Baking&Snack - March 2011 - 20

NEWS

Wal-Mart launches healthy food effort
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. plans to reduce the amount of sodium, added sugars and trans fatty acids in specific categories of private label and national brand food and beverage products it sells in its stores by 2015. The Bentonville, AR-based company also announced it is working to lower the price of the fruits and vegetables it sells in its stores. “No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford,” said Bill Simon, president and CEO of Wal-Mart US. “With more than 140 million customers each week, Wal-Mart is uniquely positioned to make a difference by making food healthier and more affordable to everyone.” In its announcement, Wal-Mart committed to eliminating all “industrial trans fats” from its store brands and to reduce added sugars by 10% in “key categories” of food products and sodium by 25%. The company said its suppliers will be asked to voluntarily fill out a scorecard annually so the retailer may assess and report progress toward its goals. “Our customers tell us they want a variety of food choices and need help feeding their families healthier foods. At Wal-Mart, we are committed to doing both,” said Andrea Thomas, senior vice-president of sustainability. “We support consumer choice so this is not about telling people what they should eat. Our customers understand that products like cookies and ice cream are meant to be an indulgent treat. This effort is aimed at eliminating sodium, sugar and trans fat in products where they are not really needed.” In addition, Wal-Mart announced its intent to enter the front-of-package labeling challenge by developing a seal it said will help consumers identify healthy food options such as whole-grain cereal, wholewheat pasta or unsweetened canned fruit. The Food and Drug Administration and the food and beverage industry are currently working on the development of front-ofpackage labeling programs as well. “The simple front-of-package seal will apply to a small number of healthier products and give customers an easy way to instantly identify food options that are better for them and save them time when shopping our stores,” Ms. Thomas said. — Keith Nunes, executive editor, Food Business News

NEWS IN BRIEF
Diamond Foods, Inc., San Francisco, CA, announced a $10 million expansion of its plant in Norwich, UK, to
support increased demand for Kettle brand products.

Hain Celestial Group, Inc., Melville, NY, acquired Danival SAS in France and GG UniqueFiber AS in Norway. The company expects
both acquisitions to be neutral to its earnings in fiscal year 2011 and to increase earnings in fiscal year 2012.

Study: Grain-based dietary fiber linked to increase in life expectancy
New research published Feb. 14 by the Archives of Internal Medicine showed the strong health benefits of dietary fiber. The new report, “Dietary Fiber Intake and Mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study,” found a significant decrease in deaths of individuals aged 51 to 70 whose diets were high in dietary fiber. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, performed the study over nine years using a cohort comprising 388,000 participants in that age group. The report stated: “Dietary fiber from grains, but not from other sources, was significantly inversely related to total and cause-specific death in both men and women.” Dietary fiber, especially from grains, also was inversely associated with death from cardiovascular disease, cancer and infectious and respiratory diseases. “The [NIH-AARP] study shows that those who eat the recommended amounts of dietary fiber actually lived longer,” said Julie Miller Jones, PhD, chair of the AACC International Whole Grains Working Group and professor of nutrition at College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN. “This is an opportunity for [AACC] members to tout the benefits of cereal fiber and continue to develop more tasty, healthy options that will help consumers worldwide address the cereal fiber gap. Studies show that for most population subgroups, less than 10% meet the fiber requirement. In many groups, it is less than 5%. The benefits of cereal fiber are many, and the intake is pathetic. We need to get people to change.” Satya Jonnalagadda, PhD, chair of the AACC Nutrition Division and principal scientist at General Mills’ Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, Golden Valley, MN, noted that this study adds to the scientific body of evidence regarding the health benefits associated with fiber. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Policy Document identified dietary fiber as one of the shortfall nutrients in the diets of Americans. This study should help raise awareness of the importance of fiber from grains for health purposes.

Harvest Time Bread Co. will expand production at its Mt. Airy, NC, facility.
As a result, the company will discontinue production at its bakery in Woodbridge, NJ.

Hostess Brands, Irving, TX, donated $100,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in honor of America’s
most inspiring mom, who was selected from nominations received on Wonder’s Facebook page as part of its Wonder Heroes campaign.

Snyder’s-Lance, Inc., Charlotte, NC, said it plans to convert its companyowned direct-store delivery routes to an independent operator structure during the next 12 to 18 months.
The transition is expected to occur on a “market-by-market basis.” www.bakingbusiness.com

BAKING & SNACK / March 2011

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Baking&Snack - March 2011

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