Oser Communications Group

FOODIES FOCUS KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n JANUARY 2019 n www.kitchenwarenews.com 18 Tessemae's CEO Says Family Dinners May Just Save the World in New TEDx Talk Functional Candy Market Sweetens the Treat for Consumerd Continued on PAGE 19 Continued on PAGE 19 Kroger Shares Top Food Trends for 2019 BY ROBIN MATHER It 's not enough for dentist Dr. John Bruinsma that the candy his company makes isn't bad for you. He demands that the candy have active, actual health benefits. John and his wife, Debra, started Dr. John's back in 1995, after John found the sugar-f ree lollipop he grabbed on the way out of his office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was lousy, he says. With his medical, dental and science background, he knew he could come up with a better kind of candy. He began by creating a line of lollipops – made with the alternative sweetener xylitol, which dental research has shown to strengthen teeth – and, over the years, improved his products by adding fiber (one of his pops provides 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance) and probiotics. At first, Dr. John's sold only to dentists, but today, the company sells both retail and wholesale. Along the way, Dr. John's has also added gourmet chocolates sweetened with the sugar alcohol malitol in addition to xylitol and THRIVE probiotic pops with no artificial coloring or flavorings. A portion of the sales of THRIVE pops go to the MaxLove Project, an organization that supports cancer research to improve the lives of childhood cancer patients, and portions of the sales of Dr. John's Healthy Sweets line also benefit childhood cancer research. The company has been so successful that in late August, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recognized Dr. John's as the state's leading exporter. John has cut back on his dental practice to devote time to research, development and operations at the candy company. "I like to think of myself as the Willy Wonka of functional candy," he says. Dr. John's is arguably proof that there's a thriving market for functional candy – that is, confections that have some additional benefit besides just satisfying a craving or an urge for a treat. Euromonitor International, a strategic market research firm, segments the functional candy market three ways: medicated confectionary, which would be products like cough drops and lozenges; fortified and functional gum; and fortified or functional chocolate. Euromonitor says that the three categories accounted for Tessemae's Founder and CEO Greg Vetter's TEDx Talk has gained overnight attention by taking a new look at an old habit that can help families drastically improve their lives and maybe even save the world – the family dinner. Vetter, who 10 years ago founded Tessemae's, the number one organic salad dressing company in the country, spoke about the power of making dinner together again in his TEDx talk titled "The Dinner Habit: The Recipe for Change." "With childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes on a sharp rise; and school shootings, bullying, tech addiction, and suicide reaching epidemic proportions amongst kids, we talk about something drastic needing to happen," Vetter said. "But, I would argue, the solution might be as simple as making and eating family dinners together." Vetter went back to the roots of Tessemae's dressing, where it all began; he went back to the dinner table. Vetter spoke about the realization that every important skill he has learned in life, and hopes to instill in his children, came from making meals with his family as a young boy. These skills learned early on allowed Vetter to build a game changing business that stemmed f rom a family recipe and a habit of gathering around the dinner table. "Think about it. Could it be that the process of building and creating a meal together is the exact template to tackle any other pursuit – working together, organizing, communicating, planning, adjusting, executing?" Vetter added. In his TEDx talk, Vetter explains how for the first time in American history people are spending more on bars and restaurants than on groceries. He goes on to question that if all great change begins at the family dinner table, but Americans aren't sitting at it, then what? Vetter takes inspiration f rom Admiral William McRaven, who said, "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed." That sounds easy enough, Vetter says, but he went on to say that when you try and do it daily, you understand that something as small as making your bed can turn into a much larger impact on your day, and in turn, your life. The Dinner Habit: The Recipe for Change is a simple, bold, uncompromising and inspiring look at how a simple act of bringing dinner back to family table may be able to save the world. KN Plant-Based Snacks Capture Consumers' Interest – and Dollars BY ROBIN MATHER If Mintel's David Lockwood is right, you're going to see more plant-based snacks in the marketplace this year. And next year, and the year after that. "One third of snack purchases are plant- based," Lockwood told the audience at a session called "The State of the Specialty Food Industry" at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York, New York, in July. That share is only likely to grow, as consumers across all demographic sectors turn to plant- based snacks. You can credit the adventurous palates of Millennials and members of Gen Z – the newest demographic, those of ages 11 to 23, that Mintel is tracking -- for part of that explosion in interest. "The younger people are, the more they gravitate to plant-based foods," says Bill Glaser, Chief Executive Officer and co- Founder of Outstanding Foods, which launched its Pig Out Pigless Bacon Chips in September. "Gen Z and Millennials are more apt to experiment — and they love salty, crunchy types of snacks. If you can add health benefits, all the better. To reach that market, having such an innovative product can get them to try other plant- based products." Pig Out chips are made from mushrooms, Glaser says. "These whole-ingredient mushrooms are loaded with antioxidants, they're anti-bacterial and anti-microbial, and there's lovastatin, which lowers cholesterol, in the mushrooms." The health properties are not depleted in cooking, he says. Pig Out chips come in a full-sized bag, comparable to a bag of potato chips, with 3.5 ounces of chips in the bag and a suggested retail price of $4.99. A one-ounce serving has 160 calories. Glaser says Pig Out chips will be stocked with potato chips and corn chips. "We did not want to be shelved with kale chips or coconut chips," he says. Packaged Facts says vegetable snacks like Pig Out chips are the most popular of the alternative-ingredient snacks, with 45 percent of the dollar sales in that category. The category includes vegetable chips such as Terra Chips and dried vegetable crisps such as Harvest Snaps. But pulse snacks, such as the chickpea-based The Good Bean, Hippeas and Biena Snacks, have seen sales growth of more than 150 percent in the year ending in October 2016, Packaged Facts says. Kroger has released its top food trend predictions for 2019, compiled by its team of Our Brands new product developers and chefs. The top trend on its list is a taste for regional flavors. Inspiration is coming from Nashville hot chicken, Southern Appalachian pimento cheese and other geographies, according to Kroger. America's culinary heritage is as varied as it is delicious. Consumers will see a growing number of products influenced by local, regional and global tastes. Plant-based foods are next on the Kroger list. Consumers are finding it is easier than ever before to incorporate more plant-based fare into their daily diets. By electing to go meat or dairy f ree, whether for a meal, a Meatless Monday, Flexitarian Friday, or every day of the week, there will be more plant-based options available to power through the day. Last year, 31 percent of consumers participated in meat-f ree days once per week. Kroger is catering to these customers with its Simple Truth Coconutmilk, Simple Truth Powdered Coconutmilk Creamer, Simple Truth Meatless Patties, Simple Truth Tofu, Simple Truth Greens & Grains Risotto, Simple Truth Organic Lentils, Simple Truth Organic Light Red Kidney Beans, and Simple Truth Organic Hummus. More consumers are purchasing better- for-you products and subscribing to different eating styles, f rom vegetarian to flexitarian to keto and paleo. A recent study reports 15 percent of the U.S. population identify as vegetarian or vegan. Kroger is responding by offering and developing new products that make it easy for any customer practicing any lifestyle to find foods to support their health and wellness journey. Kroger is also predicting that Americans will continue to be interested in maintaining gut health in 2019. Medical studies show that a healthy gut is the foundation of overall wellness, and more than ever before, consumers are seeking foods that support self-care and healthy immune systems. Consumers will find a growing number of products rich in probiotics – good bacteria – and flavor, and the grocer predicts that those customers will continue to be interested in products like kombucha, Greek yogurt and milks with added probiotics. Finally, Kroger expects to see consumers looking for low-sugar products and natural sweeteners. Many consumers are motivated to reduce or eliminate sugar and/or consume alternate natural sweeteners like honey and agave. In fact, 47 percent of consumers say they are working to minimize their sugar intake. New solutions and foods will continue to be added to grocery shelves to help consumers find products rich in nutrition and flavor and lean on sugar. KN

• Cover