Consumer demand

The food producing industry has responded to consumer demand for foods with lower fat content (Table 1). Foods with low or no cholesterol claims leaped 78% from 1980 to 1990, in spite of the fact that many of the principal food producers reduced the amount of new product introductions during 1989 and 1990 (7). Table 2 indicates the change in the market for various food industry segments, especially those suspected as fat problem generators, including dairy and meat foods. Many low fat and low cholesterol foods were created by a dding claims to food that have always been low in fat and/or cholesterol. 

Device Markets. New markets for cardiovascular devices are driven by a least five interrelated factors. Technology, competition, economics, consumer demand, and symbiosis of dmgs and devices all play roles. 

Salt Substitutes. As a result of concern about the relationship between dietary sodium and hypertension, some salt producers and food companies have developed salt substitutes or low sodium products. Mixtures of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, herbs and spices, as well as modified salt crystals of lower density are marketed in response to a limited consumer demand for reduced-sodium products. This amounts to about 2% of user salt purchases. 

To meet consumer demands, manufacturers are developing new nonnutritive sweeteners that more closely match the taste and mouthfeel of sucrose. There are several nonnutritive sweeteners currentiy pending FDA approval for use in soft drinks. They include sucralose [56038-13-2] aUtame [80863-62-3] encapsulated aspartame, cyclamates, and acesulfame-K [55589-62-3] also known as paUtinit. 

Overall efficiency of air conditioning equipment steadily rose starting in the mid-1970s, attributed to consumer demand, government mandate, and incentive programs. For example, the average efficiency, as expressed in seasonal energy efficiency ratio, of new central air conditioners increased about 35 percent between 1976 and 1991. After national standards took effect in 1992, efficiency has increased as much as another 15 percent. 

Portable electronic manufacturers had the foresight to realize that battery technology was not keeping up with innovation in electronic technology, and it probably never would. To satisfy consumer demand for smaller and more powerful electronic devices that could go a longer time between charges, improvements in the energy efficiency of the devices themselves were required. 

Many of the world s major automakers, prompted by both this consumer demand and progress in reducing the inherent cost and size of fuel cells, are now committed to developing and commercializing fuel cell vehicles. 

Early in the century the amount of energy output in the form of food was about equal to the commercial energy input to the crop and livestock. That was before electricity, natural gas, and petroleum products were available to the farm. Now at least 10 kcal of commercial energy is used for each kcal of food energy produced. This change has occurred as a result of mechanization, irrigation, and consumer demand for low fat foods and for precooked and prepared foods. 

Commercial production of food products is conducted in large-scale processing plants. As already mentioned, tomatoes are processed in plants continuously from June to late fall (autumn), 24 h per day, 7 days per week. This is also true of potatoes, wheat, soybeans, corn, and other large-scale commodity crops. Some crops, such as grapes, that might have a relatively short harvest season, may be processed around the clock to generate intermediate products, such as juice or young wine that can be stored for extended periods of time, whereas final products, which can be made from the intermediate products, may be produced over time as consumer demand requires. Final products may also be stored in their final retail or food service containers until demand requires distribution. 

Thompson, G.D. (1998) Consumer demand for organic foods what we know and what we need to know. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 80 (5), 1113-18. 

Products Driving forces Threats Hindered amine technology, benzotriazoles, benzophenones Consumer demand most resin systems Reducing volume, surface coating, higher-performing resins... 

However, as the negative animal welfare impact associated with caged and other intensive indoor production systems became apparent, animal welfare became a primary driver for consumer demand and product differentiation in the poultry sector. As a result, both organic and conventional free range products have achieved significant market shares and price premiums compared to products from intensive indoor production in most European countries (Hamm et al., 2002). 

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