HiGH PReSSURe PROCeSSeD (HPP) JUiCe High pressure processing (HPP) – also known as high hydrostatic pressure processing – is a process designed to bring shelf life to a variety of product categories without the need for heat pasteurization. HPP juice retains all of its vital nutrition, including enzymes and other heat sensitive nutrients and tastes as good as fresh pressed juice as long as 30 days after it is produced. Early sales results with a handful of brands are more than promising...they are nearly unprecedented!! I am predicting that the HPP juice segment will move from relative anonymity a year ago, to sales of over $1B in the next 6-7 years! PROBiOTiC FOODS AND BeVeRAGeS Digestive health is critical toward keeping one's system balanced and achieving homeostasis, or 'high level wellness.' Lifestyle factors, along with diet, are every bit as influential as genetics when reviewing their relative impact on health and longevity. There is a daily battle inside our bodies between good and bad bacteria. If healthy bacteria are winning, we can achieve the highest level of hearty, immunological health, which is directly tied to a long, vibrant life. Yogurts and Kefir are the most common food products containing probiotic strains; however there has been a proliferation of non-dairy beverages that contain healthy bacterial strains which improve our digestion and contribute to our overall sense of well-being. We see the dairy and beverage categories as the current bellwether products for this segment, but expect to see many 'probiotic-infused foods' entering the marketplace and gaining traction. GRASS FeD MeAT AND DAiRy PRODUCTS It is amazing how simple it is to provide quality food for optimal human nutrition. In the case of meat and milk from cattle, one simple adjustment in their diets yields incredible results. Cows fed exclusively on their native diet of wild prairie grasses will yield meat and dairy products which are much healthier than their corn fed counterparts produce. Corn is fed to cattle to get them larger in order to improve their market value. Since corn is predominately starch, it is an ideal food to help cows gain significant weight quickly. The problem is the starch has an undesirable metabolic effect on the fat in the animals, making it much less healthy to consume. Grass fed animals produce milk and meat that is akin to wild game, like venison, elk and buffalo. Consuming grass fed beef and dairy products is a much safer proposition, as the effects on our cardiovascular system become positive, rather than negative. CHOCOlATe Where were you when you first realized that chocolate was good for you? I was dining at the Space Needle in Seattle....wait a second - "flashback." That is when OJ Simpson was on the freeway in LA, leading the police on that infamous, slow speed chase. I got my surreal moments mixed up. I don't actually remember where I was when I found out about chocolate's nutrition profile and who cares?! I just knew that my carob eating days were over and that the world was a better place. Cocoa beans are loaded with antioxidants and healthy fats.And,dark chocolate, in addition to being nearly indescribably delicious, is one of the healthiest snacks on the planet. Organic and fair trade chocolate bars are posting impressive, double-digit growth, even as the category has matured into one of the most prominent and high profile sets in the entire snacking environment.