A recent study has unearthed some positive news about drinking coffee and consuming caffeine.

The results, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, show that drinking more coffee may reduce the risk of developing type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes. Comparing coffee drinkers with those who avoid java, the study showed that women who consumed more than six 8-oz. cups of caffeinated coffee per day reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly 30%. The results were even more pronounced in men, whose risk dropped by about 50%. Those drinking decaf enjoyed some risk reduction but not the same—a 25% drop for men and 15% for women.

Researchers now hope to investigate whether the effects really are linked to coffee or if it is due to something about the coffee drinkers.

The study involved more than 126,000 people over a period of 12 to 18 years. Every two to four years, the participants completed questionnaires describing, among other things, their intake of coffee and tea. No statistically significant link was found between diabetes and tea.

“The evidence is quite strong that regular coffee is protective against diabetes,” said Dr. Frank Hu, one of the researchers with the Harvard School of Public Health (Boston). “The question is whether we should recommend coffee consumption as a strategy. I don't think we're there yet.”

THE IN BOX

  • International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (New York) will begin construction on a new state-of-the-art Culinary & Bakery Center in the first quarter of 2004. The facility will be built at the existing North America Regional Creative Center in South Brunswick, N.J. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2004.

  • D.D. Williamson (Louisville, Ky.) added Stuart Watson as technical sales manager for its U.S. subsidiary.

  • Stefanie Katz joined David Michael & Co. (Philadelphia) as human resources specialist. Gerard Giuffrida is now maintenance supervisor at the Philadelphia facility. Eduardo Villagómez Menéndez was hired as an account manager for David Michael de México.

  • Sargento Foods Inc. (Plymouth, Wis.) promoted four senior executives to new responsibilities: Bob Clouston is now the company's president and chief customer officer; Mike Gordy is president of the consumer products division; Kevin Delahunt is president of the food ingredients division; and Brad Flatoff is senior vice president of marketing.

  • Dawn Food Products Inc. (Jackson, Mich.) has completed its previously announced acquisition of the bakery business of Bunge North America, the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited, for $76 million.

  • Cognis Nutrition and Health (LaGrange, Ill.) added Scott Backman as market development manager—Functional Food and Food Technology.

  • Astaris LLC (St. Louis) announced that its food, pharmaceutical and technical grade phosphate manufacturing facilities recently received superior ratings on the annual AIB International (AIBI) audits.

  • The Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Lincoln, Neb.) announced the 2004 “From Recipe to Reality” seminar dates at its East Campus location. Seminars are scheduled for February 6, April 3, June 1, August 18 and October 18. A seminar also will be held in Chicago on August 6.

  • Roger K. Deromedi, previously co-CEO of Kraft Foods Inc. (Northfield, Ill.), has been named chief executive officer with the company. Betsy Holden, formerly co-CEO, will continue in a global leadership position and remain a member of the company's board of directors.

  • Charles Ross and Son Company (Hauppauge, N.Y.) has announced the expansion of its Test and Development Center located at the company's headquarters in Hauppauge, N.Y.

    n Robertet Flavors Inc. (Piscataway, N.J.) named Dave Youngster director of logistics and Peggy Anderson associate food technologist. The company also was the recipient of a Specialty Award from Ocean Spray (Lakeville-Middleboro, Mass.).

  • Silliker Inc. (Homewood, Ill.) appointed Kathy Reynolds as corporate client services sales manager, replacing Deb Paulsen-Hogue, who is now corporate client services sales director with the company. In addition, the company has relocated its Mexico City operation to a new testing facility.

  • Ruiz Foods (Dinuba, Calif.) named Mark Hannay senior vice president of retail sales and marketing.

  • American Culinary Institute (San Francisco) has announced the appointment of nine new members to its ACI National Chef Board. The new ACI National Chef Board (NCB) members include James Benson, Andrew Chase, Kerry Heffernan, Daniel Orr, Francois Payard, Marc Poidevin, Paul Sale, Rick Tramonto, and Wolfgang von Wieser.

  • Tyson Foods Inc. (Springdale, Ark.) named John Grass vice president of input exposure management; Shirdena Twymon vice president of organizational change; and Rayna Henderson vice president of management and organizational development.

  • McDonald's Corp. (Oak Brook, Ill.) began its “Real Life Choices” at its 650 restaurants in New York City. The campaign is designed to help dieters choose the healthier items on its menu.

  • Del Monte Foods Co. (San Francisco) hired Melissa C. Plaisance as senior vice president of finance and corporate communications.

  • The International Dairy Foods Association (Washington) named Connie Tipton president and CEO.

  • Burger King Corp. (Miami) appointed Dr. Joanne V. Lichten as chief nutritionist.

  • J&J Snack Foods Corp. (Pennsauken, N.J.) has acquired the bakery assets of Country Home Bakers Inc. (Atlanta).

  • Harry's Fresh Foods (Portland) has announced it will be packaging a large selection of its fresh soups, entrées, sauces and desserts under SYSCO Foodservice, Inc.'s (Houston) brand. These will be distributed to many foodservice establishments throughout the U.S.

  • Golden Peanut Co. LLC (Alpharetta, Ga.) broke ground on its new Peanut Flour, Roasted Aromatic Peanut Oil, and Peanut Extract plant in Blakely, Ga.

    Going Mad

    DNA tests have confirmed the “mad” cow found in Washington in December came from Canada, serving as another blow to the troubled Canadian cattle industry. The industry in Canada has lost more than $1.9 billion since May's discovery of a mad cow in Alberta. Investigations are still underway to determine how the animal became infected and whether any additional animals in Canada should be tested.

    For its part, the U.S. has implemented additional safeguards to boost the safety against mad cow disease, a.k.a. bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). These include removing certain animals and specified risk material and tissues from the human food chain; requiring additional process controls for establishments using advanced meat recovery (AMR); holding meat from cattle being tested for BSE until the test is confirmed negative; and prohibiting the air-injection stunning of cattle.

    The find already has taken a toll on American cattle exports, as Japan, South Korea and several other Asian nations moved quickly to avoid possibly infected meat. However, certain areas of America's beef industry might see the madness as a positive.

    Many organic beef producers in the U.S. believe the mad cow scare will boost demand for organic meat, which is from animals fed only milk, grasses and grains from birth to slaughter. Scientists suspect BSE is spread through cattle feed containing protein or bone meal from infected cows or sheep. Such products are banned, but some food industry observers believe the law has loopholes and often is not enforced.