Virgo Publishing entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Food Product Design magazine. Food Product Design operations will remain in the Northbrook, Ill. office, with Bob Weeks maintaining his role as publisher, Lynn Kuntz continuing as editor and Michael Leonard as sales manager.

"Food Product Design will continue to fulfill its mission of delivering practical, use-it-now, take it to the bench editorial to those in the food industry who are involved in developing products for the retail, foodservice and functional food markets," Bob Weeks told NAFFS. "The prospect of bringing Virgo Publishing's capabilities and experience in the areas of trade shows, conferences, information systems and electronic media to bear on the Food Product Design franchise is very exciting.”

Virgo Publishing is based in Phoenix and produces approximately 20 business magazine titles and eight trade shows and conferences. Food Product Design will become part of the Health & Nutrition division of Virgo Publishing under the leadership of Peggy Jackson, director of publishing.
 

Americans reveal that what, where, when, and how they eat seems to be based largely on convenience and cost, according to The NPD Group’s 20th Annual Eating Patterns in America report. While year-over-year changes have sometimes been modest in our eating habits, the significant changes come from long-term findings. NPD has measured and reported the eating habits of Americans for the past two decades.

The report showed the number of meals eaten in a restaurant annually has decreased from 93 meals per person in 1985, to 80 meals per person today. However, the number of meals purchased at a restaurant and eaten in the car has increased from 19 meals per person in 1985, to 32 meals per person today. Ninety-two percent of take-out lunches come from fast food restaurants today, and 92 percent of individuals consume some form of “ready-to-eat” foods in the home on a daily basis. The study attributes Americans’ time-pressed lifestyles, and indicates the major factors that drive our eating habits seem to be time and money.

Another significant change noted in the last 20 years has been the expanding size of our waistlines. In 1985, the percentage of people who say that they would like to lose at least 20 pounds was 54 percent. Today that percentage is 61 percent. Surprisingly though, there is no comparable increase in the amount of people on a diet today, versus those on a diet in 1985 (25 percent both then and now).

Some other key findings of the study include:

STUDY PROVIDES CLUES
ON TASTE PREFERENCE

Research into the genetics of sweet preference suggests candy not only tastes different to children and adults, it appeals differently from child to child. In a recent issue of the journal Pediatrics, Julie Mennella of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and her colleagues describe a study of children and their mothers, examining how their genes influence their preferences for sweets.

Studies into the basics of food preference may eventually lead to a better understanding of why we like the foods we do. Across human cultures and among different age groups, sweet foods are appealing while bitter ones are more of an acquired taste. Liking a certain food is a product of genetics, culture and the environment. For example, tastes for bitter foods such as alcohol and coffee are learned. How much any one factor affects taste isn't known but researchers like Mennella are trying to find out. Eventually, the work may help parents understand how to get their children to eat more nutritious foods.

In the study, Mennella and her colleagues took cheek swabs from 143 children and their moms, and divided the subjects into three groups: those called "PP" carried two copies of a gene that made them particularly sensitive to one bitter taste, those called "AP" had one copy, and those labeled "AA" had two copies of a gene that made them less sensitive to the bitterness.

In the children, genetics predicted their taste preferences. Kids in the PP and AP groups – the ones most sensitive to bitter taste – were more likely to identify soft drinks as their beverages of choice. The kids in the AA group, who were the least sensitive to bitterness, were more likely to name milk or water. The kids in the PP and AP groups also liked sugary cereals better.

The study also showed that while 64 percent of the AP children could detect even the weakest of a special bitter solution, only 43 percent of the AP moms could. That means that the power of the bitter-sensitive gene was less important as they grew up. The reasons are unknown.

Such findings might explain why some children like sweets more than others. Mennella emphasized, however, that eating is a complex behavior with numerous influences. Genetics is only one part, but it's an important component to understand, she said.

NAFFS CALENDAR

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

Feb. 10, 2006 – NAFFS Winter Meeting, The French Culinary Institute, N.Y., N.Y.

March 23, 2006 – NAFFS California Meeting, Anaheim, Cal.

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