High fiber, high protein snacks Food intake management is an acceptable way to maintain healthy weight, and even filling snacks have a place in such regimens

SINCE they are more and more aware on how their diet impacts body appearance and health, consumers want to eat more balanced food and to control their calorie intake all over the day. Well-informed consumers take this approach not only in order to fight obesity and to loose weight, but also to stay on track and keep a healthy weight. This is far from being easy, as in our present lifestyle we are often tempted to grab a snack between meals such as a cereal bar, a piece of cake or biscuits. Moreover, common snacks are often high in fat, sugar and salt, and can leave you still hungry soon after eating. Consequently, snacking can lead to inappropriate weight gain. One way for the food & beverage industry to answer to consumers concern on maintaining a healthy weight is to offer alternative snacks which are lower in calories while ensuring to feel satisfied till a next regular and balanced meal. As shown in the chart, there is an increasing new product launches activity worldwide, meaning that satiety is becoming an important innovation driver within the general food industry. Also, this trend is supported by recent launches of top food multinationals. Designing satiety-enhancing food: the protein-and-protein approach The control of food intake results from two mechanisms: one, called satiation, stops ingestion of food when the processor is full, and the other initiates eating when it is empty. This second mechanism that controls the food intake is satiety. It refers to postprandial (occurring after a meal) events that affect the interval to the next meal, thereby regulating meal frequency, which is also influenced by learned, social and behavioral habits. Mechanisms of satiation and satiety are complex. They depend on mechanical (gastric distension) and chemical (different peptides released by intestinal cells) signals in response to the ingestion of food but also on hedonistic and psychological factors. There are many ways to induce a satiety effect. Still, most products launched on the market seem to follow a protein-and-protein approach. An approach well accepted on the market For more than 1/3 of new products launched since 2005 with a satiety positioning, longer satisfaction properties are based on a combination of fibers and proteins. Another 20% claim a high protein or a high fiber content. This means that over 50% of the satiety-enhancing food products are formulated with fibers and/or proteins (source: Mintel GNPD). Such claims, with the following conditions of use, are present in the CIAA proposal list (European Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries, FCP/221/07E Annex1) established in view of the building of the list of permitted health claims based on generally accepted scientific evidence (that will be released in 2010) by the European Commission foreseen by the recent EU regulation on nutrition and health claims (EC regulation 1924/2006): ?"High fiber food promotes satiety": To meet the definition of "high fiber", the product must contain a minimum of 6g/100g and provide at least 5g of total dietary fiber per serving of food which can reasonably be consumed in one day ?"High protein food promotes satiety": Conditions of "high protein" from EC regulation 1924/2006, at least 20% of energy must come from protein An approach supported by scientific evidence Proteins are well known for their properties on food intake. They have been used for years within the dietetic food sector in weight control snacks and meal substitutes. Many clinical studies have shown that high-protein foods have a positive impact on satiety by enhancing the feeling of fullness and increasing the delay of the next food intake. High-protein foods also lead to reduced energy intake during within the next meal. In addition to all the scientific background on proteins and satiety, a recent study conducted by Leatherhead Food International hasAir Force 1 High KPU