Historic Shift: China to Produce More Corn than Rice

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) reports that for the first time in history, China is set to produce more corn than rough rice. The shift depicts the growing affluence by the Chinese middle class and their demand for a more protein-rich diet.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revised its projection of Chinese corn production from 200 million metric tons (7.9 billion bushels) to 208 million metric tons (8.2 billion bushels). The USDA is also predicting a Chinese rough rice production of a little more than 204 million metric tons.

Rice represents the staple food for India and China, however, data suggests people in China are increasing their desire for animal Protein. China has experience a vast growth in meat demand over the past 20 years; poultry has increased 300 percent, pork consumption has increased 85 percent and beef consumption has increased 155 percent.

"Dramatic shifts in corn production are taking place across the globe," stated Kevin Roepke, USGC manager of global trade, "This is stark evidence that today's corn producer is well poised to take advantage of growing global consumerism."

Turkey Sales Higher than Chicken

New Research reveals its turkey, not chicken, that's taking the lead in poultry sales. Research from Mintel on the U.S. poultry market reveals that turkey, duck and other specialty birds grew 6.5 percent in one year, reaching $7.1 billion from year 2011 to 2012.

Growing from $6 billion in 2008, turkey increased most compared to other poultry products. Today, poultry in the U.S. is valued at $30 billion, with chicken accounting for 58 percent of the total poultry market, valued at $17.3 billion, sales of chicken parts grew 4.5 percent year-on-year and whole chickens increased 0.6 percent reaching $5.5 billion.

"The growth of other poultry products over 2011 and 2012 is partly attributed to the increasing popularity of Heritage turkeys, which are bigger, take longer to reach maturity and sell for more than standard turkeys," says John N Frank, category manager for Mintel Food and Drink.

The study showed poultry may be pulling consumers from the red-meat market, with 38 percent of U.S. consumers saying they have increased their consumption of poultry in the last year. Rates have also increased among young adults, reaching 43 percent, compared to the 36 percent of senior consumers.

Ethnic consumers are a driving force behind the poultry market, with 73 percent of Asians or Pacific Islander consumers and 72 percent of Hispanic and African-American consumers cooking chicken at home, as apposed to the 62 percent of White consumers.

Obesity Rates Decline Among U.S. Preschoolers

Obesity and extreme obesity rates among low-income U.S. preschoolers went down for the first time in recent years, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The findings suggest nutrition and anti-obesity initiatives are making headway.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used data from the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System that includes almost 50% of children eligible for federally funded maternal and child health and nutrition programs. The study included 27.5 million children aged 2 to 4 years in 30 states and the District of Columbia.

From 2003 through 2010, the prevalence of obesity decreased slightly from 15.21% to 14.94%. Similarly, the prevalence of extreme obesity decreased from 2.22% to 2.07%. However, from 1998 through 2003, the prevalence of obesity increased from 13.05% to 15.21%, and the prevalence of extreme obesity increased from 1.75% to 2.22%.

From 2003 through 2010, the prevalence of extreme obesity decreased among all racial groups except American Indians/Alaska Natives. The greatest decrease was among 2-year-old and Asian/Pacific Islander children.

Dark Chocolate Cuts Stroke, Heart Disease Risk

Chocolate lovers listen up. Eating flavanol-rich dark chocolate has been found to protect against the risk of heart disease and stroke by improving platelet function within two hours of consumption, according to a new study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health examined the effects of consumption of dark chocolate that was enriched with cocoa extract in the blood of 42 healthy volunteers, 26 women and 16 men. They compared platelet function of the participants who ate enriched dark chocolate with those who ate dark chocolate that contained a lower cocoa and flavanol content, and white chocolate.

Blood and urine samples were obtained and analyzed two hours and six hours after chocolate consumption. They found the dark chocolate enriched with flavan-3-ols significantly decreased platelet activation and aggregation in men, but only decreased platelet aggregation in women.