Posted on 05/29/2003 11:59:13 AM PDT by NotQuiteCricket
Now, food companies and retailers are hoping for similar happy results by focusing on products that fit the Atkins plan. But some of those sales gains are coming at the expense of companies whose foods aren't Atkins-friendly.
:VERY LARGE BREAK IN ARTICLE:
A low for carbs
The Atkins boom worries companies that depend on carbohydrates – such as pasta, tortilla and bread makers.
Pasta consumption is still growing, but hardly at the carbo-loading inspired rates of the 1980s, according to American Italian Pasta Co., the largest U.S. pasta maker.
"Our industry would be growing faster if not for the Atkins diet," said Tim Webster, president and chief executive of the company, based in Kansas City, Mo. "I've seen no other diet's effect be as substantial."
The Tortilla Industry Association addressed the threat head-on this month in a seminar titled: "An Industry in Crisis: The High-protein, Low-carb Diet and Its Effects on the Tortilla Industry."
Wheat flour consumption started dropping after 1997, when U.S. consumption hit a peak of 147 pounds per person. Last year, that figure fell to 139 pounds, said Judi Adams, president of the Wheat Foods Council in Parker, Colo.
"I like to equate what's happened to the industry to the book The Perfect Storm," she said. "Everything is hitting the industry all at one time."
Milling & Baking News executive editor Josh Sosland also used a nature metaphor to sum up the flour industry's problem. It "is in the middle of a hurricane right now," he said.
The industry is responding with low-sugar breads and low-carb pastas, but that's not the answer, Mr. Sosland said.
"When you look at headlines, it's horrifying for the industry," he said. "People are saying horrible things about refined flour. At the last meeting of the American Bakers Association, the industry committed to educating consumers. They've decided they're going to fight back."
The bread industry needs to remind people "it's making the staff of life, feeding Americans folic acid and doing more to prevent birth defects than the March of Dimes," Mr. Sosland added. "The industry knows it's making a wholesome product. It's frustrating."
Beefing up
The beef industry, on the other hand, is celebrating.
After declining steadily in the 1980s and much of the '90s, the industry saw consecutive quarters of increased demand during the last half of 1998. Beef sales have gone up for 12 of the last 14 quarters.
U.S. per capita consumption of beef in 2002 was 64.4 pounds, up from 62.9 pounds in 2001.
"Attention on high-protein diets has prompted the consumer to discover, or rediscover, the health benefits of protein," said Shalene McNeill, senior manager of nutrition communication at the Texas Beef Council, which represents 140,000 Texas cattle producers.
Richard Wortham, the council's executive vice president, said beef sales have been aided by "an industrywide focus to tell our science-based nutrition story" and the introduction of more convenient beef products.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Almost that whole statement is factually wrong. You don't need carbs to live. There is no requirement for carbs. As far as your statement on complex carbs you need to take a look at the glycemic index.
The stuff is pure POISON. Now a tray of warm croissants and a stick of soft butter . . . . . . . . . . . .
The germans, russians and east europpeans all know how to make this black, chewey, nutricious and delicious whole wheat bread that is actually good for you...
Well, c'mon! What's the brand name??? Pleeeease!
And if anyone else out there knows of great, low-carb products (especially affordable ones), please send me specific name info. Thanks.
I gave up cokes and soda about 6 months ago but I've GOT to have my tea ... and sweet-n-low and equal are both VILE.
They would do better to focus on producing sprouted-wheat and alternative super whole grain products that aren't made from enriched white flour and slathered up with partially hydrogenated oil. I switched to the Atkins diet and lost 25 lbs, and am now down to my ideal weight. I've introduced "good carbs" back into my diet in smaller measured quantities, including sprouted wheat bread, spelt bread, and amaranth and kamut pasta. The weight has not returned. Their best bet would be to approach the fast food companies about replacing those awful, gooey, white enriched buns that every burger comes on with something that has some actual nutritional value. Instead we get a tasteless gooey bun-mess that functions as a perfect insulin-provoking fattener, coupled with a heavily discounted combo-meal sugar drink and white potato fries. In addition to replacing the bun, cut the fies, offer bottled water with the combo for the same price as the sugar drink (most places now charge a premium, or offer no bottled water at all) and offer a side salad with sugar free olive oil based dressing
Americans make this sort of bread, too (this one's been eating it for years -- whole oat, pumpernickle, 12-grain, etc.). But those "nutritious" breads are still loaded with carbohydrates, which is simply not a good choice for people who are trying to lose weight.
And BTW, Europeans (both English and the continentals) eat far more white bread than Americans do. I lived in Europe for years, and always had a hard time finding decent whole-grain breads -- especially oat, my personal favorite. Nowadays, however, decent whole-grain breads can be found in England and Germany, but most of the continental countries are stuck on white flour for everything. Most Europeans still contentedly chomp on "French stick" type and other white flour variations, and also on white pastas. Whole grain pastas are almost impossible to find anywhere in continental Europe (again England fares a bit better). And in the few places they are found, they are practically unaffordable.
Whole Grains and Oat Power, Baybay!! YEAH!
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