Weekly Roundup: PURIS seeks to boost regenerative agriculture, Salt Institute announces its dissolution

08 Mar 2019 --- In industry news this week, PURIS partnered with 400 farmers to boost sustainable, regenerative agriculture, while the US-based Salt Institute announced its dissolution, ending its 105-year run in advocating salt’s benefits. In research news, a study from the University of British Columbia (UBC), revealed that the consumption of fruit and vegetables in Canada has dropped by 13 percent in the span of a decade. In other news, Milk Specialties Global will present its line of on-the-go dairy protein options at the Natural Products Expo West 2019, held this week in Anaheim, California, US.

In brief: Business news
US food processing company PURIS is partnering with over 400 farmers with more than 200,000 acres of farmland in a bid to find solutions towards a more sustainable supply chain and support regenerative agriculture. “For over 30 years, regenerative agriculture has been the foundation of our business, bringing life back to deprived habitats while working with natural systems to reverse climate change and rebuild healthy soil,” notes PURIS President Tyler Lorenzen. The company will showcase its ingredients, grown at partner farms across the US, that impact the triple bottom line: “bettering business, the planet and people,” at this year's Natural Products Expo West 2019.

US based trade association the Salt Institute has released a statement announcing its dissolution, effective March 31, 2019. The association was established in 1914 and has worked towards advocating the uses and benefits of salt, such as in winter roadway safety, improving water quality and nutrition. During its 100-year run, the Salt Institute has laid the foundation towards a better understanding from the public of the importance of salt. The association says it hopes that its member companies will continue to expand their knowledge base and focus their resources on delivering products, services and solutions that meet consumers’ needs. 

In brief: Research news, Canada has seen a 13 percent drop in fruit and vegetable consumption within the past decade. This is according to two surveys conducted 11 years apart, from the UBC, published in Nutrients. The research found that the consumption of milk and dairy also dropped between 2004 and 2015, but worryingly meat and alternatives consumption increased in 2015 compared to 2005. “It's essential to look at what foods people are eating and whether food group intakes have changed over time to identify challenges and opportunities to promote healthier eating patterns among Canadians,” says Claire Tugault-Lafleur, Postdoctoral Fellow in UBC's Food, Nutrition and Health program and lead author of the study. “While some studies have reported trends in Canadians’ intake of macronutrients like energy and total sugars, nobody had looked at differences in food group intakes during this period,” she notes.

Skipping breakfast is common among schoolchildren in Greece and this links to an unhealthy lifestyle profile. This is according to a study published in Nutrition & Dietetics whose findings may prove useful in developing policies to promote breakfast consumption in children. The researchers followed roughly 170,000 Greek children ages 8-17 and found that one in four skip breakfast (22 percent of boys and 23 percent of girls). The study found that skipping breakfast at a young age is associated with being female, being overweight/obese, following a poorer diet, getting inadequate physical activity, getting insufficient sleep and having increased screen time.

In brief: Other news 
Milk Specialties Global (MSG) is presenting its line of on-the-go protein options at Natural Products Expo West 2019 this week. MSG’s dairy protein ingredients “pack a powerful nutritional punch” and are suitable for product applications ranging from active nutrition to convenient and clean-tasting, keto-friendly snacks. “As consumers become more educated on the importance of protein quality, they are increasingly looking for complete, high-quality proteins of which dairy is at the top of the list,” notes MSG Vice President of Sales Michael Hiron. “Dairy protein fortification has been mainstream for some time now and especially popular in beverages, ice cream and on-the-go snacks. We are excited to see our customers at Expo West, but also love talking to potential new customers about how we can help them.” Among the concepts to be showcased at the event are PRObev Gummies, BARsoft double chocolate energy bites, PRObev tropical lemon mango and Creamy chocolate keto shake mix.