Thilo Bode sees no trace at the Demeter conference

In a successful combination of the General Assembly and the meeting, the Demeter movement set the course for tackling the challenges faced by biodynamic economics. Impulsreferate outlined current situation and urgent questions from the areas of production, trade and consumer protection. In working groups, these accents were then intensively discussed.

Change Schanck from Luxembourg, Member of the Management Board of Demeter International, for example, advocated the introduction of the bi-dynamic seal which, in addition to the Demeter brand, should be confined to the statement on the production process. Joachim Bauck presented successful concepts for Demeter shops in Norway with Helios stores, while Axel Bergfeld, a natural retailer from Bonn, illuminated the German market. Volkmar Spielberger from NaturataSpielberger AG contributed unusual angles to the trading range, and Klaus Wais asked about the growth of the Demeter builder.

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Significant success in the reduction of acrylamide

Consumers can continue to enjoy Christmas biscuits such as gingerbread, speculoos and co. As the latest test on Christmas cookies by foodwatch demonstrates, all of the tested cookies are well below the signal values ​​for acrylamide set by the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). 13 of the 20 products examined show values ​​below 200 micrograms / kg, some of them Nuremberg wafer gingerbread and speculoos even below 50 micrograms / kg. The average acrylamide content of all measured products is only 209 micrograms / kg and even the highest measured value of a diet gingerbread is 677 microgram / kg, well below the signal value for gingerbread of 1.000 micrograms / kg.

Dr Grugel, President of the BVL, emphasized: "The BVL sees itself in its minimization strategy, which has been pursued together with the BMVEL and the Länder, since all currently discussed acrylamide content is below the signal values ​​for the evaluation period 08 / 02 to 01 / 03 ". The foodwatch study shows that the reduction efforts of the industry have spread across the board and led to a sharp drop in acrylamide levels.

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Background of the tests

Just like last year, foodwatch had Christmas cookies checked for acrylamide by a recognized laboratory. Acrylamide is considered to be suspected of causing cancer and mutagenic. Therefore, it is recommended to eat as little as possible. Acrylamide is formed when heating starchy foods. While there are recommendations for acrylamide minimization for domestic food preparation, consumers are left in the process of going to the supermarket: manufacturers and government agencies have thousands of test results. However, consumers are not aware of how heavily certain products are contaminated, even though they could drastically reduce their exposure to acrylamide through targeted product selection. 

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Food consumption has changed dramatically in ten years

In ten years, the dietary habits in Germany have changed considerably in some areas: Traditional meat types have lost much of their popularity, while poultry has grown strongly. Vegetables, pasta and rice are now more frequently on the German menu, fresh potatoes have lost importance. Bread and rolls, fresh milk products, cheese and cooking oil have also gained favor with consumers, while milk, butter and margarine are no longer used as often as they used to be.

In the ten years from 1993 to 2002, the per capita consumption of beef (purely human consumption) has dropped from 13,5 kilograms to 8,4 kilograms, that of pork from 40,4 kilograms to 38,7 kilograms. In contrast, poultry has increased by three kilograms to 10,4 kilograms within ten years. The noodle consumption in Germany increased from 1993 to 2002 by 1,3 kilograms to 6,0 kilograms, that of rice by 0,9 kilograms to 3,3 kilograms. Their bread consumption increased the nationals of 79,60 to 86,90 kilograms.

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BDU sentiment barometer Economy / Autumn 2003

In the opinion of the management consultants regarding the current economic situation and the development of German companies in the coming six months, the upturn has become more tangible and tangible. This is the conclusion of the survey results of the 'Stimmungsbarometer Wirtschaft / Herbst 2003' published today in Bonn by the Bundesverband Deutscher Unternehmensberater BDU eV. Thereafter, especially the earnings situation in important sectors will improve. With a share of 45,8 percent, significantly fewer of the consultants surveyed also describe the current situation in industry and business as 'bad to very bad' than six months ago or the previous year
same time last year (spring 2003: 58 percent and fall 2002: 67 percent). Although more than half of the respondents still believe that job cuts will continue, the proportion of skeptics has declined significantly compared to the last two surveys. (BDU sentiment barometer spring 60,2: 2003 percent and fall 85,1: 2002 percent).
  
In the opinion of the consultants consulted, the earnings situation of German companies will in some cases significantly ease in the coming six months. 55 percent believe that the earnings situation in the capital goods industry (spring 2003: 19,7 percent), 42,4 percent in credit and insurance (spring 2003: 10,9 percent), 33,5 percent in the consumer goods industry (spring 2003: 15,7 percent) and 40 percent at the other services (spring 2003) will 'improve a little bit noticeably'. On the other hand, companies in the construction and healthcare sectors will have to hope for better numbers. Around half of the management consultants forecast that the earnings situation here will continue to 'deteriorate' to a noticeable degree. In the BDU sentiment barometer spring 2003, the proportion of skeptics had also been just below 60 percent.
  
The consultants expect a slow turnaround for the future employment situation in Germany. Around 60 percent of those questioned still believe that companies will not be able to offer their employees a secure job, but in spring 2003 this proportion was over 85 percent. Almost 25 percent assume the level will remain the same (spring 2003: 8,7 percent) and 15 percent see opportunities for 'slightly more or more jobs' in Germany (spring 2003: 5,6 percent). The consultants see prospects for new jobs above all in the service sector and in the TIMES sector (transport / media / IT). In contrast, job cuts, especially in the credit and insurance sectors (75 percent of those surveyed) and in the construction industry (85,9 percent of those surveyed) will continue in the next six months.
  
More optimistic than in recent months, the BDU members appreciate the willingness of German companies to set the course for a better corporate future with pioneering product or process innovations. While 2002's 42 percent in the fall and 2003 37,3's spring poll in the spring are convinced that Germany's innovation activity is set to increase, its share in the current survey has again increased significantly to 55,6 percent. The biggest potential for innovative products or services is seen by the investment capital industry (15,3 percent) consultants in the TIMES sector (15,3 percent), healthcare (13,3 percent), and credit and insurance (12,4 percent).
  
The willingness of companies to invest over the next six months is also growing in the opinion of the consultants. In the process, growing budgets are being used for product innovations - especially for research and development. The expansion of production capacity continues to play virtually no role in the investment motives in all ten sectors examined. However, a large part of the invested funds will flow abroad. For example, around 68 percent of BDU consultants surveyed expect higher foreign investment in the capital goods industry (spring 2003: 47,1 percent), 46,7 percent in the consumer goods industry (spring 2003: 32,3 percent), 38,4 percent in the consumer goods industry (spring 2003: 26,4 percent) and 34,8 Percent in the TIMES industry (spring 2003: 24,6 percent).
  
BDU President Rémi Redley: "The results of our Economic Sentiment Indicator show that the first thing to do is to strengthen the first soft roots of the recovery and to provide the right manure, and the leaders of all political parties must put off their party-political games, the announced reforms In order to finally create the necessary planning security for the German economy, only then can the really decisive breakthrough in investment readiness and dynamics in Germany succeed. "
  
In the BDU Economic Barometer, some 1.200 management consultants from BDU consultancy companies are surveyed on future developments in the German economy. The survey is conducted twice a year as a spring and autumn voting barometer. For a total of ten industries (capital goods, consumer durables and consumer goods, construction, energy / water, trade / crafts, credit and insurance, healthcare, TIMES (transport / media / IT), other services), the consultants give their assessment regarding the earnings situation , the development of sales, innovation and investment activity as well as the employment situation in German companies for the next six months.

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Paleontologists at the University of Bonn have made an unusual discovery in the opencast mining areas near Garzweiler. They saw strange accumulations of fossil nuts in the dredging road. Their theory: A hamster had created food reserves in his burrow and corridors to nibble on it in the cold season - well over 17 million years ago. This would make the find the oldest pantry ever discovered.

At some point, the avid collector left his building and never came back. Perhaps he fell prey to a prehistoric assassination, perhaps even a natural disaster had spilled the entrance to his cave. Anyway, Bonn paleontologist Dr. Carole Gee did not discover any fossil hamster remnants when she took a closer look at nut collections. Still, she is pretty sure about it: The location of the more than 1.200 nuts allows precise conclusions about the size of the building and the shape of its corridors. "The building is certainly from a rodent, most likely from a large hamster or possibly a gopher," she concludes in a publication in the journal Palaeontology, together with her co-authors. Martin Sander and dr. Bianka Petzelberger.

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Karg optimized

In her study "Which diet would be optimal for the population?" [1] K. Gedrich and G. Karg present a model that will be used to calculate an optimal diet of the population on the basis of recommendations for the absorption of nutrients. The two researchers have some explanation, because the optimized results, especially in sausage and eggs not quite the usual statements of the German Nutrition Society. But let us first let the two speak for themselves:

"The comparatively high proportion of sausage products and bacon in the optimized diet is due to the favorable fatty acid composition of these foods. The DA-CH reference values ​​[2] call for a limit to the intake of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids to a maximum of 10% and 7% respectively According to this, the fat intake should consist mainly of monoenoic acids. This requirement is well met by sausage products and bacon. Only a few foods (nougat spreads, nuts and vegetable edible oils) have a higher proportion of monoene in the total fat content than the food group sausage and bacon. If one takes into account the usual eating habits in Germany, the data from the National Consumption Study, for example, show that the group of meat and sausage products is the most important source of monounsaturated fatty acids, ahead of edible fats and oils. [3] "

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The Federal Labor Office presents

The Federal Employment Agency

has created a very interesting page - which a school leaver interested in the profession of butcher or butcher should take a closer look at.

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A contribution to the 3rd anniversary of the end of Germany's BSE freedom on November 27, 2000.

Dr. Hans-Jochen Luhmann from the Wuppertal Institute writes, among other things:

...
In its resolution 85/01 on February 16, 2001, the Federal Council admitted that this freedom was a “delusion”, an illusion: “Germany has for too long believed it was safe to be BSE-free . "

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Gastronomy and the hotel industry are of crucial importance for tourism MV

The Gastro in Rostock has become the leading trade fair for the hotel and restaurant industry, the food and tourism industry, but also for the retail trade. This raised Agriculture Minister Dr. Till Backhaus (SPD) opening the 14. Gastro in the Hanseatic city. From the 22. to 25. November, the only trade fair for the gastronomy and hotel industry in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania this year will be presented on 10.000 square meters with some 180 mainly regional and German companies as well as companies from abroad.

The Ministry of Agriculture supports regional companies in the food industry with their promotion at the trade and interactive exhibition in Rostock. "Gastronomy and the hotel industry have a very special significance for our country and our economy, and they play a major role in the success of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as a tourist destination," says Minister Backhaus. That is why it is particularly gratifying that the local food industry in Rostock presents itself so enthusiastically.

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Innovative strategies for business management and increased sales

With the top seminar for owners of butchers, the seminar series of CMA and DFV for 2003 ended in an exclusive environment. The idyllic Reinhartshausen Castle in Erbach near Eltville on the Rhine, whose excellent reputation is based not only on the stylishly furnished five-star castle hotel, but also on the high-quality Rheingau wines of the attached winery, was the scene for a seminar of a special kind The culmination and seasonal completion of the regular series of seminars was aimed at training demanding butchers' managers.

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