Two of the wide-ranging seminars from the Prepared Foods R&D Conference touched on the challenge of flavor and sweetener choices.

While some manufacturers are trying to figure out which fats and oils are best used as replacements for trans-fatty acids, others are hoping to boost their nutritional profilewith DHA or DAG. Either way, the fats have people talking.

When trying to raise the flavor bar, many food formulators find themselves worried about their product's nutritional profile. Sodium confers great taste, but is an issue in products that will display a reduced-sodium label. Manufacturers may not know that lactic yeast extracts can create a heightened flavor experience.

Lemons have been historically associated with long sea voyages, where they became famous for protecting sailors from scurvy. Lemons are on the move again, and especially with the popularity of the organic beverage market, organic lemons now are finding their way around the world into corner supermarkets.

Incorporating Olympic champions into marketing campaigns certainly is not new. Winning athletes long have graced boxes of cereal and other food items. However, with the Winter Olympics in full swing this month, Kellogg Co. has taken the opportunity to feature the stories behind the athletes

Research compiled by Whole Foods Market reveals more than a quarter of Americans eat organic foods several times per month, and their reasons are diverse. The 2005 Whole Foods Market Organic Trend Tracker finds the top three reasons are: avoidance of pesticides (70.3%), freshness (68.3%) and health and nutrition (67.1%).

Media attention, concerned parents, an obesity crisis and other factors are fueling a demand for healthful snack choices—be it in schools, at home or for on the go. Manufacturers are responding, with revamped versions of familiar items and stronger promotions behind healthful options.

Hundreds of great chefs meet with America's top food writers to learn, discuss and debate coming food and flavor trends at the Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival.

New from Nestlé USA is its Coffee-Mate Coffee Creamer in a two-liter pump bottle. Each pump is equivalent to a single-use tub of creamer, with approximately 400 “pumps” in all.

The 2006 Prepared Foods' R&D Trends Survey: Weight Control Formulations gives insight into the “rhyme and reason” behind ingredients used to formulate and market weight control products.