Author: Jan Hales With so many nutrient-poor foods masquerading as viable meals and snacks, I've been wondering if we could do more to help people make healthier food choices. One argument for selling unhealthful food is that it's what consumers want; and as attempts to make a...
Carbs have been getting a bad rap in recent years, but like many things in nutrition, the devil is in the detail, and we shouldn’t be quick to put all carbs into one basket. While many of us (me included) have probably relied a bit too...
Although plant-based ‘milks” are positioned as healthier alternatives to cow’s milk, they often fall short of conventional milk when it comes to nutritional quality. The protein level tends to be much lower and of poorer quality, sugar is often added to make them palatable, and...
Ever wondered if front-of-pack nutrition labels influence what food consumers buy? It does, according to a recently published review of studies that assessed the effectiveness of different labelling systems. The review revealed: colour-coded schemes such as the “traffic light” label and Nutri-Score used in the UK...
Author: Jan Hales Is the world better off because your company is in it? That's the question asked of business leaders in a recent Harvard Business Review article, "The Net Positive Manifesto". Written by the ex-CEO of Unilever, Paul Polman, and business adviser, Andrew Winston, it...
Researchers have highlighted the potential pitfalls of shifting towards plant-based diets with novel plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. They found that compared to a diet containing meat and dairy or traditional plant-based foods, novel plant-based diets fall well below requirements for calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc...
The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) has published a report ranking the world’s nine largest infant formula companies on their compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, otherwise known as The Code. The Breast-milk Substitutes/Complementary Foods (BMS/CF) Marketing Index 2021 report is part of a...
When companies take responsibility for public health and are more ambitious in their attempts to improve it, they can have a positive impact As nutrition consultants working with food companies to improve the healthiness of the food environment, we’re encouraged to see a small but growing...
In the age of social media, many businesses have taken a hit as their once popular product has been deemed ‘unhealthy’ by influencers. The bakery industry, for example, took a downturn with the gluten-free craze and the popularity of low carb diets. Irrespective of their...
Each year the International Food Information Council (IFIC) surveys American consumers to understand their perceptions, beliefs, and behaviours around food and their purchasing decisions. Many of the findings are relevant to other developed markets and give insight into consumers’ current and evolving interests. The full...