Oser Communications Group

NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n SEPTEMBER 2014 n GOURMET NEWS N H 5 6 BerryBreeze Offers a Revolutionary Solution to Food Storage As gourmet and natural food trends con- tinue to converge upon one another, one of the greatest challenges is making gourmet and natural foods last at peak freshness. Not only is freshness an issue, but safety concerns resulting from food that is no longer fresh are critical obstacles. Taking into account the growing desire for all food types to be untreated and un- processed, as attractive as this is to dis- cerning consumers, this elevates these challenges. Some solutions have attempted to tackle the problem with containers and wrappings, but they typically seal in bac- teria that puts safety at risk. At last, some- one has developed the technology that allows food to stay fresh and alive longer and eliminates the microbes behind many food-borne illnesses. BerryBreeze™ is an innovative company that provides a revo- lutionary solution to food storage using an uncomplicated combination of science and nature. The newly-patented, innovative technol- ogy behind BerryBreeze involves the use of activated oxygen. In the natural world, activated oxygen-rich environments at high altitudes around the globe have pro- duced thriving regions of all types of veg- etation. Activated oxygen sanitizes and purifies the air, killing natural threats to vegetation such as molds and bacteria. What works in nature can now work in any number of food storage systems, such as refrigerators, cold-storage units and all small uninhabited areas thanks to Berry- Breeze. This hand-held mechanism uses an algorithm that releases a measured amount of activated oxygen into the storage area sufficiently to create a clean, sanitized and odor-free environment. This battery-operated machine uses a timing sequence to maintain a consistent level in the enclosed area. In two studies commissioned by the FDA, internationally-recog- nized activated oxygen ex- perts Dee Graham and Rip Rice determined that limited regular exposure to activated oxygen posed no risk to hu- mans and enhanced the shelf-life of other organic materials. BerryBreeze works extremely well at home for the food consumer. As savvy cus- tomers are increasingly seeing the value in organic product for health and safety ben- efits, and are willing to pay a premium for such items, they are realizing that the longer they can keep that food fresh and usable takes much of the sting out of the initial price point. Typi- cally, Americans waste up to 33 million tons of pro- duce every year, but Berry- Breeze offers a means to eliminate that statistic while creating a real and positive effect towards world health and wellness by creating less ethylene gas from rotten food and saving enough food to feed millions of hungry Americans. With a product that uses state of the art technology to extend the life of food, as well as appeal to the current trends in the gourmet and natural food sectors, Berry- Breeze is heading into Expo East as a true game changer. For more information, visit BerryBreeze's YouTube channel to see more about how the device works, visit www.berrybreeze.com and stop by booth #2326. Benissimo's All-Natural Flavored Vinegars Benissimo is proud to feature its all-nat- ural gourmet flavored vinegars. With seven delicious flavored vinegars to choose from, everyday cooks can add ex- citing and unexpected new flavors to their green salads, use them as a marinade for a variety of meats and even enjoy the fla- vored balsamic vinegars over ice cream and fruit for dessert. Benissimo produces some of the finest gourmet flavored vine- gars in elegant bottles for a product that "Tastes as good as it looks!" Visit the website and experiment with a range of delicious recipes created by its chefs at www.hongarfarms.com. Benissimo has a foundation in food of over 450 years in Salzburg, Austria. The original farm, nestled in the Alps, east of the city of Salzburg, originally catered to the re- gional royalty, wealthy traders and land own- ers. In line with its tradition, all of its products are 100 percent natural, with no ar- tificial flavors, no preservatives, no sodium and no cholesterol. Benis- simo continuously updates its recipes to remain consis- tent with the so- phisticated taste of today's gourmet food consumer. Benissimo offers a full line of nine all-nat- ural flavor-infused oils and seven flavored vinegars, each of which has a range of fan- tastic uses from marinating to cooking, salad dressings and bread dippers. All of the Benissimo flavored oils and balsamic vine- gars are cholesterol-free and are produced in its SQF cer- tified facility from which it offers a range of private label capabilities for anyone who wants to have a great looking and wonderful tast- ing flavored oil or vinegar in the private label program. For sales and distribution, please contact Source Atlantique at 201-947-1000, ext. 139, or you can find more information at sourceatlantique.com/brand/benissimo. For private label inquiries, please contact Hongar Farms at 770-938-9884. signed for quick and easy preparation. The products include classics like Korma, Rogan Josh, Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala sauces. All contain only the finest natural ingredients, with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. They are also gluten, starch and MSG free. Customers can choose from a range of simmer sauces and spice paste. The simmer sauces come in shelf-sta- ble pouches, with the addition of spice sa- chets and a recipe booklet. "Our range is ideal for those who fear the idea of cooking an Indian meal from scratch," said Manish Sharma, Taste of India Foods' Sales Director for North America. "For those who simply do not have the time to cook, they also offer a quick and tasty meal solution. Put another way, making an Indian meal could not be simpler." A perfect accompaniment to the Indian cooking sauces is the microwavable rice range from sister company, Taste of Rice. Flavors include coconut, white basmati, brown, jasmine, biryani, lemon and veg- etable. For more details, see the website, www.tasteofrice.com. Four Taste of India simmer sauces are cur- rently available in the United States. They in- clude the award-winning Butter Chicken cooking sauce. This sauce won both the pres- tigious iTQi Taste Awards in Europe and the SIAL Innovation Award in China this year. "With the Taste of India brand, our aim was to produce high quality, all natural, tasty products. It's great to have that recognised by the industry," said Manish. Taste of India Foods also won an award for its Palak Paneer ready meal and its Spice Perfection Ginger Paste products in 2013. This was at the Great Taste Awards (UK), in association with the Guild of Fine Food. Re- tail World, Australia, also honoured the Taste of India brand with a 'Best New Australian Retail Product' award in 2009. Taste of India Foods is part of the Foods Pacific group, based in Fiji. Foods Pacific has offices in North America, Australia, New Zealand, India and the UK. Its Indian Cui- sine range is currently readily available in Australia and New Zealand. However, the company plans to extend its reach in the United States, starting with the launch of its Spice Perfection Ginger and Garlic Pastes. For news and recipes from Taste of India Foods, go to its Facebook page, facebook.com/tasteofindiafoods. For more information about the company, please visit its website at www.tasteofindiafoods.com or its parent group www.foodspacific.com. For more information, visit booth #8502 or www.tasteofindiafoods.com. Taste of India (Cont'd. from p. 1) some of its products? DM: The Spice Hunter has a variety of sig- nature items, like our Highland Harvested Saigon Cinnamon from Vietnam, which are always sourced from a specific region in the world and put on our label. For these items, we have found a source in the most ideal growing region that can consistently guaran- tee us the highest quality product. Some spices cannot always be sourced from the same region since we have strict quality stan- dards that must be met and some regional growers cannot meet our volume demands. If this is the case, we might source from a few different regions to keep our level of quality and be able to have enough spices to meet demand. NH: Are spices gluten free? DM: Spices inherently do not contain any gluten. Gluten-free foods cannot have any wheat, rye or barley ingredients added, so a single spice like garlic or paprika naturally wouldn't have any gluten in it. Spice blends or other spice products could possibly con- tain gluten ingredients if it has something like dry soy sauce or wheat flour added, but these ingredients, by law, must be clearly la- beled, as with any of the top eight allergens. NH: What is the difference between The Spice Hunter All Natural Spices and Herbs and The Spice Hunter Organic Spices and Herbs? DM: Both our all-natural and organic lines must meet our high quality standards. The organic designation means that the product in question has been certified organic by a USDA-approved organic auditing organiza- tion, like Quality Assurance International, who we are certified by. Organic products must be grown, harvested, cleaned and pack- aged in accordance with organic regulations and certifications. Our all-natural products meet many of the same requirements as our organic items like no irradiation, no msg, no artificial color, etc., but don't require an overseeing auditing agency to be designated as such. NH: What does The Spice Hunter mean by percent organic, and what is the quality of the remaining ingredients? DM: There are multiple levels of organic cer- tification outlined by the USDA. There is 100 Percent Organic, Organic and Made with Or- ganic Ingredients. 100 Percent Organic is ex- actly what it sounds like: every ingredient in the product is 100 Percent Organic certified. Organic refers to at least 95 percent organic, with the remaining five percent made of ei- ther ingredients that are not available as or- ganic or from a restricted list of allowed non-organic ingredients. The last level allows for a minimum of 70 percent organic ingre- dients, with the remaining 30 percent or less made up of the same non-organics as the pre- vious level. With this level, a label may either say, for example, "Made with Organic Spices" or "82% Organic." To reiterate an important point with Percent Organic prod- ucts, the non-organic ingredients can't just be anything a manufacturer wants to add, they still have to meet specific strict standards. For more information, visit booth #828. The Spice Hunter (Cont'd. from p. 1)

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