Sharon Gerdes

I recently received an email with the subject line: "A well-balanced diet consists of a taco in each hand … on the beach (can’t forget that vitamin D)." The line was memorable and highlighted the fact that modern consumers have some novel ideas about what constitutes a healthy diet.

The Hartman Group's "Health + Wellness 2019" study revealed that 60% of consumers are seeking to increase protein in their diet.

Consumer awareness of the health benefits of probiotics continues to grow. And more consumers are abandoning probiotic supplements and looking for real food carriers.

The ability to digest lactose varies widely within populations, ranging from more than 90% of individuals from northern European countries, to less than 10% of individuals from Southeast Asian countries.

Clean label is big business. Euromonitor International estimates that global sales of clean-label food products will reach $180 billion by 2020.

Large companies will be required to list "added sugars" on their Nutrition Facts panels by the end of this year.

It seems that every year I learn about another exotic tropical superfruit brimming with healthy phytonutrients. But the reality is that most fermented dairy products in the United States rely on a fairly narrow list of traditional and cost effective fruits in their flavor lineup.

"Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean." This might be a modern day couple, with one spouse following a plant-based low-fat diet while the other adheres to a high-fat, low-carb regimen with generous portions of meat and dairy.

Nutritionists recommend a daily fiber consumption of 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men, but most people in the United States get only half that amount.

"That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet," Shakespeare said. But would calling foods and ingredients "bioengineered" rather than "genetically modified" make them more acceptable to consumers?