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American Farmers Continued from PAGE 1 rise by 31.4 percent in 2016 to $13.9 billion, according to the USDA. Strong export sales of American agricultural commodities over the past seven years as well as increased numbers of acres enrolled in conservation programs are bright spots for Amer- ican agriculture, Vilsack said. He added that the USDA has in- vested to provide additional jobs in rural America so that more jobs will be available to farmers who need off-farm income to keep their family farms afloat. "Because of the investments and hard work of folks in rural America, I'm optimistic about the welfare of farm communities," he said. "I'm extraordinarily op- timistic about he future because I see the potential for ex- panded exports." He noted that the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which would reduce or eliminate tariffs on American exports to member countries – which can be as high as 700 percent for American agricultural products – would provide extra op- portunities in countries with which the U.S. does almost half of its trade and which have expanding middle classes. "They are expanding middle classes and they are interested in our agricultural products – our quality is the best, and our safety is the best," Vilsack said. "Our expanding efficiency will keep us competitive on the world market." Through expanded trade with countries like Japan and China, TPP can increase annual net farm income by $4.4 billion, compared to not approving the pact, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. American farmers are growing more efficient and more pro- ductive, and 95 percent of the world's consumers of products, services and goods living outside the U.S., said Vilsack, who noted that there's an opportunity cost to delays in approving TPP because American food producers are missing out on those new markets in the meantime. Vilsack noted that the Cuban market presents an opportunity for American food ex- porters. "We should be dominating the Cuban market. There's tremendous demand in Cuba, which imports about 80 percent of what they need to feed their people. We have the logistics capability to dominate that market." He added that before that can happen, the U.S. will need to lift its current embargo against Cuba. That embargo currently forbids the USDA to use any of its programs for Cuban trade. GN Hot Dogs Continued from PAGE 1 rather than in the kitchen. "I don't want to be accused of putting it on your hot dog," says Owner/Operator Bob Remington. "We tell [customers] to put it on their fries, and if a little spills onto the hot dog, we won't tell any- body." One cannot have a comprehensive view of the hot dog market without addressing the Chicago Dog. The top- ping-heavy wiener with its "dragged through the garden" variety of vegetable garnishes has spread out from its Mid- western base, appearing on menus nationwide. "You can get a Chicago Dog anywhere, except for maybe New York," says Mittenthal. When Remington was preparing to open Steamie Weenie, he had planned on not serving a Chicago Dog, but had to concede to public pressure. "We weren't going to open the restaurant with a Chicago-style dog, because… everyone does one," says Remington. "I can't tell you how many times a day people came up and said, 'You're going to have a Chicago Dog, right?'" Now, Steamie Weenie's Windy City Dog is a top seller. When it comes to sausage, size does matter, and at the retail level, Americans are expressing a preference for big- ger bangers. "There is data to suggest that people are turn- ing to sausages a little more," says Mittenthal. "The amount of space in the grocery store for sausage has grown a lot." The growing interest in lighter options like chicken sausages, plus a variety of new flavors available, is putting the issue on the brains and buns of Americans. Remington says that there are some essentials to pro- vide for hot dog cookouts. "People very much love an all- beef dog," says Remington. "Whether for religious or whatever, [guests] don't want to eat beef, turkey dogs seem to be more popular than chicken dogs. The vegan dogs are great, but they don't hold up to the grill." The addition of at least one other kind of sausage, such as a polish sausage or bratwurst, is also recommended. "For toppings, you've got to have a basic yellow and a spicy brown deli-style mustard. Onion, relish, those are easily purchased," Remington adds. "If you want to expand on it a bit, bacon bits and cheese. Once people commit to a hot dog, they're not worried about caloric intake." Remington has noticed one obscure hot dog style from the northwest has been making its way into more general interest. "A Seattle Dog typically has cream cheese and grilled onion – people like that," says Remington. He has noticed an increase in interest in the Seattle dog, and in cream cheese as a topping in general. "When you're going through the hot dog history books, you don't see it much in there, but it's pretty popular going forward." Mittenthal adds that as the trend towards spicier food catches on, spicy hot dogs and fiery jalapeno toppings are gaining popularity. With these and other new flavors and conven- tions shaking up the hot dog world, enthusiasm for this American classic shows no sign of slowing. "Hot dogs are just really a great canvas for someone to create their own art with," says Remington. There's only one right way to eat a hot dog, and that's with a smile." GN GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2016 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 7 SaltWorks Natural Sea Salt Supplier Now SQF Level 2 Certified, Rated Excellent SaltWorks ® has successfully achieved SQF Level 2 certi- fication with the highest possible rating of Excellent. Certification followed an intensive multi-day audit, con- ducted by NSF International in the fall of 2015, which verified SaltWorks' commitment to safety and quality meets the rigorous requirements of the Safe Quality Foods (SQF) Program and establishes that a strict food safety control process has been successfully implemented at SaltWorks' state-of-the-art, custom-built salt process- ing facility located just outside of Seattle, Washington. "We have always been committed to providing the highest quality and safest all-natural salts to our cus- tomers," explained Mark Zoske, CEO of SaltWorks. "We recognized that the SQF certification program demon- strates integrity and responsibility, which reflects our core company values and the sea salts that we produce. It underscores how effective our proprietary processes are and how hard our team works to ensure we meet those safety and quality goals every day." SaltWorks has in-house quality control and engineer- ing teams that work diligently together to implement and improve rigorous safety processes, provide training to all staff members regardless of employment duties, and reg- ularly develop technologies to ensure top quality and safety of all their products while preserving the artisanal craftsmanship and unique characteristics of each and every grain of salt. The SQF certification demonstrates SaltWorks commitment to implementing and maintain- ing stringent safety controls. SQF Level 2 is one of the most rigorous and important certifications in the food industry; it aligns food manu- facturers with guidelines put in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). GN

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