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Panel Detail:

Wednesday, April 26, 2006
2:10 PM - 3:25 PM

The Coming American Health Renaissance and the Role of Nutrition

Moderator:

David Heber, Founder and Director, Center for Human Nutrition, University of California, Los Angeles

Panelists in this session, including Robert Fell and Susan Trimbo, above, talked about how more and more Americans are jumping on the healthy nutrition bandwagon.

Some health improvements are quite simple. For example, Susan Trimbo of GNC talked about the health benefits of taking Vitamin D and fish. Such daily supplements are a big industry, with $20 billion in annual pill sales. Trimbo noted that 35 percent to 45 percent of Americans take a daily vitamin supplement, and when she polled the audience, she found that more half the listeners had taken a vitamin supplement that day. This above-average participation rate was not too surprising; affluent and educated people tend to be better informed and take better care of their health, she said.

But other Americans are jumping on this healthy nutrition bandwagon, too. In the past, people indulged in foods high in fat and sugar. But recently, said Brian Cornell of Safeway Inc., "organic has become much more of a mainstream item." Foods in high fat and sugar are not where Safeway sees growth potential. Rather, the five fastest-growing food categories in Safeway stores include organic fruit and juice, fresh juice, berries, fresh-cut fruit and packaged salads. And for those consumers who are unwilling to give up their favorite junk foods, grocery stores are now selling "portion-control packs." These 100-calorie packs of snack food are probably the fastest-growing segment in the packaged-foods sector of the grocery market, he said.

Cornell said he found it encouraging that "people are making smarter choices" at the grocery stores and retail food stores. Yet he stressed the importance of three variables when addressing the consumer: simplicity, convenience and taste.

One small startup firm, Eaturna LLC, has risen to this challenge. Eaturna strives to offer healthier, better-tasting, according to its chairman, Robert Fell, adding that, "You're not going to change the eating habits of most Americans." Therefore, the challenge is "to find food that people will like."

Fell argued that there has been "too much emphasis on science and diets." He said food should be fun. With the slogan, "love food, love life," Eaturna has set its goal to become the "Starbucks of the prepared food market."

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