Oser Communications Group

General News BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2014 www.gourmetnews.com GENERAL NEWS 2 World Food Championships Returns to Las Vegas The World Food Championships are slated to once again take over the Fremont Street Experience and Downtown Las Vegas, November 12-18, where more than 500 competitors will test their cooking skills to claim bragging rights and huge cash prizes at the ultimate culinary showdown. The third annual World Food Championships will invite the champions from some of the biggest and best food competitions around the world to Las Vegas for one ultimate defining moment. Following a tournament-style format across nine iconic food categories, including barbecue, chili, burger, sandwich, recipe, dessert, bacon, pasta and seafood, competitors will battle for their chance to claim the World Food Champion title. To stay in the food champ chatter and for more information on the World Food Championships, visit www.worldfoodchampionships.com or www.facebook.com/worldfoodchampionships, or follow @WorldFoodChamp on Twitter. International Wise Traditions to Focus on Healthy, Traditional Foods Scientists and educators will explore the health benefits of traditional fats like butter and coconut oil at Wise Traditions 2014, the 15th annual conference of the Weston A. Price Foundation. The health and nutrition conference is coming to Indianapolis on November 7-9. The weekend's theme is Focus on Food, and the event offers good news for those who are ready to turn away from fad diets and return to the wholesome and nutritious foods of our ancestors. The Weston A. Price Foundation is a non- profit education foundation focused on promoting traditional foods rich in essential nutrients. The conference is open to the public and is widely attended by health-conscious families as well as farmers, chefs, journalists and health professionals from throughout the world. For a complete schedule of events and registration information, visit www.wise traditions.org, or call 304.724.3006 International Food Expo to Be Held in Pomona, California The International Food Expo will be held at the Fairplex in Pomona, California from Thursday November 6 to Saturday November 8. The event is a multinational food show designed and organized specifically for the Asian ethnic food market in North America. It provides a unique opportunity for exhibitors to expand their presence and market share in the North American ethnic food business. The show enables overseas manufacturers, exporters, North American importers, distributors, supermarket buyers and brokers, retailers, restaurant owners, foodservice operators, material handling equipment manufacturers, transporters and virtually everyone associated with the American ethnic food trade to meet in a single place with their prospective clientele from the industry to introduce new products and services and open up new vistas for expanding their business at the lowest cost possible. To learn more about the event, visit www.intfoodexpo.com. Survey: Consumers Snacking More on Specialty Food; Chocolate Still Top Pick Specialty food consumers are spending more of their food dollars on specialty food this year, and the all-powerful mil- lennial generation is gravitating toward specialty food for snacks and on-the-go meals. This is according to new research from the Specialty Food Association. Overall, specialty food shoppers say they are spending one in four of their food dollars on specialty food, up from one in five in 2013. Chocolate, olive oil and cheese are purchased most, but tea is gaining, making it into the top 10 foods specialty food consumers report buying this year. A generation gap is evident. Younger adults report spending more on specialty food than boomers and those older. Older consumers buy specialty foods more for everyday cooking at home ver- sus snacking. "Overall, specialty food consumers have these foods and beverages on hand for regular usage, whether as an every- day snack or meal or as a treat," said Denise Purcell, Senior Director of Con- tent Development for the Specialty Food Association. "This daily engagement bodes well for the market as a whole." The findings are based on an online survey conducted by Mintel Interna- tional in June 2014 of 1,649 adults aged 18 and up. The results are published in the fall issue of Specialty Food Magazine. Specialty foods were defined as foods of premium quality such as high-end chocolate, coffee or cooking oil. These foods may be made by small or local manufacturers, have exotic ethnic fla- vors, have the very best ingredients available or be somehow otherwise unique. Among the additional highlights from the survey results, it was revealed that 18- to 24-year-olds were the most likely consumers of chocolate, salty snacks, frozen desserts and ready-to-eat food and beverages. Fifty-nine percent of U.S. adults purchased specialty food products in the last six months. Forty-two percent of adults surveyed said that they try new foods in order to eat healthier. And 71 percent of specialty food consumers sup- port companies that practice sustainabil- ity. The survey also revealed that core specialty food consumers are ages 18-44 and affluent, earning more than $75,000 annually. Women are more likely than men to purchase specialty food products. A detailed overview of the report with charts, illustrations and infographics is available for download at www.specialty- food.com/consumer2014. The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, im- porters and entrepreneurs who bring craft, care and joy to the distinctive foods they produce. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade as- sociation provides its 3,000 members in the United States and abroad the tools, knowledge and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an al- ways-evolving marketplace. The Associ- ation (formerly the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade Inc.) owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at www.spe- cialtyfood.com. GN Brewers Association Reports Sustained Growth for Craft; Small and Independent Brewers See Sales Increase in First Half of 2014 Small and independent craft brewers en- joyed continued growth in the first half of 2014, according to new mid-year data re- leased by the Brewers Association, the not- for-profit trade association that represents the majority of U.S. breweries. American craft beer production volume increased 18 percent during the first half of the year. From January through the end of June, ap- proximately 10.6 million barrels of beer were sold by craft brewers, up from 9 million barrels over the first half of 2013. "The sustained double- digit growth of the craft category shows the solid- ity of demand for fuller flavored beer in a variety of styles from small and independent American producers," said Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Associa- tion. "Craft brewers are providing world-class, in- novative products that continue to excite beer lovers and energize the industry." As of June 30, 2014, 3,040 breweries were operating in the United States, 99 percent of which were small and inde- pendent craft breweries. Additionally, there were 1,929 breweries in planning. Craft brewers currently employ an esti- mated 110,273 full-time and part-time workers, many in manufacturing jobs, contributing significantly to the U.S. economy. "Coupled with the continued rise in the number of breweries, the market growth of craft brewers highlights the ongoing local- ization of beer production in the United States," said Watson. "More and more, peo- ple are enjoying the products from Amer- ica's small and independent brewers, making this country a true destination for beer." The Brewers Association is the not-for- profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing en- thusiasts. The Brewers Association repre- sents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the United States. The BA organizes events, including the World Beer Cup ® , Great American Beer Festival ® , Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America ® , SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience and Ameri- can Craft Beer Week ® . The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine and its Brewers Publications division is the largest pub- lisher of contemporary and relevant brew- ing literature for today's craft brewers and homebrewers. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at www.craftbeer.com and about homebrew- ing via the BA's American Homebrewers As- sociation. GN

• Cover