HEALTH ALERT: NUT CONSUMPTION REDUCES TOTAL MORTALITY

NUT CONSUMPTION REDUCES TOTAL MORTALITY

Published November 20, 2013 in Food Product Design

Posted in News, Nuts, Nuts and Seeds, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pecans, Pistachios, Walnuts,Demographic, Science & Research, Cancer, Heart Health, Cardiovascular, Daily Value (DV), Healthy,Healthy Foods, Nutrition, Diet, Weight Management, Fats/Oils, Fatty Acids, Omega-3s, Unsaturated Fats,Proteins, Vitamin, Vitamin E, Vitamins / Minerals, Mineral, Magnesium, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Calcium,Potassium, Phytochemicals, Antioxidant

DAVIS, Calif.—Consumption of nuts—almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts—was inversely associated with total mortality in both men and women, independent of other predictors for death, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In addition, there were significant inverse associations for deaths due tocancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.

Harvard researchers looked at the association of nut consumption with total and cause-specific mortality among 76,464 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (1980–2010) and 42,498 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986–2010), compiling the largest study of its kind to date.

Results concluded individuals who consumed a 1-ounce serving of nuts seven or more times per week had a 20% lower death rate compared to those who did not eat nuts, said lead author Ying Bao, M.D., Sc.D., department of medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “Those who consumed more nuts were also leaner, and tended to have a healthy lifestyle, such as smoking less and exercising more," Bao said.

Nuts contain nutrients such as unsaturated fats, protein, vitamins (vitamin E, folate and niacin) minerals (magnesium, calcium and potassium) and phytochemicals—all of which may offer cardioprotective, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

“With current nut consumption well below the recommended 1.5 ounces of nuts per day, we need to continue to encourage people to have a handful of nuts every day," said Maureen Ternus, M.S., R.D., executive director, International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC NREF).

Sources:

• INC NREF: Tree Nut Consumption Associated with Reduced Total and Cause-Specific Mortality: Largest Study to Date on Nut Consumption and Mortality in New England Journal of Medicine

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SUSTAINABILITY: UNILEVER COMMITS TO 100% SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL BY 2014

UNILEVER COMMITS TO 100% SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL BY 2014

Published November 20, 2013 in Food Product Design

Posted in News, Business, International, Fats/Oils, Palm Oil, Agriculture, Crop, Sustainability, Unilever,Beverages, Snack Foods, Desserts, Bakery / Cereal, Sauces / Gravies / Soup, Condiments, Spreads,Processing

LONDON and ROTTERDAM, Netherlands—Unilever on Nov. 14 announced that by the end of 2014 the company will source 100% sustainable palm oil for use in its products globally. The pledge is a significant move in its journey to accelerate market transformation toward sustainable palm oil.

Unilever is one of the world’s major buyers of palm oil for use in products, such as margarine, ice cream, soap and shampoo. The company purchases approximately 1.5 million tons of palm oil and its derivatives annually, representing about 3% of the world’s total production.

The company was a founder member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and co-chair the Consumer Goods Forum Steering Group on Sustainability and has led the process that  resulted in the creation of the Tropical Forest Alliance, a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving governments with the goal of eliminating deforestation.

“Market transformation can only happen if everyone involved takes responsibility and is held accountable for driving a sustainability agenda. Our progress has been made possible by the commitment and efforts of a number of our strategic suppliers," said Chief Procurement Officer Marc Engel. “We will continue to engage with our suppliers, NGOs, governments, RSPO, end users and other industry stakeholders to develop collaborative solutions to halt deforestation, protect peat land, and to drive positive economic and social impact for people and local communities."

Richard Holland, director of WWF’s Market Transformation Initiative commended the announcement and said Unilever’s 2014 commitment marks a very promising step on the continuing journey toward real market transformation to sustainable palm oil.

“Unilever’s role and actions have been instrumental on this journey so far. They helped us establish the RSPO in 2004 and have been closely involved in its development into a credible institution and standard," Holland said. “But as importantly, Unilever has also matched its commitment with action on buying RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil. We will continue to work with Unilever and others through the RSPO to encourage further certification by growers and buying of certified palm oil by manufacturers and retailers."

Sources:

• Unilever: 100% of Palm Oil bought will be traceable to known sources by end 2014

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SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: TOP 10 REASONS WHY CLICK-TO-CALL CAN DRAMATICALLY INCREASE SALES

TOP 10 REASONS WHY CLICK-TO-CALL CAN DRAMATICALLY INCREASE SALES

LEAVE A COMMENTBY RAY ALMEDA ON NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Every month, the Click-to-Call feature is used almost one million times by visitors on mobile websites optimized by Duda. It’s no surprise that DudaMobile’s number one Premium features sees this much action, as the ability to call a business directly from its mobile website has its noteworthy advantages.

In late September, Google released the results of a study undertaken with 3,000 mobile searchers that attempted to quantify the role Click-to-Call call played in the purchase process. The results certainly aren’t shocking, but do paint a good picture of how important the feature is to your business’ success on the mobile web.

Here’s our compiled list of the top ten reasons why Click-to-Call can dramatically increase sales.

1.) 70% of mobile searchers have used Click-to-Call to connect with a business directly from the search engine results page. 51% of them use it frequently or always from search results.

Key takeaway:  Most of the time, customers looking for your business on the mobile web simply need to contact you, and a phone call is still the preferred method over other communication options. Not having the Click-to-Call feature on your mobile site requires the customer to go through at least one additional layer of navigation, which is never a good thing.

2.) 47% of mobile searchers say that if a business does not have a phone number associated with their search results, they will be more likely to explore other brands.

Key takeaway: Half of mobile searchers are already expecting your business to have a phone number associated with your business. Having a chunk of those mobile searchers go over to the competition could be an unfortunate consequence of not implementing this very simple solution.

3.) 61% of mobile searchers state that Click-to-Call is most important in the purchase phase of the shopping process.

Key takeaway: If your potential customer has made it to the purchase phase of the shopping process, they’re engaged. They’ve done their research, shopped around and are finally at the point where they’re ready to open their wallet. It’s critical that at the moment your customers feels confident in their decision and Click-to-Call is a big part of that.

4.)  Holiday shoppers will expect it and their patience for doing additional research through your mobile website will be short. 

Key takeaway: With the holiday shopping season just around the corner, shoppers will be trying to get as much information as they can about Black Friday deals, rare item availability, store hours and more, on their smartphones. Adding the Click-to-Call feature on your mobile site will save your stressed customer frustration and time by helping them get the answers they need quickly.

5.) 54% of customers call to get quick answers and give real time feedback, with 54% having more questions or needing more information than a website can answer.

Key takeaway: Enabling customers to ask questions via a phone call also gives them the ability to give you valuable feedback. For example, maybe they have a comment about the how you can improve the functionality of your mobile site. It’s this valuable, one-off type of information that can really make a difference in your marketing and the way you do business. In addition, your website may not always have all the answers a customer is looking for, and this makes providing a two-way communication option essential.

6.) 88% of mobile searchers consider call length to be important (4.4 average minute call length). 72% of clicks on a mobile search ad’s call button last longer than 30 seconds.

Key takeaway: This statistic indicates that most people call the business with an expectation that all of their main questions are going to be answered. It’s important to have all of your frequently asked questions communicated well to your business’ support team so that customers are brought more quickly into the purchasing flow.

7.) 76% of consumers use mobile call features to schedule an appointment for local services.

Key takeaway: For certain businesses, like tow truck drivers, locksmiths and contractors, most of their customers come from a certain geographic area. Click-to-Call is a major part of catering to these consumers, as many of them are looking for a service that they need relatively quickly (e.g. “My pipes burst and I need a plumber!”). In this case, Click-to-Call isn’t just a critical feature for your customers, it’s importance goes both ways. Many of these types of small businesses require driving from job site to job site throughout the day. If you keep a phone handy while you’re on the go, Click-to-Call is the perfect tool for connecting your customers in need with you.

8.) When people use mobile search to help make a decision they are 39% more likely to call a business (Google Search Moments)

Key takeaway: This statistic speaks to both the immediacy and nature of the mobile web. Mobile customers aren’t just browsing the web (think the person who’s window shopping), they are seriously intent on taking some kind of action (think the person who has five pairs of pants and 6 shirts in a dressing room). Click-to-Call helps them take that action. Also, let us never forget that when you get down to it, smartphones are still, first and foremost, phones. It only makes sense that consumers would use them as such to help make a decision.

9.) 56% of calls via a mobile search happen within the first 60 minutes.

Key takeaway: To reiterate the importance of fulfilling a customer’s need immediately, more than half of phone call interactions with a business are within the first hour. Many consumers want an opportunity to compare and contrast services, products and prices with your competition. If you don’t have Click-to-Call and they do, you’re out of the race before it begins.

10.)  Most of your competitors aren’t doing it.

Key takeaway: It’s a fact that 95% of small- and medium-sized businesses do not have a mobile-optimized website. As evidenced in reason #2, having Click-to-Call as a feature on your mobile website most likely gives your business a revenue boost from customers who switched to your mobile site from one without the same functionality.

For any questions and more information on the Click-to-Call feature, head to our Support Portal athttp://bit.ly/186SuLa.

 Otherwise, what are you waiting for? Get the Click-to-Call feature on your mobile website today with a DudaMobile Premium account: http://bit.ly/186SuLa. We look forward to hearing the great results this simple feature will produce for your business! Share with us and we might even feature you on our blog and social media networks like Facebook and Twitter!

Sources:

Click to Call in the path to purchase – Google

SMB Digital Marketing – BIA Kelsey

Search Moments – Google

Mobile Users Survey – DudaMobile

Check out my new e-book entitled: "Social Media Marketing in Agri-Foods: Endless Profit and Painless Gain"

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HEALTH ALERT: ASIAN VEGETABLE MAY FIGHT HEAD, NECK CANCER

ASIAN VEGETABLE MAY FIGHT HEAD, NECK CANCER

Published November 18, 2013 in Food Product Design

Posted in News, Science & Research, Healthy, Healthy Foods, Nutrition, Diet, Fruits / Vegetables,Vegetable, Extracts, Ethnic, Asian, International, Brain Health, Immunity, Immune Health, Cancer,Laboratory Testing, Natural

ST. LOUIS—Extract taken from an Asian vegetable may have therapeutic qualities to treat head and neck cancer, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE

Researchrs at Saint Louis University studied extract from the bitter melon, a vegetable commonly used in Indian and Chinese diets, to determine its effects on head and neck cancer cell growth in an animal model.

In a controlled lab setting, Ratna Ray, Ph.D., associate professor, pathology, Saint Louis University, found that bitter melon extract regulated several pathways that helped reduce the head and neck cancer cell growth in the animal model. After a period of four weeks, Ray found that the growth and volume of the tumor had reduced.

"We wanted to see the effect of the bitter melon extract treatment on different types of cancer using different model systems," said Ray, who first tested the extract in breast and prostate cancer cells. "In this study, the bitter melon extract treatment suppressed the head and neck cancer cell growth in the mouse model, reducing the growth of the tumor."

Although more research is needed, Ray believes the bitter melon extract may enhance the current treatment option.

"It's difficult to measure the exact impact of bitter melon extract treatment on the cell growth, but a combination of things—existing drug therapy along with bitter melon—may help the efficacy of the overall cancer treatment," Ray said.

Sources:

• EurekAlert: Bitter melon extract may have potential to fight head and neck cancer

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NORTH AMERICAN FOOD SERVICE: CONSUMERS UNDERESTIMATE CALORIES IN FAST FOOD BY 34%

CONSUMERS UNDERESTIMATE CALORIES IN FAST FOOD BY 34%

Published November 18, 2013 in Food Product Design

Posted in News, Foodservice, QSR, Fried Foods, Calorie, Calorie Reduction, Obesity, Weight Management, Nutrition, Diet, Science & Research, Demographic, Children, Healthy, Healthy Foods, Daily Value (DV), Convenience Foods, Snack Foods, Consumer Panels, Menu, International

BOSTON—Diners at fast-food restaurants significantly underestimate the number of calories in their meals, by as much as 34%, according to a study published in the journal BMJ.

Harvard researchers, along with leaders of the Massachusetts and Connecticut Departments of Public Health, surveyed nearly 3,400 adults, teens and school-age children in 2010 and 2011 at 89 fast-food restaurants in four New England cities to examine the difference between the estimated and actual calorie content of foods purchased at fast-food restaurants.

Teens underestimated the most, believing that their orders had more than one-third fewer calories than the meals actually contained. Parents of school-age children underestimated by as much as 23% and other adults by as much as 20%.

“We found that people, especially teens, are consuming more calories than they think they’re getting when they eat fast food," said lead researcher Jason Block, assistant professor, population medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.

Teens underestimated the number of calories in their average order, which contained 756 calories, by 259 calories. The researchers found adults ordered meals containing 836 calories on average, but typically underestimated the calorie content of those meals by 175 calories. Parents of school-age children underestimated their own orders, which contained an average of 733 calories, by 175 calories overall. Notably, one-quarter of all participants underestimated the calorie content of their meals by at least 500 calories. 

“We also saw differences by food chain," said Block. Subway patrons underestimated the number of calories in their orders by a larger amount than did patrons of McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s and Dunkin Donuts. Compared with McDonald’s patrons, estimates provided by adults and teens who ate at Subway were 20%-25% less accurate. Block suggested that Subway’s branding may provide a “health halo" among the public.   

Sources:

• Harvard Medical School: With Fast Food, Consumers Get More than They Expect

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NATURAL PRESERVATIVES GAIN MOMENTUM

Published November 15, 2013 in Food Product Design

Posted in News, Labeling, Antioxidant, Preservatives, Food Additive, Natural, Chemicals, Mintel,Beverages, Meat Products, Processed Meats, Bakery / Cereal, Bakery, Cereal, Snack Foods,Convenience Foods, Extracts, Sauces / Gravies / Soup, Sauces, Fats/Oils, Seasonings / Spices,Seasonings, Market Trends, Consumer Preference, Healthy, Healthy Foods, Colors, Flavor, Shelf Life,Shelf Stable

AVIGNON, France—Demand for natural antioxidants derived from plants, used to preserve color and flavor and keep foods and beverages fresher longer, is going up, according to Naturex.

Natural antioxidant systems are gaining momentum as consumers have begun veering away from artificial additives. In fact, 312 new product launches in Europe in 2013 contained antioxidant rosemary extract, compared to 161 new product launches in 2012 and 48 in 2011, according to Mintel research.

We believe the growing popularity of rosemary extracts will continue in the coming years as consumer demand for clean labels maintains its momentum," said Baptiste Demur, business manager, Naturex. "Shoppers are rejecting chemical additives, but they still expect the products they buy to offer adequate shelf life."

Naturex's NAT stabil® range offers natural antioxidant solutions for use in a variety of applications, including meat, poultry, bakery, cereal-based snacks, sauces, oils, fats, seasonings and stocks.
In addition to natural additives, health- and environment-conscious consumers are driving growth insustainable and secure food packaging and edible film development. Sustainable food packaging can be composted, recycled or reused and is produced, transported and recycled using renewable energy; made with renewable or recycled materials; made in ways that optimize use of energy; and safe for people and the environment throughout its life cycle.

Sources:

• Naturex: Natural preservation is a trend whose time has come, says Naturex

Check out my new e-book entitled: "Social Media Marketing in Agri-Foods: Endless Profit and Painless Gain"

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