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GOURMET NEWS AUGUST 2014 www.gourmetnews.com SPECIAL FEATURE 5 1 Wixon Now Offers Gourmet Gluten-Free Seasonings and Dry Mixes Your customers count on you to deliver specialty foods that meet their nutritional requirements while satisfying their taste buds. Wixon offers a variety of gluten-free gourmet seasonings and dry mixes that extend your product line to suit the needs of this growing market segment. Wixon's three core levels of service ensure your products exceed expectations, from innovative concepts through efficient production to professional packaging. From sourcing to handling and testing, Wixon takes the necessary measures to ensure the highest quality gluten-free products without compromising on taste. Gluten-free raw materials are sourced from qualified vendor partners, who provide a gluten-free Statement of Assurance. Wixon's segregated blending suites and operations handling avoid cross-contamination. Blends are tested to confirm gluten- free status and validate Wixon's gluten-free procedures. Gluten-free raw materials and ingredients are also stored in segregated areas. In addition to rigorous finished product testing, Wixon is GFSI Certified to FSSC 22000, the premier, globally-recognized model of food safety. Trust Wixon to make gluten-free worry-free, and partner with us from concept to consumption or at any point in between. For more information, visit the company online at www.wixon.com or call 800.841.5304. Dave's Gourmet Introduces Oatmeal Cookie Butter Dave's Gourmet has created a cookie butter that is so delicious, it makes almost anything taste just like grandma's homemade oatmeal cookies – fresh from the oven. This all-natural spread is crafted from wholesome ingredients, giving it a mouthwatering flavor. Real oats mixed with the sweetness of brown sugar and the spice of cinnamon take everyone back to their childhoods. Dave's Gourmet's Oatmeal Cookie Butter tastes just like oatmeal cookies, so you can give your toast, apple slices, cupcakes and virtually any other foods a comforting taste of home. You can even add this wonderful spread to your milkshakes and cheesecakes for added decadence. The thick creamy consistency makes it easy to spread on just about anything. It is no surprise that you can also bake with Dave's Gourmet's Cookie Butter, using it to make crunchy Oatmeal Cookie Crisps. Dave's Gourmet Oatmeal Cookie Butter is truly spreadable goodness. Dave's Gourmet Oatmeal Cookie Butter was recently selected by a national panel of specialty food professionals as the winner of the 2014 sofi™ Award in the Outstanding Jam, Preserve, Honey or Nut Butter category. For more information, contact Dave's Gourmet at info@davesgourmet.com. Better4U Foods Launches Mediterranean Sprouted Grain Pizza Better For You Foods LLC, the natural foods company with a focus on nutrition, is bringing to market a Better4U Foods brand Mediterranean Ultra Thin Sprouted Grain Crust Pizza. The new product represents another step in the planned expansion of the sprouted grain pizza category that Better4U pioneered in 2013. Better4U Foods now offers three varieties of Ultra Thin Sprouted Grain Pizzas, adding Mediterranean to the popular Bruschetta and Old World Veggie topped pizzas. Natural foods made with sprouted grains are quickly becoming a trend among health-minded consumers seeking benefits that include increased fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and a variety of nutrients. Each variety of Better4U Sprouted Grain Pizza contains an impressive 39 grams of whole grains per serving. Consistent with other Better4U pizzas, the sprouted grain varieties boast healthier nutritional profiles than typical frozen pizzas – delivering a healthier profile in terms of calories, saturated fat, sodium and protein. They are also made with non-GMO ingredients. Better For You Foods LLC is headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla. and is the maker of Better4U Foods natural products. The company offers 10 varieties of Multigrain Gluten Free Pizza, four varieties of Multigrain Thin Crust pizza, three varieties of Multigrain Ultra-Thin Sprouted Grain Pizza and a Multigrain Shelf Stable Gluten Free pizza crust. Better For You Foods is dedicated to using the freshest non-GMO ingredients available and selling natural products that taste better and are nutritionally superior to competing products. To learn more, visit www.better4ufoods.com. Heartland Gourmet Offers Gourmet Gluten-Free Baked Off Products and Baking Mixes Your customers count on you to bring them not only specialty foods that meet their dietary and nutritional needs, but to satisfy their cravings and taste preferences as well. Heartland Gourmet's product lines allow consumers to pick up a ready-to-eat delicious cake or muffin in the bakery section or grab a mix from the baking or gluten-free isle. Heartland Gourmet prides itself on manufacturing clean label gluten-free products using only the best ingredients from reliable suppliers. The company has just finished construction of a 29,000-square-foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that allows it to segregate its gluten-free manufacturing from its organic and gourmet mix manufacturing. The company is GFSI, gluten-free and organic certified. Rely on the team at Heartland Gourmet to help your customers come back again and again. For more information, call Susan at 800.735.6828, email susan@heartlandgourmet.com, or visit the company's website at www.heartlandgourmet.com. Packaged Continued from PAGE 50 Of course building one's brand through a heat-and-serve food line is a double- edged sword. If the consumer is unim- pressed with what comes out of the package, the result could be general disen- chantment with the person whose picture is on the box. "By putting a chef's name and picture on a product, it is saying that this is something that nobody else is doing, and it's unique, or it is just so much better than everything else out there," said McCauley. "It better be awesome." According to McCauley, celebrity chef- branded heat-and-serve foods not only benefit the chef himself; these products can also have a genuinely positive impact on the retailers that carry them. This is because, when it comes to marketing many packaged (and especially, frozen) foods, there can be a disconnect with the consumer who does not have the ability to touch, smell and, often, see the prod- uct inside. If the product has the name of a chef like Emeril Lagasse on it, the customer already has an affinity for it and is more likely to be drawn to pur- chasing it. "In the freezer section, [the chef's name is] even more important," said McCauley. "Most consumers haven't had a 100 percent good experience with frozen food. It's time to kick frozen food up a notch." GN Veggie Patch Launches Roasted Red Pepper Falafel and Moroccan Red Lentil Cakes Seeking to satisfy Americans' increasing appetite for healthier food options and the desire to incorporate more vegetables into their diets, Veggie Patch, a leading brand of flavorful and healthy vegetable-based foods, recently announced the debut of two unique new creations: Roasted Red Pepper Falafel and Moroccan Red Lentil Cakes. Veggie Patch's Roasted Red Pepper Falafel offers a tasty twist on one of the brand's top sellers: its Classic Falafel. Combining the palate- pleasing tastes of red pepper and hearty chickpeas with the brand's unique blend of falafel spices, the new Roasted Red Pepper Falafel's outstanding flavor profile allows it to be served on its own or incorporated into another dish. The new Moroccan Red Lentil Cakes are a delectable and healthy snack made from 70 percent vegetables. A blend of red lentils, carrots and zesty spices, the tasty cakes deliver a mouthful of flavor, while also providing an excellent source of protein (8 grams per serving). Veggie Patch's new Roasted Red Pepper Falafel and Moroccan Red Lentil Cakes have a suggested retail price of $4.49 and are now available in the produce section of grocery stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.veggiepatch.com.

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