The use of nanotechnology in food packaging and soars dramatically, but Europe beats the U.S. when it comes to demand the safe use of technology.

Food scientists that I-ve interviewed recently say that every major manufacturer of food products in the U.S. has either its own in-house team evaluating the use of nanotechnology or has contracted with outside experts for the knowledge. The race is on to create these manmade nanoparticles - the size of atoms and molecules - and modify them to enhance the safety, taste, color, texture, nutritional value and shelf life of food. Many food scientists are working on nanoparticles that will kill microbes that spoil or taint food, and I-m told that at least three labs in Europe and Japan are reportedly pursuing similar technology to signal the presence of salmonella, listeria and even E.coli. My acquaintances in the Food and Drug Administration and on various Congressional committees say the government is doing little or nothing to ensure the safety of this technology. I was at a conference two years ago when Mitchell Cheeseman, then-deputy director of FDA-s Office of Food Additive Safety, said the agency needed help in identifying potential safety concerns from nanotech food additives and dietary supplements. One researcher in the food additive office told me today "not much has happened because the nanotech wheel is not squeaking." The rest of the world appears to be taking it seriously. For instance, food products using nanotechnology will not be permitted for sale in Ireland until the risks to consumers is better known, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland recently told our FDA. Just this week, the European Parliament called for caution to be used before food being produced using nanotechnology processes marketed. According to a statement from the European Parliament, the European Food Safety Authority has been ordered to ensure the safety of all food produced with nanotechnology processes, and "specific risk assessments" must be approved and completed before the products can be sold. In addition, the organization ordered labeling instructions that I won-t live long enough to see in the U.S. They require that: "all ingredients present in the form of nanomaterials shall be clearly indicated in the list of ingredients. The names of the ingredients shall be followed by the word "˜nano- in brackets." On the other side of the world, Australian food safety activists call for increasing "scant regulations governing the use of potentially harmful nanotechnology in food and food packaging," reported the Australian Associated Press. A new report from the consumer group "Choice," quoted by the Australian news agency, says an estimated 150 to 600 nanofoods and 400 to 500-nanofood packaging applications are in use around the world. Nanotechnology involves structures as small as molecules, 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, which can have new and unexpected properties because their small size brings quantum effects into play and their larger relative surface area makes them more reactive. Choice said there is also a lack of research into how nanoparticles in food react once inside the human body. The government agency Food Standards Australia New Zealand does not require manufactured nanoparticles to be specifically labeled, the food safety group said.

Key Elements For Great Packaging Makeovers

Take an honest look at your product packaging. Is it working to your product's best advantage? Are there changes that you have put off making due to lack of time or money? It's time to implement a plan to review one product at a time or a family of products if they are interrelated. An important factor to consider when making any changes is the continuity of the brand. Don't change for change's sake. That only serves to alienate the customer. Keep in mind that old established brands need refreshing too. Let's face it consumers are a fickle bunch. It doesn't take much to turn them off. In fact, you only have 2.6 seconds to turn them on. That is how long you have to persuade them to buy your product and the only way to do that is through compelling packaging. Make some easy improvements this year to increase your sales. Remember, your package is your number one salesperson and once you have lost the opportunity you may never get it back. So what can your product packaging do? How will it answer a consumer desire, want or need? If the package is integral to your product then you better start thinking of how you will answer that question. Here is a start to get those creative juices flowing. What can your package do that isn't being done currently? Can you make it easier to use? Can you dispense the product in a different manner? Can you extend the life expectancy of a particular product? Can you offer it in different sizes or shapes than the current market? Can you use less packaging materials or environmentally responsible ones? Can you make it easier to store or handle? Can you make it easier to read or understand what is inside Even more revolutionary, can your product tells the consumer when the product is spoiled, bad or has been tampered with? Yes, that technology is out there. Look for it to be the coming wave of new package innovation. Any package innovation that provides product security, integrity and ensures the product is uncontaminated is a winner. It is imperative that it fulfills a consumer need for product trust. All of these above are consumer wants, desires, issues or needs. How can you provide them the product packaging that works in satisfying these (in many cases) unmet needs? People shop by rote and look for what they have purchased in the past. If they can't find it they move on. This is especially important with the proliferation of brands. Don't confuse your core customer either for once they make the switch to an alternative product they may never come back. When creating a packaging makeover think about the expectations of your consumer using the above list. Before you do a major packaging change the wrong way be sure first that your consumer is connected to the new packaging by marrying the right message to the right consumer. 1 packaging mistake cost Tropicana millions. Could this happen 2 your packaging? To learn more about what happened click on this

Donsuemor — Dipped Chocolate and Other — Madeleines

What it is: A soft, moist madeleine AKA soft little shell-shaped cake, some chocolate dipped, some plain or lemon How it comes: Single, 3 pack, 5 to 6 pack and 8-count clamshell (depending on the flavor) Where it is: At coffee shops, donsuemor.com and amazon.com Who it's for: Anyone looking for an all-natural not-too-sweet, but satisfying treat Suggested retail price: $0.75-$1; $1.95 - $2.50; $2.95 - $3.95; $3.99 - $4.99 Nutrition notes: One chocolate-dipped contains 90 calories and 5 grams total fat; one plain about 75 calories and 4 grams total fat Category: Fabulous Food: Tasty tidbits Bonnie: It's funny how we trip over products that become our Bites. Earlier this year, when in San Francisco to conduct a newbie networking seminar for the Fancy Food Show, I was standing in the New Product Showcase area, hoping to discover a product to consider for a Bite. I was looking into the glass cases displaying the new items when I almost fell over Michele Lanstra, assistant marketing manager for Donsuemor, who was about to put some of her company's madeleines into the case. "What do you have there?" I inquired. "Chocolate-dipped chocolate madeleines," she responded. "May I see one?" I asked, which was my way of learning the ingredients before asking to try one. Sugar, butter, flour, eggs, cocoa, cream"¦ Ah, I thought, little moist cakes with a short - real-food - ingredient list. No preservatives. I liked that. Michele and I chatted, then exchanged business cards, and I left with a sample of their new chocolate-dipped chocolate madeleines to try. Obviously, after indulging in the delicate little chocolate-covered, chocolate shell-shaped cake, I reached out to Michele for samples of all her flavors for me and for my culinary offspring. Those include five flavors: traditional, dipped, chocolate, chocolate-dipped chocolate and lemon zest. I'm partial to the flavor of those last two. Either is a modest-calorie treat, with one lemon having 70 calories, one chocolate-dipped chocolate, 90. I prefer the latter at the end of a meal, the lemon with morning coffee. If you have any extra (which is unlikely), freeze them within 10 days of purchase. Sidebar: There are conflicting versions of the origin of the small cakes called madeleines, but all agree they are shell-shaped, baked in an eponymous pan and lighter than a pound cake. Bryan: A day that will live in infamy. The arrival of the Donsuemor Madeleines was the worst offensive on my attempts at dietary restraint since the assault of the Sugabettens brownies of '08. Please don't think I protest too much. I truly love the cavalcade of new and outrageous food products constantly gracing my doorstep. It's just that sometimes the price I pay to bring our readers the best of what's out there is high (in calories, that is). Of course, sometimes there are bad products, the ones we "take one for the team" on, and though we may silently (and collaboratively) protest, you'll just never hear about those. Sometimes though, the good can be oh so bad"¦ sometimes the products we receive are so good that receiving a marketing pack with two of every flavor is nothing but absolutely dangerous. I'm not really a "watch my waist" kind of guy, but even I know I don't need to be killing off three sleeves of madeleines in two days. But, damn, these are tasty! They are light, but they are rich, they are subtle but also lasting. Quite simply, they are delicious and packaged in five irresistible flavors - all to be enjoyed, in my humble opinion, slightly warmed and with milk. Madeleines are a traditional confectionery from northeastern France; very small cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape and a flavor similar to pound cake. Traditional recipes will sometimes include finely ground almonds, but Donsuemor's "Traditional" is simply sugar, butter, flour and eggs, combined to perfection. You can try the traditional dipped in chocolate or flavored with lemon zest for an extra bit of wow. The line also includes a chocolate-flavored version, plain or chocolate dipped as well. Enjoy Donsuemor Madeleines as a perfect after-dinner treat with a cup of coffee or tea"¦. They're really a great choice for entertaining or just enjoying quietly on your own. At only 150 calories for two plain ones (not chocolate dipped), these delectables are a real winner from Donsuemor! (Just try not to eat the whole case at once.) Eric: The day I received the package of the Donsuemor Madeleines, two thoughts went through my head: "How many can I eat before I realize I shouldn't?" and, more importantly, "How do I hide them from my girlfriend?" The first question was answered rather quickly by the disappearance of nearly five of these delicious cakes, favoring the traditional versions over the indulgence of the chocolate-dipped varieties, although both left an indelible mark on my palette. Solving the answer to the second question was just as difficult as I imagined. My girlfriend, when it pertains to certain foods (i.e. cookies, pastries and muffins), has the nose of a bloodhound, and within a few minutes of entering the apartment, she was on the hunt. The madeleines didn't stand a chance. The unfortunate part of receiving the package was that both my girlfriend and I had just gotten out of our winter hibernation mode and had started with our first week of "getting in shape." Needless to say, the madeleines were of no help. I decided that a good idea, instead of freezing the cakes (which is recommended within 10 days of buying them), would be to bring a few varieties into the office and use my co-workers as a focus group. This made the bloodhound very uneasy. As we sat at the dinner table, the box full of Donsuemor Madeleines (traditional, chocolate dipped, lemon zest) between us, it started to feel like a business negotiation. "All right," I suggested. "I'll leave one sachet of traditional chocolate dipped, and bring a traditional chocolate to work." With a simple eyebrow raise from my girlfriend, I realized that this would be a difficult negotiation. The next day, I brought the (allowed) variety of flavors for my office co-workers to taste. The chocolate dipped went first, quickly followed by the lemon zest, with the traditional chocolate rounding out the group. Honestly, I imagine that within five minutes, 10 people ate 15 madeleines. The only reaction was a quiet office with uniform smiles of satisfaction (so much so that we started receiving comments on the site from the test group even before we posted this Bite). Without a doubt, madeleines now rank up there with my favorite desserts in this order: 1. Chocolate bread pudding 2. The infamous "jungle bar" brownie 3. Traditional madeleines (simple, no preservatives and delicious)

Traceability in the Food Supply Chain

Traceability in the Food Supply Chain (PDF; 619 KB)

Michael Pollan, the Hebrew Language, and 24 Ways to Eat Better

By Yannai Kranzler Michael Pollan’s call to turn the White House Lawn into an organic vegetable garden has yet to be heeded by the Obama family. The American Army has still not declared war on Corn, whom Pollan claims is plotting to take over the world. But despite not convincing the president to forgo his frontlawn or the military to attack a vegetable, there is little doubt that Pollan has had a remarkable influence on the way people think about food. Michael Pollan In Pollan’s newest book, In Defense of Food, he suggests, among other things, reclaiming time-tested traditional menus of the past. Much of modern man’s eating disorder, says Pollan, stems from ditching mom for food science, cultural wisdom for the back of a cereal box, in order to determine the day’s menu. Although Pollan, despite his Jewish roots does not mention it, this approach is a classically Jewish one: The Hebrew word for progress is Hitkadmut. Oddly enough, the root of the word Hitkadmut is Kedem, which means, “Before.†Moving forward well, our language is telling us, is contingent upon consulting our past. As we charge speedily ahead, we need, every once in a while, to backtrack and pick up the pieces we’ve left behind. The following are Pollan’s rules for better eating, as written in In Defense of Food, based on the well-known Pollan mantra, “Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.†(Click Here to buy the book from Amazon.com) I’ve stuck these rules onto our fridge at home (Right next to the magnet with the number of the pizza delivery guy). Feel free to do the same. Beteavon! (Hebrew for Bon Apatit). 1. Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. 2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are, A) unfamiliar, B) unpronounceable, C) more than five in number, or that include D) High Fructose Corn Syrup. 3. Avoid food products that make health claims. 4. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle. 5. Get out of the supermarket whenever possible. 6. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves. 7. You are what you eat eats, too. 8. If you have space, buy a freezer. 9. Eat like an omnivore. 10. Eat well-grown food from healthy soils. 11. Eat wild foods when you can. 12. Be the kind of person who takes supplements. (Although don’t necessarily take supplements). 13. Eat more like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or the Indians. Or the Greeks. 14. Regard non-traditional foods with skepticism. 15. Don’t look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet. 16. Have a glass of wine with dinner. 17. Pay more, eat less. 18. Eat Meals. 19. Do all your eating a a table. No, a desk is not a table. 20. Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does. 21. Try not to eat alone. 22. Consult your gut. 23. Eat slowly. 24. Cook and, if you can, plant a garden.