Timing is everything. This year’s “Annual R&D Trends Report on Weight Management Formulation” was in process as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE—pronounced “fancy”) was underway.

Details of a unique, infrared drying method by Vivid Harvest that preserves the vitamin and antioxidant content and capacity of fruits and vegetables was presented by Rodger Jonas, director of national sales, PL Thomas Inc., in his Prepared Foods’ R&D Application Seminar titled “Effects of Drying Methods on Vitamin C Content.”

Energy beverages used to be one-trick ponies -- fast ponies, but not much else.

I started writing this month’s viewpoint in May, on the plane coming back from my second visit to Thailand.

With bans on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in place or arriving throughout the rest of the world, the U.S. is in the unenviable position of already having up to 90% of its seed and grain crops derived from GMOs.

The fusion of the kitchen and the bar -- through techniques and concoctions that create multisensory experiences -- projects a new future for beverages.

A couple of months ago, the courts ruled against the esteemed Mayor Bloomberg of New York in re: the ban against the sale of soft drinks larger than 16oz. This ignited some interesting debates within the nutrition communication industry (and don’t kid yourself—it is an industry).

Meat analogs used to offer one choice: Either you suffered, or the animal did. Today, processors are artisans at creating meat, poultry and seafood substitutes so good they cluck, moo and…whatever it is fish do.

Those old-fashioned comfort foods—pot pies, pot roasts, chicken and stuffing, brownies, mashed potatoes, etc.—carry strong emotional attachments.

Every day, people are admonished to eat more healthfully. However, they also are bombarded with the coupled force of stress, plus advertisement images of tasty treats that purportedly relieve that same stress. Today’s palates are sophisticated and demanding.