Choosing the Best Dog Food You Can Buy

August 14th, 2010
Jennifer Andrade asked:




A lot of people ask me what I feed our dogs and my answer is always given with a bit of caution.? First of all, it’s important to remember that each dog is different.? Our Labradors eat different food than my Chihuahua, mostly because their protein needs are much different.? Our Labs are working dogs and need lots of energy…my Chihuahua just needs a good lean dog food to give him enough energy to play all day inside the house.

Having said that, it’s really easy to learn how to read the labels of dog food for yourself, so that you can make an educated decision.? There are many places on the Internet to help you choose the best dog food.?My favorite is the Pet Food Project, because Sabine gives the reader a clear and thorough instruction of how to read dog food labels so that you know and understand what you are looking for.

I had no idea what dog food to feed my dog, until I came upon Sabine’s website.?She explains that dog food labels are difficult to read by design.?The dog food industry is vague on purpose, so you think something is good for your dog, when it really isn’t.?? Take the term “by-products”.?This ingredient is usually preceded by a meat type, such as chicken by-product or beef by-product.?This term really describes what is “left over” after processing and cutting; so chicken by-product actually includes things like the beaks, or feet…nothing of real substance for your dog.

When reading the label, you should always consider the first few ingredients listed before the first fat; remembering that each ingredient is listed in terms of volume, with the first one making up the most.?What you’re looking for is any type of meat being listed first with a minimal amount of grains.?To complicate things even further, beef is not as good as beef meal because they are also measuring the water content, causing you to believe that it’s more volume than it really is.?Also, look for more than one grain being listed in those first five or so; they may be separating them out to make it look as though the ratio of grains to meat are low.

I have to tell you that using just these basic tips have helped me quickly eliminate the majority of major brand dog foods, and this is just the beginning!?Sabine has many more steps in her instruction on how to choose the best dog food, and her site is really worth checking out.?

It’s very important that you understand what is going into your dogs diet.?A poor diet can lead to physical and even behavioral problems.?Plus, you WANT to feed your dog the best food you can buy and it’s important to make an informed decision.?Your dog will thank you, I know mine did!

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All About Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in the Food Industry

August 1st, 2010
Josh Stone asked:




Pretty controversial for a food additive. The reactions to it are all over the dial. Patrons object to MSG in restaurant food, then go home and make a soup with chicken bullion just loaded with MSG and think nothing of it.

Oriental food has traditionally been associated with MSG, which is unfair because use of monosodium glutamate is pretty evenly distributed across cuisines of all ethnic origins. The restaurant trade seems to always be collectively pondering whether to use it or not.

In spite of its ubiquity in common food products, the flavor contributions made by MSG were only scientifically identified early in the twentieth century. In the year 1907, a Japanese researcher at the Tokyo Imperial University, name of Kikunae Ikeda, identified some brown crystals that were left behind after the evaporation of a large bowl of broth. He recognized the substance as glutamic acid. These crystals, when tasted, reproduced the flavor he detected in many foods, most particularly in seaweed. Professor Ikeda named this flavor “umami.” He then patented the method of mass-producing a crystalline form of glutamic acid, now known as MSG.

The Ajinomoto company was formed to manufacture and market MSG in Japan, and a rough translation of the name “Ajinomoto” means “essence of taste”. It was introduced to the United States in 1947 as Accent flavor enhancer. Modern commercial MSG is produced by the fermentation of starch, using sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses. Almost 1.5 million metric tons of MSG is sold in the United States per year.

Contrary to the stereotype of oriental food, the average American is more likely to encounter MSG in such staples as most canned soups (especially the low-sodium varieties), most beef and chicken stocks and bullion, most flavored potato chip products, many other snack foods such as crackers or cookies, many frozen dinners (especially those which include gravy), and instant meals such as the seasoning mixtures for instant ‘ramen’ noodles.

In 1959, the Food and Drug Administration classified MSG as a “generally recognized as safe” substance. This action stemmed from the 1958 Food Additives Amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which required approval for new food additives prior to their marketing and led the FDA to promulgate regulations listing substances which have a history of safe use, such as MSG. Since 1970, the FDA has sponsored extensive reviews on the safety of MSG, other glutamates and hydrolyzed proteins, as part of an ongoing review of safety data on approved substances used in processed foods.

One of these reviews was by FASEB, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology on approved substances. In 1980, the committee concluded that MSG was safe at current levels of use but recommended additional evaluation to determine the effects of MSG at significantly higher levels of consumption. In 1986, the FDA’s Advisory Committee on Hypersensitivity to Food Constituents concluded that MSG poses no threat to the general public but that reactions of brief duration might occur in some people.

These brief reactions are the MSG syndrome you’ve heard about. When reading about MSG symptom complex, it is essential to keep a couple of things in mind. One, that MSG is a naturally occurring substance; if you’ve had seaweed, for instance, you’ve had everything in MSG. Two, small groups of people are allergic to all kinds of common foods, such as berries, gluten, or milk, and apparently MSG is one of those things people are sometimes naturally intolerant of; there is nothing particularly toxic about MSG that makes it more dangerous than, say, table salt.

The symptoms of MSG complex may be any of:

* numbness or a burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest,

* tingling, warmth and weakness in the face, temples, upper back, neck and arms

* facial pressure or tightness

* chest pain

* headache

* nausea

* rapid heartbeat

* difficult breathing

* drowsiness

* weakness

These may be more or less acute in the presence of other conditions such as asthma, arthritis, or epilepsy. Also, the severity of symptoms may be masked or enhanced by reactions to salt or alcohol. The dosage required to bring these symptoms out is usually around 3 grams – by contrast, the average meal contains 0.5 grams, so MSG is usually brought about by consuming large quantities of it quickly in the form of a soup or gravy. No fatalities have ever been reported in connection with MSG.

The symptom complex happens within one hour after the meal and wears off ofter twenty minutes. It has been suggested that the association with Chinese food comes as much from the salt and grease in certain dishes as from the MSG, and also ingredients like bamboo sprouts contain a high concentration of cyanic acid, which may also be giving people a reaction.

Generally the most common symptom reported is a slight headache. There may or may not actually be a complex of symptoms which are directly the fault of monosodium glutamate, but it is quite clear in any case that the initial media attention to MSG was a typical media panic which blew the reaction out of proportion. A similar “scare” occurred in the 1980′s, when the media reported alar on apples. This is not to say that it’s “all in people’s heads”; there is some evidence which suggests that the syndrome is real, but no clear-cut proof.

But you have to wonder at a substance which has been in every bag of chips sold and consumed in the United States for 20 years with no ill effects reported suddenly producing a severe reaction from a prepared dish at a restaurant. Just something to consider – even the human body contains some amount of MSG naturally!

The bottom line: If you run a restaurant or other food service and you add MSG to your products, clearly say so the same way you would warn people who were lactose-intolerant about dairy additives. While MSG does indeed have its own taste receptors on the human tongue, it’s not like leaving it out if requested will kill the whole meal.



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Food Careers Are Always in Demand, But Always Changing

July 25th, 2010
Jonathan Wickham asked:




Because food is one of the things that our life revolves around, there have always been businesses succeeding in the food industry. To stay successful, however, businesses with a focus on food also understand that there is continual change. This change is result of many different factors. The first to mention is the inventions of new farming technologies. Modern machinery allows more ground to be covered, literally and figuratively, thus requiring less man power. In order for a farmer to be profitable, he must have a much larger farm than was required in decades and centuries past.

The same is true for those who raise livestock. Many farmers who were able to provide themselves a great living in the past with one size of cattle ranch or wheat farm, are now forced to modify their farming process or purchase additional land. In many cases, expansion is not a realistic option, resulting in their placing their ranch for sale. Before feeling too bad for the farmer, understand that many farmers in this predicament, walk away from the sale with an extremely comfortable retirement.

The restaurant industry is certainly doing well these days. With the exception of rural areas around our country, we have every type of food imaginable at our fingertips. Eating out has become a popular social activity. The traditional cafes and diner’s of the past, have now evolved into a whole menu of restaurant options. For fresh seafood, you don’t have to live near the ocean.

If you are planning on a career in the food industry, there will always be opportunity available. Just be prepared to accept change when it comes along.

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Jumpstarting Your Career In The Restaurant Industry

June 20th, 2010
Josh Stone asked:




Studies on the United States’ restaurant and food services sector have shown that the industry is one of the fastest growing, with the number of food managers touted to rise by around 45,000 annually starting the year 2014.

In fact, data from the National Restaurant Association attest to the fact that plenty of job opportunities are available for people both from within and outside the industry. It is for this reason that more and more people are getting interested and increasing their investment on restaurant and food services training and education.

What the Industry is About

The foodservice and restaurant sector covers areas such as catering, casual family diners, fine dining, chef-owned bistros, resorts and casinos, motels and hotels, cruise ships, fast food chains, theme parks, schools, company cafeterias, hospitals and just about wherever the preparation and selling of foodstuff is present.

To date, there are about twelve million jobs in this sector alone. It is one of the most widespread because food is a basic necessity. That’s why many entrepreneurs say you can never go wrong when you enter the food business. Food services exist in every city, state and country, from the most metropolitan of environments to the most quait and far-flung locations. Due to such, employment opportunities in the restaurant industry is always high.

A career in the restaurant and foodservices industry does not mean simply asking the customer if he wants a side of coleslaw to go with his chicken. It is more than that. You will also have to hone your people skills in order to properly interact with the customer, as well as practice stellar hygiene and good grooming. A restaurant that does not demand so from its employees is no good.

In fact, even without the restaurant owner telling you how to conduct yourself on the job, it is your personal responsibility to make sure that customers all satisfied, happy and very much keen on coming back.

What Sort of Training Do You Need?

Most hole in the wall restaurants start from scratch. That is, without the formal education and training to set up and operate such a business. Some of the older and pioneering institutions began from owners’ very own kitchens, without so much as a bachelor’s degree to their names and, still, their restaurants continue to grow and thrive with the times.

However, the industry is growing at around 12% each year and the demands of the customer are getting more and more cosmopolitan. While zero training can be offset by pure dedication and interest in the restaurant and foodservices business, there also are strong arguments in favor of acquiring the right education and formal training needed for the job.

Education is useful given the changing times. With globalization at an all-time high, it is important for those engaged in the food business to keep themselves up to date and knowledgeable with the latest trends. With travel and communications booming at an alarming rate, the restaurant sector has the responsibility to move with it.

Most restaurants provdie in-house training for their personnel, in order for them to more easily advance to supervisory and managerial positions. Hence, it is not unusual for a former dishwasher or table service crew member to be the boss over a period of time. And though a number of food service staff are promoted to higher posts, the job opportunities for those with formal training, whether via an associate or bachelor’s degree, in institutional food service and restaurant management are greater. It will be easier to climb up the ladder if you combine education with solid on-the-job experience.

Why Formal Education is Important

Employment in the food industry is considered a profession. Before, those who simply had ample interest and experienced-based know-how and resources can enter the business. While this is still true today, most institutions prefer that you have a certificate to back your resume.

Programs related to the restaurant and food services sector include food technology, marketing, customer relations, human resources, finance and business management. Institutional food service facilities also provide courses on nutrition, sanitation, record keeping, understanding of policies and procedures, food preparation, reports preparation, and personnel management.

Such hospitality management programs usually run for two to four years, after which you get a diploma or a certification. The more credentials you have, the more you will be perceived of as a professional who is well-trained, highly skilled and motivated. Achieving these credentials only shows how serious you are at advancing the industry and growing with your chosen career.

Thus, formal training is important because:

1. Having specialized qualifications entails that you’re entering the restaurant and food services industry with more than the basic necessary skills to professionally advance

2. Specialized training shows prospective employers that you are motivated enough and have an ample level of maturity to move around such a high-pressure and fast-paced environment

3. People who graduate from hospitality-related programs and courses have turned out to be the ones who do better in their careers, whether they have actually entered the restaurant industry or not, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Studies

4. Highly-skilled staff and those with formal restaurant training will be in high demand because jobs in full-service restaurants are expected to rise at a huge rate compared to other food services units.

Conducting Yourself on the Job

People working in the food services industry are not robots. Their job is not just to take directions and follow t hem to the letter. They must be able to make decisions themselves and have the initiative to address certain issues. A lot of restaurant operators take note of your personal qualities, for instance, problem-solving skills and attention to detail, before they decide if they want you to be part of their team or not. Grooming is also crucial.

A lot of these qualities you will learn while you’re receiving formal training. While traits like leadership and initiative are ingrained, the right way of handling operations and customers if often not found if you just go it alone and rely on your instincts. Opportunities in the restaurant world will continue to rise as the industry grows in conjunction with the population, leisure times and personal incomes.

Whether you’re eyeing a job at a small restaurant or a fine dining place, the amount of dedication you give out should be the same. It is inevitable that you’ll start at the rank and file level, as you will need the experience to gain solid footing in all possible restaurant duties. Coupled with a degree, it won’t be surprise if you find yourself at one of the top positions in six to twelve months’ time. When this happens, relish the moment. You definitely deserve it.



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Corporate Relocation – Creative Ideas From The Fast Food Industry

May 30th, 2010
John Groth asked:




Corporate Relocation: Measuring a Cities Business Climate

Getting to know a variety of municipalities around the country, in my role on a corporate relocation team, showed me the good, the bad and the just plain ugly. Some cities were so difficult to deal with that they never made the first cut.

The day-to-day difficulties, even getting through on the phone with a responsible city official, was perplexing. Or in others no one seemed to be in charge, and it took forever for the most minor decisions to be approved. Compared to our corporate decision making process many cities approach was indeed glacial in its speed.

In other cities, many in the same state or area, showed an impressive efficiency. They were attuned to the needs of the relocating corporation, their officials were available for consultation and decision making and they made a good faith accommodation to answer our relocation concerns.

In one community they had developed such a proactive approach in helping the small employer (for example, recently they attracted a body shop with 2 employees, an Ebay entrepreneur with 5 employees and a tile shop/contractor with 4 employees) that it was a simple transition to effectively work with the larger employer. Their successful focus was to encourage the smaller growing employer to broaden their cities economic base. This proactive approach had grown from suffering a long period of economic malaise when a large employer had moved from the area over 20 years previously.

All along the relocation process we asked ourselves and we’re making judgments on which city or area would we relocate to or open a new operation. So our first step in finding a location to relocate or expand a new operation would be to make a general subjective assessment of the business climate in the community. Rarely, would a city make the first cut if the subjective factors were negative even though the purely economic factors might look somewhat favorable.

The first step is to identify cities that are motivated to generate job growth and revenues. This is the core trait we were on the lookout for. Is the city making economic development happen? Not just “elephant” hunting, but is the business climate attractive to the smaller employer?

Here’s a method the help arrive at the ultimate short list. We call it our “Wendy’s” approach.

When the founder of Wendy’s Dave Thomas was starting, the story goes; he couldn’t afford a big expensive real estate department in researching new locations for his restaurants. After some thought he concluded the big guy on the block, McDonalds, had a an extensive real estate operation so he would just piggy back onto whatever location was analyzed, picked out and opened by McDonald’s. Once Thomas decided to locate in an area he would locate the busiest McDonalds and find real estate for his new Wendy’s on the most well traveled street near the McDonald’s. The strategy worked and Wendy’s took off like a rocket.

Using the “Wendy’s” approach we first review the city’s latest economic development report. Has the city recently received a significant HUD grant or maybe grants? Has the city successfully attracted one or more development firms for mixed-use development? Depending on the size of the community is the development commensurate with the community’s resources?

Another sign the city is willing to help start a new enterprise from scratch; does it have a new business incubator program? What is its track record? Again look critically at the program’s results. Business success stories and failures from the program, interview the participants. What is the community doing to get the most bang for their buck with this program? Compare the program to others in the state. With this information you’ll have an early picture of a serious effort or a community just taking advantage of state and federal funding.

Another “Wendy’s” tip is to look for the recent arrival of banks in town or the expansion of local banks. A sure sign of a city that is friendly to business is its level of local investment activity. Banks enter markets in order to generate quality loan activity from newly established or expanding credit worthy businesses. Likewise, look for newly opened, trendy restaurants and gauge their lunch and dinner traffic.

On the retail side, are shopping districts vibrant? Better still, are older stores and shopping malls spending dollars to modernize? These are vital signs of a strong growing business climate.

Lastly have a look at the central business district. This is where you’ll find results if the city officials are successful in reestablishing a downtown where residents can live, work and have fun.

Compare these two cities: in one they placed over 80 planters filled with flowers in the downtown area but neglected to water the plants so instead of a colorful positive backdrop all you saw were dead flowers. In the other community they cut out planting areas in the centers of the downtown boulevards for planting of flowers and shrubs. They involved local service clubs and schools. One city employee had the task of driving a tractor pulling a trailer with a tank and watering the plants. Driving into the downtown area of the second city was like driving into a well cared for garden. Who do you think scored higher in our “Wendy’s” analysis?

Overall the “Wendy’s” approach is an excellent starting point in winnowing down possible city candidates for the relocation or the opening of a new operation. From here you can more closely study other data important to your corporate needs. Lastly, if the candidates are about equal the “Wendy’s” factors can be used to break the tie.

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Changing to a Food Science Career – Wide Scope Of Food Industry Revealed

May 23rd, 2010
Abhishek Agarwal asked:




When an aspirant is in search for a change in career from Food Science, he prefers the outgoing kind of working style. This shows they are interested to gain more skills which would improve upon their existing skills on their new career. The Skills of Food science will provide a wider scope in food industry. More coaching may be required where qualifications are must but with knowledge in food science, courses and qualifications are not tough to obtain.

From a lower-end staff to a cook a change of career from food science to handling or preparing food may not act as a ladder of promotion, Instead it helps in interaction with clients and grasping other workers who work in more discriminated situation.It makes him more compatible with clients he meets daily.

Facing a change of career from Food to Computers would take time for developing. The former career is nourished with technical skills which can never be useless but the latter one needs to be updated with the change in latest technologies. A change of career from Food science can encourage the aspirant to face new fields in Research and Development in Food Science. With his existing skills the worker could cope to more serious challenges, improvising their knowledge from Food to other suitable fields, or they shall find a total change of environment.

A change of career from food science to a mechanical type of employment will need some time preparation. This is because the work carried out in this is not much mechanical. In some cases of Food Science involving strenuous physical activity and heavy lifting, an outgoing duty, in the construction firm, physical education or even horticulture would need good level of fitness compared to the needs of a Food Scientist. A change of career from Food would need an assessment in physical fitness. Assessment in health and potential is mandatory as it tests the real capability of the individual.

Change of career from a Food Science to any other health related science or nursing will need more training and practice. Guidance from experts related to the field is necessary to carry out certain social tasks The same applies when changing to fields involving administrative skills and specialized retail services.

This provides the worker a larger scope of options to make use of the skills gained through years of experience and training.

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Food Industry Software – Making Your Business Life Easier

May 20th, 2010
Aimee Rogers asked:




Running a business is extremely difficult, especially if you work in the food industry. However, the right type of software can really help to make life that little bit easier. Food industry software will help you to manage your accounts, sort out product pricing and create a successful business plan that will help you to achieve your goals.

The Different Types of Software Available

There are different types of software solutions designed for the food industry. Business Management Software is one of the most popular types as it handles practically every aspect of your business. It is especially great for those who are new to running a small business. You can create easy, professional invoices for your suppliers. It will also help you to keep clear records of your accounts.

It is vital that you constantly check your accounts each month. This helps you to see whether changes need to be made. Perhaps you are spending too much on certain supplies? The software will be able to calculate your profits and losses for the month and alert you to any potential problems. There are different types of management software and some are more advanced than others. It would be a good idea for you to assess what you need from the software before you rush out and purchase a management package.

Process control software is another tool that can really help you. All food industry businesses will find themselves facing processing problems at some stage in their business. There is also constant competition from other retailers and perishable items to worry about. The right software can help you to control your business processing and help to make it as efficient as possible.

How the Right Software Can Help You

The right food industry ERP software will potentially help you to increase your profits and limit your losses. It can help you to change your spending habits if they need to be changed. You could be spending too much money on certain goods that aren’t selling very well for example. Or maybe you are spending too much money on advertising that isn’t generating any new customers?

If you run a bakery for example then bakery software can help you with stock control including ingredient stock control. It will alert you when you are running low on various ingredients and with a few clicks of a button you could easily be ordering more stock. Basically it takes out the hassle of running a business and makes life a lot simpler.

Overall the right food industry software could really help you to turn your business around. Why struggle trying to run everything yourself when there is a much easier and more profitable solution?

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The Food Industry’s Greed: How Misleading Omega-3 Labeling Undermines American Health

May 10th, 2010
Lois Smithers asked:




There’s an Omega-3 travesty a-foot and if the American consumer doesn’t become aware of it very soon, they’ll unfortunately know first hand the day inflammation rears its ugly head – and according to Harvard, for 3 out of 4 Americans, it already has.

FDA Qualifying Health Claim for EPA and DHA

When the FDA issued a Health Qualifying Claim for “EPA and DHA” from fatty fish in 2004, “Omega-3” became big business. So big, food manufacturers freely began substituting “ALA” (alpha-linolenic acid) for EPA and DHA in bread, cookies, pasta to yogurt and now, a line of soybean-fed pork items that are “enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids.” The double-whammy contained in one ounce of those pork items is frightening with no end, supervision, or control in sight.

Is anyone home at the FDA?

Not only was ALA not part of the FDA Qualifying claim, science conclusively shows we convert Omega-3 ALA seed and plant oils into inflammatory Omega-6. And the end result? Consumers are being hoodwinked into purchasing these products while awareness of the health benefits from EPA and DHA are being compromised. How big of an issue is this? Read on and you’ll see why the word “travesty” applies.

Omega-3 ALA

Omega-3 ALA is plant and seed oils, soybean, corn, safflower, flaxseed, all polyunsaturates, and while they may be lumped together and referred to as “Omega-3 fatty acids” all they share in common with EPA and DHA is the classification “Omega-3 fatty acids.” There’s a far cry between any health benefits from ALA and those science has conclusively contributed to EPA and DHA.

An astonishing 94% of Omega-3 products line shelves today contain ALA while 6% contain minute amounts of algae or algal oil.

Omega-6s

Why is this so critical to the American consumer? Unless you’ve led a vegetarian lifestyle for years, rarely eat out, unknowingly you’ve been consuming an abundance of Omega-6s for decades hidden deceptively in packaged foods, snacks, cakes, dressings, as well as liberally used by restaurants and fast food chains. In other words, our bodies are so tipped in Omega-6s, we were in a state of perpetual inflammation before food manufacturers began adding more ALA to boast an Omega-3 label. How bad is this?

National Institutes of Health on Omega-6 Inflammation

Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, National institutes of Health, and world renowned Omega-3 researcher, and tireless crusader for American health, says:

“When you look at the percentages of Omega-6s to Omega-3s in the US diet, it’s about 90% of all the polyunsaturates in our tissues are Omega 6s and about 10% are Omega 3s. So you had a one-to-one balance to inflammation when we were evolving, and now it’s a 10-to-one balance in favor of inflammation because of the predominance in seed oils. Soybean oil is called the lubricant of the food industry, and it literally is.”

William Lands, retired biochemist with the National Institutes of Health, had this to say:

About 1960, when “soybean oil took over the U.S. food chain, it was like a tsunami. These two types of fatty acids have a biochemical yin-and-yang relationship. While omega-3s reduce our body’s inflammation response, Omega-6s encourage it. Each fatty acid is crucial. For example, if your inflammatory response is too weak, you won’t be able to fight infection properly. And in theory, the push and pull should create perfect balance. Instead, the excess of Omega-6s in our diets may have left us in a perpetual state of inflammation. That’s what’s really killing us – the balance of Omega 3s to 6s got out of whack.”

Center for Science in the Public Interest

And Bonnie Liebman, a nutritionist with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says:

“It’s all very confusing. Consumers are in real danger of being misled. Even a careful label reader won’t learn, for instance that a carton of Breyers Smart DHA Omega-3 yogurt has less DHA than a teaspoon of salmon.”

Consider this. Hellmann’s Mayonnaise says “Naturally Rich In Omega-3” but remember, it’s just a name. What’s really in it? “Most mayonnaise is made with soybean oil which is a source of ALA. But that kind of Omega-3 fat, found most abundantly in flaxseed, has not been proven to convey the same health benefits as DHA plus EPA,” Liebman says.

Omega-6s and Inflammation

That Omega-6s create inflammation that leads to diet-related disease, poor heart health, arachidonic acid, to name but a few, is scientifically established. If this information is hard to grasp, look at our health statistics. We have unprecedented numbers of childhood obesity, juvenile diabetes and with each passing year, according to Harvard, those numbers rise dramatically. Did children suddenly become ravenous eaters?

The rise in health issues and obesity crosses all age groups but this rise in children is the most telling of all. What is the common denominator? It’s not the water supply – it’s our food supply that packs pounds leaving our bodies in a perpetual state of inflammation.

How critical to health is this misleading labeling of Omega-3 ALA? Let’s look at the conclusions of a 14 year study conducted by the National Cancer Institute about ALA:

“In this large prospective study, we found that ALA from non-animal sources and ALA from meat and dairy sources were associated or suggestively associated with an increased risk of advanced prostate cancer. This finding agrees with the finding of a single previous study that evaluated ALA intake by food source. EPA + DHA was suggestively related to a lower risk of advanced prostate cancer, which was mainly due to DHA and to a lesser extent to EPA.”

It is sad and disheartening that information from prestigious medical communities, globally, with study after study showing EPA and DHA are profoundly beneficial to a myriad of health issues from diet-related to cognitive, is becoming obscured and blinded by food manufacturers’ hype. With their long reach and deep pockets, the health of a nation is on the line.

And the result? The every-day, hard-working consumer overwhelmed with little time to do any personal in-depth research assumes all Omegas are created equal.

This travesty has been detailed in a thoroughly researched and investigative expose, “The Food Industry’s Greed: How Misleading Labeling of Omega-3 Foods Undermines American Health.” Learn how this began in 2004 with the FDA Health Qualifying claim, Omega-3 labeling violations by food manufacturers, complaints filed against the FDA that are being ignored, health warnings from prestigious medical communities, and what you can do to protect your health.

http://www.sea-based-health.com/omega-3-book.html



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Shcri.com: The Fast Food Industry all Cut down Their Prices in Droves in China

May 7th, 2010
Alice Chen asked:




www.shcri.com – During the former ten months of 2008, the fast food industry all increased their prices continuously due to the successive increases of the prices of the commodities. The prices of the foreign fast food had been increased for three times in 2008. However, in the latter half of 2008, especially from October, the prices of the domestic food raw materials were dropped obviously in China, leading to the reduction in the costs of the fast food, meanwhile, because of the dim global economic situation; many restaurants had to take the preferential promotion measures to attract the customers and stimulus the consumption.

It is reported that the activity of saving money every day released by KFC will be made experiments in 49 cities, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Fuzhou etc; the activity of choosing preference at random will be made experiments in Shenzhen, Tianjin, Chongqing and Suzhou, covering the municipalities, provincial cities and town cities, in which 7 special items will be released during the activity of choosing preference at random, including Zinger Burger, New Orleans Roasted Wing and Egg Tart etc. Apart from enjoying the preference in the single product, the customers can also choose and match free.

Since 2009, the price reduction voice become higher and higher in the fast food industry in China. McDonald’s, which had dropped the prices for three times in last year, announced the reduction in the sales prices of four leading combos and the release of 9-Yuan products all over the country in February and April, in which the reduction rate all exceeded 30%. After the reduction, the prices of the same products had been low than the prices ten years ago. The reduction in the prices of the western style fast food brought pressures to Chinese style fast food. From 29th April to 9th June, Kungfu Catering Management Co., Ltd is not only releasing new dishes in the 313 stores, and also launch the spread and promotion activities and issue special discount vouchers in various large cities, student cards and white-collar preferential cards directed against different groups. The Yonghe King also releases a specialty every day at the price concession by 20 to 40 percent and the ultra valued choice activities covering 126 stores all over China.

The western style fast food, like KFC and McDonald’s, all transfer the profits, which is the results of the aggravation of the market competition in the domestic peer market. Recently, the local fast food have changed the situations of low class, poor services and environments and brought huge challenges to the western style fast food through introducing the advanced management concepts and operation means. Meanwhile, the hot sales of the home-made fast food in the supermarkets also occupy the market shares of the western style fast food. It is a wise move for the western style fast food to take promotion measures so as to maintain the market share and stabilize the customers under international financial crisis. 

More and fresher promotion measures will take up this year apart from the price reduction. For example, some Chinese style fast food stores release the preferential cards or send specialty, which all become the most common promotion means. The domestic economic environment is still not very promising this year in China. The figures showed that the international financial crisis has affected the fast food industry and the customers have poor confidence on the consumption. The battles between Chinese style fast food and the western style fast food become fiercer so as to stimulate the consumption and attract the attentions. It is inevitable to take place the price competitions in large scale. It is viewed that the price competition will become the normal competition situation of the fast food industry in China.

In recent years, the management structure focus of the catering industry in China has shown the inclination towards the families and the wage earners. The international financial crisis may speed up the process.

Under the influences of international financial crisis, the customers of partial restaurants have turned to the medium and high class fast food. Therefore, the financial crisis brings not only crisis to the fast food industry in China, but also more opportunities. The consumption groups and market scale of the fast food industry all will become larger.

Source: China Research and Intelligence

Get more information, please visit http://shcri.com/reportdetail.asp?id=308

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Contacts:

Eileen Gu

www.shcri.com

T:86-21-5842-6733

Email:eileen@shcri.com



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How Different Food Textures Affect the Choice of Foods People Like to Eat

March 4th, 2010
Kaye Dennan asked:




Did you realize how much the different food textures will affect the different choices of food that people like to eat?

There is much more to just making quick and easy meals because unless you are also aware of the textures of the food you could find that your meal planning has not been as popular as you thought it might.

The flavor of food has always been paramount in our thoughts but the difference between soft and slushy food and hard and crunchy foods for example, also makes a different in the choice of food we want to eat.

So many people just cannot eat raw oysters but are quite happy to eat Fried Oysters or Oysters in a cream sauce? The oyster is the same but it is the slippery nature of the raw oyster that most people dislike, not the actual flavor.

Feeding babies

Many parents just cannot understand why their babies will not eat mashed or creamed food but that is why, it is the soft slushy texture. Some parents just by-pass that stage altogether and start with finger food because the baby prefers to pick something up in their fingers and eat something a little more solid, something like peas, corn, beans, avocado and cheese to name a few favorites.

Meal planning

As children get older they do tend to drop their strong dislike for different food textures but a preference often still remains into adulthood with some people. Understanding the differences may help you realize why some meals you cook are more popular than others. This factor of human nature also relates to meals we plan when we are entertaining.

The only difference you might need to make is to change the presentation of your food to the family. In other words, you may serve roast vegetables instead of mashed vegetables and you may serve boiled eggs instead of scrambled eggs. See the difference in textures, not necessarily the product?

This also is why some people like to eat a lot of raw food like salads which tend to be crunchy whereas other people prefer cooked vegetables which are softer. Another example is that some people like stews whereas other people would prefer to just have a grilled steak rather than all the gravy.

By understanding and seeing the results from serving different food textures your meal planning should be so much easier and it should help you put quick and easy meals together for the family that you know will be popular.

Copyright (c) 2009 Kaye Dennan

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