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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n SEPTEMBER 2018 n GOURMET NEWS N H 2 2 La Preferida: Quality and Authenticity By Gigi Steinbarth, Digital Content Strate- gist, La Preferida From our humble beginnings as a small fam- ily grocery store in 1930s Chicago to the na- tionwide brand we are today, one thing has always been the same – listening to our cus- tomers! Amidst the booming economy of the stockyards, steel mills and freight yards, our small family grocery store opened its doors. As the community began to diversify, we continued our mission to provide our resi- dents with the tastes of home. Immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries became a strong part of the local fabric and by 1949, chorizo became the main staple for our business. The name "La Preferida," which means "the preferred" was chosen to represent the true quality and au- thenticity of our recipe. Today, our wide range of 200-plus prod- ucts continues to meet the changing con- sumer landscape. We've expanded our line to include organic, low sodium, vegetarian and kosher items ranging from diced green chiles to jalapeños, salsas, beans and more. To ensure that our product delivers clear and consistent messaging, we've incorporated bilingual labels to appeal to both the His- panic and Anglo mar- kets. During bouts of eco- nomic uncertainty, the resiliency of our brand continues to shine through. Our refried beans continue to be our top-selling item and the fastest growing brand in it's category according to recent IRI data. The versatility of our products as ingre- dients means customers can incorporate these items into a variety of dishes outside the Mexican food realm. Building upon our strong roots in the Mid- west, we are continually working to strengthen our relationships on the East and West coasts, so distributor/broker inquiries are always welcome. We will continue stay on top of food trends whether it's through new media strategies, product de- velopment or packaging. We will also be launching e- commerce capabilities with Amazon in the next few weeks. Stop by booth #1110 to sample our newest line-up of exciting products and learn about our inno- vative packaging, or visit us online at www.lapreferida.com to register for our monthly newsletter to stay updated on all of our latest news and events. Visit La Preferida at booth #1110. For more information, go to www .lapreferida.com, call 773.875.6609 or email jnavarro@lapreferida.com. Nantucket Spider: Natural Insect Repellents By Nancy Jack, Chief Executive Officer, Nantucket Spider, LLC Many years ago, my business partner, Jeffrey Busch, and I had each reached the conclu- sion that we would never use DEET or other chemical repellents on ourselves or our fam- ilies. The problem was, the natural repellents on the market didn't work very well for us. The products were strong smelling, greasy and the spray would dribble down the side of the bottles and be difficult to apply. The effect was that they just didn't keep the bugs away very well. Nantucket Spider was born as a solution to these problems. Nantucket Spider repel- lents are light and fresh smelling and non- greasy. Our patented method of using a fine mist trigger spray top and a water- based formula means that our repellents can be applied where you most need them: on hair, clothing, gear and skin without damage or staining. We use beautiful blends of natural essential oils – all of our sprays are now made with organic essen- tial oils and our products are non-GMO. We are the only natu- ral repellent company that protects our re- pellents with liquid nitrogen during bot- tling so that our es- sential oils don't oxidize and deterio- rate before they are opened – our cus- tomers can trust that our repellents will not be stale before they get to use them. Most importantly, our repellents really work. Independent lab tests have shown that our original and camp sprays repel 98- 100 percent of mosquitos (indistinguish- able from 20 percent DEET). Our tick repellent was found to repel 92 percent of deer ticks. Our products also work ex- tremely well on biting flies, including blackflies, horseflies, greenheads and deerflies. In addition to our won- derful repellents, Nan- tucket Spider has created beautiful and effective bracelets, pins, oil blends and outdoor garden sticks: fair trade, essential oil, extra-large in- cense sticks that have become a popular choice for keeping the bugs away at outdoor events. Visit Nantucket Spider at booth #6411. For more information, go to www.nantucket spider.com or email orders@nantucket spider.com. AirShield Additive Extends Shelf Life AirShield™ oxygen scavenging additive ex- tends shelf life by removing oxygen from rigid and flexible packages such as pouches and packages containing fitments or solid closures. The additive, which is blended with the packaging resin, removes the oxygen that is trapped during the filling process and then acts as an enhanced-oxygen barrier to keep the oxygen out of the container. It also con- tinuously scavenges oxygen so products that release oxygen don't degrade prematurely. The technology, developed by Las Vegas- based Performance Packaging of Nevada, is less expensive than most of the polymers it replaces and self-triggers when the filling process begins. "AirShield provides oxygen scavenging (the removal of oxygen) and an oxygen bar- rier all in one product," explains Rob Rein- ders, President of Performance Packaging. "One big benefit is that AirShield remains dormant until the package is filled with prod- uct. This is a huge advantage particularly with blowmolded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Current scavengers in the PET market activate once the bottle is made, lim- iting the time processors have to fill the bot- tles," he says. In development for three years, AirShield technology will be available to food and bev- erage processors and packagers during the first quarter of 2018. Early licensing, now in effect, will grant certain exclusivities for use of the patent-pending technology. The FDA affirmed that the additives in the oxygen scavenger mix are "generally recog- nized as safe," or GRAS, and has issued Let- ters of No Objection regarding the use of the AirShield additive for any food-contact packaging containers as well as food pack- aging for products targeted to infants under the age of six months. Air- Shield technology is already in use in flexible pouches for foods for infants via Performance Packaging's patented SipP™ spouts and caps for pouches. While highly proprietary, it can be ac- knowledged that AirShield's active compo- nents are constructed to ensure they don't start working until food is placed into the package. Any oxygen permeating through the pouch encounters tortuosity (a maze-like path for oxygen permeation created by the addition of mineral compounds to the poly- mer). The introduction of the AirShield additive follows Performance Packaging's 2015 an- nouncement regarding its patented Pixie Dust liquid-to-gas sterilization process that economically sterilizes flexible packaging and its contents. Another technology Performance Packag- ing is working on is magnetic induc- tion heating, a more energy-efficient and economical replacement for tube- in-tube heat exchangers used in food processing. Magnetic induction occu- pies a vastly smaller footprint, is modular, less expensive and safer and provides a milder heat treatment compared to steam and tube-in-tube. The technology, under development with a partner, is a step toward what is expected to be an all-electric future for food processing. "Magnetic induction will cut food waste in processing tenfold," predicts Reinders. "This is the primary concern of the major multinationals and governments around the world. It also reduces the environmental footprint of water, power and steam currently used in the pasteurization process." Visit Performance Packaging at booth #1929. For more information, visit www.pplv.co. Barlean's Launches CBD Hemp Oil Some big news in CBD is that the legacy brand Barlean's has introduced a new hemp- derived CBD. Barlean's is a family owned, mission-driven company in the Pacific Northwest known for making the highest quality flax, fish and coconut oils available today. Barlean's has been making healthy oils for nearly 30 years, so CBD hemp oil was a nat- ural extension of what it does well. Nonethe- less, the family spent a few years looking into CBD before deciding they would intro- duce Ideal CBD Hemp Oil. "We didn't jump in lightly," says company Founder Bruce Barlean. "We really needed to know that we could offer a product that was both the highest quality and that had the potential to make a real difference for peo- ple. I believe that CBD is a really powerful natural compound that has the potential to change lives in truly positive ways. What's also exciting is that hemp is a shot in the arm that American farmers really need." Barlean's Extra Strength Ideal CBD Hemp Oil contains 25mg CBD per serving (1,125mg total CBD per bottle) and less than 0.3 percent THC. Barlean's Extra Strength Ideal CBD is de- rived from industrial hemp grown on American farms. Not only is it sourced close to home, it includes a full spectrum of cannabinoids and other mi- cronutrients. Extra Strength Ideal CBD Hemp Oil is vegan and gluten free. It uses MCT oil as the carrier oil, and has subtle mint flavor. Natural Products Expo East attendees can get a first look at the new product in the Press Room or at Bar- lean's booth #3029, where full-serving sam- ples are being provided throughout the show. About Barlean's Barlean's is a mission-driven, fam- ily-owned company that's been making healthy oils and supple- ments in the Pacific Northwest for nearly 30 years. Founded in 1989 as a maker of premium flax oils, Barlean's has grown to produce over 70 different products that are sold around the world. Visit Barlean's at booth #3029. For more in- formation, go to www.barleans.com/cbd.

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