Aflatoxins in the U.S. Food Supply

Not many of us know that aflatoxins contamination has been recorded as contributing to 25% of estimated loss of the world’s food supply. However, some of us may see aflatoxin in the news every so often being associated with food recalls. These food reliability and safety issues are why aflatoxin is on the radar of government organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the European Food Safety Authority. What are aflatoxins? Aflatoxins are part of a larger group of toxins called mycotoxins, which are toxic metabolites that are produced by certain types of fungi and can infect agricultural commodities and make food inedible. Aflatoxins are mainly produced from the Aspergillus species, usually in poor storage or adverse weather conditions. Aspergillus is a species of filamentous fungi found in soil, seeds and grains and decaying vegetation. The contamination occurs when Aspergillus species reproduce in favorable conditions (high temperature and humidity), invading the crop. There are four major types of aflatoxins: B1, B2, G1 and G2, which are named according to the mechanisms of detection (e.g., blue or green fluorescence under UV light). Aflatoxin B1 is the most common in food and is highly toxic having carcinogenic properties. In addition to these four, there is aflatoxin M1, which is produced as a byproduct of the B1 toxin undergoing an enzymatic process in milk and milk products. Now that you know what aflatoxins are and how they’re produced, let’s explore if they could be impacting how we build our grocery lists. Aflatoxins in food Many farmers and food producers in the United States are faced with aflatoxin contamination. In the southern and midsouth regions of the US, aflatoxins have been a recurring issue in corn leading to $20+ million lost. Aflatoxin contaminations have been reported in food and animal feed being […]

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The International Food Information Council Releases New Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling Research To Help Consumers Make Healthier Food and Beverage Choices 

(Washington, D.C.) — The use of Front-of-Package (FOP) nutrition labeling schemes has increased dramatically worldwide in recent decades. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated qualitative and quantitative consumer research to explore the development of a FOP nutrition labeling scheme. Given the multiple FOP initiatives underway at the FDA and health agencies throughout the world, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) has released the results of its most recent quantitative consumer study on FOP nutrition labeling, Front-Of-Package (FOP) Nutrition Labeling: Front & Center Food Information To Encourage Healthy Choices.    “Nutrition communications are ever-evolving, and so must on-label communications if we want to keep pace with today’s consumer. Too often, the consumer’s voice is left out of food policy conversations. That is why IFIC’s new Front-of-Pack labeling study and the work currently being done by FDA to understand consumer interpretations of Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling concepts is so critical,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President & CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC).     IFIC is one of the first to publish results on consumer reactions to FOP labels being considered by the FDA for a potential standardized FOP scheme on food packaging. IFIC’s study also included FOP labels with calorie and dietary fiber information, two elements not included in the FDA’s current prototype FOP labels.    “One of the many intriguing findings from our new research is that no single FOP scheme was best for helping people identify the healthiest and least healthy food label,” said Kris Sollid, RDN, IFIC Senior Director of Research & Consumer Insights. “However, people found it easier to select the healthiest choice when calories and fiber, a health-promoting nutrient that Americans do not eat enough of, were included on Front-of-Pack labels. By including this information front and center on food packaging, consumers may […]

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Your Guide to Mindful Eating

Download the Mindful Eating Fact Sheet here Mindfulness is an ancient practice of being present with our internal and external environments. It can be defined as a “quality of consciousness that is characterized by continually attending to one’s moment-to-moment experiences, thoughts, and emotions with an open, non-judgmental approach.”1 Mindfulness has been used in a variety of therapeutic settings, as it can improve the way we process emotions and help us reduce stress. In recent years, the practice of mindfulness has been translated to the world of nutrition to help people increase awareness while eating and establish nourishing eating patterns. WHAT IS MINDFUL EATING? Mindful eating is about listening to our physical sensations—like hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues—and taking time to notice our thoughts and emotions while eating so that we can have a more enjoyable and healthful eating experience.1 Mindful eating involves: While more studies are needed, research has demonstrated that mindful eating can decrease unhealthy eating behaviors such as binge eating, emotional eating, and external eating. RESEARCH Binge eating Two literature reviews on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have found that these interventions decreased the incidence of binge-eating episodes (recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food often very quickly and to the point of discomfort and feeling of a loss of control while doing so). 2,3 These results were seen when mindfulness-based interventions specifically addressed eating behaviors and were combined with one of the following mindfulness training implementations: cognitive-behavioral therapies (which involve learning how to change unhelpful thinking patterns and/or behaviors), mindful eating programs and/or acceptance-based interventions (which encourage acceptance of thoughts/feelings and commitment to change). It’s worth noting that results did not improve when the intervention employed a general mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program without including content related to eating behaviors. Emotional eating In a systematic review of MBIs, […]

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What You Need To Know About Color Additives in Foods

We often hear about how we eat with our eyes first—and it turns out there’s some truth behind this notion. The visual appearance of the foods we eat can influence our experience and affect the way we perceive, taste, and smell our meals. Perhaps the most prominent visual component of our food—color—has even been used historically to identify important nutritional and medicinal values in our produce sources. And color additives have consistently been used as a relatively simple way producers and manufacturers use to alter a food’s appearance and improve its palatability. In fact, humans have been using color additives for centuries to preserve and enhance our food’s appearance. Color additives refer to any dye, pigment, or substance that gives color to a food. Color is used to enhance the attractiveness of a food by creating visual vibrancy, adding a new and appealing color to a food, or preventing a food’s original color from fading. Color additives can be made from natural or synthetic sources. Natural sources refer to those derived from nature and the Earth’s environment, whereas synthetic sources are chemically manufactured by specialized companies and food producers. Natural substances including spices (e.g., paprika, turmeric, and saffron) and minerals (e.g., iron), have been used to alter foods’ appearances since the beginning of recorded history. Even wine has been found to be artificially colored since around 300 BCE. Unfortunately, some substances that have been used to add color to foods have misled customers and created unsafe side effects, and there has been historic documentation about food adulteration regulations at least as far back as the time of England’s King Edward I (1272–1307), when some bakers used lime, chalk, or crushed bones to create disingenuous white bread. Sadly, toxic colorants have also been regularly used in recent history, including copper to […]

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For Medicaid Recipients, Food Insecurity Goes Hand-in-Hand with Stress, Depression, Overweight/Obesity

October 9, 2018 While Medicaid recipients express similar desires for their health as non-recipients, they are having a more difficult time achieving those outcomes, reporting far higher food insecurity, more health problems and greater stress about their food decisions than the general population. For the first time in the 13-year history of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s Food and Health Survey, an oversample of Medicaid beneficiaries was conducted in partnership with The Root Cause Coalition to explore the unique health and nutrition issues facing over 66 million Americans covered by the program. According to the survey, Medicaid recipients experience far greater rates of food insecurity across many indicators compared to the general population. About one-third (32 percent) often purchase less-healthy food options than they otherwise would because of lack of money, more than twice the rate (13 percent) of non-recipients. Similarly, nearly one-third often purchase less food overall (28 percent) because of money, nearly three times the rate (10 percent) of non-recipients. A similar number (27 percent) worry that their food will run out before they get money to buy more, compared to just 7 percent of non-recipients. And 43 percent of Medicaid recipients say they often skip at least one meal a day, compared with 28 percent of non-recipients. But even though their means may be lacking, Medicaid recipients have similar aspirations for good health as the general population. Among the top health-related benefits Medicaid beneficiaries seek from food and nutrients, 17 percent cite cardiovascular health (compared to 21 percent of non-recipients), 15 percent cite weight loss or management (compared to 21 percent of non-recipients), and 12 percent desire greater energy (compared to 13 percent of non-recipients). Also on the positive side of the ledger, 59 percent of Medicaid recipients report getting information on foods to eat or avoid from their personal healthcare professional—79 percent of whom said they made changes in their eating habits as a result. But the inability to […]

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2019 IFIC Food & Health Survey: Spotlight On Gen X Consumers

Generation X got its name because it was considered to be harder to describe or understand—think “planet X” or “the X factor”—than their much-studied Baby Boomer predecessors. With Gen Xers (ages 40 to 55) now in middle age, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, in partnership with the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), released a new survey that examines their food and health attitudes, with a particular focus on their behaviors and perceptions related to diet and cancer risk Among the findings: American Gen-X consumers are much more focused on weight loss than other age groups, a strong majority believes that lifestyle factors have at least some impact on the risk of developing cancer, and nearly half say their food and beverage purchases are impacted by whether they might reduce the risk of developing cancer. “With middle age comes more attention to our health and what we eat,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of the IFIC Foundation. “Our research suggests that Gen Xers have distinct ideas about the relationships between our diets and diseases that are manifested in their food choices and behaviors.” The results supplement the IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey—released in May—of the broader adult population (ages 18 to 80). It follows earlier in-depth looks at Baby Boomers and Millennials. “From our extensive scientific research, we know that around 40% of cancers are preventable and that being at a healthy weight is the single biggest lifestyle step to protect against cancer,” says AICR Director of Nutrition Programs Sheena Patel Swanner. “It’s great to see that the 2019 Food and Health Survey indicates that nearly half of all Gen X consumers say their purchases are impacted by whether a food/beverage might reduce their risk of developing cancer. Now is a better time than ever to continue […]

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Interest in Sustainability, Plant-Based Diets Among Trends in IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food & Health Survey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 22, 2019 DOWNLOAD THE SURVEY (Washington, D.C.)—Topics like sustainability, plant-based diets and clean eating seem to permeate news about food, but it turns out they’re not just buzzwords or “flavors of the week.” IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey shows genuine and growing interest in these and other trends. The 2019 edition marks the 14th consecutive year that IFIC Foundation has surveyed American consumers to understand their perceptions, beliefs and behaviors around food and food-purchasing decisions. Sustained Interest in Sustainability Previous Food and Health Surveys asked consumers about their views on sustainability, but their interpretations of the concept varied. This year’s Food & Health Survey gets more specific by asking consumers what they look for in order to know whether a product is environmentally sustainable. Every year the survey identifies leading factors that impact food and beverage purchases. Every Survey has seen “taste” reign supreme and in 2019 the trend continues. Deemed important by 86% of consumers, the impact of taste on purchasing decisions is up significantly from 81% in 2018. Other factors such as “price” (68%), “healthfulness” (62%) and “convenience” (57%) held steady. “Sustainability” as a purchase driver registered in the mid- to high-30 percentages through the years, but the 2019 refinement to “environmental sustainability” resulted in a drop to 27%, indicating that consumers may think of more than the environment when it comes to sustainability. Regardless of the impact on purchasing decisions, over half of consumers (54%) say it’s at least somewhat important that the products they buy be produced in an environmentally sustainable way. Among those 54%, many look for specific labels or attributes to assess whether they believe a product is environmentally sustainable: 51% perceive products that are locally produced as environmentally sustainable, followed by products literally labeled as sustainably produced […]

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Food, Health and the Gen X-Factor: A Generation Concerned About Weight and Relationships Between Diet and Disease

Download the full report. (Washington, D.C.)—Generation X got its name because it was considered to be harder to describe or understand—think “planet X” or “the X factor”—than their much-studied Baby Boomer predecessors. With Gen Xers (ages 40 to 55) now in middle age, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, in partnership with the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), released a new survey that examines their food and health attitudes, with a particular focus on their behaviors and perceptions related to diet and cancer risk. Among the findings: American Gen-X consumers are much more focused on weight loss than other age groups, a strong majority believes that lifestyle factors have at least some impact on the risk of developing cancer, and nearly half say their food and beverage purchases are impacted by whether they might reduce the risk of developing cancer. “With middle age comes more attention to our health and what we eat,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of the IFIC Foundation. “Our research suggests that Gen Xers have distinct ideas about the relationships between our diets and diseases that are manifested in their food choices and behaviors.” The results supplement the IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey—released in May—of the broader adult population (ages 18 to 80). It follows earlier in-depth looks at Baby Boomers and Millennials. “From our extensive scientific research, we know that around 40% of cancers are preventable and that being at a healthy weight is the single biggest lifestyle step to protect against cancer,” says AICR Director of Nutrition Programs Sheena Patel Swanner. “It’s great to see that the 2019 Food and Health Survey indicates that nearly half of all Gen X consumers say their purchases are impacted by whether a food/beverage might reduce their risk of developing cancer. Now is a better […]

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