Oser Communications Group

NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n SEPTEMBER 2016 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 2 Fruit Bliss Expands with Addition of Deliciously Juicy Tomatoes & Goldenberries Fruit Bliss is proud to announce the expan- sion of its dried fruit line to include deli- ciously juicy rehydrated tomatoes and goldenberries. "After the success of our dates, figs, plums and apricots, we are thrilled to add tomatoes and goldenberries to our offer- ings," said Susan Leone, Founder and Owner of Fruit Bliss. "Our products are great for snacking and using in a wide array of recipes, from smoothies to baked goods, and now in pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salads." Fruit Bliss' tomatoes are grown in Turkey, while the goldenberries come from Peru. These fruits are picked at the height of ripeness and dried, then exported to Turkey, where they undergo a rehydrating process that leaves them juicier and sweeter than tra- ditional dried fruit. Like all of Fruit Bliss' prod- ucts, the tomatoes and golden- berries are just fruit (yes, tomatoes are a fruit!) and water – no added sugar, preservatives or GMOs. They will be available in four-ounce (tomatoes) and five-ounce pouches (goldenber- ries) at supermarkets around the country. "Compared with other dried fruits, ours are juicy and naturally sweet, with no sulfites or other chemicals," said Leone, a Brooklyn mom who decided to start Fruit Bliss to fill the gap in 100 percent healthy snacks on the supermarket shelves. "Fruit Bliss is literally dried fruit reinvented and a truly healthy snack or addition to many dishes." About Fruit Bliss Established in 2011, Fruit Bliss' pouches and snack-size minis are sold nationally and can be found in Whole Foods, Safeway, King's, Rosauers, Jimbo's Naturally, Kowalski's Mar- kets and many other regional natural food stores. Fruit Bliss is the first company to bring rehydrated dried fruits, a common snack and cooking ingredient throughout Eu- rope, to the United States. For more information, visit www.fruitbliss.com, call 646.225.6565 or info@fruitbliss.com. Learn more at booth #909. GIG Mission to Empower Gluten-Free Community An interview with Vaska Wunsche, Gluten- Free Food Service (GFFS) Certification Manager, Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. NH: Tell our readers about your company. What's your line of business? VW: The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower the gluten-free community through consumer support, advocacy and ed- ucation. I am involved primarily with the Gluten-Free Food Service (GFFS) Accredi- tation Program. GFFS conducts in-depth re- views and audits of a restaurant's standard operating procedures, kitchen layout and training practices as it relates to safely offer- ing gluten-free options for their patrons. We utilize third party auditors to ensure every restaurant follows agreed upon processes and procedures to remove cross-contamination in the preparation of gluten-free meals. Patrons can feel comfortable ordering gluten-free meals at any restaurant certified through GFFS. This is important not only for people with celiac disease, but also for people with severe gluten sensitivities. NH: Who are your target end-users? VW: I would say that there are two groups that we are currently targeting. The first, of course, is foodservice companies and restau- rants. We want to continue to work with these establishments to introduce them to proce- dures that they can take to assure a safe, gluten-free environment for their customers. I feel that our second targeted group is this same consumer. We want to know what they want, what restaurants they want to feel com- fortable eating in, and educate them on how when they see our logo on a menu, or in an establishment, they can have confidence that we are looking out for them. NH: Describe your company's cur- rent marketing strategy. VW: Our current marketing strategy is two-fold. Our parent organization, GIG, has become the leader in pro- viding resources, education and outreach op- portunities to our gluten-free community. Consumers in this community recognize and trust our certification label on packaged prod- ucts but may not be aware that we are putting similar standards in place when it comes to restaurants and foodservice establishments. An emphasis for us in 2016 will be to bring this equal recognition to all of our programs. The second part of our marketing strategy will be to build upon the success of last year's certification of Pizza Hut restaurants. Putting processes in place with a company as large as Pizza Hut and having these procedures im- plemented across thousands of locations opens the door for other large chain establish- ments. Before Pizza Hut's successful gluten- free options were introduced, there was still some concerns that our certification model would work for larger operations. 2015 brought notice to the indus- try that GFFS can work with fa- cilities no matter the size, number or location and we look to expand upon that success in the year to come. NH: To what do you attribute your com- pany's success? VW: We attribute the success of GFFS and all programs of GIG to the intelligent and dedicated consumers that make up the gluten-free community. This consumer base is very educated and will perform their due- diligence when it comes to finding a safe place to eat outside of the home environ- ment. We know this and that drives us to be our best. We recognize that this community has come to trust the GIG name and we want to uphold that reputation by helping the con- sumer to expand their options when it comes to safe places for them to eat. For more information, visit www.gffood service.org or stop by booth #2011. Organic Food from Thailand "You are what you eat." To maintain a healthy lifestyle with foods that are pesticide- free and that contain vitamins and minerals, have a great taste and are environmentally friendly, organic is the way to go. The Thai Trade Center believes that or- ganic food is better for our bodies, our com- munities and our planet. With organic food from Thailand, ranging from fruits and veg- etables, meat, poultry, milk, eggs, snacks and drinks, to cooking ingredients such as rice noodles, flour, paste and sugar, you can en- sure that every step of the production process is 100 percent chemical-free. Its organic farms work in harmony with nature. The Thai Trade Center realizes the dangers of pesticides, which may be the cause of vari- ous health and environmental risks. Utilizing both traditional and scientific knowledge, produce from its farms not only reflect its care, but also meets international standards. Quality, hygiene and food safety are corner- stones of the shared commitment by the gov- ernment and the industry to offer the highest standard produce to the world. Furthermore, Thailand is a tropical agricultural country with unique fertile soil, and produce from Thailand has a special taste and fragrance that cannot be found anywhere else. The distinct taste of its organic produce serves consumers around the world. Although organic food often costs more, it is worth the cost. Going organic not only provides you with a better taste packed with more nutritious benefits such as vitamins and minerals, but also contributes to reducing the effects of global warming and other environmental problems. Enjoy the great taste of nature coupled with vitamins and miner- als. Stay healthy and happy with organic food from Thailand, found at natural and organic gro- cery stores near you. For more information, contact the Thai Trade Center – New York at 212.482.0077, info@thaitradeny.com or learn more at www.ditp.go.th or www.thaitrade.com. Create Restaurant Quality Dishes at Home with Frontier Soups If there were any lingering doubts, Google's recently released Food Trends 2016 U.S. Re- port demonstrates that Southwestern flavors definitely rule. Among the elite group of Google's Traveling Through Taste top trends, 10 of the top 20 searches were for Southwestern dishes and ingredients, such as taquitos, empanadas, cotija cheese and adobo seasoning. Frontier Soups has seen that trend play out firsthand in its lineup of 36 gourmet soup mixes, according to Trisha Anderson, company Founder. "Our tortilla soup has been our top seller for a number of years, and the enchilada soup has doubled in sales each of the past two years," Anderson said. "That's what led us to introduce two new soup mixes with Southwestern flavors, and in celebration of our 30th anniversary this year, we're bundling our five Southwestern soups in a special wholesale promotion in October." The two new soup mixes, introduced this year at the Summer Fancy Food Show, are Montana Creekside Classic Chili and Southwestern Style Sausage & Chickpea Stew. Other mixes with Southwestern flavor profiles include South of the Border Tortilla Soup, Arizona Sunset Enchilada Soup and Texas Wrangler Black Bean Soup. Google's findings also show that consumers' desire to travel through taste remains a rising trend. "People seek out restaurants for culinary adventure and to explore tastes from other cultures. We want to give consumers the abil- ity to create those restaurant quality dishes at home and most cook in just 30 min- utes," Anderson said. "With the availability of high quality pre- cooked and dehydrated beans, we were able to adapt our delicious sausage and chickpea stew to the quicker cooking Homemade-In- Minutes line, making preparation easier for time-pressed consumers." All Frontier Soups have no salt added and contain no preservatives, MSG or genetically modified ingredients. Additional information is available at www.frontiersoups.com or by calling 800.300.SOUP (7687).

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