Oser Communications Group

8 GENERAL NEWS GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com World Tea and Healthy Beverage Expos Draw 5,000 Attendees to Co-Located 2013 Event The passion and enthusiasm surrounding tea and the tea community was highly evident at 2013 World Tea Expo, which took place June 7-9 in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center. As the most prominent annual event for the industry, World Tea Expo attracted nearly 5,000 attendees and top businesses from more than 50 countries for the combined conferences. The event featured a dynamic exposition floor with a total of 260 collective exhibitors offering the latest innovations and "what's next" in tea. Delegates experienced hundreds of new products, sampled new and awardwinning teas and participated in three days of educational sessions and workshops. "World Tea Expo is the event for the North American tea industry and beyond. I was amazed at the year-over-year growth in attendance, the number of international attendees and the overall excitement over the 'world's most popular beverage,'" said Jack Groot, founder and creator of JP's Coffee and Midwest Barista School. "Tea is on a fast track of growth and there is so much opportunity to be a part of it. Being able to attend an event where some of the most tea-and-business savvy people share their experience and knowledge is worth its weight. Real-life understanding and success is the best teacher and that is what one gets at World Tea Expo. In fact, the Expo's New Business Boot Camp, a unique and singular opportunity for those entering the tea industry, was an excellent business-primer for those capitalizing on the tea 'explosion.'" This year, the World Tea Expo was co-located with the brand new Healthy Beverage Expo. Healthy beverages are booming in the marketplace, and as such, show organizers were excited to launch this new trade show that is dedicated to supporting and fueling the healthy drink segment of the beverage market. "There was a high level of buyers and retailers who attended Healthy Beverage Expo," said the show's keynote presenter Phil Lempert. Lempert believes the expo reinforces the healthy food movement where nutrition meets taste: "Every retailer and beverage buyer needs to be connected to Healthy Beverage Expo to meet with vendors, taste products, learn and, most importantly, to be ahead of the curve." "We're very grateful to all those who participated and made the 11th annual World Tea Expo a big success, along with the newly launched Healthy Beverage Expo," said George Jage, Director of World Tea Media, organizers of the World Tea and Healthy Beverage Expos. "The overall traffic of the co-located shows was excellent, and we received a significant amount of positive feedback from participants. Plus, the show was a hotbed of innovative new products and smart classroom-setting dialogues on industry topics." Jage added, "Now is an exciting time for tea and the beverage industry, and we can't wait to see what develops as a result of all the innovations and industrywide discussions." Next year's World Tea and Healthy Beverage Expos will take place May 30June 1, 2014 in Las Vegas. Watch for details at www.WorldTeaExpo.com and www.HealthyBeverageExpo.com. GN Jin+Ja Drink Chosen as Winner of Specialty Food Association Ad Contest The story of a patent attorney turned ginger drink maker has won the Specialty Food Association's first-ever advertising contest for specialty food professionals to tell a compelling story about their passion for specialty food. More than 70,000 votes were cast in the not-for-profit trade association's "My Story, My Ad" contest to determine the Top 10 finalists. They were selected from 373 inspiring stories about family businesses, culinary breakthroughs, childhood memories, career changes and more. The winning entry came from Reuben Canada of Philadelphia-based Canada Enterprises for Jin+Ja: The Spark of Inspiration. This is Jin+Ja's second major honor of the summer. The ginger drink also recently won the Specialty Food Association's 2013 sofi™ Award for Outstanding Beverage. The prize in the ad contest is a free ad campaign and three-day trip to San Francisco, a $15,000 value. The ad will be featured in top specialty food trade magazines, online, and at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, Jan. 19-21, 2014. The award for runner-up was given to sisters Leah and Stephanie Melnik, partners at granola bar company, Awesome Bars. In honor of their runner-up selection, the duo are being given passes to the Winter Fancy Food Show, complimentary registration to the Association's signature full-day workshop at the show and a marketing consultation with Association executives. The "My Story, My Ad" contest is part of the Specialty Food Association's recent launch of its new brand: Specialty Food. Craft. Care. Joy. The contest was designed to highlight the people behind the small businesses that fuel the $86 billion specialty food industry and the innovative foods and beverages they create and bring to market. "The contest struck a chord," says Ann Daw, President of the Specialty Food Association. "There are clearly so many wonderful stories to share about the joy and passion and hard work that go into making great food. Both Jin+Ja and Awesome Bars especially stood out for our panel." The judges for the contest include Amy Binder, CEO of RF Binder, Beth Snyder Bulik, reporter for Ad Age and co-owner of Park Street Pantry, Terry Frishman, Principal of Creative Marketing Workshops, Tracy Nieporent, Director of Marketing and Partner for The Myriad Restaurant Group, Denise Purcell, Editor of Specialty Food Media and Rick Roth, founder and CEO of Roth Partners. GN Gluten-Free gluten-free baked goods brand Lucy's. Lucy's markets a variety of cookies and brownies, all gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO and all-natural. "The U.S. FDA limit is about authenticity. Consumers now know what the 'gluten-free' claim really means, and manufacturers are held responsible for meeting the standard." Greg Vetter, CEO at Tessemae's, a producer of all-natural, gluten-free dressings, spreads and marinades, expressed his pleasure with the FDA announcement as well. "It makes it a little bit easier for the consumer to have more trust in the products they are buying with the new FDA regulations," Vetter said. Although both Lucy's and Tessemae's already voluntarily conform to the FDA's new 20 ppm or less standard, the companies support the rule as necessary for protecting the health of U.S. consumers and ensuring that those products with a gluten-free label are uniformly safe for consumption. "When you are getting into all of these companies that are trying to create glutenfree products—cookies or pancakes— where things would historically have gluten in them, [it is important] that those people are doing what they need to be doing to protect those folks," Vetter said. "The new standard provides a definition, and it provides an expectation of accountability. Those two elements are reasonable when it comes to an important health matter for 21 million Americans," Gibney said. "When this many people are affected, and the standard is so reasonable to meet, regulation is a good move." The FDA's official regulation was published on August 5, and companies will have one year from the publication date to bring their labels into compliance. GN Continued from PAGE 1 companies that market gluten-free products will be largely unaffected by the FDA's announcement, however, as the 20 ppm standard is already the unofficial one most companies currently employ. This is the figure most health officials agree upon as safe for those suffering from celiac disease, even for those who are severely sensitive to gluten. In fact, many gluten-free food producers actually adhere to an even stricter standard, ensuring that that their products contain no more than 10 ppm of gluten. Still, the FDA estimates that five percent of gluten-free products currently on the market currently contain more than 20 ppm. "This is great news for gluten-free consumers," said Lucy Gibney, founder of Experts Predict the Next Big Trend in Edible Oils: High Oleic Soybean Oil High oleic soybean oil, predicted to be the next big thing in edible oils, is already receiving substantial support from the soybean industry. High oleic soybean oils provide food companies increased functionality across multiple applications and meet the nutrition needs of today's consumers. A relative newcomer to the edible oils market, high oleic soybean oil first became available commercially in 2011. The United Soybean Board, in cooperation with QUALISOY®, pledged $60 million over the next five years to quickly expand seed production of high oleic soybean varieties across a wide geography and to market high oleic soybean oils to food companies and other stakeholders in order to promote success of the oils for the food industry. As a result, USB projects that 9 billion pounds of high oleic soybean oil will be available by 2023, enough to meet global demand. Health professionals recommend reducing saturated fats in the diet to lower the risks of heart disease. Consumers today are actively seeking more health-conscious food options. As a result, food companies are always looking for new healthy options to offer their customers. High oleic soybean oils offer an option that is transfat free and lower in saturated fats than conventional soybean oil. High oleic soybean oils also offer desirable benefits for food companies and manufacturers themselves. High oleic soybean oils' superior resistance to oxidation extends shelf life for baked goods and snack foods. The oils also feature a neutral taste, allowing the natural flavors of ingredients to stand out. High oleic soybean oils perform longer than standard vegetable oils in high temperature and extended use applications because of the heat and oxidative stability of the oil. This, as well as reduced polymer buildup that lessens maintenance and cleaning, translates to cost savings for food service operations. "Demand for products with zero grams trans fat and lower saturated fats continues to grow. High oleic soybean oil offers an economical and secure solution for food companies to meet that need, as well as enhance functionality to make their businesses more successful," said Richard Galloway, oils expert for QUALISOY. "High oleic soybean oils deliver highly stable products without sacrificing flavor." Jim Stillman, soybean farmer and Chair of USB agrees: "This commitment to high oleic soybean oils is about meeting our customers' needs. It not only helps build demand for U.S. soybeans and benefits our farmers, but offers a solution that fits the needs of the food industry very well." GN

• Cover