R&D Features

RSS

Obesity continues to be a significant health issue in the United States and health-conscious consumers continue to look for functional products that promise weight management-related benefits. In their quest for wellness, consumers are learning more about the benefits of protein and fiber. In addition, some consumers are searching for what Ram Chaudhari, senior executive vice president and chief scientific officer of Schnectady, N.Y.-based Fortitech Inc. calls a “magic bullet” for weight loss and management solutions.

Somewhat serendipitously, I opted to read the May 16 edition of The New Yorker featuring an in-depth profile on PepsiCo’s food and beverage innovation plans while traveling to last month’s IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in New Orleans. The “Snacks for a Fat Planet” article by John Seabrook details PepsiCo’s plans for innovation across its portfolio of products with insight from senior PepsiCo executives, including Jonathan McIntyre, senior vice president of R&D global beverages, who was featured in Beverage Industry’s April cover story.

The Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) 2011 Annual Meeting & Food Expo took place June 11-14 in New Orleans. The event attracted food professionals from around the world as well as 900 exhibiting companies. At the keynote panel, journalist Michael Specter and panelists representing the food industry tackled the question about how to go about changing the image of food science in the marketplace. Specter, who is a staff writer for The New Yorker, stated that U.S. consumers tend to mistrust science, which includes a wide-ranging — although unsubstantiated — mistrust of genetically modified foods.

The health and wellness trend has sweeteners top of mind for consumers. In an effort to moderate their caloric intake, consumers are surveying products and purchasing according to their personal priorities. 

Following a rather lackluster 2009, when new beverage introductions plummeted nearly by half, the number of new beverages appearing on U.S. store shelves increased slightly in 2010.