The Domino’s Smart Slice Goes to School
Companies like Domino’s are making more healthful versions of their food to sell in schools, prompting concerns about the use of brands in the school lunch line. Driven by new school meal guidelines, Domino’s is delivering a pizza it calls the Smart Slice to more than 3,000 lunchrooms in 38 states, up from just 3 states in 2010. These pies contain one-third less sodium in the sauce, but they also give the students a hefty dose of marketing for the Domino’s brand, and many other companies are following the same path to the lunchroom. This raises the odds that when school lets out, students will head to a Domino’s shop, nutrition and consumer advocates warn. Chicago’s public schools already declined to serve reformulated products to their 400,000 students, saying the brands muddle efforts to teach better eating habits. – New York Times
Sodium Reduction Market by Ingredients Worth $1 Billion by 2018
The sodium reduction market is estimated to reach more than $1 billion by 2018, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 11% from 2013, according to a new report released by market research company MarketsandMarkets. In 2012, North America was the largest market, followed by Europe. Growing demand for processed foods, coupled with increasing awareness about health-conscious products, is significantly propelling growth in the food industry, which in turn is driving the market growth of these ingredients. In terms of the type segmentation, mineral salts dominate the market, followed by yeast extracts. Globally, bakery and confectionery is the largest application market, followed by meat products. – BusByway
FDA Prepping Long-Awaited Plan to Reduce Salt
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing voluntary guidelines asking the food industry to lower sodium levels, said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who noted in a recent interview that sodium is “of huge interest and concern” to the agency. The food industry already has made some reductions, and it has prepared for government action since a 2010 Institute of Medicine report said companies had not made enough progress. The idea is to encourage gradual change so that consumers’ taste buds can adjust and to give companies time to develop lower sodium foods. Many food companies and retailers, including Wal-Mart, ConAgra Foods, and Subway restaurants, already have pushed to reduce salt. – Associated Press
This story was covered in several other outlets, including the Washington Post, TIME, Health Affairs Blog, HealthDay, Food Navigator-USA.com, Medical Xpress, Medical Daily, Inquisitr, and The Blaze.