It has been clear for a while that the popularity of high protein, low carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins and The Zone have increased the demand for meat.
But the flip side is that these diet fads appear to be decreasing demand for high carbohydrate foods such as bread, pasta and potatoes.
The theory behind low-carb diets is that when you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises, stimulating insulin that causes fat to be deposited. If you restrict carbohydrate intake, insulin production falls and glucagon production increases. Glucagon is a hormone that causes body fat to burn and cholesterol to be removed.
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Health Canada nutritionists dispute it, but there is no denying that low-carb diets are popular.
I don’t have Canadian statistics, but here is what is happening in the United States, at least partly due to this dieting trend.
The United States Potato Board says french fry sales in the first quarter of 2003 were off by more than five percent from the peak of $520 million US in the first quarter of 2001.
The North American Miller’s Association estimates that American flour consumption has fallen to 137 pounds per person, down from 147 lb. in 1997.
A survey done for the American Bread Leadership Council notes that 40 percent of Americans say they eat less bread now than they did a year ago.
U.S. pasta consumption dropped by four percent last year, the first reduction since the 1970s.
These trends are troubling. The domestic market almost always brings the best prices, lowest transport costs and least worry about market access.
These industries can fight back with information and innovation.
Canadian and American health authorities say whole grain bread and cereals are the foundation of a good diet. Consumers need to be educated about grain’s ability to reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and some cancers and solve digestive problems such as constipation.
As for other staples such as table potatoes, the industry must abandon its commodity outlook and start to focus more on consumer interests, providing a range of options from bargain to gourmet products, creating smaller bag sizes and more recipe suggestions.
These new diets will fade as all fads do, but they serve to remind us that even the staff of life needs updating to retain consumer interest.
