GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS
HIT SUPERMARKET SHELVES

Manufacturers are rolling out gluten-free equivalents of everything from pizza crusts to doughnuts and consumers will now be able to find them in the aisles of major supermarkets.

Gluten intolerance is believed to affect about one out of every 133 Americans. Last year the National Institutes of Health held its first conference on the condition, concluding the prevalence of celiac disease in the U.S. was much wider than previously believed.

The only way to manage the condition is to banish gluten — a more difficult task than one might expect. Wheat, rye and barley are in products ranging from soy sauce to beer to modified food starch.

But these days, major stores carry a range of gluten-free cookies, pastas and bread, using substitutes like rice flour, arrowroot, potato and tapioca. Wal-Mart is requiring suppliers to identify whenever gluten is used in its private-label products. So far, 982 of the company's 1,254 products have been identified as gluten-free. Whole Foods Market lists more than 800 gluten-free items, up from about 250 seven years ago. And Wegmans supermarkets in New York has a "Celiac Recipe of the Week."

USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) launched an online searchable database where users can view a 60-nutrient profile for each of more than 13,000 foods. By providing information on the nutrient values in typically consumed foods, the research tool was designed to help consumers make informed decisions about food choices.

“What’s in the Foods You Eat – Search Tool” was produced by nutritionists with the ARS Food Surveys Research Group and can be found at www.ars.usda.gov/foodsearch. The computer search program generates a customized table showing 60 different nutrient values for each portion amount chosen. The results can then be printed.

FDA has received several inquiries regarding the status of "and/or" ingredient labeling of nutritive sweeteners in soft drink products in light of the November 26, 2004 Federal Register notice withdrawing the proposed rule to permit "and/or" labeling for nutritive sweeteners in soft drinks.

In 1984 FDA received a petition from the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) requesting "and/or" labeling for sweeteners in soft drinks. This was one of several petitions pending with FDA that addressed alternate ways to declare sweeteners in foods. The Agency denied the NSDA petition, concluding that "and/or" labeling for sweeteners was not warranted because the petitions and other available evidence did not show that requiring declaration of specific sweeteners in soft drinks was impracticable or would result in deception or unfair competition.

NSDA submitted a comment requesting FDA to reconsider its denial of the petition. The NSDA's comment maintained that the soft drink industry's practice of using different sweetener formulations for the same product depending on supply and time of year, in conjunction with considerations like meeting consumer demands during peak selling periods, obtaining product labels from national suppliers, and the huge sales volume of the bottler system, necessitated the flexibility of an "and/or" labeling system. FDA reconsidered its denial and in 1993 published a proposed rule to permit "and/or" labeling for nutritive sweeteners in soft drinks if the manufacturer was unable to adhere to a constant pattern of nutritive sweeteners in soft drinks. In a May 28, 1997 letter, the Office of Food Labeling advised NSDA that FDA was not initiating enforcement actions against soft drink manufacturers that used "and/or" labeling for nutritive sweeteners in soft drinks and would likely continue to exercise enforcement discretion until rulemaking on this issue was complete.

In April 2003 FDA announced its intent to withdraw a number of proposed rules that were no longer considered viable candidates for final action based on the Agency's limited resources and changing priorities. This notice included the proposed rule for "and/or" labeling for nutritive sweeteners in soft drinks. The proposed rule was withdrawn in a November 26, 2004 Federal Register notice. In response to comments received to the April 2003 notice, FDA stated, in part, that the Agency had received no data demonstrating that declaring specific sweeteners in soft drinks was impracticable and therefore did not have a sufficient basis to proceed to a final rule allowing "and/or" labeling for soft drinks.

Withdrawal of the proposed rule completes the rulemaking on this issue. FDA did not pursue any enforcement action against soft drink manufacturers who used "and/or" labeling while the rulemaking was pending. However, now that the proposal has been withdrawn, the situation addressed in the letter no longer applies. Accordingly, FDA encourages the soft drink industry to review the ingredient statements on their soft drink labels and assure that the sweetening ingredients in the product are listed accurately.

LIME IS LATEST
FLAVOR CRAZE

Coke and Pepsi are not alone in their taste for lime. According to ACNielsen, lime flavor in food and beverages is a $2.4 billion business, up 16 percent since 1991.

Flavors are the name of the beverage game, particularly when it comes to marketing to youth, the core consumers of soft drinks. Popular flavors include berry, cherry, strawberry and vanilla. But with consumers looking for more variety, adding lime to cola was a natural fit with its refreshing characteristics. It’s been touted as the latest flavor in a growing portfolio of flavor-of-the-month marketing by beverage giants.

FDA AMENDS COLOR
ADDITIVE REGULATIONS

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the color additive regulations to provide for the safe use of tomato lycopene extract and tomato lycopene concentrate as color additives in foods.

This action is in response to a petition filed by LycoRed Natural Products Industries and is effective August 26.

WOMEN’S FOOD –
A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS

Marketing food and beverages specifically for women has been a lucrative business move as this market grew at a compound annual rate of 80 percent between 2000 and 2004 and is now a $4.6 billion industry, according to the U.S. Market for Women’s Food and Beverages, a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts.

In this decade the food and beverage industry realized that the nutritional needs of women demand special attention. Despite some ill-fated early efforts to market “women’s” food, the category has exploded and Packaged Facts forecasts retail sales of women’s foods and beverages will reach $58.7 billion by 2009.

“Foods for women offer significant competitive advantages to marketers,” said Don Montuori, acquisitions Editor of Packaged Facts. “Marketers can use medically beneficial formulations to strengthen brand differentiation, expand market share, bring new users into the fold and increase consumption among established users.”

October 27-30—NAFFS 88th Annual Convention, The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Longboat Key, Fla.