Hitting the Shelves: Global Trends -- September 2009
Superfruits have gained notoriety in recent years, due to
their high antioxidant content and disease-fighting capabilities. Usually
consumed through juices or other natural beverages, Superfruits have recently
been utilized in other forms, such as snack foods and energy drinks. In China,
Ningxiahong has opted to use a lesser known, but increasingly significant
Superfruit, goji berries. Its Goji Berry Wine features the slogan “a sip a day
keeps the doctor away.” Wine has been noted for its disease-fighting
capabilities, and now, with the addition of this Superfruit, Ningxiahong has
differentiated itself from competing red wines on the market.
The Raw Food movement is widely perceived as the next step from vegetarianism
and veganism. “Raw foodists” believe nothing should be cooked over 46 degrees
Celsius, because it damages the nutrients in the food. In Germany, Lifefood
markets its food as undamaged by cooking, baking or pasteurizing. With the
launch of an Organic Raw Handmade Chocolate Bar, the company is catering to raw
foodists with a sweet tooth. The chocolate is made from unroasted, raw cacao
beans and is free from dairy products, refined sugar, soy lecithin and gluten.
It is claimed to be a “live” chocolate, full of nutrients, enzymes and energy.
According to the company, the chocolate is sweetened with cold-processed,
low-glycemic agave syrup, making it diabetic-friendly.