FOOD GROUPS SEEK LABEL TIMELINE CHANGE
industry groups, including the Grocery Manufacturers of America, have asked the Food and Drug Administration here to synchronize the effectiveness dates for new trans fat and food allergen labeling requirements. While both requirements take effect Jan. 1, 2006, they adhere to different triggers, which will make compliance "extremely confusing and needlessly burdensome" from a labeling and distribution perspective, the trade groups wrote in a Jan. 10 letter to the FDA. They asked that trans fats labeling be based on a "date of labeling" trigger, as food allergens labeling is.
GENERAL MILLS USES INTERNET TO PROMOTE DIET PLAN
MINNEAPOLIS -- General Mills here is using the Internet to promote its new diet program, "A Brand New You," where participating consumers use General Mills products to help lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks. The company has contracted with Boodle, an online coupon promotion firm, to distribute coupons featured in the diet plan through a network of 250 newspapers around the country. Banner ads on the newspapers' Web sites also promote the plan, which was launched last month. Boodle is a product of Consumer Networks, based in San Diego.
WHOLE GRAINS, CARTONS BIG IN 2005
CHICAGO -- Say hello to whole grains and Tetra Recart packages, and goodbye to trans fats and cans. Those are among the predictions Mintel International Group's Global New Products Database made about 2005 product trends. Mintel here forecast an increasing number of products containing whole grains, which recently got a governmental endorsement; the disappearance of trans fats from packaged goods; and once-canned soups, sauces and meals showing up in easily stacked, paper-based cartons. Mintel also predicted sweet and spicy flavors will increasingly make their way into candy, beverages and snacks. There will also be more Mediterranean-inspired product launches, driven by research about red wine's health benefits and the appeal of "familiar-yet-exotic" flavors, the firm stated.
POLL SUGGESTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR WINE SALES
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- American wine is the most popular choice among wine drinkers in the United States, followed by Italian, French, Australian and German. Yet these consumers would consider buying more foreign wine than they now do -- even from countries that sell little wine in the United States, according to a recent poll by Harris Interactive here. The findings suggested opportunities to increase U.S. sales of foreign wine. Seventy-three percent of wine drinkers said they'd try Italian wine, while only 44% currently do, for instance. One-fourth of wine drinkers said the same of Polish wine, which few have tried. Most Americans who buy wine do it once a month or less, and spend less than $15 a bottle, the poll also found. The online poll surveyed 1,323 wine-drinking U.S. adults from Dec. 8-15, 2004.
