It is easy to see that the dairy industry represents a large segment of the American food industry. Consumers purchase dairy products because they contain essential nutrients such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin D and protein. Be it milk, cheese, yogurt or ice cream, almost every American consumes dairy products on some sort of regular basis.
In their May 2008 report “Functional Foods” Market Research and Consumer Intelligence Report, the Mintel International Group, Ltd., states that consumer interest in functional or fortified foods has gone up from 2002 to 2007 by 63 percent with dairy foods constituting 75 percent of the total functional foods sales. Dairy food manufacturers seeking to position their dairy products in the market with a higher nutritive value and greater consumer appeal should consider incorporating functional ingredients into their product or product line.
Dairy products that are fortified with functional ingredients such as probiotics, omega 3 fatty acids, additional calcium and Vitamin D are receiving more consumer attention these days. Such products not only augment nutrition but, depending on the functional ingredient added, also play a role in weight management, digestive health, immunity and healthy bone development. Popular functional ingredients include:
“Probiotics” means “for life”. The World Health Organization defines probiotics as “live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Research shows probiotics supports digestive health, but may have wider benefits according to the specific strain of probiotics used. Yogurt has been a popular product for fortification with probiotics.
From 2006 to 2007, probiotics claims on food and beverage products increased by more than 140 percent, according to AC Nielsen (a global marketing research firm) with yogurt being the most popular product for delivery.
Omega 3 fatty acids. Dietary increase of Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is strongly supported by research. Omega 3 fatty acids are believed to provide numerous health benefits including the support of heart health, digestive health, brain health and joint health. These “good” fats are popularly added to milk, yogurt, and cheeses. Consumer awareness of the health benefits of EPA and DHA is wide and the fortification of dairy products with omega 3 fatty acids is predicted to be a hot-seller.
Oligosaccharides are soluble and semi-soluble fiber often used as prebiotics, an important component of digestive healthcare. Synbiotics, the combination of probiotics with prebiotics, help to produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and certain B vitamins. The SCFA protect colon tissue and help to regulate healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They also support normal blood sugar levels and certain immune functions. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) derived from fruits and vegetables help promote the absorption of calcium.
Whey protein derived from milk enhances the protein value of a dairy product. Studies show whey protein helps to improve Industrial Production Investopedia the solubility of minerals and their absorption in the digestive tract. It also helps to promote immune functions.
Protein is a nutrient that dominates the athletic and bodybuilding industries. For a …
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Behaviour and Engagement of Employees – The Most Vital Ingredients Needed to Create a LEAN Business?
Organisations are realising that to implement Lean manufacturing principles across the board and sustain it for the future that behaviour and engagement of all employees needs to be addressed thoroughly and is a gradual process. Indeed this “below the water” element of the Lean iceberg is now becoming the most focused area of attention for senior level management, as CEO of Cogent Power, Marcel, stated that “to achieve waste elimination and continuous improvement, the organisation as a whole needs to have the attitude, the culture and capabilities at all levels to achieve continuous improvement and sustain itself for the future.”
Common concerns include questions centred on feelings such as “How long is it going to be before the workforce loses their Harvard Lean enthusiasm for lean? And “How do you get the buy in from staff when implementing lean principles may mean a cut in staff?
Indeed it is fair too suggest that the responsibility lies with the management team in place to ensure that all employees feel valued Best Industries To Start A Business 2019 and involved in process improvements. To do this sounds very simple but if the truth be known it happens at a very shallow level.
Creating this lean behaviour is not as simple as employing fresh people who portray lean behaviour. The first step is to examine the culture of the business, which is more often than not created by the values and actions of the senior management. Culture is based on beliefs, attitudes and priorities of its workforce. Lean can only be implemented with the right culture.
At the front end, Lean is thought of as the driver behind an increase in performance- productivity and profit. Getting the employees to buy into this change means a thorough understanding of people’s drivers and emotions is required. An atmosphere of inclusion is necessary as people not only need to be told of changes but informed as to why. This needs to be accurate and told simultaneously.
As well as communication being a vital element of engagement, training needs to be put in place and continued on a regular basis. With a structured appraisal process mixed in with their competence in the 7 Lean skills, (customer consciousness, enterprise thinking, adaptation, taking initiatives, innovation, collaboration and influence), employees behaviour and engagement are being reinforced by the processes and procedures of the company.
Behaviour and engagement are the true foundations of starting and maintaining a lean organisation. Get these fundamentals in place and the rest of the lean iceberg will fall into place.…