Five Food Trends for 2012 and Beyond

On the food front, Americans may be finally accepting that we are what we eat and start walking the walk. Even our new taste for Nordic cuisine is fueled, perhaps, by images of the lean, robust, and outdoorsy. But what other things are trending on the food front for 2012–13?

The Use and Misuse of Science: A Commentary on Transgenic Salmon

Transgenic technology is a new high-tech tool developed by scientists to increase productivity and profitability of commercial food production, while at the same time increasing sustainability of food resources. Atlantic salmon is one example of such a nutritious limited food source. Our oceans cannot keep up with consumer demands for fish, a commodity that is not only highly sought after due to its culinary appeal, but is increasingly seen as healthy alternative to red meat. A transgenic line of Atlantic salmon (AquAdvantage salmon) was genetically engineered (GE) to grow faster by inserting an additional salmon growth hormone gene. The fast growth increases the annual output of aquaculture farms and also increases the efficiency of feed conversion (i.e., they need less food to produce the same amount of food compared with their slower growing, non-GE counterparts). Also, these GE-fish will be grown in contained, land-based facilities, preventing escape of the fish to the ocean and allowing general expansion of salmon aquaculture to meet growing demand without expanding the use of ocean net pens.

Food Science, Technology Contribute to Feeding A Growing Population: Part 2

Part 2 of the audio interview between Kelly Hensel, Digital Media Editor at IFT, and John Floros, Head of the Department of Food Science at Pennsylvania State. In this segment John explains the challenges we face to feed a population which is expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050. In addition, he addresses consumers’ negative perceptions of processed foods, and finally, he shares some tools that he believes are currently being underutilized that may help improve our efforts to feed a growing population. John has worked in the food processing industry, was on the faculty at Purdue University, and since 2000 he has been leading the . He is widely published, is currently a Member of the Science Board for the Food & Drug Administration, and a Fellow and Past President of IFT.

John Floros
Professor of Food Process Engineering and Packaging
Head of the Department of Food Science
The Pennsylvania State University

Food Science, Technology Contribute to Feeding A Growing Population

On October 16, the world will celebrate World Food Day, which is designed to increase awareness and motivate year-around action to alleviate hunger. In 2010, IFT published a Scientific Review discussing the importance of food science and technology in feeding a growing population. Recently, Kelly Hensel, Digital Media Editor at IFT, spoke with one of the main authors of the review, John Floros, to discuss this important global issue. John has worked in the food processing industry, was on the faculty at Purdue University, and since 2000 he has been leading the Department of Food Science at Pennsylvania State University.  He is widely published, is currently a Member of the Science Board for the Food & Drug Administration, and a Fellow and Past President of IFT.

John Floros
Professor of Food Process Engineering and Packaging
Head of the Department of Food Science
The Pennsylvania State University

Foodborne Salmonellosis: A Persistent Challenge Far Beyond Ground Turkey

Human salmonellosis has remained a considerable challenge for the U.S. food industry, regulatory agencies (both USDA and FDA), and public health agencies over the last decade. The latest estimates on the prevalence of human salmonellosis suggest that foodborne Salmonella infections cause around 1 million domestically acquired disease cases a year in the U.S., including 350–400 cases that result in deaths.

There are a number of reasons why it has been so difficult to reduce Salmonella transmission in the U.S.

The Future of the Food Safety Modernization Act

In January, President Obama signed a $1.4 billion overhaul of the nation’s food safety system with the Food Safety Modernization Act. Recently, Kelly Hensel, Digital Media Editor at IFT, spoke with John Bode, a Washington, D.C. attorney, to discuss that sweeping legislation, what progress we have seen since it was signed into law, how the U.S. debt crisis may affect its implementation, and what the future holds. Bode was deeply involved in development of the Act, as well as every other major change in federal food law over the past 25 years. While he was in government, Bode was an assistant Secretary of Agriculture.

After listening to John Bode’s opinions on the Act, what do you believe the future holds for the new legislation? Share your thoughts by commenting today!

John Bode

A Food Company Divided = Double the Success?

When a company divides its operations into separate independent entities, it can restructure by distributing its ownership interests in a ‘subsidiary’ operation as a tax-free dividend to its existing shareholders, enabling them to own or sell shares or it could directly sell all or part of the separate entities. Such a spin-off may achieve a variety of objectives:

It’s Time for Common Sense about Flavored Milk in Schools

Chocolate milk (as well as other flavored, sweetened milk) has recently become a prime target in the national debate over childhood obesity. That debate has led to outright bans in school lunchrooms—or to switches from flavored milk sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to formulas flavored with more expensive sugar.

Can the Food Industry Make Us Skinny?

Since the 1977 Dietary Goals for Americans, we have had U.S. dietary advice to eat less fat, less sugar, less sodium—and meanwhile we have gotten fatter. The food industry continues to do its job and respond to the latest nutrition advice to prevent chronic disease. In the 1980s, everyone was counting grams of fat and a whole industry of low- fat, tasty products was born. All the effort to create a new low-fat category of most products did not make us skinnier; in fact, it made us fatter.

Standing Up for Potatoes in Schools

As a Registered Dietitian, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and School Nutrition Professional, I support the effort to expand kids’ exposure to different fruits and vegetables (including those leafy greens and orange veggies). However, I am concerned about how far the USDA proposed rule for school meals goes in limiting the starchy vegetables (essentially to only one serving a week of either potatoes, or corn, or peas, or lima beans). Particularly when you lump peas and corn in with the potatoes, you’re severely limiting children’s favorites, and restricting efforts by schools to offer some healthy, locally grown foods that kids love.