Pharmacy

With 32 grams of natural whole grains crammed into each 450-milliliter (15.2-fluid-ounce) bottle, Wholly Grain! from Half Moon Bay, Calif.-based Odwalla blends orange, pineapple and mango juices into a smoothie with two-thirds of the recommended daily intake of essential vitamins.

Naturally healthy Jolly Llama Sorbets are blended from top-grade, vine-ripened fruit that’s pureed and frozen immediately, instead of being made from concentrates or juices.

The New York Times spent some time interviewing college students, construction workers, c-store owners and others near the University of Maryland recently to study what it calls the “hottest drink category in the country” right now, energy shots.

Their products have already joined the mainstream, but natural/organic baby food manufacturers keep upping the ante for consumers by introducing exciting new items to the segment.

KIDStrong™ Enterprises has developed a first-of-its-kind all-natural hydration beverage for children ages 4 to 13. The low-sugar, scientifically formulated KIDStrong™ hydration drink currently comes in two flavors, natural orange and natural grape, with more varieties to follow.

Sales in the long-established carbonated drinks segment have been flat to slightly down over the past five years, according to Mintel, a leading market research company. During 2003-08, Mintel estimates the regular soda segment lost 15.6 million consumers aged 18 and over, and the diet soda segment only added half as many, or 7.8 million adult consumers.

Adult obesity rates did not decrease in a single state over the past year, but rather increased in 23 states. Also, the percentage of obese and overweight children is now at or above 30 percent in 30 states.

Tasty Brand, Inc., maker of Tastybaby® frozen organic purées, has grown the pioneering product line with Organic Infant Cereals, as well expanding the brand beyond baby food with Organic Fruit Snacks.