This year’s CHFA East trade show was nothing short of informative with over 850 exhibitors showcasing the latest in the natural health and organic food industry. From beauty products and natural supplements to innovative grocery items, the show was filled with industry experts, retailers, manufacturers, and distributers from every niche.

Check out some of this year’s booths that shared their inspiring brand philosophies and new products at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, from September 16-17.

According to research conducted by The Ohio State University, researchers discovered that mice modelled with a strain of lupus showed signs of improvement after walking every day for 45 minutes on a treadmill. Compared to 88 per cent of the mice who didn’t exercise who had severe inflammatory damage the kidneys, 45 per cent of the mice who exercised showed less signs of kidney damage.

Researchers found that biomarkers that serve to increase inflammation, decreased immensely for the mice who partook in regular exercise.

In addition to analyzing the exercise experiments, the research team wanted to track the implications of psychological stress that triggers lupus symptoms by placing a mouse with a “stronger” mouse. Results showed that inducing stress increased inflammation and caused more kidney damage in the mice.

These observations are of importance as they can be of use in regulating the symptoms of lupus in humans.

“If we observe similar results in human studies, this could mean that stress reduction and a daily regimen of physical therapy should be considered as interventional strategies to be used alongside current medical treatment,” says Nicholas Young, a senior author and research scientist in rheumatology and immunology at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center. “We may have started to characterize an effective way to reduce inflammation and help people with lupus aside from conventional drug therapy.”

While regular exercise is often recommended by health professionals to their patients with lupus, there lacks the scientific evidence to prove why exercise is effective.

“What you hear a lot from patients is that they’re hurting and they don’t want to get out of bed in the morning and don’t feel like exercising,” Young said.”One of the largest hurdles to get over is that it may not seem intuitive that movement will make you feel better, but it does.”

To see whether the results from the mice research could work for human patients, the research team conducted a pilot study where they enrolled a group of lupus patients into a tai chi program that focused on reducing stress and exercise. In the same way that the mice showed a decrease in inflammatory biomarkers, humans also showed positive results.

To elaborate on their findings, Young is seeking more funding to gather more research and potential evidence.

“We’ve shown on a molecular level that both exercise and stress can impact inflammation by regulation of the immune system, which may provide a unique opportunity to help people suffering from the chronic inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases like lupus,” says Young. “If we find consistent benefits in a large group of people with lupus and can standardize a specific regimen, you could almost imagine a prescription for exercise and stress reduction.”

Daniel Staackmann, owner and president of Upton’s Naturals, spoke candidly with Jenna Blumenfeld from Supermarket News about veganism and the future of the plant-based meat alternatives.

“I’m a vegan of over 25 years, and seitan was always a favourite food of mine. When I started the company in 2006 there was just one national seitan brand and no one doing it locally. It seemed like a good opportunity that there was room for in the market. I chose not to do tempeh and tofu because they are way more complicated to make, and there are so many regional producers of those protein alternatives,” says Staackmann about the inspiration for starting his company.

While Staackmann’s meat alternatives appeal to himself and vegans alike, all types consumers are enjoying Upton’s alternative meat products to simply reduce their meat intake for dietary purposes. “Less than half are vegan,” says Staackmann. “That’s based off social media posts, consumer events and in-store demos that we have done. It doesn’t seem like we’re 70 percent die-hard vegans and then just 30 part-time vegetarians. It really seems like there are just more and more people trying to reduce the amount of meat in their diets. We think a lot of our customers eat vegan most of the time, and then once in a while they have a steak.”

When asked about food-tech versus old-school ingredients like tofu and seitan, Staackmann favors the old-school approach to the industry but sees how high-tech methods can benefit the industry and be of interest to consumers. “As consumers are drawn to a more vegan diet, they’ll start to explore other alternatives such as seitan. All those big investments and food-tech companies are certainly helping the entire vegan category,” says Staackmann.

In terms of merchandising meat alternatives, Staackmann is aware of the controversy of placing vegan products in the meat aisle—a ongoing industry discussion that’s difficult to ascertain. “There’s been a lot of debate in the industry—is integration better than having the subset somewhere else like in dairy or produce? You would think, yes, if they are in the meat case, maybe you’re going to find that eaters of meat can make decisions to choose vegan protein easier. But consumers of meat alternatives have been pushed into those dairy and produce areas for so long to find vegan products, I wonder if you’re going to lose out on those people. As a longtime vegan, I don’t enjoy going into the meat department to find things. I’m very curious to see what’s going to happen in that regard,” admits Staackmann.

As meat alternative products continue to expand, Staackmann believes that plant-based eating is a decision that more people are likely to turn to. “I just don’t see any reason for anyone in 2017 to say “veganism is ridiculous, why would I do that?” How many studies do there need to be that prove a vegan diet is healthier and better for the environment? Even setting aside the animal rights issues, do you not care about the environment and your own health?” says Staackmann. “There are so many alternatives right now that make it easy to make the transition.”

While Upton’s Naturals is based in Chicago, a selection of their meat alternative products are available to purchase in Canada at vegansupply.ca.

Back to school shopping doesn’t just mean a jump in office supplies sales—sports drinks also saw a 35 per cent increase from last year during August 13 – September 10. According to the Nielsen Insights report, the back to school shopping rush is a popular, and successful time for beverage companies.

“While there is definitely seasonality to sports drinks, there is a spike in the weeks heading back to school,” says director of health and wellness strategic insights at Nielsen Andrew Mandzy. “In addition, households may perceive sports drinks as a healthier alternative to soda or juice boxes that would typically go into lunches.”
  
According to the Nielson Insights report that sought after research concerning back to school lunchtime and snaking needs, consumers are spending more one sports drinks without artificial sweeteners, as well as 19 per cent more on beverages that are sugar free during the back to school period. The report also showed that low-sodium drink options also sell well during this time, including those with antioxidant properties.

In terms of back to school lunches, mangos saw a 75 per cent increase when compared to two years ago. In addition, apples were on the top of the produce list in 2016, showing that healthy snacks are of a priority.

Steve Reuter, a third-generation farmer, is transitioning into organics at his dairy farm in Minnesota—a transition that hasn’t come without its costs. Aside from adapting to the needs of the animals, transitioning into organics means buying organic seeds, maintaining a pesticide-free pasture, and hiring a company for proper certification—all of which comes with higher labor costs and an increase in prices.

As more companies decide to produce organics like Reuter’s dairy farm, the industry is placing a close microscope on companies that are utilizing organic labelling, especially for marketing.

According to Mark Kastel, co-founder of an organic industry monitoring company called the Cornucopia Institute, about half of the organic milk sold in the U.S. comes from dairy farms with a large supply of cows that can be difficult to monitor accordingly. “We have livestock factories with as many as 15,000 cows on an ‘organic operation,’” explains Kastel. As a result, it’s not unusual for large farms to push what it means to be considered as “organic.”

“Now that corporations have invested in organics, they would like to use that label for marketing purposes, with as little encumbrance as possible, in terms of their bottom line,” says Kastel.

For this reason, organic farms like Reuter’s must also provide detailed documents of the products they are buying to the certification company in order to meet industry standards.

Likewise, organic imports are also questionable, not only for the American market but for international markets like Canada’s organic industry. With a growing Canadian market that’s worth an estimated $3.7 billion, tightening the standards on the industry in the states will help to maintain the reputability of the Canada’s industry. Recently, the USDA discovered that soybean shipments from Turkey were fraudulently labeled as organic. As a result, the USDA removed the Turkish company’s organic certificate.

“There are some certification agencies we think are absolutely at fault for either turning a blind eye or being negligent about the grain that’s coming in from foreign countries,” explains John Bobbe, executive director of Organic Farmers Agency, a marketing group for U.S. organic producers. For this reason, Bobbe claims that the USDA should hire more inspectors when it comes to importing organics.

In the meantime, strategically—and carefully—transitioning into the organic industry by taking part in the necessary steps is a must as the industry continues to grow and expand—a process that Reuter’s farm is taking seriously in order to maintain the integrity of organics.

TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2017 
Launched today at an event during the first week of classes at the University of Toronto, the Global Coalition on Youth Mental Health will engage the mental health community to amplify the many voices advocating for youth mental health worldwide. The Coalition is an inclusive, youth-inspired initiative that asks leading mental health organizations, young people experiencing mental illness, and their communities to share the Coalition’s and its partners’ supportive social media messages, empowering young leaders to be mental health advocates. The Coalition was developed by a Steering Committee with members from Jack.org, the University of Toronto, iFred, batyr, and the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.

“It is critical to engage youth in mental health efforts, because the majority of these conditions manifest by the age of 24,” said Janine Robb, Executive Director, Health and Wellness, University of Toronto. “The Coalition invites mental health organizations, advocates, and individuals to join us and share messages that reach people during this pivotal time when they are beginning to build independent lives and careers. We are engaging mental health organizations in Canada and around the globe to join a community that will amplify constructive social media voices and share resources for young people.”

Beginning at the launch, the Coalition asks organizations, advocates, and individuals to share positive social media messages using the hashtag, #195forMentalHealth. The hashtag represents the question: what if all 195 countries prioritized youth mental health? The campaign will focus on helping its member organizations amplify each other’s social voices and activate the voice of young people across the world, initially in Canada and advancing to include other countries. By doing so, the Coalition hopes to create a groundswell that global leaders cannot ignore, prompting a much-needed focus on youth mental health.

“This is an important moment for the mental health community, and we are inspired to be a part of this collaboration,” said Eric Windeler, Founder & Executive Director, Jack.org, a Canadian network of young leaders in mental health. “The Coalition is in no way intended to compete with or replace the great work happening around the world. Rather, it hopes to serve as a social movement designed to amplify the importance of our collective work, encouraging collaboration and the sharing of best-practices globally. If we can all work together our messages will be louder, and mental wellbeing of youth across the world will be better off for it.”

Members of the Steering Committee announced the Coalition’s launch today at the University of Toronto, at an event held to coincide with the first week of classes. Organizations in Canada and other countries participated in person and virtually. The Steering Committee developed the strategic framework for the Coalition and planned its initial activities in collaboration with those affected by mental illness, academic institutions, healthcare leadership, social media influencers, and mental health organizations and networks. The Coalition invites members of the mental health community to join its efforts by signing onto the Coalition and sharing the social media messages of the Coalition and its partners throughout the year. Sign on at www.ymentalhealth.org 

“The Coalition will help organizations create an energized, vocal community that is committed to combatting stigma and improving mental health responses,” said Craig Kramer, Mental Health Ambassador, Neuroscience External Affairs, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, and Chair, Global Campaign for Mental Health, Johnson & Johnson. “The key is the Coalition’s strategy of directly engaging mental health leaders and unleashing their ability to drive meaningful change, both among youth and in society overall. We envision the Coalition to be a sustained engine to assist progress on mental health, not just today, but in the years to come.” 

“I’m living proof that depression is treatable and suicide is preventable,” said Kathryn Goetzke, iFred Founder and President of The Mood Factory. “I see good mental health as a human right, and believe everyone deserves the ability to access and receive treatment. The sooner we reach children and young people, the more we can positively impact their mental health trajectory. Through the Coalition, we hope organizations amplify this message and encourage peers and communities to work together to end stigma, increase the reach of resources, and insist that governments and businesses prioritize mental health.”

About the Global Coalition on Youth Mental Health (www.ymentalhealth.org)
The Global Coalition on Youth Mental Health is an inclusive, youth-inspired initiative that aims to amplify the many voices on youth mental health worldwide. Around the globe, the Coalition is engaging with leading mental health organizations, young people experiencing mental illness, and the communities that support them to galvanize awareness, collaboration, and action.

About Jack.org
Jack.org trains and empowers young leaders who are revolutionizing mental health in Canada. Through Jack Talks, Jack Chapters and Jack Summits, young leaders identify and break down barriers to positive mental health in their communities. Jack.org is working towards a Canada where young people are comfortable talking about mental health, and those that need support get the help they deserve. With a national network of 2,500 young leaders, they’re only just getting started.

About the University of Toronto
Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto has evolved into Canada’s leading institution of learning, discovery and knowledge creation. The University of Toronto is proud to be one of the world’s top research-intensive universities, driven to invent and innovate. Its students have the opportunity to learn from and work with preeminent thought leaders through the University’s multidisciplinary network of teaching and research faculty, alumni, and partners. The ideas, innovations, and actions of more than 500,000 graduates continue to have a positive impact on the world.

About iFred
The mission of International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression (iFred) is to shine a positive light on depression and eliminate the stigma associated with the disease through prevention, research and education. Its goal is to ensure 100% of the 350 million people affected by depression seek and receive treatment. iFred has a curriculum available free online that teaches Hope to young kids, based on research that Hope is a teachable skill.

About batyr
batyr is a for purpose organisation that focuses on preventative education in the area of youth mental health. batyr provides programs that train young people to speak about their personal experience with mental ill health and start a conversation in their community. batyr takes these speakers into schools, universities and corporate arenas to continue this conversation around mental health. The programs engage, educate and empower the audience to learn from the experiences of others and to reach out to the great services around them.

Coalition Members: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Child Mind Institute, citiesRISE, Crisis Text Line, DMAX Foundation, Flawless Foundation, IAM Prize, International Bipolar Foundation, It Gets Brighter, Kids Help Phone, Leading Minds, One Mind at Work, Project Heal, Student Minds, Teenmentalhealth.org, University College Dublin, Yale UniversityProgram for Recovery and Community Health

SOURCE Global Coalition on Youth Mental Health 

Postpartum depression has been getting some well-deserved attention lately thanks to celebrities like Chrissy Teigen who have opened up about their personal struggles with the affliction. Yet, most people do not realize that fathers can also struggle with postpartum depression.

It is estimated that around 10 percent of men report symptoms of depression following the birth of a child – that rate is double the normal rate of depression among men. While it is known that hormonal changes are to blame for postpartum depression in women, the cause for it in men has been widely unknown. But, a recent study conducted by psychologists Darby Saxbe and Robin Edelstein reveal that male testosterone may have something to do with it. They found that men’s testosterone levels dropped throughout the course of their partner’s pregnancy and of data analyzed, the men with the lowest levels of the hormone had the highest levels of depression.

Lower testosterone in men has been linked to higher rates of depression for some time. So much so that many psychiatrists have considered prescribing testosterone supplements to their depressed male patients. The link between testosterone and male postpartum depression has not been specifically studied but these findings seem to be pointing to a clear correlation.

Surprisingly, they noted a positive effect on the men’s partners. Women with low-testosterone partners reported higher relationship satisfaction and lower depression rates. Women with low-testosterone partners also reported experiencing less aggressive behaviour, such as physical or verbal violence, from their partners. Testosterone is associated with aggressive and typically masculine behaviour. Further, men with high testosterone levels reported feeling high levels of stress due to parenthood demands.

So, there are two sides to the table; men who have low levels of testosterone are at a higher risk of postpartum depression but men with high testosterone levels are at risk of having more parenting stress and less happy partners.

It may make sense for a man’s testosterone levels to drop when they have a baby – it allows them to invest more time and effort into their relationships with their child and partner. But, this is at the cost of being more susceptible to mood disorders such as depression. So, it turns out new Moms and Dads can take comfort in the fact that their postpartum emotions are completely normal and may actually have an evolutionary role to play.

At the end of the day, if you are suffering from postpartum depression for any reason at all, it is important that you find someone to talk to and that can help. Starting a family should be a time in your life filled with love – don’t let complicated hormones ruin those memories for you.

Jim Chanos, a short selling investment advisor, appeared on CNBC’s Halftime Report explaining how Amazon’s new food market partnership with Whole Foods comes after two German companies were already changing the grocery game, known as Aldi and Lidl.

“[They] should scare investors much more than Amazon,” says Chanos. “They are just disrupting the model for the East Coast and South on.”
The grocery industry has changed immensely in the US. Lidl opened 10 US stores in Virginia and the Carolinas. Likewise, Aldi has announced their five-year plan to invest $5 billion globally.

Chanos says that the grocery industry is not only seeing a decrease return on capital, but also facing “razor-thin margins,” especially since Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market which didn’t help.

“For an industry with tiny, tiny margins and then having Amazon show up with Whole Foods just was sort of the last straw,” concludes Chanos.