The Ingredient Panel – Details, episodes & analysis

An introduction to how companies (often) come up with new products to launch.  The crew discusses the innovation pipeline,  a bunch of boring processes, and some more fun ways new products come to market.

This week's guest is Imaide Steverango, the R&D Manager for NutureLife, a meal delivery company for kids.

Food processing aids do not need to be  declared on a label according to the FDA. In this episode we talk about what they are, how they are used, and why they don't need to be declared. It's not as boring as it sounds! Plus we talk about insects!

The actual language on processing aids from the CFR
Don't read this link until after you've eaten

Fiber Fiber Fiber Fiber. For a long time, it was something only retirees wanted in their diet, but now it is everywhere. The panel looks at why product developers use it and its functional purpose in food. 

Different fats have gone in and out of favor over the years as dietary trends and fads ebb and flow. The panel delves into fat and why companies choose one fat over another and how those choices impact the label.

Sugar. Why can something so delicious be so problematic? The panel looks at sugar and why it seems to be everywhere in processed food.

Food companies promise the world and rarely deliver on it in their new products. The panel discusses why that is, and how making products that truly have it all would never reach mainstream success.

Have you ever wondered why certain ingredients are included or excluded from products you buy at the supermarket?  Product Developer Linsey Herman, Food Scientist Karen Watson, and Chef Jill Houk discuss what's behind all the words on product labels in the food you buy. In this overview, the panel discusses why companies make the ingredient and nutrition choices they do when launching new products. It's a lot less boring than it sounds!

We crave "umami", the fifth taste.  Every global cuisine has a source of umami, yet MSG, monosodium glutamate, is seen as a villain in packaged food. Join as as we discuss MSG, the flavor of Umami, and  glutamic acid, which as glutamate is responsible for the delicious flavor that makes everything taste better!

References:
This American Life Episode about the letter that gave birth to Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
Colgate Magazine's Overview of the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome Letter/Possible Hoax
Redefining Chinese Restaurant Syndrome in the NY Times
Umami Map of World Cuisine
Fermented Locust Beans

Why do packaged foods need added gums when the food you make at home never does? Join us as we talk about how gums (also known as hydrocolloids) end up in your food and for what purpose.

Links:
Guest Lela Squire
Gum Primer
FDA Regulations on Gums
Recent Carageenan Study 
 

Have you heard about Upcycling? Join us for a crash course in all things food waste. In this episode we talk with Caroline Cotto, the cofounder and COO of Renewal Mill, an ingredient, mix, and cookie company that is taking a new approach to the circular food economy.  Caroline goes deep into the issues of food waste and how Renewal Mill, and the new Upcycled Food Association, are bringing attention and money into the food renewal space.

Renewal Mill
Upcycled Food Association
RePurpose Global, for plastic offsets