You may think, as I do, that everyone would be better off eating less sugar, but that’s not how The Sugar Association sees it.  This trade association for sugar producers funds research to demonstrate that eating sugar is a good thing and not harmful.

Here’s what The Sugar Association says:

The Sugar Association is committed to transparent engagement with researchers, external partners and consumers to address knowledge gaps and support independent, peer-reviewed science. Recent literature suggests this framework, rooted in transparency and communication and reflected in our Operating Principles, leads to increased public confidence in industry-funded research,* a goal the organization is working to achieve.

The asterisk refers to Achieving a transparent, actionable framework for public-private partnerships for food and nutrition research, a consensus report written by, among others, representatives of the International Life Sciences Institute, a well known front group for the food industry, and other organizations with ties to food companies.

The Sugar Association lists some of its recent publications [you can’t make this stuff up]:

• Bakke AJ, Stubbs CA, McDowell EH, Moding KJ, Johnson SL, Hayes JE. Mary Poppins was right: Adding small amounts of sugar or salt reduces the bitterness of vegetables. Appetite. 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.03.015. [Mary Poppins was talking about medicine, not vegetables: “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, In a most delightful way.”]
• Bailey RL, Fulgoni VL, Cowan AE, Gaine PC. Sources of Added Sugars in Young Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Low and High Intakes of Added Sugars. Nutrients. 2018;10(1):102.

Nutrition Today Supplement: Sweet Taste Perception and Feeding Toddlers. March/April 2017 – Volume 52 [The Sugar Association funded the conference that resulted in this supplement, which it also funded].

• Dwyer JT. Good Nutrition in Toddlers. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S1-S2.5.
• Bailey RL, Barr SI. Introduction: Sweet Taste Perception and Feeding Toddlers. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S3-S5.
• Achterberg C. A Perspective: Toddler Feeding, Science, and Nutrition Policy. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S6-S13.
• Kleinman RE, Greer F, Cowart BJ, et al. Roundtable Proceedings: The Role of Innate Sweet Taste Perception in Supporting a Nutrient-Dense Diet for Toddlers, 12 to 24 Months Old. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S14-S24. [Kleinman is co-chair of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee]
• Murray RD. Influences on the Initial Dietary Pattern Among Children From Birth to 24 Months. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S25-S29.Johnson SL, Hayes JE. Developmental Readiness, Caregiver and Child Feeding Behaviors, and Sensory Science as a Framework for Feeding Young Children. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S30-S40.
• Hayes JE, Johnson SL. Sensory Aspects of Bitter and Sweet Tastes During Early Childhood.Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S41-S51.
• Moshfegh AJ, Rhodes DG, Goldman JD, Clemens JC. Characterizing the Dietary Landscape of Children, 12 to 35 Months Old. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S52-S59.
• Welsh JA, Figueroa J. Intake of Added Sugars During the Early Toddler Period. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S60-68.
• Palmer CA. Oral and Dental Health Considerations in Feeding Toddlers. Nutrition Today. 2017;52(2):S69-S75.

I’m indebted to Mimi Griffith for telling me about an article in Food Dive about a new product Domino must think you can’t live without: Golden Sugar.

It’s “Less Processed” !

And, “bakes and dissolves like white sugar.”  Of course it does.  It’s sugar.

OK, so it hasn’t gone through the last stage of refinement to white sugar and has a slight taste of molasses.  But it’s still sugar.

Less processed or not, Golden Sugar is sugar; it is not a health food.

Domino is taking advantage of current advice to avoid “ultra-processed” junk foods.  The company must believe that you will think this is healthier than white sugar.  Not a chance.

I”m curious to know:  Is Golden Sugar any different from the Turbinado sugar Domino currently sells?  Does Domino think you will relate this to Golden Rice, the poster child for GMO’s?  What was Domino’s marketing team thinking?

White, tan, or brown, sugar is sugar—50% glucose, 50% fructose, 4 calories per gram.

Most of us would be better off eating less of it, unprocessed or processed.

DairyReporter.com is another one of those industry newsletters I so enjoy reading.  This particular article is a roundup of articles on the infant formula industry.

Special Edition: Infant nutrition

The field of infant nutrition is a constantly evolving one, as new ingredients are constantly being added to provide greater benefits, and products are being developed to more closely approximate breast milk for those unable to breast feed. In this special edition, DairyReporter takes a look at some recent innovation in the infant nutrition space.

• DSM puts early childhood nutrition on display at IFT:  DSM Ingredients of the Netherlands showcased its products for all stages of life at the 2019 IFT show in New Orleans last week. Preconception, pregnancy, nursing, infants, toddlers and kids all fit into its portfolio of food and beverage ingredients… Read
• Chicory root fiber in the infant nutrition industry: Functional ingredient supplier BENEO offers products derived from chicory roots, beet sugar, rice and wheat… Read
• Liquid addition for IBC blending: Matcon has launched its Liquid Addition System to expand the range of the Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) tumble blender for industries that need to be able to add liquids into a wide range of powder recipe mixes in a contained and efficient manner… Read
• Nestlé files patent on age-tailored infant formulas to curb later-life obesity, disease risk: Nestlé has developed six age-tailored infant formulas to prevent sub-optimal body composition in early-life that aim to reduce obesity, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorder risk later in life… Read
• Awareness of MFGM growing: More pregnant women are familiar with the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), a nutritional component naturally occurring in breast milk. It’s now being used as an ingredient in infant formula to “close the gap further between breast milk and formula.”.. Read
• Infant formula in India: FSSAI proposes regulations for products with special medical purposes:  The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a notification on a draft regulation for infant nutrition safety standards, calling for industry stakeholders to submit their comments… Read
• Nestlé seeks to lower minimum protein content in Australia and New Zealand follow-on formula:  Nestlé has applied to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to reduce the minimum protein requirement for milk-based follow-on formula in the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code… Read
• Dairy Dialog podcast 32: Advanced Lipids, Prinova and Glanbia:  This week’s Dairy Dialog podcast is based around some of the companies attending Vitafoods in Geneva last week… Listen now  
• Moo-ving into udder markets: Bubs to continue goat milk formula innovation amid Fonterra cow milk collaboration:  A supply agreement with Fonterra will see Bubs Australia venture into the cow’s milk infant formula space, though the firm has stressed that it will continue to innovate across its core range of goat’s milk products… Read  
• ESI Nutrition’s infant nutrition powders now approved for export to China:  ESI Nutrition, a division of French dairy cooperative Laïta, has received approval from Chinese authorities (GACG – General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China) allowing it to produce infant formulas in powder for China at its new industrial site, Laiterie Nouvelle de l’Argenon… Read  
• EFSA deem protein isolates safe for extended use in infant formula and supplements:  The European Food and Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) concludes that whey basic protein isolates are safe under new proposed conditions of use… Read

Breastfeeding, anyone?

I was asked to do a more formal write-up of my blog posts on what’s happening with the Economic Research Service for World Nutrition, a publication of the World Public Health Nutrition Association.

My article is now published as “The Trump Administration’s destruction of the Economic Research Service: An American Tragedy (World Nutrition 2019;10(2):87-91).

It covers events through June 22, 2019.  Since then:

• A survey of employees suggested that 80% would quit rather than move to Kansas.
• The House passed a bill that omitted funds to pay for moving the ERS to Kansas.

Ray Goldberg, Harvard Business School Professor of Agribusiness, Emeritus, but still running a seminar that I have attended annually for about 25 years, often challenges me to think more constructively about how food businesses should respond to pressures from public health advocates. His 2018 book, Food Citizenship (for which I was interviewed and videotaped) illustrates some of the back-and-forth we have had over the years.

Recently, in response to my “industry-funded study of the week” posts, he sent me several thought-provoking questions, which I respond to here with his permission.

RG: How can the private sector support nutrition research without being accused of a conflict of interest?

MN: With great difficulty. Industry-sponsored research is inherently conflicted when research questions are designed for marketing purposes, which much—if not most—industry-sponsored research now is. Such research almost invariably produces results that favor the sponsor’s interests. As I explain in Unsavory Truth, I get letters all the time from trade associations requesting proposals for research projects to demonstrate the benefits of the products they represent. There is a big difference between designing a study to demonstrate benefits (a marketing question) and one asking an open-ended what-happens question (basic research). If companies want to fund basic research, they could contribute to a common pool administered by an independent third party such as the NIH. But food companies don’t want to take the risk of paying for research that might come out with inconvenient results. In my book, I suggest taxing food companies to create a research fund that would be administered independently. That’s the only way I can think of that would work.

RG: How does the consumer end up having confidence in the statements of those in the food system who really do have integrity and who really care about their customers and society and the environment? I trust the Wegmans because I know them personally. How does the Food System build back trust?

MN: It’s interesting that you mention Wegmans (I often shop in the one in Ithaca). It is a family-owned business, not publicly traded. I recall hearing Danny Wegman explain the advantage of family ownership at one of your seminars. It’s not that family members don’t want to make money; it’s that they don’t have to be greedy .  They can do things for their customers that publicly traded supermarkets cannot. As long as Wall Street expects food companies to make a profit and to grow their profits every 90 days, companies must respond by pushing their most highly profitable products every way they can, regardless of whether poor health is collateral damage. If companies want the public to trust them, they have to be trustworthy.  But investors don’t reward integrity; they reward profits.

RG: The food system needs people who care about the health of people, plants, animals and our environment but who is providing the leadership that you and others want in that system?

MN: If they want to sell products, large food product companies (Big Food) has to appeal to public demands for health and sustainability.  They are trying to move the Titanic as quickly as they can and still maintain the same profit margins. Big Ag is way behind. I’m seeing a worldwide consensus that we need food system approaches to solve world food problems.  These firmly link agricultural policy to health and environmental policy so as to address hunger, obesity, and climate change. at the same time.  A largely, but not necessarily exclusively, plant-based diet does that and it’s what all food policies should promote.  At the moment, American agriculture and dietary guidelines are outliers in ignoring those linkages. We badly need to catch up.  I see international leadership on this issue, but not here.  Is Harvard training food business leaders to address these needs?  You tell me where the American leadership is. I don’t see it coming from the top.  It has to be bottom up.  Fortunately, lots of young people are interested in food issues and the leadership is going to have to come from them.

Seafood intake and the development of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.  Bjorn Liaset, Jannike Øyen, Hélène Jacques, Karsten Kristiansen and Lise Madsen. Nutrition Research Reviews (2019), 32, 146–167.

Conclusion: Evidence from intervention trials and animal studies suggests that frequent intake of lean seafood, as compared with intake of terrestrial meats, reduces energy intake by 4–9%, sufficient to prevent a positive energy balance and obesity. At equal energy intake, lean seafood reduces fasting and postprandial risk markers of insulin resistance, and improves insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant adults… More studies are needed to confirm the dietary effects on energy intake, obesity and insulin resistance.”

Funding: The present review was financially supported by The Norwegian Seafood Research Fund…The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Comment:  It is understandable that the Norwegian seafood industry would support research to promote seafood consumption.  Seafood is a demonstrably good source of animal protein but how good, how essential, and how environmentally sustainable are highly debatable.  To the authors’ credit, they acknowledge the debate when they admit that “more studies are needed….”  Industry-funded studies tend to put a positive spin on equivocal research, as this one does [I provide evidence for these views in Unsavory Truth].

Beer is a hot topic these days, so hot that the industry newsletter Beverage Daily collects its articles on the topic into MONTHLY BEER SPECIALS.  I’ve picked these from the June and July Specials.  The big issues: craft, low or no alcohol, cannabis, and sustainability.

Craft 

• Beer of the gods: Hong Kong craft brand evokes local culture and  folklore:  Just as a temple or village hall in southern China will always greet you with a door guardian, so does the entrance to Moonzen brewery in Hong Kong. Indeed, the carvings inspired the craft beer brand’s name and its appearance… Read
• Going green: How can craft brewers improve sustainability?  Craft brewers may talk the sustainability talk – but find it a lot harder to walk the sustainability walk. Tracking performance can help reveal effective ways to improve, say experts… Read  
• US craft beer slows while spirits take off: The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI) has released a new report on machinery and automation trends among breweries and distilleries, who are scaling back on production goals and diversifying offerings to stay competitive… Read
• Kellogg’s expands craft beer lineup made from cereal waste:  Kellogg’s UK has extended its partnership with the Seven Bro7hers Brewery to release new craft beers made with rejected breakfast cereals… Read    
• UK craft beer: ‘The next 12 months are likely to be pivotal in setting the tone for our future direction’:  Is the UK craft beer bubble about to burst – or is the boom far from over? The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) says the state of the industry in 2019 paints a fascinating picture, noting the market has reached a ‘critical point’ in its evolution… Read  
• New investment for Ontario craft breweries:   The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing $1m in projects to help grow the craft beer industry in the province… Read
• Ten top tips for craft brewers:  From embracing ecommerce to eying up gluten-free growth, the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) sets out 10 top tips for UK craft brewers… Read  

Low and no-alcohol 

• Low and no alcohol beer: ‘We do not expect category growth to abate’:  The low and no alcohol beer category is growing. And while a desire to reduce alcohol consumption is attracting consumers to the category, this is not the only driver… Read  
• Zero alcohol in India: AB InBev to launch Budweiser and Hoegaarden non-alcoholic beers in the country:  Global brewing giant AB InBev will be launching non-alcoholic beers in India across the next three months under two major brands: Budweiser and Hoegaarden… Read    
• Anheuser-Busch on non-alcoholic beer: ‘We’re looking for new ways to capture the attention of consumers’:  Non-alcoholic beers offer an alternative to traditional alcoholic beers as consumers seek to moderate their alcohol intake. But it isn’t a case of choosing one or the other: Anheuser-Busch sees an increasing number of consumers mix both types into their social drinking… Read

Cannibis

• ‘This is the great unknown’: Cannabis-brewed beer prepares to enter the new Canadian market:  The world’s first beer brewed from cannabis will be ready when Canada legalizes cannabis beverages later this year. But preparing for a new product for a new market is no small challenge: “You’re setting sail in a ship that is totally not built yet, you don’t know where you’re going, and you don’t know what the conditions are,” says Province Brands… Listen now  
• US adults are drinking less and picking up low ABV drinks or alcohol alternatives. Cannabis is potentially the biggest market looking to snap up that audience, but can alcohol be replaced?.Read  
• Will ‘canna-curious’ adults ever ditch alcohol?  US adults are drinking less and picking up low ABV drinks or alcohol alternatives. Cannabis is potentially the biggest market looking to snap up that audience, but can alcohol be replaced?.. Read

Sustainability

• ‘How do we move forward in a sustainable way?’ Carlsberg CEO highlights the priority for the beer industry:  Carlsberg CEO Cees ‘t Hart says the most pressing issue for the beer industry today is to carve out a sustainable future – warning that millennials will walk away from the category if they don’t see environmental considerations taking a central role… Read

I don’t know what to say.  It’s a whole new world of food politics out there.  Happy Fourth!  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL1jL5lrXqs&feature=youtu.be

What does this have to do with food politics?

• The FDA has not approved the use of cannabis and Cannabis derivatives in food products, at least for interstate commerce.
• Given this situation, New York City has banned sales of food products containing CBD.
• The FDA is taking comments on what it should do about Cannabis rules until July 16.  File there here.

The FDA, litigation and maybe Congress will eventually clear up the confusion about what is and is not legal.  In the meantime, you are on your own….