GLOBAL FOOD PRICES DROP SHARPLY IN MAY

New statistics released today by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveals global food prices dropped sharply in May due to generally favorable supplies, growing global economic uncertainties and a strengthening of the U.S. dollar.

The FAO Food Price Index, measuring the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, fell by 4% in May to 204 points, down 9 points from April, the lowest level since September 2011 and about 14% below its peak in February 2011.

"Crop prices have come down sharply from their peak level but they remain still high and vulnerable due to risks related to weather conditions in the critical growing months ahead," said FAO's grain analyst Abdolreza Abbassian.

FAO at the same time raised the forecast for world cereal production by 48.5 million tons since May, mainly on the expectation of a bumper maize crop in the United States. FAO's latest forecast for world cereal production in 2012 stands at a record level of 2.419 million tones, 3.2% up from the 2011 record. The bulk of the increase is expected to originate mainly from maize in the United States amid an early start of the planting season and prevailing favorable growing conditions. As a result, the global coarse grain production is forecast at 1.248 million tons, an 85 million ton increase from the previous year.

The Cereal Price Index averaged 221 points in May, down 1% from April. Wheat prices fell most following improved weather conditions and influenced by maize prices, which plunged following the release of the USDA report projecting a record maize crop in the United States. By contrast, international rice prices rose slightly, mainly on increased purchases ahead of the Ramadan period.

The Oils/Fats Price Index averaged 244 points in May, down 6.8% from April. The drop, which was led by falling soy and palm oil quotations, reversed the upward trend witnessed since December 2011. The Dairy Price Index averaged 164 points in May, down 12% FROM April and the lowest level since October 2009. The recent slide in international dairy prices, uninterrupted since the beginning of the year, mirrors a rebuilding of supplies in major export markets.

The Meat Price Index averaged 179 points in May, barely 1 point below its April value.

The Sugar Price Index averaged 295 points in May, down 9% from April, and as much as 5.6% below their level in May 2011. Sugar prices declined for the third months in a row, reflecting larger availabilities in India, the EU and Thailand, and new supplies from Brazil entering the market. Markets were also pressured by declining oil prices and the strengthening of the U.S. dollar.

FDA Denies Petition to Rename Corn Sugar

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday issued its much-anticipated response denying the Corn Refiners Association’s (CRA) petition to allow the term “corn sugar" as an alternate common or usual name for high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In its response, FDA said “there are not sufficient grounds to warrant this substitution" and the action would only serve to confuse U.S. consumers and could even pose a health risk to those suffering from fructose intolerance.

In its petition, filed in September 2010 and amended in July 2011, CRA requested FDA amend the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) affirmation regulation for HFCS to designate “corn sugar" as an optional name for HFCS; the standard of identity for dextrose monohydrate to eliminate “corn sugar" as an alternate name for dextrose; and the GRAS affirmation regulation for corn sugar (21 CFR 184.1857) to replace all references to “corn sugar" with “dextrose.

In the May 30 letter sent to CRA President Audrae Erickson, Michael M. Landa, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, addressed all three arguments.

FDA said the use of the term “corn sugar" for HFCS would suggest that HFCS is a solid, dried, and crystallized sweetener obtained from corn. Instead, HFCS is an aqueous solution sweetener derived from corn after enzymatic hydrolysis of cornstarch, followed by enzymatic conversion of glucose (dextrose) to fructose. Thus, the use of the term “sugar" to describe HFCS, a product that is a syrup, would not accurately identify or describe the basic nature of the food or its characterizing properties. As such, using the term “sugar" would not be consistent with the general principles governing common or usual names under 21 CFR 102.5.

FDA also said the petition does not support amending FDA’s longstanding regulations, which describe and define corn sugar as “dextrose," to instead identify corn sugar as an alternative name for a sweetener that is different from dextrose. “We are not persuaded by the arguments in the petition that consumers do not associate ‘corn sugar’ with dextrose. The term ‘corn sugar’ has been used to describe dextrose for over 30 years. The Select Committee on GRAS Substances used the term “corn sugar" to describe dextrose as early as 1976.

Finally, FDA said “corn sugar" has been known to be an allowed ingredient for individuals with hereditary fructose intolerance or fructose malabsorption, who have been advised to avoid ingredients that contain fructose. Because such individuals have associated “corn sugar" to be an acceptable ingredient to their health when “high fructose corn syrup" is not, changing the name for HFCS to “corn sugar" could put these

Addressing FDA's decision, CRA issued a statement that read in part: "The Food & Drug Administration denied our petition to use the term corn sugar to describe high fructose corn syrup on narrow, technical grounds. They did not address or question the overwhelming scientific evidence that high fructose corn syrup is a form of sugar and is nutritionally the same as other sugars. The fact remains–which FDA did not challenge–that the vast majority of American consumers are confused about HFCS. Consumers have the right to know what is in their foods and beverages in simple, clear language that enables them to make well-informed dietary decisions. In light of the FDA’s technical decision, it is important to note that the agency continues to consider HFCS as a form of added sugar, and requires that it be identified to consumers in the category of sugars on the Nutrition Fact Panel on foods and beverages."

Eating fruits and vegetables may help smokers quit

Eating fruits and vegetables may help some people quit smoking, a new study suggests.

In the study, smokers who ate the most fruit and vegetables were three times more likely to be tobacco-free for at least 30 days than those who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables, the researchers said.

The results held even after the researcher's took into account factors that could influence people's likelihood of successfully staying away from smoking, including the participants' age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, household income and how frequently they exercised, drank heavily or used illicit drugs.

The study also found that smokers with higher fruit and vegetable consumption smoked fewer cigarettes per day, waited longer to smoke their first cigarette of the day and scored lower on a commonly-used test of nicotine dependence.

"We may have identified a new tool that can help people quit smoking ," said study researcher Jeffrey P. Haibach, a graduate research assistant at the University of Buffalo.

However, the study showed an association, and not a cause-effect link. More research is needed to confirm the findings, and identify the possible mechanisms that could explain how eating fruits and vegetables may help smokers quit.

Haibach and colleagues surveyed 1,000 smokers ages 25 and older in the United States in telephone interviews. Fourteen months later, participants were contacted again, and asked if they had abstained from tobacco use during the previous month.

To be included in the study, participants had to have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, and have been currently smoking daily or on some days at the study's start.

Several explanations for the findings are possible: people who consume a lot of fruits and vegetables may be less nicotine dependent , or may have a decreased desire to smoke, the researchers said.

Fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber, which may give people a sense of satiety or fullness so that they feel less of a need to smoke. Smokers sometimes confuse hunger with an urge to smoke, Haibach said.

And unlike some foods which are known to enhance the taste of tobacco, such as meats, caffeinated beverages and alcohol, fruits and vegetables may actually worsen the taste of cigarettes, Haibach said.

The study was published May 21 in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

OTG, an operator of restaurants in airports, is deploying more than 7,000 iPads at three major airports

OTG today announced that it is deploying more than 7,000 new iPads at three major airports over the next 18 months to give travelers a new level of access to tech amenities and high-quality food at the gates.

This unprecedented platform represents an investment of more than $10 million in technology and infrastructure alone. Combined with OTG's newly renovated chef-driven restaurants, the company is dramatically improving the traveler's airport experience.

To date, OTG has deployed 300 new iPads in LaGuardia Airport Terminal D, with hundreds more to be installed throughout the terminal during the summer. The full deployment at the three major airport hubs will occur over the next 18 months. OTG will deploy more than 2,000 new iPads at LaGuardia Terminals C & D; an additional 2,500 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; and another 2,500 new iPads throughout Toronto Pearson International Airport.

"We believe this to be the largest deployment of consumer-facing iPads in the world, and for us, it's just the beginning," said Rick Blatstein, chief executive officer of OTG. "We have plans to roll out thousands of additional iPads at other airports around the United States and the world. Technology is an important complement to the customer service experience."

For travelers, this means a new level of comfort at the airport. The experience starts when a customer sits down in front of a new iPad at one of OTG's chef-driven restaurants or newly renovated seating areas at the gates. From there, they can order meals through an intuitive visual menu, where OTG wait staff is on hand to assist throughout the entire process. Orders are then prepared fresh, and delivered to their seat in 15 minutes or less.

Ordering food through an iPad is just the beginning. With OTG's custom browser, travelers can easily log in to their Facebook, Twitter and personal email accounts, and be confident that their personal information is securely removed from the iPad the moment the home button is pressed. Travelers can also check their flight status, play games and watch the news through pre-loaded apps such as Bloomberg News on the iPads.

Making the experience even more engaging, travelers can pick up the iPad out of its custom designed stand, hold it in their hands and plug in their own headphones for sound. OTG retained technology firm Control Group to develop this custom application suite, which brings the personal experience of the iPad to the public space.

"This is a unique deployment that has no precedent," Blatstein remarked. "We're marrying culinary excellence at the airport with new media. In addition to the content we are already offering, we see this as a significant opportunity for broader deployment of digital content from movies to news to games."

High res images and broadcast quality B-Roll footage are available to support this announcement. Please access at this OTG site.