Oser Communications Group

General News BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2014 www.gourmetnews.com GENERAL NEWS 4 Food & Wine Classic Comes to Aspen June 20-22 Tickets are on sale now for the 2014 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, America's premier culinary event, taking place June 20-22. The festival brings the Food & Wine brand to life with three unparalleled days of cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, panel discussions, tasting events and the famed Grand Tasting Pavilion—all set at 8,000 feet in the majestic backdrop of Aspen, Colo. Celebrity chefs and distinguished wine experts participating include Hugh Acheson, Richard Blais, Tom Colicchio, Carla Hall, Tim Love, Jacques Pépin, Marcus Samuelsson, Curtis Stone, Michael Symon and Andrew Zimmern. Attendees will also be treated to several events including a 5K charity run and a late-night dessert bash. More details about these events are available at www.foodandwine.com/classic or by calling 877.900.WINE. European Food Expo Convenes "Free-From" Industry Free From Food Expo 2014 is Europe's most focused trade show for the "free from" industry. It's a key trading platform where top-level decision makers come to source new products, meet new and existing suppliers and keep up- to-date with trends and innovations in the fast growing "free from" food & beverage industry. This two-day exhibition and conference will see more than 2,000 buyers from small and large retail and food service sectors as well as bio, health, convenience stores and catering companies and nearly 150 exhibitors from across Europe, including "free from" food manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and traders. Visitors will have an opportunity to attend 25 seminars covering a wide range of topics. "Free from" food categories covered at the expo include food and beverage products, which are gluten-free, lactose-free, dairy-free, yeast- free, wheat-free, egg-free, non-GMO, sugar-free, fat-free and vegan. Visit www.freefromexpo.com and www.freefromfoodingredients.com for more information. Specialty Food Sales Break Records Americans have a growing appetite for spe- cialty food. U.S. sales of specialty food and beverages reached $88.3 billion in 2013, a record high for the fourth year in a row and a jump of 18.4 percent since 2011. According to new research from the Spe- cialty Food Association, cheese dominated specialty food sales at retail in 2013, with $4 billion in sales. This was followed by sales of meat, poultry and seafood and chips, pretzels and snacks. The fastest growing categories in 2013 were nut but- ters, eggs and frozen desserts. "U.S. consumers are more sophisticated and discerning about their food choices than ever before," said Ron Tanner, Vice President of Philanthropy, Government and Industry Relations for the Specialty Food Association. "Retailers and restaurants of all kinds are responding by offering more specialty foods crafted by makers of arti- sanal cheeses, innovative vinegars and health-oriented snacks." According to the Specialty Food Asso- ciation, the outlook for retail is robust, with sales at specialty food stores and nat- ural markets skyrocketing by 42.4 percent and 33.8 percent, respectively, between 2011 and 2013. This contrasts with sales at mainstream supermarket, which have grown at a more modest rate of 6.9 per- cent. Foodservice sales at cafés, fast-ca- sual chains, restaurants, casinos, cruise ships and other venues represent one fifth of the specialty food market, and sales in this sector remained steady at $18.1 bil- lion in 2013. Distributors of specialty food say non- GMO has the highest potential for growth of all product claims during the next three years. Meanwhile, 70 percent of retailers surveyed cited "local" as the claim that in- terests consumers most today. These findings are included in The State of the Specialty Food Industry 2014, an annual report from the Specialty Food Association prepared in conjunc- tion with research firms Mintel Interna- tional and SPINS. The report tracks U.S. sales of specialty food through supermar- kets, natural food stores and specialty food retailers and includes surveys of food manufacturers, importers, distribu- tors, brokers and retailers. Specialty foods are broadly defined for the report as products that have limited distribution and a reputation for high quality. More highlights from the State of the Specialty Food Industry, as well as a 16-page overview of the report are at www.specialtyfood.com/stateindustry2014. The report is also published in the spring issue of Specialty Food Magazine. The Specialty Food Association is a com- munity of food artisans, importers and en- trepreneurs who strive to bring craft, care and joy to the distinctive foods they pro- duce. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,000 members in the United States and abroad the tools, knowledge and connec- tions to champion and nurture their com- panies in an always-evolving marketplace. Learn more about the organization at www.specialtyfood.com. GN Expert Urge Food Industry to Apply Standard Definition for Whole Grain Foods Leading nutrition experts from the United States and Europe are urging the food in- dustry to apply a standard definition of a whole grain food that would require all products labeled as such to contain at least 8 grams of whole grain per 30 gram serv- ing. This was the conclusion reached by a recently convened roundtable panel of nu- trition experts, including researchers, edu- cators, policy makers and food and nutrition scientists. The panel, convened by Cereal Partners Worldwide and General Mills Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition, was tasked with reviewing the latest whole grain and health science to consider the benefits of whole grain and develop a stan- dard definition of a whole grain food, using the latest scientific evidence. The panel concluded that a food with at least 8 grams of whole grain per 30 gram serving, without a fiber require- ment, provides a nutritionally meaningful amount of whole grain and should be considered a whole grain food. This con- clusion is based on whole grain science, considers consumer acceptance and food formulation and aligns with the viewpoint of the American Association of Cereal Chemists International Although this standard definition of whole grain is well-established in the food industry, to date, a consistent definition for what constitutes a whole grain food has not been developed and adopted for use by the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the European Commission. In 2010, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Technical Committee called for a definition of whole grain food that could be applied to dietary recommendations and planning. Doing so would enable consistent product labeling and messaging, encourage manufacturers to produce products with meaningful amounts of whole grain, pro- vide a consistent approach to quantifying whole grains in research and reduce con- sumer confusion when trying to identify FMI Connnect Brings 25 Chefs together for Supermarket Showdown Food Marketing Institute recently announced the 25 finalists for the Supermarket Chef Showdown, the food retail industry's unique competition for culinary talent. The finals, held June 11, 2014 at FMI's new, annual show, FMI Connect, will determine five grand-prize winners and one overall champion. The finalists chosen represent retailers from across the country, including Balducci's, Dorothy Lane Market, Inc., Farm Fresh Supermarkets, Foodland Super Market, Ltd., FRESH by Brookshire's, Fry's Food Stores, Hy- Vee, Inc., Kowalski's Markets, The Kroger Co., Meijer, Inc., Orchard Fresh, Publix Super Markets, Inc., Roche Bros. Supermarkets, Co., ShopRite, Whole Foods Market and Winn-Dixie. Held in Chicago, FMI Connect is the place to witness industry advancements and interact with food industry leaders. With a program that touches every category of food retail, FMI Connect promises to deliver enough stories to last all year. Continued on PAGE 6 Sales of Nut Butters, Eggs, Frozen Desserts Show Big Jumps

• Cover