JURY AWARDS $15 MILLION
TO POPCORN WORKER

A jury awarded a former popcorn-plant worker $15 million after finding that his exposure to butter-flavoring fumes led to his severe respiratory problems, reported The Kansas City Star. The verdict brings to nearly $53 million the total amount awarded in the last two years against the makers of the popcorn flavoring, International Flavors & Fragrances and a subsidiary, Bush Boake Allen. Four other plaintiffs reached confidential settlements with the defendants last year.

The Jasper, Mo. plant where the plaintiffs worked – the Gilster-Mary Lee Corp. microwave popcorn factory – has not been named as a defendant in any of the actions.

The latest case was filed by Stephen McNeely, 35, a machine operator who filled popcorn bags with salt and butter flavoring. McNeely worked at the plant from 1989 to 2001 and developed bronchiolitis obliterans. McNeely is one of about 30 former and current workers at the Jasper plant who have sued the manufacturers of the popcorn flavoring. At least 20 more cases are awaiting trial.

Where can you find speakers from Mastertaste, Takasago, Blue Pacific, Firmenich, David Michael, TIC Gums and AIB International all under one roof? The NAFFS Annual Convention to be held October 27-30 in Longboat Key, Florida offers an educational program featuring these industry leaders and an exceptional environment to meet and network with industry peers.

The program kicks off with a networking reception Thursday evening. On Friday morning attendees will hear Bill Pursley, vice president of food safety education at AIB International address the latest food safety standards and detail how AIB conducts food safety audits. The program continues with Dr. Vincent Presepe, director quality systems at North America Firmenich who will talk about Firmenich’s approach to administering a world-class auditing system. Next Janet Jacoby, chief compliance officer of TIC Gums will cover how to prepare for an audit, what to expect during the audit and post-audit procedures to maintain compliance.

Saturday’s program features a market focus on Asian food trends delivered by some of the most sought-after speakers in the industry, including: Nancy Lawrence of Mastertaste on the Thailand and Indonesian markets, Chuck Manley of Takasago on the Japanese market, Donald Wilkes of Blue Pacific on trends in Korea and China, Michael Joy of Firmenich on Philippine cuisine and Anh Nguy of David Michael on trends in Vietnam. Attendees will also be treated to delectable product samples from some of the regions explored. Saturday’s program also includes presentations by Chuck Manley of Takasago on “A History Worth Preserving” and the latest update on legal and regulatory issues impacting the flavor industry by Pat McNamara, partner, Scarinci & Hollenbeck.

And you won’t want to miss the Saturday night Asian-themed closing dinner where the latest trends are incorporated into the menu creation offered that evening.

HOTEL: Hotel reservations must be made by September 26 to be guaranteed the NAFFS discounted room rates. The hotel is operating at near capacity – be sure to indicate you are with the NAFFS convention to get the special rate and room of your choice. For reservations, call the resort directly at 941-383-8821 or 800-237-8821.

Register now at www.naffs.org!

Over the past few years, nanotech has rapidly become a significant ingredient in the food industry, in applications ranging from smart packaging to interactive foods.

Nestlé and Unilever are reportedly exploring nano-particle emulsions that would make food textures more uniform, which could be useful in products like ice cream, reported Forbes.com. Nestle may also be exploring nano-capsules that deliver nutrients and antioxidants to specific parts of the body at specific times.

Kraft, a leader in nano-food development, established the Nanotek Consortium, a collaboration of 15 universities and national research labs in 2000. According to the report, Kraft seems most interested in "interactive" foods and beverages – products that can be personalized to fit the tastes and needs of individual consumers, from fun stuff like drinks that change colors to innovative foods that can adjust for a consumer's allergies or nutritional requirements.

Kraft has also been looking at "smart" food packaging. Nano-sensors that respond to the release of particular chemicals – like a specific chemical released when a certain food begins to spoil – can be incorporated into the packaging. As soon as the food starts to go bad, the packaging will change color to alert the consumer.

Qingrong Huang, professor of food nanotechnology at Rutgers University, says that major companies are likely to favor outsourcing over internal development. "Big international food companies are pouring money into nanotechnology research and development," says Huang. "But this is a high-risk business, and they would rather just buy the mature product." That means that the companies to watch are the smaller ones that will actually be creating and licensing their products.

Some products on the horizon include:

• Nano-composite plastics – plastics that serve as superior barriers to the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide, keeping all kinds of products fresher longer. The molecular designs of these plastics improve a product's flame resistance or its structural integrity under heat and can be used in boil-bag food products and microwavable packaging.
• Electronic noses – devices that mimic the human nose but have far greater sensitivity to trace scents and flavors. The electronic nose can create a digital fingerprint (or noseprint, as the case may be) of specific smells. They are especially effective in recognizing contaminants and analyzing the overall quality of foods.
• The electronic tongue consists of an array of liquid sensors coupled to pattern-recognition technology that can distinguish particular flavors for taste studies. It is especially useful when it comes to beverages. Able to "taste" chemicals to the level of parts per trillion, and only costing about 50 cents to produce, the tongue will be vital to food studies.
• Nano bar codes are the molecular versions of traditional bar codes – metal nano-particles that have specific, recognizable chemical fingerprints that can be read by a machine. They can be used for brand security and supply chain tracking of foods that normally can't be tagged with traditional bar codes. They can also be used to detect pathogens in food.
• Nano-biosensors that can detect the slightest trace of pathogens in a food supply. These sensors would be used in food facilities and in shipping to carefully monitor the food at the molecular scale.

Huang is also exploring the role of nutraceuticals in disease prevention and healthfulness. If Huang or others can successfully use nanotechnology to create food that tastes as good as ever but has fat and sugar replacements, or perhaps employs nano-particles that prevent fat or calories from being absorbed and stored by the body, then they've got the holy grail of food, the article said. Food that fills you up but has no effect on your weight - that is a gold mine waiting to be tapped, it added.

According to Huang, none of the technology is too far off. At this point, the general problem that's stalling the industry is cost reduction. "New technology can be too expensive and hard to get into the market, not because the technology is far away but because food is a low-profit margin industry, so you've got to lower the cost, said Huang.

These kinds of problems are surmountable and it appears an increasing number of nanotech applications will hit the food industry, with some potentially amazing results, from health and safety benefits to programmable, personalized food.

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

Feb. 10, 2006 – NAFFS Winter Meeting, NY, N.Y.

April 25, 2006 – NAFFS Technical Meeting, Edison, N.J.