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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2015 n GOURMET NEWS 8 8 Popular Snack Lowers Sodium Content, Changes Packaging for 2015 Vintage Italia Pasta Chips is debuting new packaging with the Non-GMO (non-geneti- cally modified organisms) Project Verified Seal of Approval at the Fancy Food Show. The bold and bright new packaging designs will be a shelf-standout in five flavors. Ad- ditionally, Pasta Chips are now lower in sodium by 40 percent. "2014 was a banner year for Pasta Chips. We expanded our distribution, product line and gathered a lot of market research from our customer base," said Vintage Italia Pasta Chips' Founder and CEO Jerry Bello. "We felt it was important to respond to our con- sumers' desire for a non-GMO product and lower sodium. We're pleased with the strides we have made and look forward to a very prosperous 2015." The Non-GMO Project offers North America's only independent verification for products made according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance. "Our Verified products are produced in compliance with the Non-GMO Project Standard, including ongoing testing of risk ingredients," said Bello. Vintage Italia is the very first company to recreate the traditional baked pasta appetizer from Italy into a snack food. Its signature product, Pasta Chips, are made with the same semolina flour, ancient grains and Italian herbs that have been celebrated for hundreds of years. The Tuscan-inspired chips are mar- ried with different seasonings based on re- gional Italian favorites and are available in five delectable flavors including Marinara, Alfredo, Spicy Tomato Basil, Garlic Olive Oil and Mediterranean Sea Salt. Pasta Chips are certified kosher, have three grams of protein, are choles- terol-free and con- tain 60 percent less fat than potato chips and 20 percent less fat than pita chips. Pasta Chips are available in a 20-ounce club size bag, five-ounce size or a single serving two-ounce size. 20-ounce and five-ounce packages are resealable and can be hung or displayed on a shelf. This incredibly popular snack was launched in late 2014 and has had incredible success with major grocery chains and retail- ers across the United States. 2015 holds new flavor combination, sizes and product launches for Vintage Italia. Pasta Chips are available at retailers na- tionwide including: Walmart, ShopRite, Safeway and online at www.pastachips.com. About Vintage Italia Pasta Chips Born out of the hills of Tuscany, Pasta Chips were inspired by the gently baked fresh pasta that is drizzled with olive oil and served up in traditional Oste- rias. The first to recreate this rich, traditional food, Pasta Chips are made with the semolina flour, ancient grains and Italian herbs that were celebrated over 800 years ago. Artisanal Pasta Chips are truly the perfect chip. Whether straight from the bag, dipped, or topped and served, they are a great source of protein, are cholesterol-free and contain 60 percent less fat than potato chips and 30 percent less fat than pita chips. In five delectable flavors inspired by the sauces and tastes of Italy, Marinara, Alfredo, Spicy Tomato Basil, Garlic Olive Oil and Mediterranean Sea Salt, Pasta Chips are available at major re- tailers across the nation. For more information, visit www.pasta chips.com or stop by booth #1788. Enjoy Life Foods Recognized as Leader in Free-Form Food While 'Free-From' has been a widely-used term in Europe, it has been Enjoy Life who has been instrumental in introducing the con- cept into the U.S. market. Enjoy Life has been the leader in Free-From products since its launch 12 years ago. Offering over 40 products across eight different categories, all of which are certified gluten-free and Free- From the top eight most common allergens, Enjoy Life is known for manufacturing great-tasting products that its consumers trust and enjoy. When Enjoy Life first introduced the al- lergy-friendly category, it was virtually non-existent. Out of necessity, the com- pany developed standards that remain some of the most stringent and transparent in the food industry. Enjoy Life's con- sumer centric strategy means that the product development process starts with their target consumer – someone who is traditionally limited on food options due to food allergies and intolerances. Through constant dialogue with its con- sumers, Enjoy Life gains feedback on what new products to launch as well as what product improvements are needed. Many companies produce products be- cause they can; at Enjoy Life, it produces products because the consumers want and need them. This consumer centric ap- proach is the foundation of why Enjoy Life has maintained the No. 1 brand posi- tion in allergy-friendly foods for the past 12 years. At Enjoy Life, being a leader in the fast- growing Free-From category means sup- porting the category's growth for both its consumers as well as its retail partners. No one understands the food intolerant con- sumer better than Enjoy Life. The com- pany uses a combination of analog and digital tools to provide information about ingredients, product variety and most im- portantly cutting-edge technology that helps direct consumers to the retailers that carry Enjoy Life products. Through geo- location partnerships with companies such as Ibotta and Destini, Enjoy Life is able to pinpoint where its products reside down to the individual SKU at a specific retailer. The technology allows the company to offer consumer incentive discounts via smartphones while the consumer is in the aisle of their store of choice. All of this drives traffic into the retailers' stores, and helps retailers grow their category sales. This analog/digital approach is unique in the Free From category and it is what has allowed Enjoy Life's retail partners to ex- perience a 50 percent sales growth in 2013. Enjoy Life has developed a true symbiotic relationship between its brand, consumer community and retail partners by being transparent with its consumers on the prod- ucts it produces, reactive to consumer feed- back to improve its products and forward-thinking to make products easier in a category that was launched based on these exact needs. About Enjoy Life Foods Enjoy Life Foods is the leading brand in the Free-From category. All products are gluten-free and free from the top eight al- lergens (No: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish) making them safe for over 100 million individuals who live with food intolerances. In addi- tion, all products are verified non-GMO. Enjoy Life was founded by Scott Mandell 12 years ago with the mission to create great-tasting, allergy-friendly snacks. Today the product line has grown to 43 dif- ferent foods including cookies, granola, ce- real, snack bars, seed and fruit mixes, chocolate bars, baking chocolate and healthy lentil-based chips, all of which are sold in natural food, conventional grocery stores and mass retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as specialty on- line retailers. Enjoy Life's mission and company promise is to deliver safe, better- for-you products free from the top eight al- lergens, but not free from taste! For more information, visit www.enjoylife foods.com.