Wellness Foods HealthBites: February 2008

Precious Resources

Nourish America, Ojai, Calif., a national four star-rated charity, launched a major new initiative to deliver prenatal nutrition to underprivileged pregnant women to assure the health of new mothers and their infants. The non-profit organization is committed to improving the health of children, families, seniors and veterans through vitamin supplements and nourishing foods, including naturals and organics. Founded in 1999, Nourish America provides daily multivitamins and other nutrients to more than 26,000 needy children at more than 350 partner sites in 37 states. Supporting its mission, both with financial and in-kind contributions are: corporate America, the natural product industry, private citizens, philanthropists and the U.S. Congress and governmental agencies. For more info, or to add your support, go to www.nourishamerica.org.

Better Beverage Choices

Coca-Cola Co.’s Fuze Slenderize Beverages, containing two of Benicia, Calif.-based InterHealth Nutraceuticals weight-management ingredients, Super CitriMax and ChromeMate, will be appearing in high school vending machines across the country. Public schools and processors have been under increased pressure to upgrade the nutrition profile of vending machine offerings. InterHealth Nutraceuticals researches, develops, markets and distributes specialty nutritional ingredients. CitriMax is an all-natural ingredient containing hydroxycitric acid, an extract from the South Asian fruit Garcinia cambogia bound to the essential minerals calcium and potassium. According to InterHealth, Super CitriMax helps maintain healthy weight by suppressing appetite and increasing satiety, while inhibiting fat production without stimulating the nervous system or heart rate.

Jamba Heart Defender

Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, announces its exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement to produce and distribute a line of healthy ready-to-drink beverages with Glendale, Calif.–based Jamba Juice Co. (www.jambajuice.com), the leading blender of fruit and other naturally healthy ingredients. The products will launch under the Jamba brand name later this year and will include both smoothies and juices. They will include Jamba’s signature line of healthy vitamin and mineral boosts, and meet both companies’ high standards for healthiness, taste and quality.

Ingredient Research
Blue Pacific Flavors Inc. (www.bluepacificflavors.com), a supplier of natural and organic-compliant fruit and sweet flavors for the food and beverage industry, announces its strategic collaboration agreement with The Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand Ltd., more commonly known as HortResearch (www.hortresearch.co.nz). HortResearch is an expert in understanding how flavor compounds are produced and interact in fruits and will help Blue Pacific improve its flavor delivery for a more true-to-fruit taste experience. Most importantly, this unique partnership goes a long way to bridge the often difficult gap between commercialization and research.

Have a Tea and a Smile

Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, got the beverage buzz bubbling when it purchased Glaceau last year. This month, the world's largest beverage company announced it’s purchasing a 40-percent stake in Bethesda, Md.-based Honest Tea Inc. (www.honesttea.com), the nation's No. 1 selling brand of organic bottled tea. Founded by social entrepreneur and TeaEO Seth Goldman ten years ago, Honest Tea has been on the leading edge of mission-driven businesses, helping to set the bar for organic, sustainability, Fair Trade and workplace excellence. Honest Tea will continue to operate as an independent business with the same leadership and commitment to its mission.

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Negative Net Impact

In its attempts to label farmed salmon as organic, the USDA's National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has been collecting data and other input from scientists, academics, environmentalists, industry and other stakeholders. In light of this, the Pure Salmon Campaign (www.puresalmon.org) published a paper addressing specific NOSB questions relating to the ecological impact of net-cage fish farming systems and the current rate of escapes in both conventional aquaculture and emerging organic aquaculture industries abroad. The organization’s findings reveal that millions of salmon from net cages escape every year, altering marine environments, coastal rivers and food chains on a global scale. The farmed salmon often compete with native wild salmon for food, habitat and mates, yet are susceptible to weakened immune systems and the spreading of diseases. The Pure Salmon Campaign is a global project of the National Environmental Trust, with partners in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Chile, all working to improve the way salmon is produced.