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GOURMET NEWS MARCH 2017 www.gourmetnews.com FROM THE EDITOR 2 Greetings! It seems incredible that we're right at the threshold of both the International Home + Housewares Show and Natural Products Expo West. Whatever other effects the new Pres- idential administration has had, for me it's certainly true that time seems to be acceler- ating as I race to keep up with all the events whizzing right by. The Specialty Food Association's Winter Fancy Food Show and the International Housewares Association's press preview of the International Home + Housewares Show have been two of those events, and I have been deeply struck by the differences in mood between them. The food crafters who were selling at the Winter Fancy Food Show (and the Good Food Mercantile that took place in San Francisco on the after- noon previous to the Fancy Food Show) were relaxed and joyful. They're generally coming off a successful holiday season, and on the strength of that season, orders at the food shows were apparently strong enough to fuel plenty of optimism about the coming year. At the IHA's press event, there was a bit more tension in the air, and the products that were on display seemed to reflect the indus- try's desire to meet the needs of workaday cooks who are feeding themselves and their families every day rather than the holiday needs of consumers who are fueling their celebrations with family and friends. This observation is not a criticism of either point of view – the food crafters' attitude reflects the reality of the consumers they're selling to, and the housewares manufacturers' atti- tude reflects another reality of the exact same consumers. We are likely to see quite a bit more of that kind of contradiction over the next year. On the one hand, economists are telling us that deflation in the prices that grocers are charging for food reflects con- sumers' eagerness to pay less at the cash register and grocers' eagerness to keep their customers coming back to their stores. And at the same time that consumers are looking for cheaper prices in the grocery store, they're also lining up to buy relatively ex- pensive prepackaged and preportioned food from meal kit delivery services, and sales for premium-priced specialty food and organic food are growing rapidly. All these contradictions certainly do make this an interesting time for all of us in the business of helping consumers get food onto their family tables. You can count on us here at Kitchenware News and Gourmet News to keep right on parsing out the meanings of all this as these events unfold. And for all of you, we have just one suggestion right now: buckle in, because there are certainly going to be bumps along the way. GN — Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director FROM THE EDITOR WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER Kimberly Oser SENIOR ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jules Denton jules_d@oser.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Carlos Velasquez carlos_v@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS Jeanie Catron jeanie_c@oser.com Micah Cheek micah_c@oser.com Greg Gonzales greg_g@oser.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Yasmine Brown Jonathan Schieffer CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGERS Sarah Glenn sarah_g@oser.com Caitlyn McGrath caitlyn_m@oser.com CIRCULATION DIRECTOR 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 FOUNDER Lee M. Oser MEMBER OF: Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and additional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 1052-4630) is published monthly by Oser Communications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715; 520.721.1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in newspaper. Contributors are responsible for proper release of pro- prietary classified information. ©2017 by Oser Communications Group. All rights re- served. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without writ- ten permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when available, cost $7 each within the past 12 months, $12 each prior to the past 12 months. Back orders must be paid in advance either by check or charged to American Express, Visa, or Master Card. Gourmet News is distributed without charge in North America to qualified professionals in the retail and dis- tribution channels of the specialty foods and hardgoods trade; paid subscriptions cost $65 annually to the U.S. and Canada. All foreign subscriptions cost $150 annu- ally to cover air delivery. All payments must be made in U.S. funds and drawn on a U.S. bank. For subscriber services, including subscription information, call 520.721.1300. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gourmet News, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715.

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