"products" news and stories

Wine sales in France are on the decline, and that has several wineries turning to other ways to use their crops, such as grape-based sodas and beers, according to a recent Times article. The Times' Adam Sage reported on several such products unveiled at last week's International Food Fair in Paris. While one of the new products, Le Soda de la Vigne, is alcohol free, other new grape-based products like Ensô are more akin to beer, and others are simply wines with lower alcohol contents. These are aimed at "drinkers who have grown more health conscious and in some cases more wary of France's tougher drink-driving laws," The Times reported.

One grocery executive recently said, when explaining the lack of interest in the organic pasta sauces and cereals that prompted the store discontinue them, that "most of [the] consumers couldn't care less" about whether products were organic or not. The executive is part of a growing segment of retailers that believes that the push towards organic foods is not much more than a passing fad and, although it probably won't fade out in the way that the low-carb craze did, that it will return to a niche segment. Manufacturers, too, are cutting back on organics after discovering that consumers aren't always eager to pay double the price for a frozen pizza with organic flour when it is next to a regular one.

But the trend isn't fading everywhere. Upscale groceries, where consumers are already paying premium prices, are continuing to stock their shelves with organic options and consumers everywhere are still showing interest in buying organic meat, dairy and produce. Perhaps part of the problem is an overuse of the label. In unprocessed goods, such as produce and dairy, shoppers can see and taste the difference in organic products. In processed foods, most people only see the price difference and the word "organic" but only a few, if any, can taste the difference in the product.

So, organics might not be on the way out; they market is merely being refined as consumers become more educated about what organics are and more likely to overlook a potentially overpriced product that only has a small portion of organic ingredients in it.

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General Mills has very strict advertising guidelines. They "consistently [avoid] advertising on programming that contains graphic violence, excessive sexual content and foul language," to much applause from consumer groups. It is the newest change to that policy, however, has those groups almost cheering aloud. The company has said that it will no longer advertise certain products, those that are considered to be unhealthy or high-calorie, to children. If a product contains more than 175 calories per serving, it will not be advertised to children under 12 via TV ads, movie tie-ins, internet content or using licensed cartoon characters. On top of that, "every product also must be considered 'healthy' or provide an important childhood nutrient, as measured by government guidelines." They will continue to use characters, including the Trix rabbit and the popular Dora the Explorer, to promote their other cereals, as the company has done for decades.

It is a bold step for the company, as it means that they might lose market-share to competitors in this area, but if parents applaud the move as much as the consumer groups, it might encourage some of them to stick with the brand in support.

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This is the part where I plug my ears and mumble "bacon is healthy, bacon is healthy, bacon is healthy." Swedish researchers have reviewed 15 different studies and concluded that eating an extra ounce of salted or smoked meat a day can increase the risk of developing stomach cancer by 15 to 38 percent. The data comes from figures taken from over 4,000 individuals in the last 40 years, Reuters reported. The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. An abstract is available here.

Trader Joe's puts out a different version of their Fearless Flyer, the newsletter that highlights many of their products, for different regions of the country, since often the products they carry will vary by state. This month, the Flyer is the same for all the western states (they're still working on the Eastern Flyer) and it lists the " Top 100 plus 4" favorite items of their tasting panel. I'm not going to type out all the items, especially as they can be seen online, but I am curious to know how many of their favorites are also favorites of yours.

Reading through their list, I saw that I have tried and enjoyed more than 55 of their picks,  including supersweet corn, Perlini mozzarella, Greek yogurt with honey and Purple Moon Shiraz . From the list, I'm not a fan of their frozen Old Fashioned Cheesecake, French Market Pink Lemonade or the Carrot Ginger Soup, but there were surprisingly few that I found myself disagreeing with. Head over to the Trader Joe's website and see if you think that their picks are on the money.

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