In This Issue:Scientific Symposium Generates TV Coverage New Foodservice Recipe Cards Debut Food Technology Advisory Council Meets Egg Product Ad Campaign Expanded in 2005 Proceedings from AEB International Scientific Symposium Generates Significant TV Coverage
Broadcast media coverage reached millions of Americans following AEB’s publicity campaign promoting the publication of the Proceedings from the First International Scientific Symposium on Eggs and Human Health: The Transition from Restrictions to Recommendations in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (JACN). To generate broadcast coverage of the JACN publication, AEB worked with Aronow Communications to send video footage via satellite to media outlets nationwide. The satellite feed included footage of many of the Symposium’s renowned scientists. Viewers who watched the reports were informed about the role eggs play in promoting weight loss and weight maintenance, the importance of lutein in eggs in preventing age-related macular degeneration and cataracts, and the American Heart Association’s revised guidelines on egg consumption. Stations in major media markets across the country, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., broadcast stories about the wealth of health benefits of eggs.
Ten Hot Food Trends of 2005Smaller portions, “good” carbs, and new ethnic tastes make the list. These are a few of the top picks of Marilynn Marter in her January 2005 article in Philadelphia Inquirer. With that in mind, the following are her top 10 food trend predictions for 2005: 1. Chocolate, the gourmet health food. It’s about time something that tastes so good is actually good for you. Dark chocolate, which is at least 70 percent cocoa, is a source of polyphenols, the antioxidants in red wine and green tea that help keep plaque from forming in arteries. It also contains flavonoids, which make blood platelets less sticky and are thought to lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. 2. Fast food with style. Fast-food chains are lightening their menus, proving that fast needn’t mean over processed, oversalted, and full of fat and empty calories. Decor is being upgraded, too. A McDonald’s opening in Chicago this year will offer wireless Internet access and a hangout atmosphere. 3. Affordable luxuries. Starbucks is often credited with starting the “small indulgence” trend. Other small food splurges are vintage wines, premium vinegar, a catered meal, or the Kobe beef and fois gras found these days on more restaurant menus. 4. Ethnic regions. Upscale Spanish and Mexican dishes lead the current ethnic taste trek. But foods of distinct regions are getting more attention, too. We’ve feasted on the foods of Provence, Hunan, and Sicily. Next up? Recipes unique to Galicia, Barcelona, and Oaxaca. 5. Small plates. From Spanish tapas to Chinese dim sum and Greek meze, small portions are becoming a big deal. With their presence on menus increasing, small plates feed into the quick-dining trend. 6. Carb comeback. “Good” carbs, including fruits and vegetables, are back in the good graces of dieters. Carbs are the body’s most efficient fuel. The good ones break down slowly for steady energy. Sugar carbs quickly turn to glucose, with the excess stored as fat. 7. Whole grains. These nutrient-rich carbs were surely missed by many low-carb dieters deprived of their morning Cheerios. Now they’re back and will take center stage when the U.S. Department of Agriculture lists them as a key element in a healthful diet in its revised Food Guide Pyramid, to be released this month. (Continued on page 4) 8. Convenience. When Gourmet Magazine touts dishes to make ahead on Sunday for a week’s worth of heat-and-eat meals, you know times have changed. Everyone wants more convenience in the kitchen. The NPD Group, a market research firm, reports that half of American cooks are putting dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, often by eliminating side dishes and even desserts. 9. Organics. Sales have risen more than 20 percent annually for a dozen years, reaching an estimated $15 billion in 2004, with more than $32 billion projected by 2009. The fastest-growing segments are meats and poultry (sales jumped 78 percent in 2003) and snack foods (up 30 percent). There’s even organically farmed fish. 10. Functional foods. Food has become the new wonder drug as researchers unlock the secret of phytochemicals, omega-3 fats, and other substances that promise to help forestall ailments Food Technology Advisory Council Meet
American Egg Board’s Food Technology Advisory Council met February 15-17 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, AZ. Members of the council are a select group of university food scientists, food manufacturers, egg product processors, an independent food scientist, and a publisher of the leading trade publication. AEB considers this influential group to be the expert advisors in matters relating to egg products and food processing and uses their ideas to develop marketing programs to increase the usage of egg products in the food processing industry. This year’s Council recommendations included the expansion of the current advertising campaign to highlight the functionality of egg products and their role in the formulation of high-protein/low-glycemic foods, promotional opportunities at national meetings of Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and Research Chefs Association (RCA), and various methods of communicating the benefits of egg products vs. replacers with R & D and marketing professionals. These concepts are just a few of the recommendations that will be presented at the Industry and Market Development Committee meeting in March. AEB Solves Diet Dilemma
How can busy families meet the latest Dietary Guidelines? Americans already eat far fewer vegetable servings than previous recommendations, so how can they possibly aim for even more servings as called for by the new Dietary Guidelines? AEB offers a solution on its new May, National Egg Month color page. That solution, of course, suggests that eggs – in the form of “V-egg-ie Good Family Meals” – are an important part of the answer. Enjoyed by most families, appetite-appealing eggs go well with other foods, including vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain foods which are suggested for increased servings. Nutrient-dense eggs also provide great nutrition on their own – including high-quality protein, riboflavin, choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin, all mentioned on the page. To suit today’s hurried lives, the release’s headline emphasizes that eggs are “Fast & Easy,” just what home cooks want for family dinners and just what the egg industry needs to enhance AEB’s “Think Fast. Think Eggs.” advertising campaign. Backing up these claims are quick-to-fix, family-friendly egg recipes, containing veggies that picky young children generally tolerate (if not actually like) along with ideas for adding increased flavor to suit older palates. A handy chart offers choices of easy-to-serve vegetable salads, grain foods, and fruit desserts to round out nutritionally balanced meals. Altogether, it’s a simple plan for more healthful family dining based on eggs. Recognizing the helpfulness of the page, newspaper food editors are snapping up the material. To date – with plenty of time between now and May for additional orders to arrive – already 164 papers in 42 states with a total audited circulation of 9,669,746 have committed to giving the material $906,212 worth of space. Watch for Stuffing & V-egg-ie Skillet Supper, Scrambled Mini Pizzas, Baked Potato Eggs, and Peas & Carrots Frittata to appear in local papers over upcoming months. Baking is Back: Egg Product Ad Campaign Expanded
With the decline in the Atkins craze, Americans are returning to breads and other baked goods…and that’s a good thing for the egg industry. During the height of Atkins, dieters were staying away from foods with carbohydrates. Sales in baked goods were declining and the baking industry was suffering. This downturn hurt the egg industry as eggs are critical to taste and performance in many of these items. AEB’s “Big Word” advertising campaign, targeted to product developers and research and development personnel, has continued to garner recognition throughout the food ingredient industry. In March, two new ads will be released directed at the baking industry. A delicious serving of lemon meringue pie is featured in one ad, with a headline that reads “Airy,” extolling the virtues of eggs and the aeration properties they deliver. The second ad is a yummy pecan roll, with the headline “Texture,” promoting the mouthfeel and taste eggs provide baked goods.
In 2005, 3.3 million media impressions will be made on manufacturers in the food industry; 400,000 impressions are directed to bakers and others related to the industry. The ads will appear in prominent industry publications as Baking Management, Snack Food and Wholesale Bakery, New Products Magazine, Food Processing, Prepared Foods, and Food Product Design. This campaign is intended to increase visibility of egg products and help increase egg product sales to baked goods manufacturers by promoting the positive benefits egg products provide to baked goods. New Foodservice Recipe Cards Debut“Eggs—Your Passport to a World of Menu Ideas on Pennies a Serving” is the headline on the title page of a set of five new foodservice recipe cards to be introduced in early March. The cards will feature egg-rich Mediterranean and Latin American recipes that will work in conjunction with the new print ads focusing on the profitability of eggs that debuted earlier in the year. In the national foodservice program, the cards will be used as a response vehicle for restaurant operators responding to the print ads. Each card includes complete directions to prepare the recipe plus a full-color photo of the dish. Featured recipes were obtained from the 2004 Foodservice Global Flavors Recipe Contest. Recipes in the set include: Tuscan Eggs Benedict, Huevos Chimichanga, Corsican Frittata, Chipotle Egg Salad Pinwheel, and Mediterranean Asparagus Torta. These cards are a new AEB inventory item and will sell for $0.90 per set. Contact Mary Ruth Bolda at AEB to place your orders.
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