Better-for-you foods continue to proliferate as food companies vie for the attention of increasingly health-conscious consumers. It’s become such an expectation that in some categories, you face a competitive disadvantage if your product line isn’t "better for you" in one way or another. But what are the health benefits consumers are looking for today? Are your products delivering the right ones? And how are current food and diet trends influencing consumer perceptions of what’s healthy?

With 66% of global consumers willing to pay more for sustainable brands,¹ it’s no wonder the food industry has started paying attention. Both Mintel² and Innova³ identified sustainable food as a key trend for this year. Learn how manufacturers are responding to consumer preferences for sustainable products, explore the top sustainable food trends, and see what's next for sustainable foods.

Last year, scientists made a connection between a rare disease that had begun showing up in dogs—taurine-deficient dilated cardiomyopathy—and grain-free dog foods. But unlike cats, for example, dogs can synthesize their own taurine. So what’s going on here? Learn why veterinarians are calling for manufacturers to fortify their dog foods with taurine and why taurine is so essential for pets.

The esports market, forecast to reach $2.17 billion by 2023,¹ has become a global phenomenon with international tournaments, professional gamers, sponsors, merchandise, and more. Gamers, known for their brand loyalty and strength as influencers on social media, remain a largely untapped market for food and beverage manufacturers. Learn how products like G FUEL—The Official Energy Drink of Esports—are addressing the unique needs of gamers and how your company can get in the game, too!

IFT’s 2019 Food Expo made downtown New Orleans the place to be for food product developers and marketers across the country. From June 2nd to 5th, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center hosted more than 17,000 attendees and over 1,200 exhibitors. Highlights included trends in flavors and global cuisines, themes such as plant-based and sugar reduction, and sessions on traceability and connecting with consumers across generations. Read on to catch up on everything you might have missed, including this year’s competition winners!

Did you know that June is Men’s Health Month? Across the country, health advocates are reminding men and boys to take care of their health—and good health starts with good nutrition. Healthy nutrition choices are especially important for men because good nutrition impacts heart health, mood, and energy levels, along with supporting wellness goals like increasing strength and maintaining a healthy weight. Learn about the latest nutrient and calorie recommendations for men and whether today’s diet trends are good or bad for men’s health.

The mainstreaming of sports nutrition has pushed the category into new directions. As the consumer base evolves, manufacturers must be willing to change their approach to address the diverse needs of serious athletes, as well as the so-called “active lifestyle consumers.” Check out this year’s top sports nutrition trends and what today's consumer is looking for.

Healthy nutrition is the top consideration for nearly half (46%) of parents when deciding which foods to buy for their kids, according to market research firm Packaged Facts.¹ But what does a healthy nutrition label mean to today’s parents? Learn how the demands of Millennial parents are creating a new wave of better-for-you children’s foods, complete with taste adventure and on-the-go packaging.

The U.S. ready-to-drink (RTD) sports drink market has grown to $6.5 billion annually thanks to new categories of consumers.¹ Learn how the broad appeal of convenient, healthy refreshment is winning fans beyond the sports crowd and which innovations can help RTD beverage manufacturers capitalize on this growing opportunity.

With the new nutrition label regulations, we’re looking at big changes in vitamin D labeling—including mandatory nutrition labeling and a doubling of the Daily Value. Although the “sunshine vitamin” can be produced in the skin with sufficient sun exposure, lifestyle factors like less time outdoors and widespread use of sunscreen mean that Americans are struggling to get enough vitamin D. Read on to learn how much vitamin D we actually need, the best food sources, and which labeling changes impact this nutrient of concern. 

Here’s everything you need to know about the best sources of iron, how much iron we actually need, and how to label iron under the new nutrition label regulations. 

While food and beverage manufacturers are gearing up for the new nutrition label compliance deadlines, many still have questions about why these changes are even necessary. Here we discuss why the FDA has decided to change the labeling status of vitamin C from mandatory to voluntary—even though vitamin C has been identified as an underconsumed nutrient in America.

Did you know that the vast majority of Americans are not consuming adequate amounts of potassium? Less than 2% are meeting the recommendations for potassium,¹ and the average intake is only 55% of the recommended amount.² Since potassium helps regulate things like heartbeat and blood pressure, it’s no wonder the FDA is making potassium a mandatory label nutrient on the new nutrition label. Here’s everything you need to know about this vital nutrient.

According to IRI data, 2018 was another lackluster year for the bread category with dollar sales up only 0.6% and unit sales down 1.6%.¹ But bakery has traits that consumers are looking for—like fresh, convenient, high fiber, and whole grain—so what’s going on? The time has come for a turnaround in bakery. Frozen foods did it, and bakery can, too. Here’s how.

A MOOVING TREND

Recently, trends have emerged that encourage the population to completely eliminate dairy from the daily diet. Diets such as Paleo, Vegan, and the Whole 30 remove dairy from the diet because they claim that this elimination will aid in weight loss and improve digestion. However, dairy is essential to the health of Americans! The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) cover 3 “recommended eating patterns” all which include dairy.

Biotin is a stable B vitamin that functions in the metabolism of macronutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, and proteins. Other names for biotin include vitamin B7, vitamin H, or coenzyme R. Biotin is a coenzyme involved in the creation of nucleic acids and fatty acids. Additionally, biotin is an important factor in the creation of fats, specifically for adequate fat production in the body. Even though biotin is responsible for the production of fat, it is not stored in the fatty tissues. In fact, biotin is a water soluble vitamin, nontoxic, and excreted from the body. Low biotin intake causes an adverse effect of fat metabolism. (1).

The United States population consumes well below the recommended amounts of fiber (1). The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines has recognized dietary fiber as a nutrient of public health concern (2).

Here's a look at everything you need to know about what’s happening right now in baking—from spinach bread to charcoal croissants to crackers that resemble Swiss cheese. 

The first time I came across someone with Celiac disease was in college on a night out to a restaurant. I never heard of the disease and I rarely ever heard about gluten-free food. So as we were ordering food, hearing someone say they couldn’t eat most things on the menu was surprising to me, even a little annoying, because I couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal. However, when I learned how painful and demoralizing it can be to have Celiac disease, it really made me rethink how important it is to for the victims to have food that is good for them to eat.

Did you know that in the past four years, the grocery store perimeter has experienced a growth rate of more than double that of the center of the store, with a CAGR of 3.8% for the perimeter, compared to 1.8% for the rest of the store?¹ Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods and subsequent price cutting initiative in fresh foods indicates strong awareness of this trend.

What’s in a loaf? A basic loaf of bread contains four ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt.¹ But if we stop there, we’ll have a European-style bread that goes stale in a day.² Bread that is mass produced and distributed needs a little help from food science to achieve machining tolerance, volume and texture consistency, and delayed staling.

Emojis are a great start if you are looking for something new to revamp your products.

Ascorbic Acid, or more commonly known as Vitamin C, is naturally found in citrus fruits and many vegetables. It is considered an antioxidant.

The baking industry has made huge leaps in the gluten-free trend. As people become more aware of their food habits, their demand for food they can safely eat has increased. Here at Watson, we have come up with a line of gluten-free mixes that can be used in restaurants and food service institutions.