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6 GENERAL NEWS GOURMET NEWS DECEMBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com 2014 Scovie Awards Honor the Best of Fiery Foods The 2014 Scovie Awards judging panel of top culinary experts honored dozens of companies as among the best when it comes to producing spicy and savory foods. Competition for this year's Scovie Awards was tougher than ever, with a new, record of 864 total entries, up from 2013's 805. The total number of companies entering was also a record at 151, up from 133 the previous year. In all, 105 companies walked away with at least one award. Dave DeWitt, founder of the Scovie Awards and the National Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show said entries came from 39 U.S. states and seven countries, including Austria, Canada, Ecuador, Australia, St. Lucia, the United Kingdom and the United States. "Companies from all over the world continue to recognize the Scovie Awards as the most competitive blind taste tested event in the world," DeWitt said. "I'm thrilled that participation in the awards continues to increase year after year." This year, in the tasting division, the Scovie Awards judges handed out their Grand Prize to Lusty Monk Mustards for its Original Sin Fresh Ground Mustard. This was a particularly important feather-in-the-cap for Lusty Monk, as the company won the Grand Prize in last year's Scovie Awards as well. In the 2013 competition, judges honored Lusty Monk for its Burn In Hell Mustard. In the advertising and marketing division, the Grand Prize winner was Twang Partners. The company was honored for its Beer Salt 3-Pack. Among the notable multiple award winners in this year's competition, Sean's booYah won 32 awards, Garden Fresh Salsa won 22, Gilly Loco won five and Arizona Rubs won three. Guests can sample and buy Scovie Award-winning products at the upcoming 2014 National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, to be held Feb. 28-March 2, 2014 at Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque, N.M. Vendors from across the country will be in attendance. For more information, visit www.fieryfoodsshow.com. GN Market Force: Most Consumers Purchasing Private Label Groceries Nearly all consumers buy private label products when grocery shopping. This is according to a recent study of 6,600 consumers conducted by Market Force Information, a global customer intelligence solutions company. Of the categories studied, dairy products were the most frequently purchased private label groceries, while snacks ranked second, and cereal and cleaning supplies tied for third. According to the study, 83 percent of consumers indicated that they sometimes buy private label brands if the product is better or it offers a higher value than the national brand alternative in a particular category. Thirteen percent said that they always buy private label if one is offered in their desired product category, and only 4 percent are either unaware of private label products or never purchase them because they believe national brands offer a better value and product. Most consumers are loading their carts with private label dairy products such as milk and cheese on a regular basis. More than three-quarters of respondents said they purchase private label dairy products most or some of the time, 19 percent always and 5 percent never. Price appears to be the main motivator. Of the 95 percent who buy private label dairy somewhat regularly, 78 percent said it is because of the price and 48 percent pointed to the good value. Of the 5 percent who only buy national brand dairy, taste and quality were the main factors. Perhaps because it can carry a high price tag, cereal is another prevalent private label grocery buy. When asked how frequently they purchase their grocer's private label cereal, 63 percent said some or most of the time, 8 percent said always and 29 percent never. With nearly a third of those surveyed stating that they never purchase grocery store brand cereals, it is clear however that private label brands have some work to do in converting consumers from national brands. Of the 71 percent who indicated they purchase private label, 76 percent said they do so because of the price and 47 percent for the value. The consumers who only buy national brand cereal primarily do so for the taste and because they have coupons for it. More than half of respondents said that they buy private label snacks some of the time. Twenty-two percent choose them most of the time. Seven percent always opt for private label snacks. One-fifth of consumers said they never purchase private label snacks. "It's worth noting that in every category we studied, consumers cited price as the primary reason for purchasing private label brands," said Janet Eden-Harris, Chief Marketing Officer for Market Force. "On the flip side, taste and quality were the top reasons given by consumers for never purchasing private label. If grocery brands can deliver on both price and taste, they have a good chance at grabbing more private label market share." The survey was conducted in May 2013 across the United States and Canada. The pool of 6,645 respondents reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with 60 percent reporting household incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Respondents' ages ranged from 19 to over 65. Approximately 73 percent were women and 27 percent were men. Half have children at home. For more information, visit www.marketforce.com. GN Shutdown A recent salmonella outbreak at the California poultry factories of Foster Farms gives a hint as to what could happen if a significant food safety problem were to emerge during a government shutdown. This October outbreak came just one week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director ominously tweeted that the more than 8,700 furloughed CDC workers who "protected you yesterday, can't tomorrow… We are less safe." The CDC had been investigating Foster Farms since July, but the agency was unable to pinpoint a specific product that was causing illness. It was only because of this ongoing investigation that the CDC was able to smoothly issue a public health and safety warning, despite the limited staff. This is according to Tony Corbo at Food and Water Watch, an NGO and consumer rights group that lobbies for governmental and corporate accountability when it comes to food safety. "Something like this could happen in the middle of a shutdown where people start getting sick and you don't know what the source is," said Corbo. "[This time,] there was an investigation, but what happens if there's a shutdown and it's brand new and there's nobody [at the CDC] that's recording the information. If there's nobody there to do that, then you could have a serious issue." In January, 2011, the United States passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, the most sweeping reform of U.S. food safety laws in 70 years. The legislation aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it. However, despite the law's promise to protect U.S. consumers, it has yet to be fully implemented. Because of the shutdown, and the lingering impacts of sequestration, the FSMA was further delayed, with no associated food safety inspections taking place. "On the FDA side, because they weren't doing their domestic inspections, the thing is they are supposed to be doing upward of 25,000 inspections domestically, and they are going to fall farther and farther behind and not do the requisite inspections that they have to do," said Corbo. He also noted that because foreign inspections were not getting done either, the shutdown put even more pressure on domestic inspectors. "[Domestic inspectors] are only able to look at about 2 percent of what's coming in to this country, so you are putting the entire strain of the inspection on those port of entry inspectors." GN Continued from PAGE 1 loughing them during future shutdowns. However, until this point, the impacts of government worker furloughs on the U.S. food supply have remained relatively minor. Food safety expert and food scientist Jeffrey Barach said that as long as future government shutdowns are similarly brief, there is little significant danger to U.S. consumers. "Short term, we probably won't see much. For long term shutdowns, we'll likely notice [workers] absent if a food safety crisis occurs," said Barach. "The main problem with limited staff would be with a big food safety problem, like a major recall event." "Most companies handle recalls on a voluntary basis, and these small recalls would proceed," Barach continued. "However, just like if there were a hurricane, FEMA resources are needed in a major emergency. If [the] FDA is again limited due to another shutdown and a major recall happens, it could cause a slow initial reaction to the problem and a slow recovery. This could cause unnecessary problems for food processors [and] retailers." Survey: More Non-Vegetarians Seeking Out Meat Alternatives Only a few years ago, tofu, tempeh and seitan were barely known in the culinary world. Today, they are on grocery store shelves across the United States, finding their place in more and more consumers' kitchens, including those of non-vegetarians. In new research recently released by market research firm Mintel, only 7 percent of consumers identify themselves as vegetarian. However, 36 percent indicate the use of meat alternatives. Further indicating the overall saturation of meat alternatives in the larger consumer marketplace, less than half of consumers who use meat alternatives are using the products in place of real meat, with 16 percent indicating they actually use the products alongside meat offerings. "This data suggests that participation in the alternative meat category stretches far beyond necessity and creates an opportunity for future growth based on the products' ability to meet general consumer food interests, such as health, price, variety and convenience," said Beth Bloom, Food and Drink Analyst at Mintel. "The bottom line is that vegetarians and vegans aren't the only people eating 'fake' meat. Meat eaters are also exploring this newfound protein superpower." Health perception plays a large role in the use of meat alternatives, with one-third of consumers indicating they use alternative meat products because they are healthy. More than half of users surveyed believe these products are healthier than real meat. In addition, some 31 percent are trying to reduce their meat consumption, with another 31 percent saying they enjoy the taste of meat alternatives. "While meat alternatives have the potential to meet a range of consumer needs, targeted health positioning has the potential to attract the specific attention of consumers," Bloom said. Still, not everyone is jumping on the meat-free bandwagon. The greatest percentage of non-users (67 percent) indicate a preference for real meat. Thirty-four percent say they do not care for the taste of meat alternatives, while 20 percent do not like the texture. "While, at one time, products in the category were seen as a substitute for meat consumption, the expansion of formats and flavors has allowed the category to grow beyond one of necessity to become one of desire," Bloom said. "Product manufacturers and marketers have a chance to come out from behind the veil of 'substitute' and stake a claim as a food option that stands on its own." GN

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