The Food Movement Minute is a top story news analysis for busy foodies. I chew up the top industry and consumer publications each day and spit out only the news that matters most in a quick and entertaining read. I have a very discerning palate.
Today’s topics: Consumers Clueless as Ever about ‘Natural’, 14 Reasons the Food Movement is Winning, WHO Says Get Serious about Sugar
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Consumers Clueless as Ever about ‘Natural’
The Story
If reading the word ‘natural’ on a food package cues pictures of happy cows grazing on rolling green hills then mosey on over to take a spot with the majority of the US population. You’re all wrong. But don’t beat yourself up too much…you’ll see why it’s not your fault in a moment.
The Details
‘Natural’ means organic, right? Or minimally processed? Ethically sourced? Wait, what?? A recent survey by Consumer Reports found that out of 1005 respondents, 63% believed “natural” meant a packaged food was produced without pesticides, 62% believed it meant the product contained no artificial ingredients, and 60% believed it meant the product was free of GMOs. Here’s why you can pass the buck on your confusion…the word, despite being one of the most frequently used claims in packaged food today has no official, legal definition in the US. The FDA, in charge of overseeing food claims for the vast majority of the industry, explicitly states that the agency, “has not developed a definition for the use of the term.” Helpful, FDA…thanks. What the FDA does have is a longstanding public position that they consider the word to mean that “nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food. To make this point as clear as mud, this position would consider pink lemonade (made with water, lemons, sugar and beet juice) not natural given that beet juice is an added color not normally expected to be in that food. So, really, it’s not your fault.
Why it Matters
With a position statement that is only marginally more helpful than having nothing at all, many food manufactures are left to reject the ‘natural’ term all together or, more deviously, define it to serve their own best interests…relying upon our misinformed beliefs (back to the happy cows image). That’s how you end up with products like this.
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14 Reasons the Food Movement is Winning
The Story
Sometimes it’s hard to gauge just where we sit in our collective Food Movement journey. Read on for a feel good list of 14 ways the Food Movement is winning in 2016…
The Details
- Beans take their rightful place in the spotlight as the UN General Assembly declares 2016 International Year of Pulses
- The UN kicks off a Food and Agriculture Organization Liberation Project to highlight ways to reduce/reverse agriculture’s negative ecologic footprint
- Berlin hosts the 2016 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture to focus on urban agriculture and food security
- A Family Farming Knowledge Platform is created to support small family farmers around the world
- A Sustainable Food Trust Conference in April will highlight the true costs of cheap food in the US (I definitely want to check this one out)
- Policymakers are beginning to understand the links between the ecosystem and our food
- Food waste is finally getting the attention it deserves
- Women are being recognized as leaders in farming and climate change
- Food workers are starting to win the fight for fair wages
- The face of agricultural innovation is changing to reflect a more equitable and sustainable food system
- Sustainable, plant-based diets are gaining traction
- Antibiotic resistance has people’s attention as a key issue to watch
- More and more top-tier universities are offering courses and degrees in the food system
- This year is expected to be a big one for spreading awareness through food media and film
Why it Matters
For those of us who ride or die people and planet health, confirmation that positive shifts are indeed happening may be just what our main lady, Mother Earth, ordered up to make our day. Keep making noise people. It’s working.
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WHO Says Get Serious about Sugar
The Story
Like an irritated mother who has had it up to *here* (hand gesturing at eyeball level), the World Health Organization (WHO) tells the global food industry and lawmakers to knock it off and get serious already about sugar. A new 68-page report doles out the tough love.
The Details
Energy rich. Nutrient poor. Produced by the WHO’s Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO), the report urges the food industry to produce healthier food and drinks and stop exposing children to cheap, readily available “ultra-processed, energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods”. But the report doesn’t stop with industry, it also calls for government-led policy, such as taxation on sugary drinks, to influence behavior change. To make clear who they believe should be taking the lead, commission co-chairs of the study said, “ECHO remains firmly of the opinion that it is the primary responsibility of governments to ensure that policies and actions address the obesogenic environment.” Past and current measures in the marketplace, such as a traffic light system on packaging and nutrient labels are not enough according to the report. Reformulation of foods, taxation of sugary beverages and nutrition literacy as a core part of curriculum in schools are all actions recommended by ECHO to create change.
Why it Matters
Rates of obesity and Type II Diabetes are present at unprecedented levels in our country (especially in our children). Additional diseases like some forms of cancer, heart disease and endocrine disruption along with the resulting healthcare costs, all linked to diet, are also on the rise. Just as ECHO points out, there is not one single solution to this issue. Change must come from all angles: government, industry and the individual consumer.
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Factoid of the Day
What best defines a ‘health and wellness’ food for consumers these days? According to Sloan Trends, claims like “minimally processed”, “non-GMO” and “organic” carry the biggest health halo, while products focused on a specific health condition (e.g. “heart healthy”) or ones claiming “low-carb” and/or “Paleo” are on the way out.
Image by CAFNR