burcon blog

As the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit is underway in Chicago, IL, we’ve been seeing some interesting news from leaders of the food and commodity sector. Of note, James Borel, executive VP of DuPont, overseeing agriculture and nutrition businesses, says he expects soy supplements, primarily protein derived from soybeans, to see the strongest growth in 2012.

With the new year rounding the corner, it’s time to talk about the food and beverage trends to look forward to for 2012. Some trends stuck around from 2011 while some are newcomers on the top ten list. As you can imagine, the demand for health and wellness products is still going strong and is predicted to remain the biggest market pull of 2012. Food and beverage makers are looking for ways to either 1) improve the nutritional profile of their existing products; and/or 2) launch healthier, better-for-you products.

All big words but ‘environmentally sustainable solutions’ are what we strive for each and every day here at Burcon. A new review study published in the Journal of Food Engineering talks about the value of by-products left behind from vegetable oilseed processing. Many oilseed plants used for the production of vegetable oil are also high in protein content that can potentially be used for human consumption. As we are well-aware, consuming a plant-based diet is far more sustainable than any animal-based diet.

Have you noticed the recent increases in milk prices? Surprised? It seems as though the high milk prices are here to stay, according to Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd., the world’s largest diary exporter.

As a consumer, what are some of the things you want (or don’t want) in your foods and beverages? We ring in the New Year by looking at some of the new and continuing trends for 2011.