EXPO VIEW
bi-monthly Newsletter
April 2014 ISSUE No12
EXPO VIEW We Love Olives
We Love Health
Too much salt and sugar‌
TOP STORY
Twin evils accused of causing damage to consumers’ well-being
In this Issue:
TOP STORY : Too much salt and sugar
1
BUSINESS ISSUES: Cont.. From page 1
2
BUSINESS ISSUES: Olive oil true nature and new facts for analysis
3
BUSINESS ISSUES: Organic market shake up
4
GREEN PLANET: Food Quality and Sustainabllity
5
ON THE ROAD: WTCE 2014 in flight catering market
6
Page 1
T
hey are present on every kitchen counter and dining table - omnipresent , obligatory, and long seen as harmless additives. Humankind, it seems, can't do without them now, although it did, for millennia. But attitudes towards them are changing. America, Great Britain and other countries is on the verge of a new war - a war against salt and sugar, twin evils accused of causing billions of dollars of damage to their citizens' well-being. First salt - the over 6000-year-old dietary mineral. Anyone who has eaten at one of those ubiquitous restaurant chains or lived on off-the shelf prepackaged food can attest to love affair with salt. For example, Americans on an average consume 3436 mg of salt (or sodium, as it casually declares on the labelling) daily, according to a study. Experts say only about half of that is necessary. While sodium is one of
the primary electrolytes of the body (too little of it can be fatal too, starting with causing cramps), excess of salt causes high blood pressure and osteoporosis, among other illnesses. A study done by the World Health Organization showed that if everyone consumed even half a teaspoon less per day, there would be between 44,000 and 92,000 fewer deaths. This same study also showed that lowering the amount of salt people eat, even by small amounts, could reduce cases of heart disease and strokes as much as reductions in smoking, obesity, and cholesterol levels. Another study in the Annals of Internal Medicine says reducing dietary sodium levels would save US $32 billion in medical costs and avert one million heart attacks and strokes over the lifetime of adults aged 45 to 85.. (Continues on page 2) Parthenonos 1,N. Erythraia Athens146 71Greece info@expoaid.gr / Tel: +30 210 6250365 / Fax: +30 210 6209905
EXPO VIEW
BUSINESS ISSUES
Twin evils accused of causing damage to consumers’ well-being
M
eanwhile, what about sugar, the other evil? Many consider it even more lethal because it comes disguised in many forms. After all, a starch by any other name is actually sugar, which is now derived from a host of crops including cane, beet, and corn among others. Studies in US have tied sugary drinks to the epidemic of obesity, which in turn is tied to diabetes and heart disease. The average 12-ounce can of soda (or 'soft drink') contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, and the average teen Other food majors are taking the cue. consumes nearly three cans of sugary drinks a day. Eating ten spoons of sugar at a time might seem nauseating but In parallel in Europe consumers and government work kids knock back cans without effort. together on a new legislation and taxes in order food and drink industries to reduce sugar and salt and other addiAs with salt, some American legislators are now consider- tives , as British cabinet Minister Portillo referred on 24th ing punitive measures to rein in sugar mania, including March 2014 at the Foodex Show in Birmingham. taxing full-sugar beverages and forcing restaurants also to declare calorific values on the menu. But their best ally Undeniably, what is crucial, is the fact that consumers may yet be the industry itself, which is keen to clean up are concern more than ever about the intake and the its image. Pepsico, led by Indra Nooyi, announced a slew effects of sugar and salt. As Portilo mentioned all this will of measures to go healthy, including cutting down salt, be a bit like the smoking ban that it is happening around sugar, and saturated fat in its key products by as much as the world. A new season in food and drink industry has 25% in five years and removing full-calorie, sweetened already begun . drinks from schools worldwide.
Snacking ideas with less salt and sugar from FOS
A
pair of tasty snacks 100% Natural with less salt , not trans fats and cholesterol. Based on the tasty and unique Kalamata olive, this snack is a healthy note in your snacking regime. The pleasant surprise is that it is incredibly tasty as well as nutritious. Convenient to eat anywhere, anytime by anyone this snack offers you a unique combination of benefits.
Innovative- Tasty Olive SNACK
Dried Greek Kalamata Olives Rich in unsaturated fat, fibers & Vitamin– E No preservatives
Elegant Flavor Olive SNACK Pitted Original Kalamata Olives Marinated with Wild Oregano & Thyme Open & Use: No Mess & No Juice No additives -No preservatives Page 2
Parthenonos 1,N. Erythraia Athens146 71Greece info@expoaid.gr / Tel: +30 210 6250365 / Fax: +30 210 6209905
EXPO VIEW
BUSINESS ISSUES
How sure are you that you buy an original Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
D
o you trust the label on your Extra Virgin Olive Oil? Numerous scandals have been uncovered over the last twenty years which have revealed that many extra virgin olive oils are below the expected standard. Many have been adulterated with lower grade olive oils or with nut and seed oils. Others , present serious flavor and aroma defects, which should prevent them from being called “extra virgin.” The controversy continues to this day. On March 4, 2014, the beginning stage of a class action law suit was undertaken to bring charges against a company for selling a product labelled as “pure olive oil” when the oil was extracted from olive pomace by means of chemical solvents and extreme high temperatures. Olive pomace is the solid residue that is left over from the traditional production of olive oil.
oils and the misuse of the label “extra virgin.” Tom Mueller states:
There’s a strong downward pressure on olive-oil quality, especially among the huge Spanish-, Portuguese-, and Italian-owned olive-oil traders and bottling companies. There is a massive output of low-grade olive oils, particularly in Spain and North Africa but In a 2012 article that appeared in “The New Yorker,” throughout the E.U., which producers are selling as Tom Mueller provided an update to the olive oil adul- “extra virgin” olive oil, even though this low-grade oil teration problem which he first described in his 2007 doesn’t meet the requirements of the extra-virgin grade. So, while the best extra-virgin olive oils in hisbook, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. His book exposed the contamina- tory are now being made, more and more low-grade oils are also being included in the category, stretching tion of extra virgin olive oil with other types of plant it beyond all meaning.
Three new elements shed light on the analysis of olive oil.
T
last year or deodorized olive oil.
he new elements provide further insight in the true quality olive oil, targeting its adaltaration with deodorized olive oil and possible mixing with older stock available from previous crops. The tree new elements worth checking are pyrofaiofytini and 1.2 & 1.3 diglycerides.
1,2 diglycerides and 1,3 - Diglycerides Two other key elements are 1,2 - diglycerides and 1,3- diglycerides . In particular, the high rate of 1,2 - diglycerides indicates a fresh olive oil, while high proportion of 1,3- diglycerides indicates the presence of deodorized olive oil in the content.
Pyrofaiofytini The low % indicates an olive oil that it is derived from fresh new crop. In contrast, high levels pyrofaofytini show that olive oil comes from olive oil that it is mixed with a
As the demand for quality olive oil grows, science provides new tools to establish the true “virginity” and virtue of this commodity.
Page 3
Parthenonos 1,N. Erythraia Athens146 71Greece info@expoaid.gr / Tel: +30 210 6250365 / Fax: +30 210 6209905
EXPO VIEW
BUSINESS ISSUES
Organic perception, deception and manipulation, will stricter laws set new standards?
C
onsumers have spent billions purchasing premium priced organic food based on perceptions about comparative product safety, nutrition and health attributes. Organic seals of USDA and EU approved organizations have been perceived by consumers as a guarantee for healthier and “cleaner” products. This constitutes a big contrast to the claim of US secretary of Agriculture in December 2000 stating that: “The organic label is a marketing tool. It is not a statement about food safety, nor is organic a value judgment about nutrition or quality.” So what is organic produce after all? It depends on who you ask, really.
In a faltering economy the need for government action is becoming evident. Further growth of the organic segment cannot be based on controversial marketing campaigns, vague labelling rules and consumer fear fed by safety issues of conventional produce.
The European Commission has proposed new laws that will shake up the way organic foods are regulated, in effort to address current system Recently published “Organic Marketing report” in the US claims shortfalls. The proposal which will now that consumers are paying for a fictional premium, based on an be submitted to the European Parliament and to the Council, erroneous belief- promoted by stakeholders with a vested inter- builds on the findings of the consultation process started in est. Strongly criticizing the organic lobby the report produces 2012, and focuses on three main objectives: multiple reports, reviews and sources from 1998 to 2014 which supports its arguments. Maintaining consumer confidence Maintaining producer confidence The report has been strongly criticized by the organic food lobby Making it easier for farmers to switch to organic production which states that 18,000 farmers and producers have labored In a nutshell; the Commission’s proposal wants to end organic under stringent requirements using non-toxic and persistent farming and non-organic farming on the same land. The control pesticides and GMO’s seeds, raising animals without antibiotics and testing of organic produce will be improved and process food without the use of preservatives and artificial by applying obligatory tests on traders, and also the adoption of colors. sanctions when a non-authorized substance is detected in organic products. Whatever each side claims we have to focus on the following: Global Organic market is currently estimated to a value of The proposal plans to adopt a group certification system in order 63 billion $, with 30$ originating from the EU markets, while to help small farmers enter the supply chain. Exports of organic the controversial “natural” market amounts to 290 billion $ products from EU member states will also be increased, while non-EU organic products will be subject to stricter control to in the US alone. ensure conformity. Consumers seek primarily food safety in the organic label The shakeup aims to promote a healthy segment growth, by
Under the pressure of economic factors we have seen a fragile consumer trust along with withdrawal of farmers from organic schemes.
Page 4
achieving tougher conditions of production and testing. The ultimate result should be the reinforcement of the Organic label’s credibility, among both consumers and producers.
Parthenonos 1,N. Erythraia Athens146 71Greece info@expoaid.gr / Tel: +30 210 6250365 / Fax: +30 210 6209905
EXPO VIEW
GREEN PLANET
Should we worry about the quality of food?
C
limate change and rising CO2 will reduce the quality of food . The elevated levels of carbon dioxide may inhibit absorption of nitrate plant, leading to food and crops with reduced nutritional quality. The study, reported in Nature Climate Change, shows that total protein concentrations and nitrogen in plants generally fall under elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) - which shows that the nutritional quality of foods cultivation is at risk, intensified by the climate change. A team of specialists led by Professor Arnold Bloom of the University of California, Davis. found evidence of the fields trials involving wheat grown in an environment richer in CO2, which showed that the crops in an environment where the CO2 is higher have a reduced capacity to process nitrogen . These data suggest that the processing or the assimilation of nitrogen by plants plays a vital role in the growth and productivity. In particular, it is important to food crops , because these plants use nitrogen to produce proteins that are crucial for human nutrition. According to scientists the food quality declines under the rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Although several explanations have been put forward, new research demonstrates that elevated carbon dioxide inhibits the conversion of nitrate into protein in a field-grown crop.
Despite all the above scientists underline that when this decline is factored into the respective portion of dietary protein that humans derive from these carious crops, it becomes clear that the overall amount of protein available for human consumption may drop by about 3% as atmospheric carbon dioxide reaches the levels anticipated to occur during the next few decades. Finally, while heavy nitrogen fertilization could partially compensate for this decline in food quality, it would also have negative consequences including higher costs, more nitrate leaching into groundwater and increased emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide.
Sustainability and Crisis
T
he way we eat is changing significantly for structural, demographic, ecological and cultural reasons. Due to this, consumers are asking the food industry and distribution chains to redesign purposes, roles, rules and good practices in the food sector. So, how does economic and social crisis impact on the food scenario in our society? In terms of buying behaviors, there is more attention to spending, thanks to a careful programming of purchases and a reduction of unnecessary expenses. Alongside, we see increased competition among brands and products, with a reduction of brand loyalty in favor of private labels.
transparency in communication, link to territory, food culture, solidarity. Crisis stimulates in people personal behaviors of solidarity and consequently consumers demand that companies and brands act in the same way. Food companies are expected to behave more like NGO’s. There are growing expectations for them to be a change-agent, social advocate, educator, and convener. To a growing segment of the population, food production and sales are simply ‘tools’ or a means to achieving higher roles in society.
In the food model, sustainable translates into healthy quantitative reductions in the food we eat and a greater attention on New food habits are being invented. People ask for higher quality cutting out waste. Nevertheless, healthy food, attentive to the food in supermarkets and superstores. But at the same time, environment, respecting local cultures and traditions, allows peoconsumers tend to use more "leftovers", rediscovering best food ple to enjoy positive experiences: sustainability is therefore a practice from grandparents and parents. Chefs are becoming the factor for a better quality of the "food experience”. new protagonists on the food stage, stars with an increasingly influential rule on public opinion as never seen before. Sustainability and solidarity Sustainability is an emerging value of which consumers are increasingly aware; in terms of health and impact on environment, Page 5
Parthenonos 1,N. Erythraia Athens146 71Greece info@expoaid.gr / Tel: +30 210 6250365 / Fax: +30 210 6209905
EXPO VIEW
ON THE ROAD
World Travel Catering Expo is a premier event held on a global scale and dedicated exclusively to the menus and amenities industry. Companies looking after catering service and passenger comfort during travel participate in this fair with the intention of reaching out to a wider clientele. Papadimitriou s.a. presented for the third consecutive year the range of convenience packaging of its range with variants that cover the needs of the economy and business class travelers.
In Flight catering vinaigrettes from Papadimitriou C.C. s.a.
T
he first airline meal was served on a flight from London to Paris on October 11 1919 and it consisted of a sandwich, fruit and chocolate selling for 3 shillings! Airline food has certainly come a long way since 1919 with airlines today teaming up with celebrity chefs, offering meal upgrades, organic meals, on demand eating, eat before you fly, preordering your favorite meal, self-service snack bars and endless meal services in premium cabin classes.
keting tool to enhance passenger preference, an innovative tool to promote local delicacies or merely as a mean to keep passengers busy.
Our portion packs offer to the inflight caterer a light, practical item that adds a quality and tasty experience to the served meal, while it promotes the regional products of Greece, balsamic vinegar made directly from Corinthian currant and quality Extra Virgin Olive oil. With two options addressing both economy and business class, the prodAt the same time airlines cut back on uct is successfully sold to airlines and meals offered on shorter distance trips. hotels for room service purposes. In the past decade we have seen a The products are available in PET move from a meal to a snack between bottles to facilitate the needs for light most of the European destinations. packaging material, in 12ml, 14ml and Undeniably, inflight meals could be 20ml and transparent PET sachets of used in a number of ways; as a mar10ml and 20ml. Did you know that... The airline catering market should achieve a “moderate� growth rate over the next five years, resulting in global sales of US$16.5 billion by 2018, according to a new report generated by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. The San Jose-based company released a short summary of its findings for its In-Flight Catering Services Market report today. Passenger numbers are driving much of the growth in catering services, said the report. Though the amount spent per passenger by airlines and caterers could see a incremental decline in the coming years, GIA said the market is expected to grow at a moderate pace, “emerging primarily from the increasing passenger traffic worldwide, addition of new aircrafts and continuing innovations in on-board menus. - See more at: http://www.pax-intl.com/industry-news/catering-service/2013/03/06/report-pegs-inflight-catering-sales-at$16.5-billion-by-2018. Page 6
Parthenonos 1,N. Erythraia Athens146 71Greece info@expoaid.gr / Tel: +30 210 6250365 / Fax: +30 210 6209905