Oser Communications Group

NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n SEPTEMBER 2018 n GOURMET NEWS N H 2 8 Smart Homes Go Green We're at a turning point for growth in smart homes. In 2017, more than 433 million smart home devices were shipped (up more than 27.6 percent from previous year, according to International Data Corporation). Everyone is talking about smart homes and how they're connecting their doorbell, light bulbs and TVs to their Amazon Alexa or Google Home hub. Many of us only use these Internet of Things devices to set alarms, find out what the weather will be or play songs on Spotify. What if you could actually bring some life to your tech, naturally? AVA Byte is a smart indoor garden that combines technology and nature to bring foolproof gardening right into your kitchen. Designed for tech-lovers, foodies and health- conscious families, the countertop device re- duces food packaging, water usage and en- sures the freshest of ingredients within arms reach. With the mantra, "automated gardening, naturally," AVA uses AI and intuitive user ex- perience to give every home cook, busy par- ent and curious child access to fresh, organic plants and veggies like herbs, lettuce or tomatoes. Ready-to-grow, soil-free compostable pods include everything needed for a plant to thrive. The pre-seeded plant pods are sim- ply plug and play, and AVA Byte knows when to water, when to give some light and will tell you via the smartphone app or through your home hub how your plants are growing. You can even ask, "Hey Google, when can I harvest my plants?" Carefully monitored and self-managed, Byte will also reduce grow- ing time compared to tradi- tional methods. Your food is always perfectly flavor- ful when you eat what you grow. Giving up to a three times faster growth without the use of pesticides or harmful fertilizers, it's completely transparent and environmen- tally-conscious, using up to 90 percent less water consumption than traditional home gardens. AVA was founded by food marketer, Va- lerie Song, and ex-sous chef turned indus- trial designer, Chase Ando. Designed for a new generation of conscious and connected consumers, AVA Byte is built with Apple design standards and Whole Foods organic quality. It is the first indoor smart garden to combine solely non-GMO seeds, nutri- ents, artificial intelligence (AI) and has al- ready won a number of prestigious awards, in- cluding Small Business BC Best Innovation Award, SheEO Canada, Air Canada Sustainability Winner, Gray's Pitch Tank Design Winner and Vancouver Startup Week- end "Most Impact" Award. Key features of the AVA Byte are: four smart sensors (humidity, temperature, ambi- ent light, water level), HD Camera for mon- itoring, troubleshooting and time-lapse videos, NASA-inspired horticultural LEDs in a telescoping light array (up to 21 inches), and is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and other connected home de- vices. For more information, visit www.avagrows.com or email hello@avagrows.com. Taj Food: Dedicated to Quality, Sustainability The question is, how can we produce eco- friendly product, but also increase yield? For over 25 years, Taj Food (Pvt.) Ltd. has been one of the largest organic processors of organic rice, dried fruits, and sesame seeds in Pakistan. Having found successful busi- ness ventures across the globe, including North America, European Union, Africa and Asia, Taj Food continues to be the go-to or- ganic supplier of organic product categories. It is the company's practices and standards that set it apart from many other organic processors. Over the years, it has built a relationship with its farmers, increasing sustainability each year along with educating the farmers on efficient and eco-friendly methods. It has actually noticed a big difference in its inor- ganic arsenic levels with its rice by having its farmers switch to using less water and better soil quality. Investing in such areas has benefited its Long Grain, Japonica/Round Grain, Basmati Grain, and Red Grain rice with inheriting as low as 40 PPB levels of in- organic arsenic. As the climate changes and the population grows, the world needs a change in its farming ways. Farming is actually one of the top five causes of global warming, so the im- pact on the climate is more than we can imagine. Taj Food has dedicated itself to be one of the leaders in Pakistan in order to find answers. As it continues to embark on this journey of finding solutions, the company encourages all to join and give support in fig- uring out this question. At its plant, Taj Food has integrated mod- ern technologies to ensure the highest quality of product output, such as CO2 Chambers, Heat Treatment Chambers, Infrared Sortex, Vacuum Packing and much more. Other than the technologies, Taj Food adheres to the high- est standard of certifica- tions, certified in Organic, IFS, Sedex, FSSC22000 and Kosher. The company will con- tinue its search for an- swers while taking into consideration where all products are coming from and how they are being processed at its facility. The ulti- mate goal is to bring in and produce the high- est quality foods while protecting health and the planet. For more information, visit booth #511. Alpine Valley Bakery: Nutrition You Can Trust, Taste You Will Love At Alpine Valley Bakery, the secret to qual- ity is to keep it simple: only use the best or- ganic ingredients to make healthy and delicious products. The company stands by its promise to never use artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors or preservatives. Its products are full of whole grains, are USDA organic and Non-GMO Project Verified. Made using only clean and simple ingredi- ents, Alpine Valley Bakery products will de- liver not only nutrition, but the delicious taste and soft texture your whole family will love. Alpine Valley Bakery makes a full line of organic sliced breads, ranging from smooth and simply delicious Country White, sweet soft Raisin Cinna-Wheat, to grainy and crunchy Multi Grain with Omega-3 (its No. 1 seller). The company is excited to intro- duce its Organic Hamburger and Hotdog buns, as well as its Sprouted Harvest Multi Sprout and Seedy Sprout. At 2 grams of sugar and less than 100 calories, it's the perfect fit for the en- tire family. In 1995, Alpine Valley opened its first bakery in Mesa, Arizona and soon captured a growing local market and loyal customers. Popularity grew and one year later, its products were being sold in grocery stores. Since that time, Alpine Valley has grown into a nationally distributed brand, sold in Costco, Sam's Club, Kroger, Sprouts and many other stores throughout the country, and is a leading brand of high quality organic bakery products. Alpine Valley Bakery. Nu- trition you can trust, taste you will love. For more information, stop by booth #425 or contact one of the following: Anthony Es- posito, Brand Manager, 229.977.2343, Anthony.Esposito@Flocorp.com; or Stuart Newton, SVP Specialty Retail, 770.377.4058, stuart.newtown@flocorp.com. Lemi Shine Leads the Way in Safer Choice Lemi Shine ® , the maker of non-toxic house- hold cleaning products with powerful citric extracts, is excited to announce that 11 of its products are Safer Choice Certified. As part of its better-for-you positioning, the brand is working with the EPA to obtain Safer Choice Certifications on all eligible products by 2020. The EPA offers the Safer Choice label to company partners who design quality prod- ucts that meet efficacy standards and contain safer chemical ingredients. When consumers see this label, they can be confident that each ingredient has been screened for potential adverse human or environmental health ef- fects and that the product contains ingredi- ents that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class. In addition to Lemi Shine Dish Detergent Booster, the brand's legacy product, the fol- lowing items have received Safer Choice certification: Washing Machine Cleaner, Dishwasher Cleaner, Appliance Cleaner, Glass & Surface Cleaner, Everyday Cleaner, Shower & Tile Cleaner, Professional Grade Lime, Calcium, & Rust Remover and all three of the company's liquid dish soaps. Consumers should look for the Safer Choice label on the product packaging to de- termine whether it has been ap- proved, or visit the EPA's website for a comprehensive list of products that meet the Safer Choice standard. Legal Disclaimer EPA/Safer Choice recognition does not constitute endorsement of this product. The Safer Choice label signifies that the product's formula, as Lemi Shine has represented it to the EPA, contains in- gredients with more positive human health and environmental characteristics than conventional products of the same type. EPA/Safer Choice relies solely on Lemi Shine, its integrity and good faith, for in- formation on the product's composition, ingredients and attributes. EPA/Safer Choice has not independ- ently identified, that is, via chemical analysis, the ingredients in the product formula, nor evaluated any of Lemi Shine's non- ingredient claims. EPA/Safer Choice pro- vides its evaluation only as to the product's human health and envi- ronmental characteristics, as specified in the Safer Choice Standard and based on currently available information and scien- tific understanding. Visit Lemi Shine at booth #4308. For more information, go to www.lemishine.com or find the company on Facebook, Instagram and by searching #CleanBetterDoBetter.

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