Falls Church, VA (PRWEB) December 5 2003--If it seems like everyone is eating low-carb these days, it is probably because they are. According to a recent Supermarket Guru survey, a majority of Americans now claim some kind of reduction of carbohydrate in their diet.

This increased consumer awareness is having an impact on every sector in the Food & Beverage Industry: from beer, bread and pasta, to meat, eggs and produce. A survey from NPD Foodworld reveals consumption of breakfast foods like eggs, bacon and sausage are at 10-year highs. Even in the hardest hit sector, bread and pasta, sales are strong for low-carb varieties.

ProductScan Online estimates that over 1,000 new low-carb packaged products have been introduced to meet growing consumer demand. Until recently the majority of low-carb products were introduced from low-carb niche companies: Atkins Nutritionals, Keto Foods, LowCarb Success and CarbSense to name a few. Now, even established players, such as Heinz, Hershey's, Russell Stover and Miller Brewing Company, and restaurant chains are responding to the market and introducing low-carb selections.

In the marketplace, low-carb is no longer a specialty niche catering to a small number of consumers, but a sector commanding attention as it forges ahead. A growing voice in the industry is a new trade organization, the Washington D.C.-based Carbohydrate Awareness Council. They are using a proven business model to organize around the shared interests and common goals of all the players in the industry.

While a number of analysts and stakeholders in the low-fat sector counter that low-carb is a passing fad, the founders of the Carbohydrate Awareness Council believe otherwise. "The scientific evidence is just too compelling to ignore" said Dr. Gil Wilshire, MD, FACOG, reproductive endocrinologist and the council's President and Chief Scientific Officer. "If we can set aside the business growth for a moment, and instead focus on the research, it is clear that low-carb is not just a consumer-driven phenomenon. It is a trend borne out of overwhelming evidence. The data confirms again and again that overweight and sedentary people benefit enormously from dietary carbohydrate restriction. Since over 60 percent of the country is overweight, the growth potential of this market has barely been tapped.”

The Carbohydrate Awareness Council (CAC) announced last month their upcoming CarbAware Executive Summit, January 14-15, 2004 in the DC-Metro area. They will be bringing together the industry to discuss their common goals to enhance and grow their position in the market. "By bringing together industry stakeholders, interested parties and complimentary industries, we will craft an action plan to deal with the issues the low-carb sector faces." said the council's COO, Regina Schumann.

She also noted, "Our nation is in crisis today with alarming rates of obesity and diabetes. Low-carb isn't just good business, it's a healthy lifestyle that can have a huge impact on this widespread public health issue.”

The CAC will not only promote available low-carb products and services, but will also educate consumers about the positive health benefits associated with reducing carbohydrate intake. They also hope to join in the development of public policy. "We formed the Carbohydrate Awareness Council to meet the growing needs of the low-carb industry, and consumers’ desire for evidence-based information," said Ray Ceriotti, MBA, the organization’s CEO. "I admit I am a bit of a skeptic regarding the benefits of reducing carbohydrate in the diet, but after seeing some of the scientific evidence, I'm becoming convinced. In fact so convinced, that in establishing the council we have heretofore refused seed money from any organization. This is to ensure that our integrity cannot be questioned. We remain and shall remain completely unbiased toward any one particular low-carb approach. It is the industry itself that will determine the course of our direction in the future, not any one narrow dietary approach."

This approach will work well for the low-carb sector, as well as complimentary sectors across the food & beverage industry. “We will remain above the fray between competing diets and products. A number of healthy low-carb programs exist and individuals must work with their physician to determine which is best for them." said Dr. Wilshire. "Our position as an industry will be from the rock-solid position of scientific evidence. A rising tide raises all ships. Every sector of the low-carbohydrate food industry will benefit from our work."