Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2018 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 6 Stonyfield, a company which grew from humble beginnings as a small organic farm- ing school in New Hampshire 35 years ago is celebrating the return of co-founder Gary Hirshberg in the newly-created role of Chief Organic Optimist. In his new role, Hirshberg will help accelerate Stonyfield's long-standing mission of healthy people and a healthy planet through new products, partnerships, and initiatives that embody Stonyfield's, and Hirshberg's, innate activist spirit. "Although we've never stopped working for healthy people and a healthy planet, everyone at Stonyfield agrees that the planet needs stronger voices now more than ever," explained Hirshberg. "Of course, just the daily act of supporting over 1,400 organic family farmers stewarding millions of chemical-free acres and helping tens of millions to enjoy delicious organic foods is meaningful, but in today's policy and political landscape, all of that is not enough. It doesn't matter to our children how much organic yogurt we produce, if their air, soil and water are seeing increased chemical contamination, and climate change is causing massive damage to our communities and to agriculture. Hirshberg is officially re-engaged at Stonyfield's New Hampshire headquarters working closely with the team to further energize the company's longstanding mis- sion in big and bold ways. In coming months, the company will be announcing several initiatives to empower consumers to help protect the planet and the next gen- eration of its inhabitants, including an am- bitious public awareness campaign, Make Earth Cool Again, launched at Natural Products Expo West. At Expo West, Stonyfield armed atten- dees with tools and resources to get out the vote for this year's midterm elections, with the goal of encouraging consumers to vote for candidates who will help protect the en- vironment. Expo attendees were encour- aged to visit one of five onsite Stonyfield "voting" booths, where they could select a postage paid postcard to mail to friends and family across the country that will connect them to online educational resources about the environmental issues at stake – and where the candidates stand on them — this November. Stonyfield will also be encour- aging attendees to pledge onsite to vote for candidates who will protect the environ- ment and challenge recent Environmental Protection Agency decisions such as the announcement in late February that the Trump administration is dissolving the Na- tional Center for Environmental Research, which tests the effects of chemicals expo- sure on people, to roll its functions into a consolidated Office of Resource Manage- ment. "I'm incredibly optimistic that Stonyfield can help lead the way in protecting more of our air, water and topsoils as well as ani- mals and people from toxic persistent pes- ticides, herbicides, and other chemical inputs as well as climate changes that harm our children and the planet," said Hirsh- berg. "The upcoming midterm elections are the best possible place for us to start mak- ing an immediate impact." "We're thrilled to have Gary back to his activist role in the Stonyfield family," says Esteve Torrens, Stonyfield President and CE-Yo. "Gary brings a spirit of activism and optimism that we can create a healthy world for our families today and genera- tions to come, and he's already harnessed that spirit for the Make Earth Cool Again campaign. Gary has long been a believer that business can be a force for change, and we look forward to having him help lead us on the journey ahead." GN Stonyfield Organic Launches Get Out the Vote Campaign at Natural Products Expo West Nielsen-Massey Vanillas introduced No Sugar Added versions of its Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Pure Vanilla Extract at Natural Products Expo West. These extracts will be available in 2- , 4-, 32-ounce and gallon bottles. Nielsen-Massey is also bringing out four new organic pure flavor products. The new products include Organic Peppermint Ex- tract, Organic Almond Extract, Organic Lemon Extract and Organic Orange Ex- tract. Each flavor will be available in 2-, 4- , 18-ounce and gallon bottles. For more than 110 years, Nielsen- Massey Vanillas has been a leading pur- veyor of high-quality pure and natural vanillas and flavors. With more than a cen- tury's worth of experience in creating and perfecting custom blends and flavors, the third-generation family company uses a proprietary cold extraction process to en- sure more than 300 flavors are preserved in its vanilla extracts. "This year we are pleased to offer a strong supply of vanilla and flavor products to our customers," said Kirk Trofholz, Nielsen- Massey's Chief Executive Officer. "As one of the industry's most innovative thought lead- ers, we are well-attuned to the growing de- mand for no sugar added and organic food products. In response, we are introducing several new products to answer customers' call and give them more choices." No Sugar Added Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract has the same rich fla- vor as Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, without the addition of sugar. It is produced from premium, hand-selected beans cultivated in Madagascar, the world's leading supplier of the highest quality vanilla. It's the perfect all-purpose vanilla for its flavor and consistency in both hot and cold applications, including baking, roasting and grilling. No Sugar Added Pure Vanilla Extract fea- tures a proprietary blend of premium beans from select regions and uses Nielsen- Massey's exclusive cold extraction process to draw out more than 300 flavor compo- nents found within each bean. It is ideal for both sweet and savory dishes. Organic Peppermint Extract is crafted from the finest mint grown in the Midwest. Perfect for flavoring teas and complement- ing chocolate in cakes, icings and ice cream. For a refreshing delight, add it to sa- vory dishes such as pork, lamb and poultry. Organic Almond Extract is one of the most popular flavors used in baking. Bitter almond oil is made of stone fruit grown in California, South Carolina and Georgia. Pair it with vanilla, chocolate, maple or butter- scotch, or use it sparingly to accent salad dressings, sauces, custards or ice cream. Organic Lemon Extract is produced from California lemon oil rounded out with peel notes. It pairs well with fish, pork and chicken dishes, and blends with a variety of herbs. Use it to add a splash of citrus to beverages, vegetables, cakes, cookies, frozen desserts, jams, pies, pas- tries and more. Organic Orange Extract is bright, sunny and refreshing. The extract is produced using rich, juicy orange oils from Florida balanced with notes from sweet, wild West Indies orange oil. It's the perfect partner for savory dishes like rice, chicken and fish as well as fruits, jams, marmalades, salad dressings and desserts. GN Nielsen-Massey Unveils New Flavor Extracts GMA President and CEO to Retire after Nearly 10 Years Pamela G. Bailey, President and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), has announced she will retire later this year following nearly 10 years of lead- ing the organization. Bailey will remain with GMA and man- age the organization as the board of direc- tors conducts a search for her successor, with Leslie Hortum of Spencer Stuart re- tained to lead the search. "GMA's members are dedicated to im- proving the quality of life for their con- sumers and they are fortunate to be led by a dedicated board of industry leaders, com- mitted to ensuring the association can help its members continuously improve the health, safety, affordability and sustainabil- ity of their products," Bailey said. "As GMA's board continues to engage in the reinvention process to build the association of the future to meet the consumer needs of the future, it is best that they do so in concert with their leader of the future. I look forward to continuing to work with the GMA board as they engage in that process to identify that leader." "We want to thank Pam for all her hard work during her nearly 10 years at GMA," said Chris Policinski, Chairman of the GMA board of directors. "Her leadership was valuable during an evolving time in the industry. As the industry evolution contin- ues, GMA's board is committed to building an association that is the leading voice for a major sector of our nation's economy and that works collaboratively with industry and consumer partners to address our chal- lenges ahead." GMA is the trade organization represent- ing the world's leading food, beverage and consumer products companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds and millions of people in the United States and around the globe. During Bailey's tenure, GMA led the in- dustry in supporting modernization of the nation's food and product safety laws and regulations. This work resulted in passage of the historic Food Safety Mod- ernization Act, reforms to the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) review process and passage of the Toxic Sub- stances Control Act, which made impor- tant improvements to the nation's chemicals management laws. Under her leadership, GMA was a vital voice in support of a federal law setting a uniform national standard for required dis- closure of food and beverage ingredients from biotechnology. The 2016 passage of this law with broad bipartisan support was recognized as one of the top lobbying vic- tories of the year. In addition, GMA has worked with the Food Marketing Institute, which repre- sents retailers, on major industry-wide ini- tiatives to ensure consumers have the tools and information they need to make choices for their families. These include SmartLabel ® , the innovative digital disclo- sure tool to give consumers more informa- tion than can fit on a label; Facts Up Front, the landmark voluntary front-of-pack nu- trition labeling system; and a Product Code Dating initiative to reduce consumer confusion by streamlining more than a dozen different product code dates to just two. Prior to joining GMA, Bailey led the work of three national trade associations, serving as founding president and CEO of the Healthcare Leadership Council; presi- dent and CEO of AdvaMed, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, and pres- ident and CEO of the Personal Care Prod- ucts Council. Earlier in Bailey's career, she served in the White House for three Presi- dents. GN

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