“Wellness” foods are reshaping the way Americans eat, according to a new report from Packaged Facts, publishing division of MarketResearch.com. This report, entitled “Culinary Trend Mapping Report: A Bimonthly Journal of Food and Ingredient Insight,” shows how these wellness foods are being accepted into mainstream culinary avenues from their beginnings along the trend map in white tablecloth establishments to their broad visibility in top chain retailers. What are these wellness foods? They are a wide range of foods, including omega-3 fatty acids and high-fiber snack foods to healthy nut oils, “superfoods” and even dark chocolate.

Marketing wellness foods can be tricky, especially if you want your product to earn an FDA approved health claim. For instance, Grain Processing Corporation counsels its customers on how to achieve a “good or excellent source of dietary fiber” claim using its TruBran™ Corn Bran product. TruBran is made from corn hulls that are washed, heat-treated, dried and then ground. It is uncharacteristically high in fiber, typically about 80% (with a 75% minimum), and yet is uniquely low in starch (<2.0%). TruBran is intended for bran-type products including snacks, cereals, nutrition bars and baked goods. It may be used in levels ranging from 1%-30% in these applications, and is available in various particle sizes.

One product application that includes TruBran corn bran is a cranberry oatmeal breakfast cookie. “We use this food application as an example of what TruBran can do in foods, because quickly and easily consumed breakfast items are very popular today in the industry, especially if they are considered healthy,” explains Tonya Armstrong, senior applications scientist for Grain Processing Corporation. With the use of TruBran corn bran, this cookie qualifies as a “good” source of dietary fiber; it also is made with 100% whole grains and is trans-fat free.

“With the help of the right ingredients in the formulation stage, prepared foods can easily achieve status as wellness foods. Moreover, they may actually impart real health benefits that key groups of consumers, such as the Baby Boomers, are seeking,” concludes Armstrong.

For more information:
Grain Processing Corporation, Muscatine, Iowa
Tonya Armstrong • 800-448-4472 • tonya_armstrong@grainprocessing.com
www.grainprocessing.com