is so important for people to limit the amount of coconut oil that they should take and replace it with vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, canola oil, or olive oil.

 

How to Cut Down on Saturated Fats

People should steer clear from any sources of saturated fat. According to the UK Public Health agency, an average man should consume no more than 30 grams of saturated fat daily while women should eat a lesser amount.

But the responsibility should not only fall in the hands of consumers. Food manufacturers should also be responsible for improving packaged foods with high amounts of saturated fat.

Opting for healthier cooking alternatives is also an excellent way to cut back on your consumption of saturated fats. So instead of frying your potatoes, you can boil, grill, or bake them instead. Before cooking meats, it is also recommended to trim all the meat from fats so that the fat does not render and become oil. You can also make conscious efforts of omitting ingredients containing saturated fats when cooking.

But Is Fat Healthy?

Many health and nutrition experts believe that fat still plays a vital role in our health. Fats are essential so that the body can absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, and E. It is important not to cut out fat completely from your diet.

But instead of stocking up on saturated fats, it is important that you consume healthier fats such as Omega-3 fatty acids. This type of fat increases your good cholesterol numbers so that the LDL cholesterol is pushed to the liver where they are disposed.

Inspired by www.bbc.com

Grocery Stores Carry 40,000 More Items Than They Did in the 1990s

in , , , , ,

Grocery stores have been around for a long time. It was only after the post-war era that self-service grocery stores became popular as more people especially women became liberated from domestic duties and started going to work.

Today, grocery stores are big enterprises that provide people whatever their household needs. According to author Michael Ruhlman, the evolution of grocery stores is remarkable. Today, there are more than 38,000 supermarkets across the United States that earn billions of dollars yearly.

The Evolution of Grocery Stores

According to the Food Marketing Institute as well as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a growing need for grocery stores in the country and this growth is reflected in the rising stock prices of publicly-owned grocery enterprises. Aside from brick-and-mortar stores, grocery stores have also expanded to deliveries to accommodate all types of consumers.

But perhaps the biggest change attributed to the evolution of supermarkets is that modern groceries offer more diversity regarding their products. During the 1990s, there was an average of 7,000 items sold in a grocery store. Now, it has ballooned to over 40,000 items.

The Evolution of Shoppers

Parallel with the development of grocery stores is the evolution of shoppers. Over the past ten years, shoppers’ food preferences have drastically changed. For instance, you would never have been able to find gluten-free food a decade ago. Today, those kinds of products are prevalent and important many people’s diets.

The thing is that the taste and desires of ordinary consumers have also changed through time. It is important to take note that we are now becoming more conscious of our food choices and we tend to read labels more compared to 20 years ago.

Aside from reading food labels, consumers are also opting for organic foods especially if they can afford them. More than 50% of American consumers believe that organic foods are more nutritional than those grown using conventional farming techniques.  To supply the needs of consumers for organic products, many grocery stores also dedicate a section in their store for organic food products.

The Future of Grocery Stores

The future of grocery stores is very predictable. With the rising demand and food preferences of American consumers, grocery stores will get even bigger and will carry more diverse items. But then variety can also have its downsides. Ruhlman believes that too much variety sends consumers the wrong message that they can rely on grocery stores to get instant food instead of learning how to cook their meals from scratch. After all, cooking is an age-old skill everyone must learn, and that ability allows you to control the number of ingredients that you put in your food.

Inspired by www.marketwatch.com

Vitamin Fortification Can Cause Off Flavors in Dairy Milk

in , , , , ,

Adding value to food and drinks is a popular trend in the food manufacturing industry. Consumers are demanding food and beverage brands to find ways to improve the nutritional value of their products. In fact, you can see many nutrient fortified products from cereals to soda.

 

The Rise of Value-Added Beverages

This is the reason why there is an increase of probiotic-infused beverages in the market. Examples of probiotic-based drinks that are available to the public include kombucha, flavored yogurts, and even drinking vinegar. But aside from drinks filled with healthy bacteria, another trend is to fortify ordinary drinks with vitamins and minerals. This is the reason why coffee and tea fortified with vitamins have found themselves on many supermarket shelves.

Plant-based milk created from nuts and seeds is also on the rise. These plant-based counterparts are positioned as healthier alternatives to traditional dairy milk.  But for a long time, dairy milk has held on to fortifying milk with vitamins to make it a healthier beverage.

The Problem with Fortified Dairy Milk

The most common vitamins that are added to milk are A and D. In the United States, these vitamins have been added to dairy milk since 1930 to halt the possibility of children developing blindness, cancer, and other vitamin deficiencies. The practice of adding vitamins and minerals to milk has been the standard in making pasteurized milk.

While beverage manufacturers have good intentions in fortifying milk, some consumers are complaining. The vitamin fortification of milk often results to imparting a distinct flavor that consumers mistake for spoilage.

In a study conducted by researchers from the North Carolina State and Cornell University, they found out that water-soluble vitamin concentrates often used in fortifying milk can lead to off flavors. On the other hand, using oil-soluble fortifications often results in no taste difference from unaltered milk. In the same research, test subjects detected a slight difference regarding flavor between enhanced skim milk and unfortified skim milk.

The Implications of The Study

The study revealed that while fortifying milk is a great idea to improve its nutritional value, it is crucial for beverage manufacturers to use the right vitamin concentrates.  Having said this, food manufacturers need to improve their process and invest in solutions that can control the impact of vitamin concentrates on the flavor of the dairy product.  The researchers recommended using less water-soluble vitamins and rely more on oil-soluble vitamins to improve the quality of their milk products.

But this strategy can backfire when it comes to the organic milk niche. Consumers who value natural and unaltered dairy products might find the fortification against their volition, so they opt not to buy them instead. Milk brands need to be clear and transparent about whether their milk is fortified or unfortified. Companies should look for ways to add food based vitamins like GrandFusion. GrandFusion is a concentrated blend of vitamins from fruits and vegetables including vitamins A and D.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

The World’s First Healthy Alcoholic Beverage

in , , ,

COCO Cocktail is a healthy alternative to the traditional alcoholic beverage. With many clear benefits, consumers debate whether or not this drink will become a first alcoholic beverage of choice in the market. As stated in a news release, COCO Cocktail contains a noticeably larger nutritional value when set side by side against a top competitor, Pinot Noir. In addition to being created with 70% coconut water, COCO Cocktail also contains SuperFruits (considered to be very beneficial to health and rich with antioxidants), as well as 5.6% ABV from OTS Orange Wine. COCO Cocktail holds minerals and vitamins, both of which derive from non-GMO and all-natural food sources, without containing enriched, artificial, or synthetic ingredients. COCO Cocktail can be purchased in several different retail locations within Ohio, Florida, Indiana, and Texas.

Healthy Alcoholic Beverages in the Market Today

For the longest time, many of the top-branded craft cocktails were created using significant amounts of processed sugars. In this day and age, consumers are not content with their products being highly infused with artificial sweeteners. The young adult sector of today is constantly in search of craft cocktails that are made using high-end ingredients, while at the same time, not packed with sugar. Also, now more than ever, wine and spirit consumption is rising exponentially. Companies are choosing to take advantage of this up and coming market. Healthy Beverages appeals to and attracts the attention of consumers in this market by offering two separate flavors of their vitamin-enhanced, healthy wine.

coco cocktail power nutrifusion vitamins alcoholic beverage

Healthy Beverages, LLC Achieves FDA Guidelines to Claim COCO COCKTAIL(TM) #POWER as “The World’s 1st Nutritious Alcoholic Beverage” (PRNewsfoto/Healthy Beverages, LLC)

According to the CEO and co-founder of Healthy Beverages, Franz Tudor, many consumers are looking for clean and natural ingredients. Tudor believes that the removal of artificial and GMO-filled ingredients would certainly not “take the fun away [from the COCO Cocktail].” Tutor states that natural foods possessing benefits to the heart and muscles of the body while also reducing bloating “seems like fun” to him.

Alcoholic Beverage Market

It is predicted that sales for all categories of alcoholic beverages are going to rise as a result of the growing number of consumers experimenting with alcoholic beverages. Whether or not healthy alcoholic beverages are going to be consumed more than their traditional counterpart as time goes on is still up in the air; however, the fact remains that new consumers will be drawn in due to the price as well as the taste of the beverage. Despite this, Healthy Beverages is making a wise decision of appealing to the niche of health-conscious and wine-loving consumers by testing out their new beverage.

Benefits of Healthy Alcohol

Research has already determined that a moderate consumption of red wine is tied in with many advantages such as boosting life expectancy, combating diabetes, heart disease, and several other illnesses. Researchers are nearing the completion of a pill that mirrors the positive effects of alcoholic beverage. However, in the end, some consumers will find difficulty giving up their drink of choice for a healthy alcoholic alternative, regardless of how great the drink is.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Probiotic Drinks More Popular Than Ever

in , , ,

There is an increasing number of health-conscious individuals who prefer to buy products that have more nutritional value than junk foods. As a result, the sales of probiotic drinks increased by 31.2% over the past year based on the data generated by the Chicago-based research company, SPINS.

But what could have led the change of heart to switch from standard sugary drinks to probiotics? Consumers have become increasingly aware of how important it is to maintain a healthy gut for good overall health. On top of that, the natural approach to digestive health is trending. With an increasing number of people opting for healthier drinks, this also pushed beverage manufacturers to find innovative ways to add more nutritional value to their products.

New Niche Created By Probiotic Beverages

Beverage makers are now using botanical ingredients to add natural flavor and nutritional benefits to their drinks. Uncommon ingredients such as lavender, lemongrass, elderberry, and turmeric are being added to intrigue consumers. They have also incorporated probiotics in different bases including dairy, grains, plant-based milk, as well as fruit and vegetable juices.

Some manufacturers have created shelf-stable probiotics that contain billions of live good bacteria that can last longer than traditional probiotics.

Backed by Science 

Good stomach health has always been linked to a better immune system. What resides in the gut is a plethora of microflora that controls the release of hormones and even the body’s metabolism. Probiotic drinks are marketed as healthy drinks that can help in weight loss, depression, and solve allergy problems.

The results of the extensive research involving probiotics have been used by beverage companies to create exceptional drinks. But aside from using probiotics, beverage companies are also interested in using fiber to boost the nutritional value of their products.

For instance, studies have indicated that the use of chicory root can feed the normal microflora bacteria in the gut. According to Carol Lowry, Cargill’s senior food scientist, chicory root can enhance the growth of lactobacillus in the gut thus maintaining the neutral balance of the gut. This is the reason why beverage manufacturers are also looking into using chicory roots in making powdered beverages, flavored water, smoothies, and juices. Even coffee has been seen as a marketable product that may possibly contain chicory roots.

While the industry of probiotics has huge market potential, food scientists are still facing a huge obstacle to creating beverages that are still tasty and can withstand higher temperature without destabilizing its structure.

Inspired by www.bevindustry.com

DanoneWave Quietly Reduces Fat and Sugar

in , , , , , ,

The French multinational food manufacturing giant, DanonWave, is famous for making nutrient-dense foods with less fat and sugar. The company is known for its brands such as Danimals, Dannon, Activia yogurt, and newly acquired plant-based brands like Vega and Silk. While it is one of the main players in the health food industry, the company has recently announced that it will embark on improving its products by boosting their fiber, protein, Vitamin D, and decreasing the fat & sugar. This announcement was part of the company’s recent commitment to address childhood obesity.

According to Philippe Caradec, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, the company values its mission to bring healthy food to as many people as they can reach all over the world.

Why Are Companies Like DanoneWave Redeveloping Their Portfolio?

Most of the giant food and beverage manufacturers have been redeveloping their portfolio by creating new product formulations or acquiring healthy startups. But, what is the reason behind this? It is imperative for big food companies to meet the changing demands of their consumers.

It is important to take note that more consumers are opting for healthier foods, so changing the brand portfolio is a good strategy to draw in more future customers. Examples of food companies that have revamped their portfolio by releasing a healthy line of products include Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Campbell Soup.

But what about DanoneWave? The company embarked on its robust portfolio when it acquired the great beverage-maker WhiteWave in a $10.4 billion deal. The company has been making snack bars, cookies, and more over the past few decades. While it has been treading on the health food path longer than other companies, DanoneWave lacks variety, so the company is betting on products like bottled waters, baby foods, and yogurts.

Millennials: The New Market

 

While some companies embark on revamping their portfolio as part of a bandwagon or fad, DanoneWave sees another potential. In fact, they are revamping their product line because they see the Millennials as the most promising of all target markets.

The biggest driver of the health food niche are millennials who are now becoming more aware of lifestyle diseases and healthy options. But while marketing to the millennials is needed by most health food companies, it is quite challenging to convince millennials to buy products by just claiming that they are sugar-free or fat-free. Marketing products as such can also lead to consumers to think that they are consuming products that are less appealing. Millennial consumers are becoming wiser every day, so companies like DanoneWave have to include clean labeling and transparency in their products by including honest nutritional labels on each of their products.

The future of health food companies like DanoneWave lies in the hands of meticulous consumers. This is the reason why it is so important to use different strategies such as reformulating their products, revamping their brand, acquiring healthy food start-ups, and also using transparent clean labels.

Inspired by fortune.com