Heart-Healthy Product Development Competition
Sponsored by CanolaInfo
Learn about the competition and hear from the winners
Chromeless Video Player branded for IFT
Chair: Adriana Soto, Louisiana State University (iftsa.hearthealthy@gmail.com)
Overview
Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in North America. To address this public health issue and highlight the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, CanolaInfo was pleased to sponsor a competition for Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Student Association members in North America to create heart-healthy food products low in saturated fat and free of trans fat. The goal was to show how the food industry is positioning itself to help consumers comply with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, namely the saturated fat recommendation of 10 percent total daily calories. To this end, products needed to meet certain nutritional criteria based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration food labeling guidelines.
Competition Finals
The competition finals were held at the IFT Wellness Conference, February 27 - 28, 2013, at the InterContinental Chicago Hotel in Rosemont, IL, and one first, second, and third place winner was selected from among the three finalists. The winning student team from the food science program at the University of Arkansas developed Simply Heart, a banana and cinnamon flavored breakfast bar.
“We started with the idea of snacks, but we didn’t want to compete with snacks from the other teams,” said University of Arkansas student captain Alexandra Huck. “Breakfast is not as saturated a market. This [the competition] was great experience for the kind of work I want to do.” Huck and co-developer Quyen Nguyen received a check for $3,500, complimentary registration to the 2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Las Vegas as well as a trophy.
“This competition gives students real-world product development experience and the students from the University of Arkansas carried their product well from start to finish,” said IFT President-Elect Janet Collins. “I believe that Simply Heart is a product that could really succeed in today’s marketplace.”
The second place team from Rutgers University received a check for $2,500 for their product, Herbilicious Crisps, thin crackers made with quinoa and other flours flavored with Italian herbs and roasted seaweed. Third place went to the Iowa State University for SmHeart Bites, layered, mini cottage cheese cake snacks with aronia berry puree. They received a check for $1,500.
Winners
1st Place: University of Arkansas with Simply Heart: A banana and cinnamon flavored breakfast bar, made from an oat and sweet potato base that is full of heart-healthy dried fruits and coated in crispy puffed millet.
2nd Place: Rutgers University with Herbilicious Crisps : A guilty-free crossover between chips and crackers; it is light crispy as chips yet rich, savory fulfilling as crackers which satisfy your taste buds and delight your heart.
3rd Place: The Iowa State University with SmHeart Bites : A snack made with creamy probiotic cottage cheese, layered with antioxidant-rich aronia berry film, and almond/oat bran crust that is fortified with soluble fibers and plant sterols.