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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2017 n GOURMET NEWS N H 2 0 Three Ways to Get Your Products Into the Hands of Gluten-Free Consumers Stores are becoming awash in a sea of gluten-free products, and the competition just keeps multiplying. Your company works hard to get your products into distri- bution and onto store shelves, but the work doesn't end there. You have to work just as hard to get your products off of the shelf and into the hands of the gluten-free con- sumer. Ever wonder what else you could be doing to market your products directly to your tar- get customers? The Gluten Free Media Group (GFMG) offers three ways to connect your brand to millions of free-from con- sumers. 1. Reach a niche crowd through a GFMG Custom E-blast and get your message in front of gluten-free consumers and blog- gers. E-blasts are great for new product launches, special discounts or promotions, and new retail distribution announcements. With higher open and click- through rates than the industry average and the ability to pick the number and type of con- sumers reached, you can cre- ate a successful online campaign tailored to your budget and needs. 2. Sample and sell products at the Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expos. Consumers like to sample products before buying them in the store. At these shows, consumers get the chance to try your products while you get the opportunity to interact with potential cus- tomers, bloggers, buyers and retailers. 3. Advertise on the Find Me Gluten Free mobile app. Find Me Gluten Free is a category leader for finding gluten-free friendly businesses wher- ever you are. Reach more than three million local and regional gluten-free consumers and remind them about your products or business at the perfect time – when they're hungry! 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. 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. With organic food from Thailand, you can ensure that every step of the production process is 100 percent chemical-free. Its or- ganic farms work in harmony with nature. Utilizing both traditional and scientific knowledge, produce from Thailand's farms not only reflect the farmers' care, but also meets international standards. Quality, hy- giene and food safety are cornerstones of the shared commitment by the government and the industry to offer the highest standard pro- duce 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. Going organic not only provides you with a better taste packed with more nutritious ben- efits such as vitamins and minerals, but also contributes to reducing the effects of global warming and other environmental problems. Stay healthy and happy with organic food from Thailand, found at natural and organic grocery 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. SUZIE'S: Thin Cakes Go Organic, Introduces Shelf Stable Black Rice Beverage Good Groceries Company, under its popular SUZIE'S brand, continues to launch cate- gory-changing healthy products while im- proving its healthy natural staples. Good Groceries continues to provide healthy, nu- trient rich, unique, GMO-free and delicious products. SUZIE'S Thin Cakes, with their bold new look highlighting their non-GMO status, Whole Grain Council and low calories per serving are now being produced with organic ingredients. These puffed grain cakes are thin enough to be used as a bread substitute, perfect with your favorite topping or simply delicious by themselves as a favorite snack. Available in eight mouthwatering flavor pro- files, and introducing Organic Sprouted Rice Thin Cakes. SUZIE'S Black Rice non-dairy, shelf sta- ble, vegan, dairy/lactose-free, soy free, ricemilk beverage is also launching. Loaded with antioxidants, Suzie's Black Ricemilk Beverage provides a bold, rich, creamy taste with a higher protein content than regular ricemilk. Black rice offers all the same health benefits of brown rice, but also packs in some serious antioxidants. Because of its darker color, black rice contains the same an- thocyanin antioxidants found in blueberries or blackberries. All of SUZIE'S non-dairy shelf stable beverages are made without GMOs. SUZIE'S milk alternatives are per- fect by themselves, with cereal, or can be substituted anywhere you use conventional milk. Its Black Ricemilk is added to its Tiger Nut or "Horchata" Vegetable Beverage and its Quinoa varieties – made with pure quinoa, not blended with other grains – so you get the pure, sweet, nutty taste of quinoa and all its amazing health benefits. Available in three flavors: Unsweetened Original, Unsweetened Vanilla and Vanilla Sweetened. Looking to fit all the benefits of quinoa at meal time into your busy lifestyle? Leave it to SUZIE'S to once again provide the solu- tion. It offers shelf-stable, ready to eat quinoa meals in four delicious flavor profiles: Olive Oil, Asian, Tex Mex and Indian Spice. Healthy and delicious, they warm in the mi- crowave in 60 seconds. Suzie's RTE quinoa meals are a perfect side dish for two or meal replacement for one. At the office, away at college, on the go or anytime, Suzie's RTE provide a welcome alternative to lunch, dinner or as a satisfying and healthy snack. SUZIE'S Puffed Cakes are now made with organic spelt and kamut, providing a delicious alternative to tra- ditional rice cakes. Available in six de- lectable flavor profiles to satisfy the most discerning customer's taste buds. SUZIE'S Black Rice Milk, Tiger Nut and Quinoa Non-Dairy Bever- ages, Nut Butter Filled Cookies, RTE Quinoa Meals, Thin Cakes and other quality, healthy natural foods are available at fine grocery stores throughout North America. SUZIE'S – Innovation you can taste! Innovation for your health! Innovation that drives sales! Visit SUZIE'S at booth #3192. For more in- formation, go to www.good-groceries.com, email info@good-groceries.com or call 718.768.0821. Avoid Making False Advertising Claims with Three Steps In the food and beverage industry, advertis- ing claims, like "All Natural" or "Preferred by Moms 2-to-1" are used profusely. While claims can be effective, they are also fraught with the danger of a legal contest. Costs can quickly mount if a claim needs to be de- fended in court, before the National Adver- tising Division or with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Packaging or advertising redesign can be costly. However, the most devastating dam- age is done to the brand in the process of a legal challenge. Disintegration of consumer trust and bad publicity are two of the unin- tended consequences faced. Careful due dili- gence can help minimize risk. 1. Recognize when you are making a claim. Advertising claims take many forms. Some are obvious, while others are subtle. The first crucial step is recognizing when you are making a claim. Here are some examples of common types of claims: "America's Best- Tasting," "New and Improved," "Award- Winning Taste," "People prefer our chocolate flavor," "7 out of 10 people pre- ferred X," "Tastes as good as X," "100% Natural" and "Endorsed by Professional Chefs." Every claim, no matter where it is used, must be substantiated. Additionally, most ad claims on packages are limited to a six- month usage. 2. Substantiate your claim. Once the intended claim has been realized, design the sensory research to support your claim carefully. Having a multi-disciplinary team involved early, with representatives from compliance, research and development and branding teams, can assist in a well thought-out test design. Metic- ulous planning will minimize potential exposure to false ad- vertising claims and provide results with confidence. Consumer research may be used for claims related to prod- uct quality, preference or parity. Industry standards recommend a minimum of four to eight representative cities from across the United States, with at least 100 consumer participants from each location. Question- naire development is critical to the results and potential challenges by competitors. Test execution, data collection and analysis must follow exacting guidelines. Expert panel research supports claims re- lated to product quality or attributes, parity and differentiation. ChefsBest, for exam- ple, uses a highly trained panel of execu- tive-level chefs. They objectively evaluate food using a proprietary process based on industry best practices. The evaluation process includes market research, creation of a quality definition, a double-blind prod- uct evaluation and a potential award of Best Taste or Excellence. 3. Call for backup. There are many resources available to assist in bringing a safe advertising claim to market. Leveraging resources on testing methodology, such as the ASTM E1958-12, National Advertising Division, the Food & Drug Administration and FTC is a good starting point. Additionally, seek guidance from legal counsel and use only reputable agencies to conduct research. With decades of experience supporting brands in making ad claims, ChefsBest of- fers expertise that has been vetted by every major food manufacturer in the United States. It provides an efficient path to making powerful, science-based advertising claims. While claims can help a product stand apart in the aisle, careful consideration should be made in order to avoid making false adver- tising claims. For more information, visit www.chefsbest.com.

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