Pediatric Food Allergies Are on the Rise

Between 1997 and 2007, the number of children in the U.S. with food allergies rose an astonishing 18%. The number seeking hospital treatment for food allergies has tripled since 1993. Clearly, something is going on here.

There are several theories about the rise in allergic conditions. The Hygiene Hypothesis is currently one of the most popular. It is based on the premise that children today have a tendency to develop many more allergies because they are being raised in much more sterile environments, compared to conditions several years ago. Further, the Hypothesis claims that children raised in cleaner environments don't develop the same immune system strength, which puts them more at risk when it comes to foods, dust and mold. Though there are several studies that support this supposition, there is still not enough evidence to confirm the findings.

I find it surprising that today, the only real treatment for food allergies is to avoid them. This can be rather difficult when it comes to ingredients that are commonly found in a variety of foods, like wheat or corn. Parents have got to have the tools needed to make it easier to read labels & the nutrition panel and must feel comfortable quizzing knowledgeable restaurant personnel before ordering for their kids. As labeling continues to increase, this becomes much easier for the parents.

Until we know without a doubt what accounts for the increase in incidences, parents must handle this issue at they see fit and the food industry must continue to develop in their ability to deliver awareness to the consumer.
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Food Customization to Meet Our Needs

Unless you have influence with the cook in your house or unless you do the cooking yourself, food customized to your particular dietary needs combined with your taste preferences is probably a bit of a stretch. However, with supermarkets and restaurants adapting to our dietary needs, this is becoming easier than ever.

For example, McDonald's addition of special coffees to their offerings is intended to capture a group of customers who want some customization in their menus. Another example, the Coca-Cola Freestyle soda dispenser. Additionally, whole lines of sugar-free, low-carb, low-sodium, and low-fat versions of many foods have become much more prevalent. The produce section of the supermarket has evolved immensely. Consumers can purchase customized salads and vegetables. Gone are the days of having to buy a head of lettuce, whole carrots, croutons, and cheese, chop them at home and create your own salad. Now, we can buy salads that are already packaged, customized specifically to our tastes, and extremely easy to prepare.

At an FIA food industry symposium: Connecting the Resources: Authenticity, Mass Customization, and Revenue, attendees examined mass customization and its impact on the food industry. By customizing foods to meet certain needs and wants, the food industry has the capability to create a unique consumer experience while adding value to their brand.
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There's Been a Change in Attitude

Over the past several weeks & months, I've noticed that service personnel at stores and Food Retailers, particularly at restaurants (QSRs and FSRs alike), have been exceptionally nice and helpful. Enough so, I'm beginning to wonder if there has been a shift in the attitudes of those working in customer service.

Could this be a sign? A symptom of the initial upswing in our economy? If so, I have to wonder what will happen when our economy stabilizes more and things are finally "better".
This change in the attitude of customer service personnel has really got me thinking. Before the recession, had the service force become complacent, assuming that it didn't really matter if the customer spent money, since the sales associate was still getting a paycheck.

And now, is it that people are so happy to have a job, that they'll do whatever it takes to stay employed, including stepping outside their comfort zone to be helpful?

What have your observations been from a personal standpoint? In the food industry?
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Cooking For Fun

Let's face it. Cooking is not what it used to be. It hasn't been too many years since this was totally a woman's province. A red-blooded man would not confess that he cooked even if he did-and few of them did. But like so many things in our world, there has been a complete turnaround in the gender approach to cooking. Many men take great pride in their culinary expertise and show it off at the drop of a hat. It's not uncommon for a couple-man and wife or significant other-to share food preparation duties.

Oh, sure! We've always known about the famous male chefs in some of the best-known upscale restaurants in the country. Even so, it didn't begin to catch on with "regular" men for many years. For one thing, most girls absorbed cooking skills from their mothers, helping in the kitchen when they were growing up. In fact, one of the reasons many men have become so accomplished and creative as cooks is because they weren't forced to do it, like their mothers and sisters were.

When children see their fathers cooking, they are naturally curious and want to follow suit. Also, mothers can encourage them to cook while they are growing up, both the boys and the girls. Children have always played cooking, and there are many reasons for teaching your children to cook:

* It helps them learn about nutrition and eating the right foods.
* It will boost their self esteem. Turning out something that tastes good and everyone enjoys is an ego booster!
* It will bring families together. You may need to be a little more patient and take a little longer getting a meal on the table, but it's worth it.
* They will be more likely to eat it if they make it.
* Just think about all the lessons in science, math, language and other things they learn in the kitchen working with food.
* They learn many life skills.
* They make a contribution to the family.
* They work as part of a team.

If a couple can enjoy cooking together, they probably have a pretty solid marriage. Some couple even remodel their kitchens so that each cook has a side of his or her own. Entertaining guests when both have been involved in the preparation and the hosting adds a dimension to the couple's lives. Try it! You might like it!
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Making the Right Choice with Color-Coded Foods

When I read Blair's blog about Subway's Jared and her comparison to Christine from Taco Bell, I couldn't help but think about all of the different ways our society is working to try to help us make the right choices when it comes to selecting healthy foods. We've even got color coding in our grocery stores.

The University of Michigan recently released the results from a sensory research study that indicated that color-coded labels on supermarket shelves helps shoppers take home healthier foods. This study came out of the University's Heart Care program and fitness division. The American Dietetic Association even published the results.

In the study, supermarkets used green to indicate "best choice" and yellow to indicated "acceptable choice". The labeling was based on total fat, saturated fat, fiber, cholesterol, and salt sodium content. 56% of those who knew about the program reported using it to guide their choices. Many who used the program said that the color coding system was much clearer than package nutrition panel and that they were more likely to pay attention to a color system that to read the specifics on each label.

There is currently a lot of debate on what the labels should mean. Smart Choices is dividing foods into 19 categories and selecting the best choices within those groups if they meet certain minimums. It all seems pretty complicated at the moment, but with the food industry's support, the development of a scheme that is universal and helpful is just around the corner.

Perhaps the colors used for traffic signals could be a starting point, since they are widely understood and will be a natural when it comes to interpretation by the public. Whatever they choose, it's great to see QSRs and grocery stores Food Retailers alike implementing strategies that make it easier to make the right choices.
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Restaurant Products Can Now Be Found At The Supermarket

The Marie Callender's restaurants are sheer heaven for the comfort-food aficionado. The restaurant is homey, and the food is well-prepared and heavy with the kind of calories that make us remember Mom's cooking. The array of pies makes being prudent about making healthy diet choices nearly impossible. But her restaurants are not everywhere. In fact, they are nonexistent in many parts of the country. But never mind; you can go to your supermarket or other Food Retailers and purchase everything except the atmosphere. The very same foods that destroy the diets of so many diners in the restaurants are available for self-preparation. The setting may not be so cozy, but the food is good.

The current food trends to eat at home with the family around the table, brought about to some extent by the need to contain costs in the current economic downturn, has led many restaurant chains to start packaging their most popular dishes and sell them through supermarkets. However, according to Business Week, it's not easy to accomplish, especially for smaller restaurants or chains. They tend to be nonexistent because it costs too much to distribute and market.

You can start out ahead of the pack, of course, if your product is already popular with some people--your customers. You have a recognizable brand already, at least locally. If you really want to do this, you need to take some things into account. For one, the supermarket is big and competitive, it makes enormous demands on its vendors.

The supermarket will charge you a fee for putting your products on their shelves, and sometimes those fees are outrageously high. You might be able to negotiate them, and if sales are good, the supermarket may even be willing to forgo fees completely. You need to be prepared to pay for promotion and advertising. In addition, there will probably be "failure fees" if your product doesn't sell well. Products are usually given 120 days to succeed and if they don't, your products may be returned.

Supermarkets want up to a 60% margin on a fresh and/or refrigerated items, and they will want you to deliver directly. They may even require you to restock or turn your product. In order to do so, you'll probably need to be located a commutable distance from the supermarkets you want to house your products in.

You also need to keep in mind that your food will be inspected by the same inspectors that enforce such high standards on supermarkets. Take into account that you might need to beef up food preparation in your restaurants in order to sell the same products in a supermarket.

This is not to say that you shouldn't try to expand your business for your restaurant. It very well may bring new customers into your restaurant. However, you should know ahead of time that it can be a pretty tough road to success.
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Cup of Fat, Anyone?

And the hits keep coming for the beverage industry. The NYC Health Department in its campaign to fight obesity has released a new video that portrays what amounts to a man drinking a cup of fat to convey the harsh message that drinking soda with its current drink ingredients is nothing more than drinking fat. This video does not come as a surprise from the state of New York which has always been a leading state in addressing consumer nutritional concerns. If you remember, NYC was the first municipality to ban trans fat in food items served through food service outlets and one of the first cities to mandate that restaurants with over 20 locations post nutritional labels right on the menu.

Response from the beverage industry is quite obviously less than positive. The consensus being that this video portrays drinking soda as the root of the problem when the real obesity issue amounts to consumers understanding and abiding by the simple natural law of calories consumed to calories burned to manage weight issues. Both sides are right in my opinion. But check out this video:




It is pretty gnarly indeed. I think NYC is aiming to get your attention with this one...and they definitely got mine.
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