Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2019 n GOURMET NEWS 9 4 The Future is Now: Bellucci's Take on Food & Tech The food industry may not be the first to come to mind when someone uses the phrase "disruptive tech." Though many ways in which technology has already shaped our world are obvious, some ways in which the ripple effect of big tech is causing movement are just starting to be discovered. Businesses that are leveraging technology in small ways can cause big waves in the food industry. The olden days of paper trails and manual processing are giving way to the innovative application of technologies orig- inally developed for other industries. From the ground up, precision agriculture is leveraging advances in satellite, GPS and even photographic equipment to improve the efficiency of food production. The industry has already progressed from using tech to measure and track crop yields and soil levels, to monitoring weather patterns and water usage and how these factors affect harvest. Now, the agricultural industry is beginning to see the positive impact of technologies which use advanced cameras and artificial intelligence to differentiate between crop plants and their neighbors, for increased ef- ficiency in the application of fertilizers and pesticides. Future hopes include the use of this same technology to guide robots or drones designed for smart harvesting. These tools apply advanced algorithms to current and historic data, predicting future needs with incredible accuracy. This not only boosts sales precision, it streamlines trans- port and distribution world- wide, and helps reduce waste from excess produc- tion or overstock. Health, wellness and au- thenticity are a strong pull towards technology for Bellucci. As a leader in the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, the company launched its Trust Through Traceability campaign in 2014, creating its own consumer application to provide con- sumers a transparent look into the food sup- ply chain. Using a unique code printed on the label of every bottle, consumers can verify the authenticity of their extra virgin olive oil, as well as trace their bottle of Bellucci oil straight back to its source in rural Italy. The company goes over and above indus- try expectation by providing the ability to view the place in which each bottle origi- nated, as well as supplying excellent infor- mation on the independent growers who form the company's collective. Bellucci has taken it one step further by partnering with tech giant Oracle to leverage blockchain technology to provide even deeper insight into its process, through provision of a distributed open ledger. That digital ledger is updated by each partner in the supply chain, allowing the company to create and share a permanent, unalterable record of the product journey from bottling to distribu- tion. The ultimate goal is to provide future consumers with complete transparency, from grove to grocer. This is just the beginning – but Bellucci is dedicated to bringing food and tech closer to- gether to drive innovation. Visit Bellucci at booth #5249. For more in- formation, go to www.belluccipremium.com. SUZIE'S Launches New Products Good Groceries Company, under its popular SUZIE'S brand, continues to launch cate- gory-changing healthy products while im- proving its healthy natural staples. Snacking never had it so good – great taste and better- for-you ingredients! Nothing says snacking like flatbreads, so the company is launching SUZIE'S newest Flatbreads: Sprouted Multiseed and Sprouted Pretzel Top! The sprouting grain process increases many of the grain's key in- gredients, including vitamins, folate, fiber and essential amino acids. The sprouting process also lessens allergens and makes grains easier to digest. Made with whole grains, non-GMO, kosher and delicious! Whatever your favorite nosh, it sits best on a SUZIE'S Ancient Grain Flatbread. Avail- able in four other delicious flavor profiles: Kamut & Sesame, Kamut with Rosemary, 7 Ancient Grain and Spelt Multiseed. When your customers are in the mood for a cracker and a flatbread just won't do, make it a SUZIE'S Organic Cracker! These creamy crackers are as unique as they are de- licious. SUZIE'S Organic Crackers are packed in eight individual serving sizes keeping them fresh right up until time of use. Made with just a few simple ingredients, SUZIE'S Organic Crackers are available in Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Sea Salt or Rose- mary & Sesame. SUZIE'S ventures into next level snacking in the better-for-you category continue with 2 Peas & A Bean – a delicious, high fiber, high protein snack. This nut butter topped vegetable puffed snack has every- thing you want and nothing you don't in a nosh! What do you get when you combine puffed yellow peas, puffed green peas and puffed red beans with a light dusting of almond butter or peanut butter? An amazingly delicious snack combining 7 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein with a crunch! SUZIE's 2 Peas & A Bean Puffs are baked to crunchy perfection, delivering plant protein, fiber, flavor and snackifaction in every bite! 2 Peas & A Bean are non- GMO, baked, gluten free, vegan and kosher. Sometimes a light snack just won't do. Leave it to SUZIE'S brand to once again provide the solution. Its shelf-stable, ready- to-eat quinoa meals are available in four de- licious flavor profiles: Olive Oil, Asian, Tex Mex and Indian Spice. They are healthy, de- licious and warm in the mi- crowave in 60 seconds. SUZIE'S RTE Quinoa Meals are a perfect side dish for two or meal replace- ment for one. SUZIE'S RTE Quinoa Meals cross over and ap- peal to both your healthy natural consumer and your grab and go shopper. At the office, away at col- lege, on the go or just about any time, SUZIE'S RTE provide a welcome alternative to lunch, dinner or a sat- isfying and healthy snack. SUZIE'S – Innovation you can taste, in- novation for your health! Innovation that drives sales! For more information, visit booth #5486, go to www.goodgroceries.com, email info@good- groceries.com, call 718.768.0821 or follow the company on social media. WORTHINGTON: Iconic Meat-Sub Category Leader Returns WORTHINGTON, the original mainstream leader in plant-based meats successfully re- turns to the alternative meats category with the launch of 15 meaty, savory and delicious Plant Powered™ products. WORTHINGTON's delicious new lineup of frozen vegan/meatless plant-based products is being embraced nationally. New options in- clude the savory and delicious WORTHING- TON BURGER, DELI DOG and STAKELETS™. Deli-style options include 4lb rolls and pre-sliced MEATLESS DELI SLICES - TURKEY, HAM, CHICKEN, CORNED BEEF. DINNER ROAST™, TURKEY ROAST and SAUSAGE LINKS are certain to delight the whole family of meat-lovers and vegetarians alike. Now for the first time, all WORTHING- TON products are made with non-GMO pro- tein, and contain no artificial flavors, no artificial colors and no artificial preservatives. The WORTHINGTON Research & De- velopment team is led by world-class food protein scientist Dr. James Chen. Dr. Chen has led major breakthrough ad- vancements in the latest plant- based meat technology with brands including Morningstar Farms, Gar- denburger and Kashi. Since joining the company in 2017, groundbreak- ing new innovations in Plant Pow- ered meat alternatives have been added to the WORTHINGTON lineup. In 2016, Heritage Health Food, led by President/Chief Executive Officer Don Otis, acquired the WORTHINGTON brand from the Kellogg Company and combined it with Cedar Lake Foods, a vegetarian foods brand/manufacturing facility. Several other in- dustry leaders in the meat-sub category also joined Don in his mission of providing high-quality healthy and delicious plant-based products. Combined – Her- itage Health Food is making a huge contribution to the na- tional vegan and vegetarian Plant Powered meat alterna- tive market with three national brands. For more information, call 888.237.0807 or email sales@eatworthington.com. Find the company online at its new website www.eat worthington.com or go to Instagram @worthingtonfoods or www.facebook.com/ worthingtonfoods. GORP Energy Bar and GORP Protein Bar Ready Mix Once upon a time, there was a wannabe ath- lete mom and a farmer from Manitoba, Canada. They fell in love with a big idea: to use their professions, passions and crazy ideas to do some good in this world. Mom, Colleen, was training for triathlons and not finding anything worth eating that was nutri- tionally dense. She decided to try her hand at making her own, and that's how the GORP Energy Bar was born. Insert farmer here, and you have a bar packed with many local, Canadian, super- star ingredients like oats, flax, hemp, seeds and more. Mix it together with peanut butter, honey and a sprouted brown rice protein and you have yourself a nutri- ent dense and filling bar, with no weird af- tertaste. They hoped for great testimonials from professional sports teams who use the bars, but all that was received was, "It doesn't make me feel bloated" and "It tastes great!" Perhaps not the gleaming re- views that were hoped for, but proof that what Colleen created was a bar that was ac- tually functional and appetiz- ing. Fast forward five years on the GORP journey when Colleen's next part of the big idea comes to fruition. While listening to her customer's feedback for years, she realized there was a need for a more affordable and customizable energy bar. Taking a big risk, Colleen gives away the recipe to her beloved GORP bar and lets her customers make their own! GORP Protein Bar Ready Mix was the answer to many re- quests, as it makes 25 GORP bars for only $1.00 per bar. Not only that, but consumers can customize the recipe to suit their dietary needs. It is also a Nexty Award winner. One athlete, one farmer, one big idea! GORP provides a nu- tritional solution for people who are looking for convenient and healthy snacks. For more information, email info@gorp world.com or go to www.gorpworld.com.

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