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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2017 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 6 2 Using Ad Claims in the Food Industry An interview with Janet Williams, Sensory Director, ChefsBest. GN: What are some factors that manufactur- ers don't necessarily know about using ad- vertising claims in the food industry? JW: Advertising claims cover a wide range of statements concerning products, with some of the more popular being 'new,' 'new and improved' or 'preferred by moms 2-to- 1' over a competing brand. Every claim, no matter where it is used, must be substanti- ated. They also all have a shelf life and may not be used indefinitely. Most ad claims on package are limited to a six-month usage, while claims used on TV may remain on air for about 12 weeks. When you consider the time and often exorbitant cost it takes to sub- stantiate ad claims, that's an extremely small window. GN: What type of research needs to be done in order to use an ad claim that measures product quality among consumers? JW: Claims involving consumers, whether they focus on quality or preference, can require the most rigorous research, especially when TV commercials are involved. Standard indus- try practices suggest that at least four to eight representative cities from across the United States be selected to field the research with at least 100 or more consumers in each location participating. Once that pool is established, methodology, test execution, data collection and data analysis must follow exacting guide- lines. Questionnaire development is critical to the results and potential challenges by com- petitors. Overall, it's a very time consuming process that demands meticulous planning. GN: What claims does ChefsBest support and how does the organization's proprietary process make it possible for brands to use those claims? JW: At ChefsBest, our methods are based on industry accepted sensory evaluation methods. Identifying high-quality and best-tasting foods is an objective process rooted in the expertise of Certified Master Tasters ® who have undergone months of training in sen- sory acuity and our proprietary methodology. Using this methodology, which we call Sensory Attribute Quality Analysis ® , our panel measures perceived in- tensities and uses each attribute to define quality. Recipients of the ChefsBest Taste Award earn superiority over other brands based on statistically higher overall quality mean scores. Once that recognition is re- ceived, they are eligible to use claims like 'Best Taste' over leading brands or 'Amer- ica's Best.' In either case, licensees enjoy category exclusivity. GN: There are actually two ChefsBest awards. Can you describe each and the claims associated with them? JW: The ChefsBest Best Taste Award is given to only one product in each category, which signifies to customers and buyers that only one brand has secured the dis- tinction as best tasting. Best Taste re- cipients are eligible to use not only 'Best Tasting' and 'America's Best' as described above, but also 'Highest Quality.' There's also the ChefsBest Excellence Award, which is granted to brands that surpass quality standards estab- lished by ChefsBest Certified Master Tasters. After being judged and rated on their own merits, Excellence Award winners are brands that meet benchmark standards within their respective product categories. These winners are eligible to use claims including 'En- dorsed by Professional Chefs,' 'Award-Win- ning Taste' and 'Highly Ranked.' GN: How long can brands use an ad claim awarded to them by ChefsBest? JW: Products honored with the ChefsBest Best Taste Award are eligible to use associ- ated ad claims for three years unless the product is modified or reformulated. For more information, visit www.chefsbest.com. How to Know What Your Customer Really Wants With the gluten-free marketplace rapidly ex- panding, consumers are finding more and more products at the grocery store that meet their needs. Now more than ever it is crucial that your brand resonates with the consumer, but how can you ensure your company and products align with what the customer wants? The answer is simple: just ask them! With a captive audience of more than three million gluten-free consumers, The Gluten Free Media Group (GFMG) offers an easy and effective way for brands to learn about their customers: focus groups. Focus groups can save money and in- crease sales by allowing you to: 1. Learn about your brand awareness and loyalty. Find out what comes to mind when a customer thinks of your company, website and logo. Do they identify with the story be- hind your brand? How likely are they to buy your products in the coming year? 2. Test new product ideas and packaging before launch. Before you spend the money to launch a new product or package redesign, consult with your customers. They can tell you the likelihood of purchasing this new product, indicate which packaging option is most appealing and even help you name the new product! 3. Pose questions directly to your target consumer and obtain valuable customer feedback. Are you curious about your cus- tomers' spending habits? Wonder- ing what they look for in a prod- uct? Focus groups are a great place to pose specific questions and get the answers you're looking for. 4. Gain insight into how your products stack up against the competition. Finding out what customers like or dislike about your competition can provide valuable information to help you better your products. Visit Gluten Free Media Group at booth #H227 in the Hilton. For more information, go to www.glutenfreemg.com, call 847.217.1317 or email contact@glutenfreemg.com. Celebrating More Than 20 Years of Empowering Women Cocoa Farmers Working towards gender equality is one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals – a universal call to action to end poverty, pro- tect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. For more than two decades, Divine Chocolate and the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Cooperative in Ghana have shared a commitment to em- powering women. Together, they are helping women in cocoa farming develop the skills and confidence to grow better cocoa, build better communities and thrive in business. It's as much a business model as a social mission. Divine Chocolate is the only 100 percent Fairtrade chocolate company co- owned by cocoa farmers. Of the 85,000 Kuapa Kokoo farmers who co-own the com- pany, more than a third are women. For Kuapa Kokoo and Divine, encouragement and mentoring of women has always been a priority. Investing in programs designed to teach valuable personal and professional skills is helping thousands of women bring money into their families, even when there is no cocoa to sell. With financing from Divine, Kuapa Kokoo has established targeted activ- ities, including intensive adult literacy and numeracy classes, primarily focused on women. Classes like these quickly illustrate how life-changing a little learning can be. A farmer who learns to write her name is instantly in a position to be able to sign for things, record trans- actions and better negotiate the world around her. As Lydia Dufie in Sika- man says, "Now I can see which bus I need to take me home." When women gather for literacy lessons and skills training, they learn far more than what is covered in the class. They discover how important and useful education is and makes them more likely to insist that their children attend school. In fact, in communities where Kuapa Kokoo has implemented gender-specific pro- gramming, its women farmers earn more in- come, own more land, stand a greater chance of being elected to leadership positions and are more likely to send their daughters to school. "It is particularly important to me that women members see the benefit of organizing themselves and receive training in skills as well as cocoa farming so they can earn more income, and save and use it sensibly," said Fatima Ali, Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Union President. "I hope to oversee an improvement in fe- male literacy, and to see more women be- come recorders in their villages." Visit Divine Chocolate at booth #5559. For more information, visit www.divine chocolate.com and www.divinechocolate .com/us/divinewomen or call 202.332.8913. SuckerPunch Gourmet Introduces New Green Tomato Salsa In step with its motto "All Good, No Garbage," SuckerPunch Gourmet has an- nounced the addition of two flavors of Green Tomato Salsa to its product line, which adds a third category of grocery offerings. With the popularity of its Spicy Garlic Original Pickles, Bread N Better Pickles and Bloody Mary Mixes, SuckerPunch has taken the next step in building national awareness by creating a unique salsa with a flavor that starts with a bit of sweet followed by the sig- nature SuckerPunch heat. The SuckerPunch Green Tomato Salsa is available in a medium, as well as a hot ver- sion that continues the SPG tradition of a complex flavor profile with a tail end "Punch." The use of fresh vegetables with the con- centration of green toma- toes provides an alternative flavor to the crowded category of red tomato based salsas. Additionally, the SPG commitment to natural ingredients creates a clean product that com- plements the current product line that Suck- erPunch Gourmet offers. SuckerPunch Gourmet, Inc., based out of Countryside, Illinois, was founded in 2011. SuckerPunch Gourmet of- fers specialty food products with clean ingredients with no additives, preservatives, allergens or GMOs. SuckerPunch products are available nationally through a variety of nat- ural product distributors and whole- salers, as well as national big box and grocery chains. For more information, go to www.sucker punchgourmet.com.

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