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It seems organic has a bit of work to do, if the results from a recent poll are to be believed. The survey, by the Shelton Group, found that a majority of consumers think “natural” is more important than “organic.”

The exact question was: Which is the best product description to read on a label? Thirty-one percent chose “100% Natural,” 25% named “All natural ingredients” and only 14% stated “100% organic.”

The results expose a glaring contradiction that — amazingly — continues to exist in wellness marketing. Consumers have it all backward. They prefer natural over organic, but it’s organic that actually possesses a government standard.

“They prefer the word ‘natural’ over the term ‘organic,’ thinking organic is more of an unregulated marketing buzzword that means the product is more expensive,” noted Suzanne Shelton, president of the firm that conducted the poll. “In reality, the opposite is true.” more…

Even Homer Simpson, absent-minded plant worker extraordinaire, would have a hard time creating this latest food safety debacle: a strain of E. coli 0157:H7 found in packages of Nestle’s Toll House raw cookie dough.

The big head-scratcher here, of course, is how in the world did E. coli, a bacteria found in the manure of cows and other ruminant animals, make its way into cookie dough? Salmonella would be understandable (though still unacceptable), since that’s found in eggs, a main ingredient of cookie dough.

But E. coli it is. The Food and Drug Administration confirmed test results yesterday in a batch of dough produced in Nestle’s Danville, Virginia plant. So far, the outbreak has sickened 69 people in 29 states, with no deaths so far reported.

It’s all a torpid dance between the company, regulators and consumers. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control have put out releases telling people not to eat the stuff. Nestle has issued a voluntary recall, meaning there could be — and apparently are — tainted products still on shelves. And consumers are left waiting for the next outbreak, when they’ll patiently follow orders and hope they don’t get sick. more…

It seems the butterscotch-infused chunk shortbread dunking biscuits have given way to more, er, pedestrian indulgences, if the reports from several sources attending this year’s Fancy Food Show in New York this week are correct.

One of our very own editors, Julie Gallagher, interviewed a number of retailers on the floor. They seemed to be looking for cheese (and accompaniments like crackers). Cheese is always one of the key categories that move at the show, but this year is seems to be enjoying even more popularity.

This might be because more people are entertaining at home, and, blah-blah-blah…. You’ve heard the recession-related verbiage.

Another of our editors, Carol Angrisani, noted a few common threads running among the winners of the Sofi awards honoring outstanding food innovation. There’s blood orange as an ingredient, salt/chocolate combinations and chip foods — as in roasted coconut chips. They can be healthy and indulgent, which is something I like to see.

The NY Daily News visited the show and noted a focus on portion control (smaller sizes, anyway) and less-haughty foods. It’s worth mentioning if only for the headline: “The fancy food fest is more like skid roe this year.” The pun refers to the level of interest being shown in caviar from less-expensive sources, like the hackleback, a relative of the sturgeon.

Nevertheless, the show is packed, as usual. It’s a fun show and there are plenty of products that ingeniously blend gourmet and wellness (olive oil is just the start). And if the gourmet factor is being downplayed this year, so be it. If anything that means it might have a better chance of showing up in conventional, everyday supermarkets.

(Photo credit: craigemorsels)

Every once in a while, the food industry comes face-to-face with one of its most ardent watchdogs and vocal critics. I’m talking about Marion Nestle, the crack NYU professor and author who eagerly accepts any chance to speak directly to food product decision-makers.

The most recent venue was the CIES World Business Summit, held last week at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel here in New York. I am indebted to SN’s retail editor, Mark Hamstra, who attended the event and sat in on Nestle’s speech.

I’ve met Marion, and in fact, she wrote an editorial for the Winter 2006 issue of SN Whole Health. I’ve sat in on several of her speeches, which follow the same basic format — slide after slide of depicting food products marketed as healthy, accompanied by a running commentary on why these products actually fail the healthfulness test. To wit:

“Look at this cereal. It has an endorsement from American Heart Association, even though it has nine types of sugars in the ingredients…”

“Companies get their own endorsements. PepsiCo is good at this; they create their own criteria, and then give themselves all these endorsements…” more…

“Local” is a pretty relative term at most supermarkets, but not at Woodlands Market in Kentfield, California, where customers will soon be able to buy fresh food grown a mere mile away from the store. We talked to owner Don Santa recently about his new farm development, his vision, and his ties to the area.

Talk about this farm project of yours — where’d the idea come from and where does it stand now?

I have 20 acres, although we’ll probably only be initially producing on three to five acres of it. We’re still planning it out, laying out the space right now. This is sort of a fusion of victory garden and our own slow food movement where we’re bringing that sort of energy all into one community, and of course putting a local retail flavor in it.

What crops will you grow, and do you have a dollar or quantity estimate for everything?

Whatever’s possible. Everything from heirloom tomatoes to char to squash, artichoke, beets, herbs, basil, you name it. It’s going to be extensive, and there will be seasonal aspects to it as well. We’ll do grapes, peaches, apples, cherries. We have a perfect microclimate for almost anything.

What sort of expertise have you employed to help plan this all out?

Well, my produce guy, who’s been with us for 25 years, is going to do most of this. Then I’ve also got a horticulturalist and people who are helping me design and layout and engineer this who have worked with Alice Waters. more…

Here in the East, we’re in the season of great local eating! Think juicy peaches, nectarines, plums, and corn, tomatoes and young and tender zucchini.

Taking advantage of both the season and the in-store specials might appeal to the customer who knows what the produce items are and how to use them. But some customers have a limited food vocabulary and a fear of anything that doesn’t come in a box or can. It’s an ideal time to help people think “out of the box!”

From a nutrition point of view, learning to cook or using a fresh veggie or fruit is the first step. Preparing it right is the second step. One of the most common problems is overcooking, which not only leaves the produce looking like mush, you’re also cooking away the nutritional content.

Once again, supermarkets can come to the rescue with some food coaching. We have the raw materials and the experts who know food. Here are some food coaching starters: more…

This probably isn’t the best time to be writing about oysters. I mean, it’s almost the end of June and there’s the old adage: Only eat oysters in months that contain the letter “R” (more on why in a minute). I will say it’s been so unpleasantly cool and rainy here in the Northeast that it certainly doesn’t feel like the start of summer.

But back to oysters. There was a piece of food-safety news that, as a raw bar fanatic, caught my eye. Food Technology Service, the Mulberry, Fla. firm that’s been on the forefront of food irradiation since the mid-1990s, just received approval by the state of Florida to begin irradiating oysters. The aim is to kill the pesky bacteria known as vibrio vulnificus. It’s a naturally occurring salt water bug that’s found in oysters during warm months.

Food irradiation has been approved for meat and poultry, eggs, and fruits and vegetables for some time now, though consumer attitudes haven’t changed much over the years. Recent studies show that most Americans still object to the process.

Yet, I think we’ll be seeing a renewed debate shifting in favor of irradiation in the coming year. With repeated outbreaks of food-borne illness, something has got to give. I know this blog is about health and wellness, but as we’ve said on these virtual pages many times before, what good is “wellness” if the food isn’t safe to eat in the first place? more…

Give today’s kids some credit. According to a recent restaurant report from the NPD Group, they’re turning down unhealthy kids’ meals (orders are down 11%), and the toys that come with them, in favor of healthier, more sophisticated fare. Sure, they still love pizza and hamburgers and French fries; but they’re also coming around to things like yogurt (+21%), fruit (+6%) and grilled chicken sandwiches (+26%).

This specific report reflects restaurant habits — but the results apply to the entire food industry, and supermarkets like A&P are getting the message loud and clear. The Montvale, New Jersey-based retailer just rolled out a new riff on its America’s Choice private label line called “America’s Choice Kids”, developed in cooperation with registered dietitians. The products, all of which are low in saturated fat and high in vitamins and fiber and whole grains, are a mix of healthy twists on the typical snack and drink box favorites, and more grown-up items like whole-wheat bagels and soy butter.

Me, I’m trying to imagine childhood without a Happy Meal. But for A&P, all of this represents another step in the right direction. After 150 years in business, the chain has undergone some major changes, the most recent being its private label expansion. more…

I smell trouble — for any manufacturer of homeopathic remedies or supplements who’s facing self-reported consumer complaints, adverse reaction claims to products and anything else that our newly reinvigorated FDA can use to issue warning letters, advisories or require label changes.

The latest example claimed a biggie in the natural-remedy arena. Zicam, the zinc-based cold and allergy products used by millions, is voluntarily pulling its swabs and sprays after the FDA’s warning that using them could cause a permanent loss of smell.

Matrixx Initiatives, the maker of Zicam, says it has been aware of the claims for years, and that repeated studies have shown no connection between use and loss of smell. Nevertheless, the FDA is not an agency you can simply market around: When they opt to issue a warning — one of the few truly powerful tools in their tool box — it’s time to throw in the towel. Indeed, Matrixx’s stock dropped 70% in the hours after the announcement, a plunge that caused investors to suffer a loss of balance. more…

Everybody and their brother is jumping onto the nutrition labeling trend these days, so when we hear that another company has implemented Guiding Stars, NuVal, Nutrition IQ or any of the other major programs, it’s not really worth mentioning.

But we can’t let this one slip by: Supervalu, one of the largest supermarket/wholesalers in the country, has just introduced Healthy Elements, a labeling system that it plans to market to independent retailers.

The program’s not radically different from the competition, though it sounds solid. Green labels will be used to identify products that meet Food and Drug Administration criteria for health claims like low cholesterol, low fat, whole grain and gluten free. There are nine claims in all, and the shelf tags will list up to four of these.

It’s a pretty simple idea that adheres to some well-established standards, and that’s what we like about it. Indeed, the whole concept of nutrition labeling is a positive step for the industry, but there have been rumblings indicating consumer confusion over the various standards that are out there. A recent release from the American Dietetic Association points out that a product that may receive a high rating under one system might receive a low score under a different one. more…