"Ancient" food grains becoming "modern" ones! Food industry latching on this new consumer fad

Some time one keeps wondering as to how the food industry discerns what its consumers are really looking for and develop products that meet with their expectations? After all industry invests money for reaping profits commensurate with its spend and there fore would weigh carefully various options before them. To some extent it is not far from truth to say that many times consumer fears spawn a trend or a fad which is exploited by the industry to "feed" this fad! There are umpteen number of examples in the past to substantiate this view. Food products with low fat, low carbohydrate, low salt, low sugar, high fiber, high in antioxidants, free from gluten, rich in vitamins and minerals etc are all products that satisfy the consumers regarding their potential to stave of diseases. A normal person with a normal health does not need such specially "doctored" foods to lead a normal life and it is now well recognized that a mixed diet containing whole cereals, whole pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk with without animal foods can sustain the health of a healthy person with good quality life for a long span. To day's pace of life is such that the home cooking has become an almost extinct art or skill with most people depending on processed and packed foods containing highly refined carbohydrates, added sugars, added salt, added fat with practically no fiber and the result is there for all to see, manifested by the spawning of a host of life style disorders like diabetes, CVD, blood pressure, cancer, kidney ailments, liver disorders etc. In  a startling report recently some American scientists have come out with a finding of far reaching implications that a person consuming 33 g of whole grains a day can potentially reduce his chance of premature death by 9%! Since many people are imagining that  they are gluten sensitive or entertain a perception that gluten is bad, there is a distinct shift away from wheat and the industry is seizing this opportunity to develop newer products or modified erstwhile wheat based products using so called "ancient" grains to satisfy this craze for gluten free diet! Here is a take on this new fad which, till it lasts, may bring fortunes to the food industry ever ready to feed on such apprehensions, be it real or illusory! 

"One group of Harvard researchers recently released a study in the grain industry's favor. The findings showed that people could potentially decrease their risk of premature death by 9% if they ate at least 33 grams of whole grains a day, as compared to those who rarely ate whole grains. However, grains have also started to get edged out of healthy food diets due to concerns about gluten and heated debates over GMOs, which have sparkedproposed GMO bans, lawsuits, and labeling initiatives across the country. These concerns already partially contributed to the declining cereal sales of the past few years, and food companies fear that more grain-containing product markets could be next. Food companies are not at a total loss just yet. One way they've adapted to gluten-free consumer demands is to, rather than abandon grains altogether, instead use alternatives to corn, oats, and traditional wheat. Grains are making a comeback as trendy ingredients and finding their way back into health food circles thanks to sprouted grains and ancient grains. Companies are also using technology to reinvigorate the industry and reintroduce grains to the modern, savvy, health-conscious consumer. Still a small but fast-growing niche, sprouted grains are attracting more consumers and manufacturers around the world. In the U.S., where this niche is developing most rapidly, food and nutrition expert Julian Mellentin predicts the sprouted grain market will grow to more than $250 million in sales by 2018—more than eight times the current $30 million. The Whole Grains Council found that sprouted grains have health benefits over regular grains, such as higher levels of soluble fiber and certain vitamins and minerals as well as their nutrients' ability to better withstand heat processing. According to the USDA, sprouted grains, as compared to whole grains, contain around 75% of the carbs, around 40% of the fat, less gluten, and even a bit more protein. The body can also digest sprouted grains more easily, as the sprouting process pre-digests the starches into simple sugars. Consumer-wise, the major appeal of sprouted grains is for the average consumer who is either looking to cut carbs from his or her diet, particularly wheat and corn, or looking for better sources of "good carbs." For manufacturers, the benefits of sprouted grains are already recognized by many U.S. consumers—17%, according to one survey—which cuts down on the marketing needed to explain those benefits. Plus, manufacturers can sell these products at a higher price than those using traditional grain ingredients. While according to Mintel, companies released only 19 sprouted grains products in 2014, food companies big and small are jumping on the sprouted grains bandwagon. At the end of 2014, Kellogg announced seven new cereals, one of which was Kashi Sprouted Grains Multi-Grain organic cereal, made with oats, barley, spelt, and amaranth. Mainstream food retailer Sam's Clubnow offers sprouted seven-grain bread and dinner rolls from Angelic Bakehouse at all its 634 locations in the U.S. Even Panera Bread hopped onboard with its own sprouted-grain bagel containing rye, spelt, and oat groats. On the other end, in only three years, snack brand Way Better quickly grew its sales to $25 million after introducing its sprouted grains chips, made with flax, quinoa, kale, chia, and black beans, and crackers, made from barley, spelt, and emmer. Thanks to Better4U, consumers can even find Gluten Free Sprouted Ancient Grains Pizzas, which contain quinoa, flax, millet, and chia. Going hand-in-hand with sprouted grains are ancient grains, which more often than not overlap and can be found marketed either separately or together in the same product. While ancient grains are a fresh trend on western grocery store aisles, they're anything but new. The funny thing is, "ancient" grains aren't any older than oats or regular wheat. But they're more difficult to find and aren't crops that have been nearly as popular as the handful of grains that permeate the standard American diet. According to NPR, one of the first known references to the term "ancient grains" came in a 1996 New York Daily News article, though the concept didn't become mainstream until the past few years. Now, they're gaining speed, and "old" is becoming "new" again."

No doubt food grains of our ancestors were truly natural grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, besides not mutated to change their nutritional characteristics. For example to day's wheat originated from Einkorn which is more nutritious and less toxic to people with Celiac disease who cannot consume gluten containing foods. Same is true with many other grains like Quinoa, Chea, Amaranth, Farro, Spelt, Freekeh, Teff, Kamut, Kaniwa etc which are now being brought to lime light by health stores in the US claiming that they are much more healthy than wheat, rice or corn. There are many products already in the market containing one or more of these so called ancient grains because of expending demand from the consumers looking for better and safer diet. If this trend continues big guns of the industry can be expected to get into this bandwagon because of declining sales of conventional wheat and corn based products. Another section of industry is trying out a different strategy by using sprouted grains which are considered more nutritious than their fresh counterparts. One of the offshoots of this new trend is that industry is being forced to make healthier products using these grains due to the new consumer pull which is good for the people of that country!      

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

Inventing "Banana"-A new claim by Indian Scientists!

It was in 1989 that a classic monograph was brought out from Mysore based on 2 decades of technological work carried out since 1969 by some stalwarts like Messrs V B Dalal, N Nagaraja, M.s Krishna Prakash, Paul Thomas etc who were pioneers in developing post harvest technology of Banana varieties grown in India. The monograph was titled "Banana in India-Production, Preservation and processing" and was a highly popular publication from the renowned food research institute, popularly known as CFTRI. Scientists who spent almost their life time on preservation and preservation of Banana must be appalled by a recent claim by the present authorities in this august organization that they have developed the technology for various products from Banana as if nothing had happened earlier! Look at the press release from the present head of this once reputed research agency which speaks for itself about veracity of these claims.

CFTRI to sign a MoU with Trichy based cooperative in January. Despite India being the largest producer of bananas in the world, lack of resources to handle the produce, storage facilities and post-harvest technologies, high post-harvest losses are reported. To address these issues, the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), in the city, has been developing technologies to reduce the losses One of the technologies that has attracted the cooperative sector recently is 'Clarified Banana Juice' from over-ripe bananas.Speaking to Deccan Herald, Ram Rajsekharan, Director of CFTRI, said, the shelf-life of fruits, especially bananas, is low. "A few days after harvesting, banana skin turns dark, prompting banana growers to discard them, as they cannot be sold in the market. Using the technology developed here, three products can be produced," he said. If the technology is implemented, even the darkened banana peel will not go waste. The peel can be dried and powdered and used as animal feed. The fruit can be processed to develop clarified banana juice, while the residue could be used to make high nutrition bars or as flavouring agents, he said. The shelf-life of the juice is about a year and the CFTRI is working on developing an aerated form of the drink. Rajsekharan said, the technology had caught the interest of a cooperative of banana cultivators from Trichy district, in Tamil Nadu. "They have been producing dried bananas to reduce post-harvest losses. Learning about the CFTRI's technology, the cooperative has held preliminary discussions with us," he said. He added that CFTRI was likely to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the cooperative in the month of January. He said, the CFTRI would provide all necessary training for the cooperative functionaries, with scientists working in collaboration with them. It can be recalled that the CFTRI had recently tied up with the Palakkad Coconut Producers Cooperative Private Ltd (PCPCL), a cooperative of about 26,000 farmers, to develop 'neera', a non-alcoholic palm beverage and its extended products.

The technologies referred to above were all transferred earlier and to state that these are new technologies reflects the ethical standards of scientists these days in general in this country. It is unfortunate that this comes immediately after another similar claim on turmeric processing which was touted as the achievement of the new regime at CFTRI. This tendency is also reflected by a press release recently from the same agency that they have invented a new grains called Quinoa though this was known in South America for centuries before! Probably this resembles the mindset of our present day politicians that citizens have too short a memory and they can get away with any thing and every thing which do not stand the test of truth. Of course transfer of the technologies developed earlier is the bounden duty and continuing function of the organization despite any regime change but what leaves a bitter taste in the mouth is to camouflage them as new technologies developed under the aegis of the new regime!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

GLOBALIZATION-IS IT BENEFICIAL TO ALL?

It is a laudable effort on the part of organizations like World Health Organization of the United Nations to promote healthy foods and scientific dietary practices. If health has become the single most critical issue when food quality is considered, there is a strong logic to it. Advent of modern food technology has unleashed a glut of processed foods which are increasingly becoming more and more unhealthy causing many life style disorders like CVD, hypertension, Diabetes, Kidney diseases, cancer etc and the much abused food industry does not seem to be sensitive about the clamor for healthier foods from its clients, viz the consumers, in stead placing more emphasis on profitability and economic viability of their operations. A society stressed out because of inaccessibility to healthy foods, attention is being turned to food materials which are more nutritious than white rice, refined wheat flour or corn flour and grits. Food grains like millets including Ragi, Bajra, Jowar, Oats, Quinoa etc are considered much more healthy and there is a large surge in demand for these grains from the consumers who are willing to pay any price for getting hold of them. What consequences such a pull for these grains from the rich man in the wealthy countries on the poor man living in poverty ridden undeveloped countries which produce these foods has never occurred to the world community! Here is a commentary on this sad situation that exists in a country like Peru because of snatching away of the staple food grain Quinoa from there by consumers in America, Europe and other wealthy countries.

"But there is an unpalatable truth to face for those of us with a bag of quinoa in the larder. The appetite of countries such as ours for this grain has pushed up prices to such an extent that poorer people in Peru and Bolivia, for whom it was once a nourishing staple food, can no longer afford to eat it. Imported junk food is cheaper. In Lima, quinoa now costs more than chicken. Outside the cities, and fuelled by overseas demand, the pressure is on to turn land that once produced a portfolio of diverse crops into quinoa monoculture. In fact, the quinoa trade is yet another troubling example of a damaging north-south exchange, with well-intentioned health and ethics-led consumers here unwittingly driving poverty there. It's beginning to look like a cautionary tale of how a focus on exporting premium foods can damage the producer country's food security. Feeding our apparently insatiable 365-day-a-year hunger for this luxury vegetable, Peru has also cornered the world market in asparagus. Result? In the arid Ica region where Peruvian asparagus production is concentrated, this thirsty export vegetable has depleted the water resources on which local people depend. NGOs report that asparagus labourers toil in sub-standard conditions and cannot afford to feed their children while fat cat exporters and foreign supermarkets cream off the profits. That's the pedigree of all those bunches of pricy spears on supermarket shelves".

In a unified world, evolving without any national borders and globalized marketing environment, it may be some what specious to argue that exports from one country to the other is causing social tension or depredation of the local people. But can such large scale trade be insensitive to human misery? Probably the countries which indulge in reckless export of their staple foods for the sake of earning a few dollars must think about such consequences. Blaming the buyers can never be logical since money power can introduce such distortions. However there are still some countries, though rich, still look at agricultural trade from a social angle. Examples include Palm oil trade, Cocoa trade and a few others where there appears to a consensus that users must insist on sustainable cultivation and harvesting practices without destroying forests or without use of child labor. Of course this is a complex area of international logic and logistics for which global community must find a solution.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com