Unilever's Burgmans expands on obesity

"Obesity is a growing problem worldwide, one that can only be overcome if all interested parties work together and accept their responsibilities." 

These are the words of Anglo-Dutch food company Unilever co-chairman Antony Burgmans. In a speech prepared for a ceremony to award prizes for food research, Burgmans noted that Unilever is one of the largest food companies to develop and execute a policy whereby foods that are "good for you" receive special attention. 

Burgmans sketched an alarming scene: one in six people is obese, and many more are overweight. The problem is not only adults, but increasingly children. The social cost of obesity is huge; it causes some three-quarters of Type 2 diabetes cases, and many cases of cancer and heart disease. In some countries treating conditions brought on by overweight costs 10 percent of the health budget. 

Burgmans said it is tempting to blame the food industry, but there are other factors. In particular society is more sedentary and exercises less. Campaigns to get people to exercise have proved ineffective so far. 

For several years Unilever has supported a centre of excellence, the Unilever Health Institute in Vlaardingen. There, about 100 researchers explore the scientific roots of nutrition, health and functional foods. Unilever is helping to develop strategies for diet, physical activity and health on behalf of the World Health Organisation, he said. 

Burgmans noted that Unilever Bestfoods has committed to introduce foods that not only taste good but also improve the quality of consumers' lives. The aim is to redress energy or nutritional deficiencies. "More than half of our most innovative products are seen as health and wellness products," he said. Burgmans said it is important that the food industry provides scientific evidence to prove health claims for their products. 

But he criticised proposed European Commission rules on the claims as too restrictive. He felt they will hamper the development and introduction of innovative novel foods. 

This was the 47th time Unilever has awarded prizes for research at Dutch universities. Fourteen people each received 2500 euros for their work in chemistry, biotechnology, engineering and social sciences. 

Foreigners drive US science 
Scratch clears up wet light 
How to eat, not what to eat is key - NFPA
Water barrier wins award
EP wants 70% boost for research budget 
Fight cancer - curl up with a cocoa

Research 

Foreigners drive US science 

Figures published today by the US National Science Board (NSB) reveal that America, research and development depends increasingly on foreign-born nationals. 

Worried by an increasingly competitive global market for science and engineering talent and fewer US-born undergraduates, the NSB called for the three-year study. Based on the census taken in 2002, the results show that, of foreigners with an American degree, 11% had a first degree, 19% had a masters, and 29% held a PhD. But if you include non-US degrees, the figures jump to 17%, 29% and 38% respectively. 

The NSB also reported that from 2001 to 2002, H-1B visas for foreign workers in science, engineering and technology-related fields dropped from about 166,000 to around 74,000. 

"The newest figures confirm the need for national-level action to ensure the nation's capacity in these critical fields in the face of an increasingly competitive global market," said the NSB. 

It added stakeholders must "mobilise" efforts to "increase the numbers of US citizens pursuing science and engineering studies and careers." But it cautioned against trading-off or limiting access to "foreign-born talent that the nation needs, desires and appreciates". 

Innovation 

Scratch clears up wet light 

Roughening an optical surface and decreasing the energy between it and water increases a surface's ability to repel water, increasing its clarity when wet. 

Japanese researchers have found a counter-intuitive way to "hydrophobise" a rough surface of polyethylene terephthalate (PET, the material of most plastic soft drink bottles), while maintaining a high transparency, reports Nature magazine. 

The PET surface was first treated using oxygen plasma, in which non-crystalline regions were preferentially etched. The energy of this surface was then reduced by coating it with a layer of fluoroalkylsilane by chemical vapour deposition. The fluorine provides low energy due to its small radius and high electronegativity. This caused almost spherical water droplets to form on the surface. 

A big advantage is that it works at low-temperatures, allowing polymeric substrates to be treated without thermal degradation. This means consumers probably won't need a straw to get the last drop out of their cool drink bottles; a simple tap on the side should be enough to get them moving. 

Labels 

How to eat, not what to eat is key - NFPA 

Consumers need more information on how to eat, not what to eat, the US National Food Processors Association (NFPA) told the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) workshop on food labels yesterday. 

Senior director of nutrition policy Robert Earl said "The Nutrition Facts panel and other label elements on packaging are an 'excellent' source of nutrition information. 

"Any changes to nutrition labelling requirements must be thoroughly researched and consumer-tested to ensure that they do not make nutrition labelling harder to understand, and thereby less effective. To help consumers understand how to include a variety of food as part of a healthful lifestyle, education about diet and health is paramount. The focus must be on positive messages about how to eat, not what to eat." 

Award 

Water barrier wins award 

Danish ingredients company Danisco has won an award for its revolutionising Grindsted Barrier System, a water barrier that allows manufacturers to control moisture migration in snack fillings. 

The barrier system ingredient blend delays moisture migration from, for example, the filling of a cake or biscuit, keeping the crisp part of the product crisp, and prolonging its shelf-life. The barrier system also allows processors to use water fillings rather than fat-based fillings. 

Research

EP wants 70% boost for research budget 

The European Parliament wants to increase the budget of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) 70% to 30bn euros for the four year period. The rise is needed because of the forthcoming addition of 10 or more member states, say MEPs. 

FP6, which started this year, has a budget of 17.5 billion euros. The report, by German MEP Rolf Linkohr, is a response to the Commission's plan to raise EU research investment to 3% of GDP by 2010. 

A spokesperson for Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin welcomed the report, but said he would negotiate for a smaller increase. 

MEPs also want to set up a European Research Council (ERC) to support basic research. This should be mainly a source of research funding rather than advice, cover all scientific disciplines, and follow a bottom-up approach based on purely scientific criteria. 

Health 

Fight cancer - curl up with a cocoa 

Research just in from Cornell University shows that cocoa contains more cancer-fighting antioxiodants than green tea or red wine. 

Cornell food scientists say cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea. Their finding will be published soon in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 

Cocoa is high in phenolic phytochemicals, or flavonoids, which are known to stave off cancer, heart disease and other ailments. They discovered 611mg of the phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 564mg of the flavonoid epicatechin equivalents (ECE) in a single serving of cocoa. Red wine and green tea had 340mg and 165mg of GAE and 163mg and 47mg of ECE respectively. 

But don't think chocolate is the answer; it has too many saturated fats. Instead, try the researcher's formula: hot cocoa in the morning, green tea in the afternoon and a glass of red wine in the evening.