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GOURMET NEWS JANUARY 2015 www.gourmetnews.com EDITORIAL 1 0 For years, consumers have been conditioned to believe that if something doesn't taste good, it's probably good for you. And conversely, if it is outrageously delicious, it's probably loaded with the very ingredients most likely to make us pack on pounds and raise our choles- terol. As children, we grew up knowing that the only way to get to the good stuff was to finish whatever insipid green thing was on our plates. And even as adults, we force ourselves to choke down undeniably unpalatable things like wheat grass and diet shakes so that we can later reward ourselves with the foods we really crave. For companies striving to market themselves as producers of healthy foods, it can be difficult to navigate this tricky paradox whereby shoppers believe that good food can't be healthy and healthy food can't be good. Despite the fact that the world of natural food has gone decid- edly gourmet in recent years, many con- sumers would never think of picking up a vegan frozen pizza or a whole grain baking mix under the assumption that they are just never going to taste as good as the traditional versions. There are a number of products and in- gredients in particular that have become so maligned as "health foods" that they are almost certain to drive some con- sumers away in fear at the very mention of their name. Take carob, for example. A centuries-old ingredient, carob became popular in the United States in the 1970s when natural foods stores began market- ing it as a healthful alternative to choco- late. Often bitter and grainy, carob developed a bad reputation as the non- candy that nutrition-focused moms tried to pass off on their kids. Today, however, high end gourmet companies like Missy J's are attempting to bring carob back, crafting truly delectable confections that utilize the same level of culinary prowess that goes into crafting artisan chocolate. According to Missy J's founder Jodi Fein- hor-Dennis, many sweets-loving con- sumers simply cannot tell the difference between her company's carob-based prod- ucts and actual chocolate. Still, it can be a unique challenge to market a specialty food product that has long been maligned as a health food. Reaching out to consumers to show them how much the natural foods landscape has evolved over the years is a matter of reeducation. "With today's technology and formulation and food science, what we're finding is that we can make great tasting products that are also good for you. So now we're trying to reeducate the consumer that we created in the first place," said Jeff Hilton, co-founder and partner with branding agency BrandHive. "We kept telling them it tastes terrible, but it's really good. Now we have to go back and tell them okay, if it tastes good, it can be good … We're in this process of changing consumer attitudes." This month, in Gourmet News, we in- troduce a new Naturally Healthy section (page 14). Our goal is to feature the specialty food companies that are doing their best to transform health foods into truly mouthwatering gourmet delica- cies. We also hope to cover issues and topics that are relevant to the natural products marketplace, making it easier for retailers to communicate with and reeducate their customer base about the evolving landscape of healthy foods. Keep an eye out for this section in fu- ture issues! GN — Lucas Witman, Editor 520.721.1300 lucas_w@oser.com WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER Lee M. Oser ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Kim Forrester Jules Denton jules_d@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com EDITOR Lucas Witman editor@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS David Bernard Amber Gallegos GRAPHIC DESIGNER Yasmine Brown ACCOUNT MANAGERS Jules Denton Lynn Hilton CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Caitlyn Roach caitlyn_r@oser.com CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Product Wrap-up & Classified Sales Tara Neal tara_n@oser.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Jamie Green jamie_g@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 G OURMET N EWS ® OSER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP PRESIDENT Lee M. Oser MEMBER OF: Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and ad- ditional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 1052-4630) is published monthly by Oser Com- munications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715; 520.721.1300. 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