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2 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 | FOOD & BEVERAGE REPORTER www.fbreporter.com W elcome to our first edition of 2016, also the first issue under new ownership. I hope you will enjoy the journey with us as we probe, inform and share ideas about the future of this amazingly diverse and fascinating sector. It’s appropriate that we start the year with an in-depth look at the major trends shaping the industry. You’ll note from our reports that there’s a common thread uniting the global food gurus and trend-spotters: it’s time to come “clean” (and that means ingredients, manufacturing, labelling and packaging) and really start addressing consumer health concerns and needs. But beware: not all brands will sucessfully manage this transition. Our trends coverage coincides with the release of the latest US dietary guidelines, which have a big impact on the food industry globally as they set the tone and framework for future product development and strategy. We report on the new guidelines on Page 18. If you’ve been following the debates and controversies which have been raging ahead of the release of these guidelines, you’ll see that the recommendations are a careful balancing act. So, low-fat dairy and grains remain firmly entrenched, along with lean meats, and even eggs - but only one a day, mind you - have crept back onto the breakfast plate. It’s the added sugars that have taken the biggest knock, but it seems this is like shutting the door long after the horse has bolted as the industry started reducing added sugars a while back. O ver the Christmas period I travelled through the Free State, following a route I have taken almost every year for the past 30 years ... Kroonstad ... Smithfield ... Aiwal North ... and this was the saddest journey ever: a scorched, hellish landscape of unplanted fields, empty dams, dry riverbeds and stick-thin cattle languishing under a blazing African sun. Now add to this misery the effect of the plunging rand on essential food imports that will be needed to make up the shortfall and it’s a recipe for a perfect storm in the months ahead (a terribly inappropriate analogy given the lack of rain, but you get the drift). Never has there been so much urgency in the need for organised agriculture, the food industry and government to come together to confront this disaster with clear and common purpose. Our future, literally, depends upon it. Bruce Cohen editor@fbreporter.com Endorsed by the SA Assoc of the Flavour & Fragrance Industry. FBR is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Endorsed by SAAFoST Publisher Bruce Cohen editor@fbreporter.com Mobile: 083 454 1857 Contributors Aarifah Nosarka, Marika Sboros Advertising Wendy Breakey wendy@fbreporter.com Tel: (011) 026 7311 Mobile: 083 653 8116 Administration Alice Osburn adminfbr@fbreporter.com Tel: (011) 026 8220 www.fbreporter.com Published by AO Media 2nd Floor Oakfin House 367 Oak Ave Randburg Johannesburg PO Box 2082 Pinegowrie 2123 South Africa Tel: 011 026 8220 editor@fbreporter.com . Gazing into the crystal ball. And a vision of hell EDITORIAL NEXT MONTH In the March issue of Food & Beverage Reporter we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the hot new beverage trend: cold-pressed juices. Reporter & Strategy & technology for the industry Mobile: 0834541857 Tel: (011) 0267311 Mobile: 0836538116 Tel: (011) 0268220 Tel: 0110268220