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10 EDITORIAL GOURMET NEWS FEBRUARY 2014 www.gourmetnews.com GOURMET NEWS ® FROM THE EDITOR WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER The sad truth about food today is that so much of what we eat can potentially make us ill. A shipment of Mexican cilantro arrives in the United States contaminated with salmonella, or a batch of pre-packaged salads containing E. coli bacteria is sold to unsuspecting grocery shoppers, and hundred of people may find themselves seriously ill. Meat, seafood, dairy, eggs, produce and even spices have been linked to foodborne illness. This is to say nothing of the hundreds if not thousands of everyday food ingredients that scientists argue may not be in our best health interest to consume. From artificial preservatives, sweeteners and colorants to animal fats and partially hydrogenated oils to meat and seafood that may be contaminated with everything from antibiotics to mercury, it can be a scary world out there for the health-conscious foodie. And navigating that world takes a great deal of diligent research and metered self control. Consumers today are more concerned than ever before with the healthfulness of the food they put into their bodies, and they certainly have good reason to be circumspect. Modern grocery store shelves are lined with foods gathered from all over the world, and it can be difficult to ensure that all of these products are made to the same exacting safety standards. As supermarket shoppers scan store shelves and fill their carts, they are now taking extra care to read front and back labels, looking for assurances that they are getting a reliably healthful product. However, with food companies (including, inevitably, some unscrupulous ones) doing their best to make their products fly off the shelves, labels can sometimes be misleading. It is the job of health-conscious food producers today to communicate a message of safety and healthfulness to their potential consumers. Shoppers need to be assured that what is inside the package is the real deal, not a carefully whitewashed, but inferior copy. When a shopper is filling her basket with organic produce she wants to know that these fruits and vegetables are truly grown to the recognized organic standards. And when grilling up barbecue chicken at a summer cook out, the chef wants to feel secure that he is not feeding his guests anything that might leave them ill the following morning. Reaching out to consumers and building a sense of security is the job of the food industry. Food producers have a duty to create a healthful product, and it is equally important they they successfully communicate a message of safety and healthfulness in the products' marketing. Specialty food companies are in a particularly unique position to build a sense of security among health-conscious shoppers, as the production of gourmet foods often involves careful handcraftsmanship as opposed to mass production. When an actual person has her or his hands on each finished product, consumers can feel assured that special attention was paid to its preparation. As more and more consumers become disenchanted with the big brands, small artisan producers are taking this opportunity to position themselves as a safe, reliable, superior alternative. GN – Lucas Witman, Editor 520.721.1300 lucas_w@oser.com Lee M. Oser ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jeff Rosano jeff_r@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com EDITOR Lucas Witman editor@oser.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Yasmine Brown CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Jaysun Freightman ACCOUNT MANAGERS Jules Denton Ryan Harter Lynn Hilton CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Product Wrap-up & Classified Sales Tara Neal tara_n@oser.com PUBLISHING OFFICE 1877 N. Kolb Road P.O. Box 1056 Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300 Fax 520.721.6300 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Gourmet News P.O. Box 30520 Tucson, AZ 85751 520.721.1300 MEMBER OF: PRESIDENT Lee M. Oser Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and additional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 1052-4630) is published monthly by Oser Communications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715; 520.721.1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in newspaper. Contributors are responsible for proper release of proprietary classified information. ©2014 by Oser Communications Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when available, cost $7 each within the past 12 months, $12 each prior to the past 12 months. Back orders must be paid in advance either by check or charged to American Express, Visa, or Master Card. Gourmet News is distributed without charge in North America to qualified professionals in the retail and distribution channels of the specialty foods and hardgoods trade; paid subscriptions cost $65 annually to the U.S. and Canada. 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