Green has always been associated with the health and vitality of all living things, including people. Remember how our mothers used to scold us for not eating our "greens" when we were little? Not much has changed for the vast majority of Americans judging by their failure to meet the U.S. government's recommended intake of five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. As a result, a category of nutritious whole foods comprised of the most ancient organisms-the ones that are the very foundation for life on this planet-are back to revive us.
Background on Green Foods
The green foods category contains a variety of products, which can be broken down into two basic types-water greens and cereal grasses. The water greens are made up of microalgae such as aphanizomenon flos aqua (AFA), spirulina and chlorella, and cereal grasses, which are grown in soil, include wheat, barley, rye and kamut grasses.
As a nutraceutical category, green foods are relatively new in the U.S. However, the consumption of green foods by humans dates back thousands of years, from the Aztecs in Mexico to early African cultures in the region of Lake Chad. They were first introduced in the U.S. during the 1920s when wheat grass was a popular multivitamin supplement. But green foods fell by the wayside when the more cost efficient synthetic vitamins and minerals were introduced. Ron Seibold, president, Pines International, Lawrence, KS, explained, "Humans have supplemented their diets with high quality cereal grass since biblical times. Prior to the development of synthetic vitamins in the early 1950s, cereal grass was sold in nearly every pharmacy."
During the 1960s green foods became a trend among hippies and health food fanatics, often dismissed as "witches brew" by the mainstream. These labels gradually disintegrated as the health benefits of green foods were explored and recognized. Today they represent some of the most concentrated sources of nutrition available.
Green foods are different from mainstream vitamin and mineral supplements because they are not synthetic nor are they isolated compounds-they are whole food sources of nutrition. According to Mr. Seibold, many studies indicate that vitamins and minerals in their isolated form are not as effective as the same vitamins and minerals in the natural matrix found in whole foods.
Shannon Hamilton, president, Klamath Valley Botanicals, Klamath Falls, OR, agreed. "Because they are a whole food, the nutrients that are available in these green foods are much more available to the human digestive system than traditional vitamin supplements."
It is no secret that most diets are severely lacking in green food nutrients and vegetable fiber, said Mr. Seibold, USDA studies indicate this. To remedy the situation, he said, "Highly concentrated green food tablets and powders can be used to make up for terrible diet conditions that have evolved in our Western society during the past 20 years."
Health Benefits
Green foods impart a wealth of health benefits from increased levels of energy to antioxidant protection to aiding in detoxification. Investigation into the therapeutic properties of green foods indicate that green foods are good sources of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, active enzymes, bioflavonoids, chlorophyll and other phytonutrients that are necessary for optimal health.
According to Bob Terry, Ph.D., nutrition advisor for Oxnard, CA-based Green Foods Corporation, his company's powdered extracts, such as the Green Magma line of barley juices, not only supply the body with fuel (carbohydrates, fats) and building blocks (proteins, essential fatty acids) to replenish the tissues, but are also a source of antioxidants, detoxifiers, digestive enhancers and metabolic promoters that increase energy levels, protect the body from free radicals and toxins, promote repair and support healing of damaged tissues.
Klamath Valley's Mr. Hamilton said it is important to supplement the diet with green foods, especially because fruits and vegetables lack the micronutrients they used to contain. "People no longer get the micronutrients from the foods they eat anymore-not even from vegetables and fruits because they have been hybridized to produce uniformity, color and weight," he said. "They're no longer bred for their ability to acquire and store nutrients," he said.
Amy Sandoval, marketing manager, Green Kamut Corporation, Long Beach, CA, said green foods are excellent detoxifiers because they cleanse the body and can chelate heavy metals out of the blood and tissue. In addition, she said, "Everyone in the world could benefit from taking green foods. Diabetics, people suffering from disease and the elderly probably can see the most benefit in the short term," she said. "For everyone else, consuming green foods can help individuals achieve the American Cancer Institute's recommendation of five servings of fruits and vegetables per day to help prevent disease."
The Chlorophyll Connection
While the properties of the green foods may vary, one constant element in all green foods is chlorophyll, the substance that makes green foods green. Mr. Seibold of Pines International explained that from a molecular point of view, chlorophyll is identical to hemoglobin, the substance in human blood that carries oxygen from the lungs to the other tissues and organs in the body. The only difference between the two molecules is that hemoglobin has iron as the center atom while chlorophyll has magnesium at its center. "When one looks at the function of the two molecules, the function is very similar but reversed," Mr. Seibold said. "Chlorophyll is often described as the 'blood of plants' and while chlorophyll-rich foods have consistently been linked with increasing the hemoglobin content of blood, it is not clear whether it is the chlorophyll itself or the many other blood-building nutrients associated with chlorophyll that is responsible for its blood building qualities."
Mr. Terry of Green Foods Corporation also discussed chlorophyll's function. "In addition to its well known deodorizing properties, chlorophyll has also been shown to act as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agent," he said. "In the last several years exciting new in vitro and clinical research studies have demonstrated that chlorophyll and its derivatives can kill a variety of cancer cells."
According to Sun Chlorella USA, Torrance, CA, chlorella has the highest chlorophyll content of all the various types of green foods, referring to chlorophyll as "nature's most powerful detoxifying agent" and the unique function of chlorophyll benefits human health by reducing the acid levels in the body when free radical formation and oxidative reactions increase.
Growing and Processing
According to the most industry experts, the quality of a green foods' nutritional content results from the way they are grown and processed. Spirulina and chlorella are cultivated in manmade ponds, AFA grows naturally in Klamath Lake in Oregon and cereal grasses are grown in soil year round.
Mr. Seibold of Pines International discussed cereal grasses. "In order for wheat grass or barley grass products to supply the kind of concentrated nutrition they are known for, they need to be grown and processed in a manner that will protect and maximize those nutrients. Growing cereal grasses over the winter in a climate such as Kansas has been shown to produce the highest nutritional value, but the timing of the harvest is even more important." He went on to say that cereal grasses are harvested at the "jointing stage"-the point at which the cereal grass plant reaches its highest nutritional concentration-which lasts only a few days in the early spring. Harvesting after that period results in greatly reduced nutritional value. After the jointing stage, the nutrition stored in the leaves goes toward developing the growing grain. After the grasses are harvested they are quickly processed.
Mr. Seibold discussed the production process. "At Pines we use a patented flash drying process that minimizes nutritional loss," he said. "We quickly put the products in containers filled with nitrogen and store the unrefined product in freezers to prevent nutritional loss."
One debated issue is whether to grow green foods in natural or artificial environments. "Products grown in the soil have a more powerful effect than products grown in hot houses," explained Ms. Sandoval of Green Kamut Corp. "Grasses grow for a longer period of time, in turn giving them more time to pick up nutrients from their environment."
Zakir Ramazanov, president and CEO, National Bioscience Corp., Chester, NY, offered a different perspective. "Algae and grasses should be cultivated in a mono-culture," he said. "They should be grown in a 100% controllable environment such as a photobioreactor with technologically elegant equipment, not in an open field or unprotected water because there are too many variables such as wind and weather. With the wind comes all kinds of spores, fungus and toxins from the environment." That said, Mr. Ramazanov noted that most green foods though are grown in outdoor conditions, with only about 5% of green foods grown using the highly technological process he advocates, which he feels is the only way to guarantee the product is 100% safe against contamination. However, because there is a cost issue most companies will continue to use outdoor methods.
Tac Kurihara, vice president, Maypro, Purchase, NY, said chlorella products are cultivated outside under the sun, so they can get the full benefit of the sun's energy. According to Mr. Kurihara, contamination is not an issue for the company. "The chlorella ponds are always under the supervision of skilled microbiologists to ensure that they are free from bacteria and microbial growth," he said.
Quality control should be an important priority, according to Ron Lowry, product manager, SeaTech Bioproducts, Shrewsbury, MA. "Processing in a clean GMP environment is only half of the process," he explained. "Quality control in the laboratory is a necessary confirmation before any product is sold."
Examining the Market for Green Foods
The green foods category, according to SPINS/ACNielsen data, was worth $1.6 million in mainstream channels in 2001, representing 15% growth compared to the previous year. In the natural foods channel, however, the situation was quite different as green foods posted a market value of $22 million in 2001, representing 14% growth over the previous year. From looking at the data, said Rebecca Enders, business development manager, SPINS, San Francisco, CA, it is obvious that green foods are still a bit of a stretch for mainstream consumers.
Industry sources attribute slow growth to the "fad" nature of green foods that is beginning to die out mostly due to a crowded marketplace and questionable products.
Green Kamut's Ms. Sandoval discussed the growth of the market over the last decade. "The green foods industry has grown rapidly over the past seven to 10 years. It seemed like every major health food brand had to have a green drink in their line," she commented. "This growth has slowed over the past two years and some brands have been discontinued as there was too much competition and not enough buyers to sustain all the new product entries into the market."
Kim Padula, general manager purchasing, Klamath Blue Green Algae, Mt. Shasta, CA, said the green foods market has proven to be unstable over the past several years. "The market for AFA collapsed after peaking in 1996 due to bad publicity," she said. "Our sales were cut to a third but have been growing since 1999 and are almost back to their peak level before things collapsed."
Painting a similar picture of instability was Bob Walker, vice president of sales and marketing, Pharmline, Lawrenceville, NJ. "It goes up and down depending on the fad of the moment. Green foods were very popular a couple of years ago; you couldn't get enough chlorella and spirulina," he said. "Now I think the market is fairly flat."
Product quality is also an issue that needs to be addressed, according to Mr. Terry of Green Foods Corporation. "In the last five years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of green foods and while this gives the consumer greater choice, the quality of many of the new green food products now on the market is unknown," he said. "The cost of manufacturing a high quality organically certified green product requires a significant investment in state-of-the-art processing, testing equipment and expertise, which companies may lack. Unfortunately, there are companies that want to reap an immediate financial reward from the increased demand for green foods."
Klamath Valley's Mr. Hamilton feels the biggest barrier to growth is not being sophisticated enough with reaching the consumer. "I think that size is just going to dictate the sophistication required to reach the consumer directly," he said.
Along the same lines, Mr. Seibold of Pines International commented, "The perception of green foods is changing as the knowledge of the importance of eating dark, green vegetables becomes more ingrained in the consumer consciousness. The biggest factor in the industry toward this goal is the presentation of real health information to the consumer."
Janis Van Tine, public relations manager, Sun Chlorella USA revealed a positive prediction for the future green foods market through examination of the sales of its Sun Chlorella product. "Sun Chlorella is in its infancy in the U.S. However, in Japan, which is a more mature market for Sun Clorella, annual sales are $200 million dollars." She continued, "In the U.S. We have just begun to tap a larger market and we estimate, based upon the aging baby boomers and their emerging concerns for long term health, our market potential is at least $200 million and could be as much as $400 million."