Health care is on the agenda of politicians vying to be Canada’s new prime minister; it is also a burning issue in crop circles.
Almost every commodity group is trumpeting the health benefits of their particular crop.
Soy has its heart smart campaign, canola is leading the way on the zero trans fats issue and oats has long been preaching the attributes of soluble fibre.
All the major food processing companies have developed new labels for their health smart foods, such as Kraft’s Sensible Solutions line of products.
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It is high time pulse crops jumped on that better lifestyles bandwagon, said Peter Watts, director of market innovation with Pulse Canada.
“This is the mega trend right now in food. It really is,” Watts told the Pulse Days 2006 conference held in Saskatoon last week.
A scientifically proven health claim, especially one that comes with a government endorsement, is like gold in the food business.
Almond consumption shot up by 50 percent in 2003, the year after a study was released proving a diet loaded with almonds decreases cholesterol levels.
Sales of Cheerios jumped 11 percent in 1999 when a U.S. Food and Drug Administration health claim linked the consumption of soluble fibre with a reduced risk of heart disease.
A similar FDA-approved health claim regarding soy protein issued the same year sparked the soy food craze. In 2006 the soy products industry is expected to be worth $5-$6 billion in the United States.
Pulse Canada has received $3.2 million from Agriculture Canada to develop a strategy over the next three years on how to tap into that kind of market potential by emphasizing the health benefits of eating peas, lentils, beans and chickpeas.
Watts said there is already promising preliminary research along those lines. One study demonstrates that eating half a cup of pulses per day reduces cholesterol levels by seven percent.
If everybody in Canada made that change to their diet, it would lead to a 20 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and $3.26 billion in health-care savings, he concluded.
Those are the types of messages that need to be fleshed out and passed along to Health Canada and health-care professionals.
But one producer attending the Pulse Days session said more of the federal funding that Pulse Canada receives should be spent communicating what is already known about pulses instead of directing more money toward clinical research.
He pointed to an example in the cattle industry where Angus breeders have done a masterful job convincing the public that their cattle produce the best-tasting steaks.
That message stuck due to a commendable public relations effort rather than research results.
Watts said health claims are different than taste claims. There has to be solid scientific evidence to support them or the public won’t buy it.
Pulses are high in fibre, a good alternative source of protein, low in fat and have a low glycemic index.
Those attributes could be used to help combat the growing North American obesity epidemic. Watts said 25 percent of Canadians and 30 percent of Americans are considered obese, a condition that is contributing to heightened levels of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
By this fall Pulse Canada hopes to identify and fund clinical studies that prove how pulses can help address the obesity issue and other health concerns, leaving two years for researchers to do their work and pass on the results.
Watts said there is no risk that the health and nutrition craze will be long gone by the time the industry unveils its marketing strategy because it represents a transformation in eating habits rather than a fad such as the Atkins diet.
“It’s not a trend. This is just about life,” he said.
