Gourmet News • June 2022

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VOLUME 87 • NUMBER 6 JUNE 2022 • $7.00 • Frontline Manufacturing Workers Seek Digital Tools, Parsable Survey Shows PAGE 6

• National Inventors Hall of Fame Inducts Fresh Food Innovator, Fulfillment Team PAGE 8

• Cedar’s Foods Donates $100K to WCK to Help Feed Ukrainian Refugees PAGE 10

• Stoli to Release Limited-Edition Bottle in Support of Ukrainian People PAGE 10

• Wegmans to Eliminate Use of Plastic Bags Across the Company

by End of 2022 PAGE 11

• Service Robots Primed to Revolutionize Various Industries, IDTechEx Report Says PAGE 11

• Brands Launch All Sorts of Sweetness on Market, From Ice Cream to Moonshine PAGE 15

• Featured Products PAGE 19

• Advertiser Index PAGE 22

N E W S P A P E R

F O R

T H E

G O U R M E T

I N D U S T R Y

Lamb Industry Looks to Beef Up Production

BY A.J. FLICK

Charcuterie board.

Check.

Cheese. Check. Grapes. Check.

Lamb. Ch– Wait. What?

Yes, if Jaclyn Glatzer has her way, Americans will soon be serving Aussie Select lamb products, which are made with imported Australian lamb and presented similarly as ham and pastrami – making them perfect for charcuterie boards (and pizza, sandwiches, etc.).

“We want to make lamb more approachable in a pre-cooked, sliceable format,” said Glatzer, CEO and founder of Aussie Select. “We could do for lamb what turkey as a deli meat has done and create more access to lamb

for Americans.” have had productivity increases Meantime, in the agricultureover 50 percent, which is pretty heavy Juab Valley in Utah, Supephenomenal. It’s very competitive rior Farms is using innovative in the protein arena.” technology and science-based Industry experts point to a procedures already used in other World War II market decline in industries to beef the sheep inup the American dustry, when lamb supply at the U.S. soldiers newly launched returned from Sheep Discovery the battleCenter in Nephi. grounds after “The American having tolersheep industry as ated mutton PHOTO CREDIT RYAN HENDER it exists today, and for sustenance has been for quite some time, in and vowing never to eat sheep decline,” said Rick Stott, CEO of products again. The lamb market Superior Farms. “We took it on as trickled down to seasonal cona challenge and looked at other sumption – the traditional lamb industry practices – chicken, Continued on PAGE 16 pork, dairy and even beef – that

Global demand for seafood is rising, Statista says, with the global market valued at $129.7 billion, which is projected to rise to $155.3 billion by 2023.

Worldwide, the average annual per capita consumption of fish and shellfish from 2014 to 2019 was 20 kilograms, according to Statista. U.S. per capita consumption was about 16 pounds (7.3 kilograms).

“American consumers seem to prefer meat, eggs and dairy prod-

BY A.J. FLICK

ucts when it comes to choosing a protein source,” according to Statista. “Only about 29 percent of Americans eat seafood, compared to 78 percent who eat meat.”

In 2020, commercial landings of Atlantic sea scallop totaled nearly 49 million pounds of sea scallop meats and were valued at about $486 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database.

Food fraud – a global problem that’s hard to define and regulate – is rapidly evolving into a larger and even more complex problem, thanks to technological and global dimensions of a modern food supply maze, according to a new study.

“However, there appears to be an emerging consensus that food fraud consists of specific elements: intention, deception, and motivation for undue advantage,” according to the study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and The University of California, Los Angeles School of Law Resnick Center for Food Law & Policy.

“This definition helps delineate food fraud from offences related to food safety and food quality when examining legal frameworks to regulate this problem,” according to the study authors, UCLA Professor Michael T. Roberts and Teemu Viinikainen and Carmen Bullon of FAO Development Law Service.

“The complicated challenge in regulating food fraud, especially in global food value chains, raises a fundamental question of how the international regulatory

Continued on PAGE 18

Continued on PAGE 18

Scallop Sizes Shrinking, Prices Increasing as Demand Rises, Atlantic Landings Fall Consumers should expect smaller scallops at higher prices, according to a new report.

“We are in uncharted waters with scallop prices,” Peter Handy, president and CEO of Bristol Seafood said in the company’s 2022 Scallop Market Factbook.

In 2019, the average price of sea scallops in the United States was $9.41 per pound, according to market and consumer data company Statista, a decrease from $12 per pound in 2016.

Food Fraud Evolving Into Bigger Issue

Apples Poised to Challenge Pumpkin Spice This Fall Pumpkin spice doesn’t seem ready to relinquish its position as the top flavor of fall, but competition is heating up.

“Move over, pumpkin spice,” consumer trend forecaster WGSN said. “Restaurants, cafes and brands are revamping autumn menus with flavor profiles that bring newness, layers and nuance to autumn flavors for 2022.”

When Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte was introduced 20 years ago, it “set off a flavor trend so popular it’s become the butt of jokes, the inspiration for everything from pancakes to

crisps, and possibly the mostcopied limited-time-offer flavor in the world,” WGSN said.

“While pumpkin, pumpkin spice and its many flavor and format variations still dominate autumn food and drink offerings, desire for newness is on the rise.”

Don’t count Starbucks out, though, as it reaches beyond Pumpkin Spice, adding Apple Crisp Macchiato and Iced Salted Maple and Caramel lattes, building on three 2022 fall flavor trends cited by experts.

“Seasonal flavors are often tied to comfort, indulgence, and reminiscent memories, with oppor-

tunity for brands to expand upon well-known flavors and categories,” according to flavor forecaster Flavorchem.

In its 2022 Flavor & Trend Forecast, Flavorchem predicts we’ll see novel seasonal twists: “The next big trend in seasonal food and drink will feature upscale twists on classic flavors like maple, peppermint and watermelon that offer consumers both familiarity and a novel eating experience.”

They’ll likely be limited editions, which increases the novelty factor, Flavorchem noted.

Many will be offered as limited

editions, upping the novelty factor.

Flavor experts say that the penchant for nostalgia that arose during the pandemic will continue to influence trends.

Snack maker Gold Medal has a line of seasonal cotton candy flavors including Fall Spice – seasoned with cinnamon, ginger and allspice – and minty Winter Frost.

Gold Medal also suggests seasoning up confections such as funnel cakes with caramelized apples for fall.

Continued on PAGE 17

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GOURMET NEWS

FROM THE EDITOR

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JUNE 2022

GOURMET NEWS

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Days before the Winter Fancy Food Show, I received an email that immediately caught my attention with its subject line: Lamb charcuterie.

“G’Day! I’m Jaclyn, CEO/Founder of Aussie Select,” the email began. “A little birdie told me you’ll be walking the Fancy Food Show this coming week. I’d be remiss if I didn’t invite you to visit us at Booth 2725 to sample the country’s first lamb charcuterie – lamb ham and lamb pastrami! I’ve copied in our press release below and would love to introduce myself in person when you come by. You won’t be disappointed in the food OR the story! We are over 50% women-owned and ready to tell the country about Aussie Select!”

“You had me at lamb,” I responded.

Lamb. It’s not something that I’ve thought about much or eaten much (along with the rest of the country). When I was little, we’d go to my grandma’s house in Maryland for leg of lamb on Easter.

Even back then, I was a voracious meat eater. I loved the lamb, but could do without the mint jelly.

I don’t remember my mother ever cooking lamb. I’ve never cooked lamb. A few years ago, one of my best friends, Robert Ulsrud, cooked lamb for Easter and it was more than under done. It still tasted good, though. Unfortunately, I missed his Easter lamb this year, but I hear it was delicious.

So here I had someone dangling tantalizing new products in front of me. Lamb ham? Lamb pastrami? Yes, please. Aussie Select went on my list of must-visit booths.

Jaclyn was right; I wasn’t disappointed. It looks like it could be sliced ham or pastrami, but it has that delicate, distinctive lamb flavor. And why shouldn’t lamb be included in a charcuterie spread? (Skip the mint on mine …)

After the show, I saw a press release about the innovative Sheep Discovery Center built by Superior Farms.

“New state-of-the-art sheep facility features advanced sheep industry technologies, production practices and genetics methods

aimed at revolutionizing the U.S. sheep industry,” the press release proclaimed. It came with a photo of a flock of sheep – all gazing at the camera – that made me smile.

“Marking a significant milestone that will transform American lamb production, the Sheep Discovery Center converges technological advancements while focusing on animal health and wellbeing to discover the full potential of each sheep while reducing its environmental footprint,” the press release stated.

Animal welfare is also something that Aussie Select values as well, reflecting a global trend of industry and consumer interest in the humane treatment of animals. Images of frolicking lambs came into my head. How can you tell if a lamb, ewe or ram is happy? I posed that question in our lead story about lamb.

Neil Dudley, vice president of pork producer Pederson’s Natural Farms, has been holding a remarkable series of webinars in which he invites industry experts and competitors to discuss issues.

In March, one of his guests was Lance Avery, founder/chef of Big Fork Brands, who was featured in our February cover story on breakfast. I missed that webinar, but I popped into the webinar that was being held while we were putting this issue together. The topic was “Humane Animal Agriculture and Food Labeling” and one of the guests was Camilo Velasquez, chef and co-founder of The Baconer, who also was featured in our breakfast article. How can you tell if a hog is happy? Yes, that was brought up in the webinar.

Little did I know that it was no coincidence that Lance and Camilo were on Neil’s webinars. He read about Lance and Camilo in our breakfast article. Maybe I should start charging a booking fee (kidding!). You’ll be hearing more about Neil’s webinars in Gourmet News and you can see the videos on the company’s Facebook page.

Thanks to Neil and everyone for reading Gourmet News! GN — AJ Flick Senior Editor aj_f@oser.com

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GOURMET NEWS

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JUNE 2022

Frontline Manufacturing Workers Seek Digital Tools, Parsable Survey Shows More than half (53 percent) of U.S.-based frontline manufacturing workers say the opportunity to work in a more digital environment would be part of their decision to leave their current employer, according to a new report, compared to 43 percent of workers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain combined.

“It’s clear that frontline manufacturing workers want and deserve digital technology that helps them do their jobs better,” according to the report, “The State of the Connected Frontline Manufacturing Worker, 2021” from Parsable. “It goes beyond highlighting and acknowledging their work; it’s about improving their lives and experiences by connecting them to people, information, systems and machines.

“Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, “ according to the report, “it’s clear that humans are still at the heart of manufacturing and production, particularly those at the frontlines. But recognition alone is not enough, amidst labor shortages and the ‘Great Resignation’ of the workforce.”

Parsable, provider of Connected Worker platform for frontline industrial work, surveyed 1,400 frontline manufacturing workers in September based in the United States, Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Younger workers are more likely to leave current employers for those offering a more modern, digital workplace, including mobile technology, according to the report.

Fifty-five percent of respondents aged 1824 and nearly half (49 percent) of those aged 25-34 say access to technology factors into such a decision, versus 25 percent of those aged 55 and older.

This aligns with the overall trend of younger workers being less committed to their companies, the survey shows, with 29 percent of respondents aged 18-24 planning on staying in their current frontline manufacturing role for fewer than two years compared to 65 percent of those aged 55 and older having been in their current jobs for 10 years or more.

“Convincing younger generations that manufacturing is a future-focused, technologically advanced career choice will become increasingly critical as the industrial skills gap continues to widen,” according to the report. “Providing mobile-based digital tools and on-the-job learning opportunities – in the formats they’re accustomed to – are now tablestakes to ensure employees feel valued.”

As an example of how connecting workers results in a better working environment, Parsable cited its client, Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest bakery. Grupo Bimbo used Parsable’s Connected Worker to digitize and standardize procedures related to Safety Incident Investigations and Safety Observations across 20 plants in 10 countries.

Deployed in eight languages within eight weeks, Parsable enabled safety data capture

by Grupo Bimbo associates on the bakery floor. Dashboards provide leadership with real-time visibility into safety at enterprisewide, regional and facility-specific levels.

Grupo Bimbo’s program supports improvements to bakery-wide safety performance and the working environment, an important part of the company’s sustainability goals.

For companies wanting to improve digital services, Parsable advised starting small, with processes that are the easiest and quickest to transfer to a digital format – such as a safety walk, clean/inspect/ lubricate procedure or pre-trip truck inspection – so that work execution data and areas for improvement aren’t lost in paperwork or remote conversation. Consider processes that are similar across multiple plants or sites.

Set baseline metrics early to clearly measure the impact of digital versus analog processes and communications, the company advises. Metrics could be as simple as time spent on a specific procedure, production output on a specific line or number of calls/notifications for assistance.

Time is of the essence, the report says.

“The pandemic and resulting labor shortage have made it clear: Companies that don’t act quickly are at an enormous disadvantage. Agility across value chains is the new, post-pandemic imperative.

Whether it’s implementing new technology or re-imagining the way you hire, train and upskill employees, the organizations that move fast and have a plan to scale will have

the competitive edge.”

The manufacturing skills gap in the United States is predicted to leave as many as 2.1 million jobs unfilled through 2030, according to Deloitte’s 2021 report “Creating Pathways for Tomorrow’s Workforce Today.”

While frontline manufacturing workers are receptive to technology, inefficient workflow and communication processes remain in place, according to the report.

The vast majority (81 percent) of respondents still rely on paper-based processes to follow instructions and/or keep track of their work – even though 80 percent have no concerns with using digital tools, the survey shows. This receptivity is common across the four generations (Generation Z, millennials, Generation X and baby boomers) that are all likely to be working together.

On the good news front, frontline manufacturing workers feel a greater sense of pride about their jobs and catching COVID19 is less of a safety concern overall.

On average, 52 percent of respondents feel more valued as a frontline worker since the COVID-19 pandemic started, although less than half (42 percent) report that their companies have implemented new technology to help them work better as a result of the pandemic. Fewer than 1 in 4 (22 percent) report that a primary safety concern on the job is getting infected with the coronavirus, suggesting more confidence in health and safety measures. GN

demand for energy and cutting CO2 emissions. Glass recycling can close the loop,

protect the environment and support area businesses. GN

Ardagh to Supply All KC Bier Bottles Ardagh Glass Packaging – North America has partnered with Kansas City Bier Company to supply all of the brewery’s glass beer bottles.

The partnership connects Kansas City Bier Company with AGP – North America’s Pevely, Mo., glass manufacturing facility, helping to keep the brewery’s promise to source local products and incorporate sustainable practices into its operations.

Kansas City Bier exclusively packages its beer in 100 percent and endlessly recyclable glass bottles, all manufactured in the United States, by AGP – North America.

“It is important to us to reduce our impact on the environment where possible,” said Katie Camlin, digital and social media coordinator at Kansas City Bier Company.

“Glass bottles are both reusable and recyclable and working with Ardagh, a domestic manufacturer, reduces shipping distances greatly.”

In 2021, Kansas City Bier filled more than 2.6 million glass beer bottles – supplying fresh, local, German-style lagers and ales throughout Missouri and Kansas.

“Ardagh Glass Packaging enjoys partnering with craft brewers like Kansas City Bier

that have a passion for glass bottles and sustainable practices,” said Clint Gawart, vice president, beer & beverage for AGP – North America. “We’ve supplied the brewery for the past four years and are elated they continue to package all of their products in 12-ounce glass bottles designed and manufactured by Ardagh.”

Equally important as packaging the brewery’s beer in sustainable glass bottles is the ability to endlessly recycle those bottles, turning them into new bottles.

Through the brewery’s partnership with Ripple Glass, a glass recycling provider for the Kansas City area and mid-America region, the glass bottles are recycled into new bottles without any loss in quality or purity.

Last year, Kansas City Bier diverted 25,515 pounds, or 12.75 tons, from the landfill by recycling glass bottles in the famous purple bins provided by Ripple Glass.

Recycling plays a key role in both AGP – North America’s and Kansas City Bier’s sustainability initiatives. Recycling glass containers not only keeps glass out of the landfills while giving it the new life it deserves, but it has significant environmental benefits by saving raw materials, lessening

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JUNE 2022

National Inventors Hall of Fame Inducts Fresh Food Innovator, Fulfillment Team A horticulturist and biochemist who identified a novel compound that extends the freshness and storage life of fruits, vegetables and flowers and a team that created the Kiva system, which advanced warehouse order fulfillment for e-commerce, are among innovators inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Twenty-seven innovators were honored May 6-7 during the Greatest Celebration of American Innovation in Alexandria, Virginia.

Horticulturist Sylvia Blankenship and biochemist Edward Sisler are being honored for identifying 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), a novel compound that significantly extends the freshness and storage life of fruits, vegetables and cut floral products by mitigating the effects of ethylene.

Contributing to large reductions in food waste, and year-round access to fresh fruit, 1-MCP is best known for its use with apple crops under the trade name SmartFresh.

For floriculture crops, it is known by the name EthylBloc.

Ethylene, a naturally occurring gas, stimulates plant development and fruit ripening by docking in plant cell receptor sites. 1MCP docks in these same sites, in place of ethylene, and alters the signals that drive cellular processes. As a result, produce and flowers treated with 1-MCP remain fresh much longer.

1-MCP was patented in 1996 and was soon licensed by Floralife for floral crops.

In 1996, AgroFresh was formed to commercialize 1-MCP for fruits and vegetables.

That product, SmartFresh, was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in the United States and introduced in 2002. Today, SmartFresh is used on more than 30 crops, including 50 to 70 percent of the apples harvested in the United States.

Licensing fees for 1-MCP have brought in more than $25 million for North Carolina State University, the highest royalty revenues in the school’s history.

Blankenship, who has received multiple awards for her work, earned her bachelor of science and master of science degrees in horticulture science at Texas A&M University, and a doctorate in horticulture science at Oregon State University. She is professor emerita at NCSU. Sisler, a biochemist at NCSU, had been studying the various aspects of ethylene physiology and biochemistry for years before collaborating with Blankenship in the 1980s.

Sisler, a native of Friendsville, Maryland, earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees from the University of Maryland. He obtained his doctorate in plant physiology from NCSU, where he spent his career as a biochemistry professor and researcher. Sisler is being honored posthumously.

Raffaello D’Andrea, Mick Mountz and Peter Wurman created the Kiva system,

which has dramatically advanced warehouse order fulfillment for e-commerce.

Using thousands of autonomous mobile robots to lift and move racks of inventory shelves to workers who select items for individual shipments, the Kiva system substantially reduced the time from order placement to shipping.

In 2003, D’Andrea, a co-founder of the systems engineering program at Cornell University, and faculty adviser and system architect of the four-time world champion Cornell robot soccer team, had just started his sabbatical at MIT when he met Mountz over a 15-minute cup of coffee. After several more meetings, D’Andrea quit his sabbatical at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and joined Mountz and Wurman in their quest to revolutionize order fulfillment. In 2005, the trio renamed their company to Kiva Systems and Staples became the first of many customers. In 2012, Amazon bought Kiva and eventually named it Amazon Robotics.

D’Andrea, an IEEE Fellow named on more than 40 U.S. patents, earned his bachelor of science degree in engineering science from the University of Toronto and his master of science and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

In 2013, D’Andrea co-founded ROBO Global, which launched the world’s first ro-

botics exchange traded fund. In 2014, he founded Verity, which creates autonomous indoor drone systems, where he serves as CEO and chair.

Mountz earned his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and a master of business administration degree from Harvard University. In 2002, he conceived of a more efficient method for order fulfillment: robots delivering shelves of inventory to people working as pick-and-packers. He asked Wurman, his former MIT roommate, and NCSU professor, for software advice. Together, they decided on a centralized software architecture to wirelessly command the robots in real time. D’Andrea joined the company then known as Distrobot to develop the motion layer.

Mountz holds more than 60 U.S. patents.

In 2012, Fast Company magazine ranked Kiva Systems as one of the most innovative companies in the world for their gamechanging solutions using mobile robotics.

He is a member of MIT’s School of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council.

Wurman earned his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering at MIT and his master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and computer science and doctorate in computer science at the University of Michigan. Named on more than 60 U.S. patents, Wurman is director of Sony AI America. GN

Pwr Lift Recovery Drink Partners With Deka Fit as Official Protein Water for ‘22 Races The Vita Coco Company’s new protein-infused water brand, Pwr Lift, is partnering with Deka Fit, the decathalon of functional fitness founded by endurance sports leader Spartan. Pwr Lift protein waters will be at the finish line of every U.S. Deka Fit event.

Pwr Lift recovery drink has the hydrating benefits of a sports drink with the functional benefits of protein. With 10 grams of whey protein to repair muscle, energizing

b-vitamins and powerful electrolytes, Pwr Lift is harder working hydration that a body needs after a tough workout, with just 50 calories and with no sugar.

“The isotonic drink category is growing by more than 10 percent each year and Pwr Lift is an exceptional new offering packed with electrolytes and protein without compromising taste,” said Jane Prior, chief marketing officer, citing IRI data.

Inspired by the Greek term meaning

“Ten,” Deka Fit debuted from Spartan in 2020 with the ultimate goal of creating a fitness benchmark that could be tested in a controlled environment not influenced by ability, location or terrain. Deka Fit events are designed so each racer knows exactly where they stand in reference to other competitors. Each Deka Fit event begins with a 500-meter run followed by the 10 Deka Zones that include rowing, sit-ups, burpees and more.

Pwr Lift will become a staple for Deka racers, with product available onsite at the finish line for all 2022 Deka Fit series events and 100 Deka Fit affiliate events around the country. Additionally, Pwr Lift will have a significant digital media presence through Deka Fit and will be featured in the company’s newsletters and across its social media platforms, including the Spartan Up! Podcast series. GN

Redsun to Expand Healthy Snacks Facilities in South Africa With $8M Investment The Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries has invested $8 million in South Africa-based raisin processor and distributor Redsun Dried Fruit and Nuts, which is expanding its operations with two new state-of-the-art facilities to help it grow its market share in the $33 billion healthy snacks market.

The investment was announced by One Thousand and One Voices (1K1V), a private equity fund based in Colorado and South

Africa, the majority owner of Redsun.

1K1V’s portfolio companies, including Redsun, have exported more than $60 million worth of products from Africa to more than 35 countries. This economic activity has created thousands of jobs, reducing the poverty gap for tens of thousands of Africans.

1K1V invested growth capital in Redsun in 2015, enabling Redsun to expand its operations and increase its production by more than 160 percent, supported by sourcing

product from 270 farmers in Southern Africa annually. Since the 1K1V investment, Redsun’s revenue has almost tripled, and its market share has nearly doubled. Redsun is one of the leading raisin producers in Africa, exporting 95 percent of its produce to Europe, the Americas and Asia.

South Africa has an optimal climate for high-quality natural raisin production due to its hot and dry conditions.

“Demand for South African raisins has

risen after water shortages and rising labor costs in the USA impacted production levels, providing Redsun with a significant opportunity to gain global market share,” said Henrik Jordaan, president and CEO of 1K1V. “Norfund’s investment in a company committed to sharing high-quality products with the rest of the world is just one of the ways to increase economic activity and reduce poverty levels in Southern Africa.” GN

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GOURMET NEWS

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JUNE 2022

Stoli Group to Release Limited-Edition Bottle in Support of Ukrainian People Stoli Group will release a limited-edition bottle of Stoli Vodka to benefit Ukraine.

Proceeds will be donated to World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization founded by Chef José Andrés that provides fresh, nutritious meals to refugees fleeing Ukraine and those who are staying in cities affected by the Russian invasion.

“As Ukrainians continue to suffer unimaginable losses, we are doing our small part to show unequivocal support,” said Damian McKinney, global CEO. “This Stoli Vodka bottle will not only provide financial resources to Ukraine, but is also a symbol of solidarity.”

Drawing from the colors of the Ukrainian national flag, the geometric graphic pattern that adorns Stoli Vodka’s Ukraine limited-edition design is inspired by the communities around the world that have

come together to support the people of Ukraine.

The special limited-edition will be launched globally as one of the key pillars in reaching the goal of raising $1 million for WCK by Aug. 24 – to celebrate Independence Day of Ukraine.

“World Central Kitchen is grateful for Stoli’s support and commitment to our mission,” said Jason Collis, WCK’s vice president of relief. “They share our belief that a plate of food is more than just nourishment; it’s hope and a sign that someone cares. We appreciate Stoli’s quick movement to action and continued support, which will help us to serve meals as long as we are needed.”

WCK has served more than 6 million meals across Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

Working with local restaurants, caterers,

and food trucks to provide nourishing meals at border crossings, shelters, and other refugee communities, WCK serves more than 300,000 meals daily in the region. The limited-edition bottle follows a previous financial commitment to WCK from Stoli.

In addition to the limited-edition bottle, Stoli Group is launching a charitable cocktail program called “Cocktails for Ukraine” that encourages bars and restaurants to donate $1 for every Stoli cocktail sold to WCK. Consumers may make a direct donation to WCK by scanning the QR code on the menu that links to the Stoli Group fundraising page for WCK. The limited-edition in support of the Ukrainian people will be available for purchase in select stores in the United States (except Alabama, Massachusetts, South

Carolina and Hawaii) and select countries around the world including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Poland, Latvia and Czech Republic.

Headquartered in Luxembourg, Stoli has production facilities in Spain, Italy, Argentina and the United States, some of which are steeped in history dating back to the early part of the last century. GN

Cedar’s Foods Donates $100K to WCK to Help Feed Ukrainian Refugees Massachusetts-based Cedar’s Foods has donated $100,000 to World Central Kitchen to help feed Ukrainian refugees.

Since military operations began in Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes to stay in western Ukraine or other countries and WCK is serving millions of fresh meals to displaced families.

Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals within hours of the initial invasion, and is serving roundthe-clock dishes at eight border crossings across the country.

Additionally, WCK supports local restaurants preparing meals in cities across Ukrainian including in Odessa, Lviv and Kyiv. WCK teams are also serving thousands of meals every day in Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and Spain.

As part of Cedar’s with Heart, a nonprofit initiative to invest and honor Cedar’s employees, communities and consumers, the national leading hommus brand in the natural and organic grocery channels is committed to fighting food insecurity both in its community and around the world.

“At Cedar’s, we believe in the power of sharing better in the form of authentic, honest foods. Cedar’s with Heart extends that mission to not only share better with the world, but do better for the good of our community and our planet,” said CEO and President Charles Hanna. “We hope to lead by example through our acts of service and our commitment to promote positive change for the next generation and generations to come. The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is one of the worst that we have seen in decades.

Our commitment to fight food insecurity transcends borders and when we heard of the great work WCK is doing, we wanted to help.”

Cedar’s Foods’ platform of Know Better Hommus has become a launchpad for its social responsibility.

“Knowing better means doing better not only for our community, but for our global community as well. No family should have to worry about where their next meal will come from, especially after fleeing their homes and making the daunting journey to refuge,” Hanna said. “Food is a human necessity, a common ground among us all. It provides comfort and a sense of hope and stability. As a leader in the food industry, we are proud of the work WCK is doing on the frontlines and honored to be able to support them in feeding Ukrainian

refugees.”

World Central Kitchen is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. WCK’s Chef Relief Team mobilizes to the frontlines with the urgency of now to start cooking and provide meals to people in need. By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of food trucks or emergency kitchens, WCK provides freshly made, nutritious meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively.

Cedar’s Foods is the national brand leader in hommus in the natural and organic grocery channel and a leading copacker and co-manufacturer for private label and branded hommus and other products for prominent consumer packaged goods brands. GN

Curator Partners With Tayst Coffee to Supply Products to Guests at Independent Hotel Group Curator Hotel & Resort Collection is partnering with Tayst Coffee Roaster to provide premium and sustainable coffee products to guests such as sustainably sourced beans from South America and 100 percent compostable single-serve pods, capsules and packaging.

“At Curator, we believe in helping our members provide quality experiences that leave guests feeling good about their choice to stay at our properties,” said Jennifer Barnwell, president of Curator Hotel & Resort Collection. “To successfully achieve this, we know that providing

thoughtful products and services are important, and sustainable offerings are important to many travelers today.

Partnering with Tayst Coffee will allow our members to make a small change that will have a huge impact on both their guests and our planet.”

Tayst Coffee Roaster is an Earth-first coffee company founded in 2016 by Craig Handleman and Greg Byrnes with a mission to offer premium coffee products that are sustainably sourced and in harmony with the planet. Tayst is focused on transitioning coffee drinkers to 100 percent com-

postable products that provide rich nutrients back into the soil.

Tayst offers zero-waste products for hotels, offices and homes. The company also provides a Down to Earth Return Service to allow Curator members to return used products for proper disposal.

The Vacationer recently published a 2022 Summer Travel Survey to determine the importance of sustainable travel to Americans. The survey found that 82 percent of travelers plan to make more ecofriendly travel decisions this year, while 78 percent are willing to pay more to

lower their carbon footprint while vacationing. These findings indicate that travelers will be seeking brands, such as Curator, that prioritize sustainability and do their part in protecting and preserving the Earth.

“Fifteen billion plastic coffee pods a year going into our oceans and landfills is just wrong!” Byrnes said. “We knew we could make a great cup of coffee that is also plastic-free – and we did. With our premium Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, customers don’t have to choose between great coffee and doing good for the planet.” GN

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Wegmans to Eliminate Use of Plastic Bags Across the Company by End of 2022 Wegmans will eliminate plastic bags companywide by the end of 2022 – with a goal of shifting all customers to reusable bags – which the Rochester, N.Y.-based company believes is the best option to solve the environmental challenge of single-use grocery bags.

“We understand shoppers are accustomed to receiving plastic bags at checkout and losing that option requires a significant change,” said Jason Wadsworth, category merchant for packaging, energy, and sustainability. “We are here to help our customers with this transition as we focus on doing what’s right for the environment. As we’ve encountered plastic bag legislation in numerous markets, we’ve learned there’s more we can do, and a bigger impact we can make, together with our customers.”

Wegmans will incentivize the use of reusable bags by charging five cents per

paper bag, an approach that has proven successful in New York and other markets. In stores where the company has already eliminated plastic bags, on average, paper bags are used for 20 to 25 percent of transactions, while the remaining 75 to 80 percent use reusable bags, or no bag at all. By eliminating plastic bags from the rest of the stores and focusing on transitioning customers to reusable bags, Wegmans says it is preventing about 345 million single-use bags from going into circulation in a year’s time.

The amount collected from the paperbag charge will be donated to each store’s local food bank and United Way. In 2021, more than $1.7 million that Wegmans collected and donated from the bag charge was used to increase access to wholesome food and address the most critical needs of our communities.

In 2019, ahead of the New York state

plastic bag ban, which was originally slated to take effect in March 2020, Wegmans piloted the removal of plastic bags at its Ithaca and Corning stores, as well as its Richmond, Virginia, stores. The New York pilot was aimed at understanding the true impact of removing plastic bags, how to make the transition seamless for employees and customers and how to help customers with the shift to reusable bags.

In Richmond, the focus was on understanding how to help customers with the switch when legislation isn’t the driving factor.

Following the successful completion of both pilots, Wegmans eliminated plastic bags at all of its New York State stores in January 2020, ahead of the state ban. Plastic bags have been eliminated at 61 stores, including additional Virginia locations, as well as at select stores in Massachusetts and

Maryland. Wegmans transitioned out of plastic and paper single-use bags at all nine of its New Jersey stores in early May, in accordance with the state’s bag ban.

Wegmans will take a phased approach to eliminating single-use plastic bags at its remaining 45 stores throughout the second half of 2022 to accommodate paper- and reusable-bag supply. At the time of each rollout, Wegmans will work to ensure consistency in its approach across all markets, unless legislation dictates otherwise. All new Wegmans stores will open with paper bags as the sole single-use bag option.

Wegmans’ elimination of single-use bags is coupled with its commitment to reduce single-use plastics. Wegmans has committed to reducing its in-store plastic packaging made from fossil fuels, along with other single-use plastics, by 10 million pounds by 2024. GN

Service Robots Primed to Revolutionize Various Industries, IDTechEx Report Says Over the next decade, service robots will continue to gain hold and possibly ease some labor issues, according to a new report.

“Despite the potential to automate several industries, service robots as a whole are still relatively early in commercialization due to regulations among other challenges,” according to a report, “Service Robots 2022-2032: Technologies, Players & Markets” from market researcher IDTechEx. “However, COVID has accelerated some service robot applications, and many authorities began to loosen restrictions, allowing some service robots to be utilized in reality.

“Aside from regulations, another consideration for the market uptake of service robots is their technical complexity and price point. Working in a well-controlled environment typically leads to low technical complexities and low prices.

“Therefore,” the report concludes, “it is not a surprise to see that logistics/delivery robots and cleaning robots have the largest markets and will continue to be in a dominant position over the next 10 years.”

The service robotics industry has grown quickly, spurred by advances in robotics technology and artificial intelligence, which may help alleviate labor issues across multiple industries, according to IDTechEx. Service robots can be used to automate several industries including logistics and delivery, cleaning, agriculture, underwater exploration, foodservice and social interaction. Although each application presents advantages, according to the report, “their stages of commercialization vary significantly with some being well-developed, attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, whereas others, despite their huge potential, are still emerging and

may only reach full commercialization by the end of the decade.”

Compared to traditional industrial robots that work in relatively well-controlled environments, many service robots need to deal with more complicated scenarios such as limited visibility in the deep ocean for underwater robots, difficult terrain in farmlands for agricultural robots and human intervention for delivery robots along with many other challenges, according to the report.

To ensure safety and minimize risks, regulations and restrictions – such as data privacy policy, robot size restrictions, maximum running speed – are usually enforced, which limits the commercialization and scaling of some market players. For example, social robots are associated with many data privacy policies as they could easily collect information when interacting with people. To avoid a data breach, man-

ufacturers are required to make sure products comply with data privacy regulations.

Another example is delivery robots, the report says. Although autonomous driving has been accepted by many people, fully autonomous mobile delivery robots are still at their small-scale trial stage due to the lack of users’ trust and regulations from departments of transportation in many countries.

“However, the recent COVID pandemic has provided an avenue to loosen some of the regulations,” according to the report.

“During the past three years, COVID has caused a surge in the demand for contactless and autonomous delivery. Given the massive demand, regulators have also started to loosen some of the restrictions, and IDTechEx believes that this trend will continue as many countries have published documents implying that more logistics robots will be legally approved.” GN

Miami Marlins Name nudge Coffee Bombs, Coffee Bars as Ballpark’s Official Snacks The Miami Marlins have welcomed nudge coffee snacks, a new brand sponsor and coffee confection startup based in Miami, to a multi-year partnership. The nudge brand’s Coffee Bombs and Coffee Bars will be the Official Coffee Snacks of the Miami Marlins.

“With our company’s roots based right here in Miami, it was critical for us to form our first major partnership with a progressive organization that has a commitment to excellence – both winning on the field and within their community,” said Tom Ferguson, CEO of The Whole Coffee Company,

nudge’s parent company. “Our nudge coffee snacks are keto friendly, have natural caffeine and taste delicious. We cannot wait to make them available to all Marlins fans through loanDepot park.”

The nudge coffee snacks will be made available at various locations of loanDepot park, including the PNC Club and El Mercadito, a grab-and-go location on the main concourse.

“We recognize the value of supporting an entrepreneurial brand within our community, and are thrilled to welcome nudge coffee snacks as an official partner of the

Marlins organization,” said David Oxfeld, Marlins senior vice president of sales and partnerships.

“The Marlins and nudge are two innovative and exciting brands, and the partnership will be a boost for our fans to enjoy.”

In addition, nudge will be the exclusive digital partner of the Miami Marlins “Plays of the Month,” where fans can enjoy the outstanding efforts of the Marlins team, as the players “do the undoable.” GN

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One Banana Develops Project to Restore Pollinator Habitats in Guatemala Banana grower One Banana and BeeHub, which specializes in the protection and conservation of bees through rescues, creation of native bee sanctuaries and environmental education, began a pilot project at the One Banana’s Natural Ingredients Processing Plant located in the coastal lowland region of Guatemala, to protect pollinators and increase biodiversity.

The protection of bees – in all their diversity – and other pollinators, is an environmental priority on the global agenda due to their important role in the ecosystem survival, according to One Banana. In response to the dangers and threats faced by these insects, the project consists of the creation of macro sanctuaries for the protection and conservation of all the region’s native bee species and other pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds, among others, that will be linked through biological pathways and will promote environmental education and community participation.

The sanctuaries are places of special protection that promote the regeneration and conservation of bees. They are built in areas surrounded by gardens with flowering plants, prioritizing the biodiversity of native flora, landscape improvement, protection of water sources and the installation of special structures that favor the nesting of native species, to help the healthy development of these essential pollinators.

“At One Banana, we believe that it is necessary to regenerate the Earth and natural resources to save the planet,” said CEO Fernando Bolaños. “This is why we have made efforts to adopt business models that aim to guarantee the availability of resources in the future, placing nature and people at the center of our operations to become a regenerative company through innovative practices.

“Consistent with this belief, we are very excited that, in the region, One Banana is the first company from the food and agroindustrial sector to implement actions to

protect bees and other pollinators, in order to promote their conservation and, at the same time, promote the natural regeneration of biological pathways.”

Different studies indicate that bees, in all their diversity of species, are the most important animals on the planet due to their relevance for the regeneration of plants and entire ecosystems. “To protect them is to protect the entire planet,” Bolaños said.

More than 70 percent of the world’s agricultural production depends on their work as pollinators, which is equivalent to 35 to 40 percent of the world’s food production.

However, a general fear of bees, lack of knowledge of biodiversity and its importance for life, pollution, and habitat loss, among other factors, are threatening the survival of these animals.

To address these problems, the project includes different phases that began with a diagnosis and data collection to determine the diversity of bee species and other polli-

nators in the area, and then moved on to the creation of the macro sanctuary and the implementation of training and awareness programs for company employees, students and communities in the area.

“Bee conservation is a matter concerning all of us,” said BeeHub founder Ahmid Daccarett. “From BeeHub, we want to set the course for more ambitious programs for the conservation of bees and other pollinators, involving all sectors.”

The pilot project is expected to be replicated in more than 980 hectares of conserved forest within One Banana production sites, planning to have a positive impact on the biodiversity of at least 100 protected hectares in different locations.

“When we think about bees,” said One Banana President Robert Adams, “we usually think about honey, but these animals do something much more significant: they maintain the life and diversity of flora through pollination.” GN

Albertsons Commits to Achieving Net Zero Emissions in Operations by 2040 Albertsons Companies has launched longterm goals and strategies focused on maximizing the company’s positive impact across four pillars: planet, people, product and community. The company’s new environmental, social and governance framework, Recipe for Change, contains Albertsons Cos.’ commitment to using its national presence and resources to drive meaningful, proactive change.

“As a long-standing neighborhood grocer,

we have an ongoing commitment to leverage our resources and expertise to support the communities we serve and the planet we share,” said CEO Vivek Sankaran.

“Today, we are unveiling ambitious and measurable goals that will challenge us to be even more deliberate and creative about how we lead positive change.”

The company’s chief sustainability and transformation officer, Suzanne Long, will oversee execution of the ESG strategy and

sustainability agenda. Long has been leading the company’s ESG efforts since late 2020.

“Albertsons Cos. has made substantial progress driving sustainability practices in our operations, including reducing energy and fuel consumption, implementing recycling programs, and fighting food insecurity in our local neighborhoods,” Long said.

“Recipe for Change is about broadening our existing commitments so we can have

an even greater impact.”

The company’s ESG platform includes achieving net zero emissions in company operations by 2040; increasing diverse representation within management to reflect the rich diversity of the communities it serves; eliminating food waste, reducing the use of plastic and accelerating the transition to a more circular economy; and enabling the donation of one billion meals by 2030. GN

Arizona Company, Global Charity Partner to Make Drinking Water Safer in Nepal Tearfund, a global charity dedicated to tackling poverty through sustainable development, has launched a partnership to bring Arizona-based Source Global’s innovative drinking water technology to Nepalese communities in urgent need of a safe, local drinking water solution.

While much of Nepal has abundant water resources, 1 in 10 residents are without clean, safe water to drink, according to Tearfund. The most vulnerable communities are in remote, rural areas that can’t be reached with traditional infrastructure and have no source of water nearby.

Women and girls are disproportionately burdened with the task of carrying clean water long distances through the mountainous terrain. The time spent by Nepalese women carrying water comes at the cost of their education, employment and in many cases their health – with an

estimated 600,000 Nepalese women suffering from uterine prolapse caused by carrying water uphill.

Interventions that directly reduce the time spent gathering water can be transformational for women and their economic well-being. Every dollar that is invested in clean drinking water infrastructure at the point of consumption drives exponential value creation in the form of health, education, rural income and development opportunities for women and girls.

The Source Hydropanel offers such a local, climate-resilient solution. The company’s first-of-its kind technology uses only the sun to draw water vapor out of the air and transform it into clean, safe drinking water.

The system operates without an external source of electricity, requires no traditional water infrastructure and can

produce a large volume of clean, highquality drinking water where it’s needed.

Hydropanel arrays can scale from twopanel systems for single families to large water farms that serve entire communities. The technology is being used in more than 50 countries across multiple applications.

“Access to clean, safe water is not only a fundamental human right, it’s part of a broad set of solutions to fight poverty and contribute to strengthening vulnerable people’s capacity for climate resilience,” said Durga Prasad Upadhyay, Tearfund’s environmental and economic sustainability adviser for Asia. “Multiple Nepalese communities are in dire need of a stable drinking water supply, but we’ve seen traditional infrastructure and water pumping programs fail time and time again. In these places, technology like the

Source Hydropanel is truly the only viable solution.”

Tearfund and Source will collaborate with NGOs and governments to identify Nepalese communities in need and install and maintain Hydropanel arrays using local labor.

“Our technology has the power to make safe drinking water a renewable and hyper-local resource, but we can’t do it alone,” said Rob Bartrop of Source Global. “Partnerships with organizations like Tearfund help raise awareness of the social and economic value that can be created by supporting the health, education and empowerment of women in vulnerable communities. We’re proud to work with them to bring our technology to communities living with the day-today burden of walking long distances to find clean drinking water.” GN

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ProAmpac Launches Retort Pouches Using Recycled Materials Responding to the increased market demand for post-consumer recycled packaging solutions, flexible packaging company ProAmpac has launched ProActive PCR Retort pouches. Both EU and FDA compliant for food contact in retort applications, ProActive PCR Retort pouches are designed for pet and human food packaging.

In addition, ProAmpac introduced its latest ProActive Sustainability innovation, ProActive Recyclable R-2000S, a polyethylene-based film that fulfills the market need for a recyclable packaging option that withstands microwave heating.

ProActive PCR Retort pouches offer 30 weight percentage or greater PCR content, reducing the use of virgin resins in the packaging.

“These pouches, coupled with our Recycle Ready Retort RT-3000, deliver on ProAmpac’s promise to innovate more sustainable retort packaging solutions,” said Adam Grose, chief commercial officer. “To help customers meet their sustainability goals, ProActive PCR Retort pouches reduce the use of virgin resins

and include high amounts of PCR while delivering the same packaging performance and filling line efficiency.”

ProActive PCR Retort pouches have the same high-definition graphic quality as standard retort pouches. Both graphics and package performance work to preserve brand identity and product freshness while advancing sustainability objectives.

“ProActive PCR Retort pouches provide superior barrier and maintain hermeticity during filling, retorting and distribution,” said Hesam Tabatabaei, vice president of global product development and innovation. “These innovative pouches offer excellent flex crack resistance and easy-open tear functionality.

Engineered using ProAmpac’s advanced material science expertise, ProActive PCR Retort pouches preserve the same filling line efficiency, shelf life, mechanical performance and pinhole resistance as standard retort pouches.”

ProActive Recyclable R-2000S is a patent-pending polyethylene-based film designed to run on high-speed

form/fill/seal equipment and is pre-qualified for store drop-off recycling.

“ProActive Recyclable R-2000S is the latest iteration of ProAmpac’s hallmark highperformance, recyclable film series, filling the market gap in microwavable recyclable packaging for non-fat vegetables,” Grose said. “ProAmpac has already launched R2000F frozen food packaging, R-2000D dry food packaging and QuadFlex Recyclable for human and pet food applications.”

By providing recyclable alternatives, ProAmpac is ensuring frozen food brands can meet the growing demand for greener packaging without compromising machine performance, print quality or customer convenience. ProActive Recyclable R-2000S provides optimal ink protection and ideal stiffness for enhanced freezer case presence in both gusseted and non-gusseted formats.

“Engineered for performance in cold chain storage, the polyethylene-based R-2000S withstands microwave conditions by providing superior seal integrity as well as thermal

and dimensional stability for non-fat vegetables,” Tabatabaei said. “The film is designed with superior heat resistance to run-at-rate on high-speed form/fill/seal machines. R2000S is designed to excel in all performance requirements; particularly, its optimal stiffness and excellent dimpling resistance provide an enhanced shelf presence.” GN

Arctic Glacier Adopts Industry-Leading Eco-Friendly Packaging, ESG Goals Arctic Glacier announced the market availability of its premium ice packaged in ecofriendly bags made from 51 percent recycled resin, which the company said is an industry first. The move represents more than three years of research and development and is an important component of the ice company’s “Bring More. Care More.” mission that frames its broader environmental, social and corporate governance goals.

Arctic Glacier’s shift to 51 percent recycled content packaging represents a 46 percent reduction in global warming potential impacts compared to the industry standard generic polyfilm.

“We are thrilled to pioneer sustainable packaging for the ice industry,” said Richard Wyckoff, CEO and president.

“Supporting a circular economy with recy-

cled content packaging is an important aspect of our forward-looking ESG strategy focused on creating a greener supply chain and supporting safer work environments through ethical business practices.”

Underpinning Arctic Glacier’s ESG goals are its partnerships with like-minded, sustainably and ethically focused companies and customers including Cascades, which supplies the packaging. “Cascades’ expertise in sustainable packaging, combined with years of intensive R&D, has resulted in a new bag made from 51 percent recycled materials, with no compromise on quality,” said COO Luc Langevin. “By using them in place of the current virgin product, Arctic Glacier can avoid the equivalent of more than 2,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year – the equivalent of driving a

car more than 10 million kilometers.”

The introduction of eco-friendly packaging follows the April 8 Sustainable Footprint Award by Arctic Glacier’s energy partner, EnelX, which is assisting the ice company in actively reducing their carbon footprint. The honor recognizes the ice company’s significant contributions to boost grid stability through flexible energy solutions.

To date, Arctic Glacier’s efforts to create a greener supply chain have eliminated more than 5,000 metric tons of carbon and saved 510,000 gallons of fuel in 2021, enabling the growth of 5,557 acres of forest a year and the growth of 75,002 tree seedlings for 10 years.

Arctic Glacier is partnering with global investment firm The Carlyle Group to strengthen and refine its long-term ESG goals.

“A strong ESG strategy is more than checking a box,” said Steve Hatfield, head of EGS, U.S. global sustainability for Carlyle. “Investments in actions and processes that support energy-efficient infrastructure, value inclusivity and diversity together with practices that enable better management of waste, reduction of operating costs, as well as attraction and retention of top talent also help to mitigate risk and generate more prosperous and enduring top-line growth.”

Arctic Glacier is phasing in the ecofriendly packaging, with several major markets including California, Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, New York and Missouri already up and running. The ice company expects all markets and package sizes to be available in the new packaging over the next 12 to 18 months. GN

Graphic Packaging Develops PaperSeal Tray to Replace Clamshells in New Seasons Markets Graphic Packaging International is helping grocer New Seasons Market build on its commitment to the highest levels of environmental stewardship.

The PaperSeal tray product, which was developed in partnership with world leader in tray sealing technology, G. Mondini, was selected by New Seasons Market to replace plastic clamshells used on the grocer’s Partner Brand Fresh Pasta.

The PaperSeal tray-packed pasta began appearing in stores in April and will enable New Seasons Market to eliminate 120,000 plastic packs from entering waste streams each year.

“The PaperSeal tray is a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic food packaging trays,” said Ricardo De Genova, senior vice president of global innovation and new business development at Graphic Packaging. “Since its launch, it has been widely adopted across Europe, Japan and Australia, winning numerous sustainability awards, and has become a go-to choice for businesses looking to reduce plastic use in their packaging while maintaining freshness.”

Available in multiple formats, including modified atmosphere, vacuum skin and non-MAP top-seal trays, PaperSeal can be

used to pack fresh and processed meat, chilled and frozen ready meals, cheese, snacks, salad, fruit and more.

It combines a paperboard tray, which is produced using renewable fiber sourced from sustainably managed forests, with a film that can be easily separated post-use. As they are made from paper, PaperSeal trays offer high levels of recyclability and can be recycled through existing curbside collection programs when the liner is removed.

They also offer a significant reduction in plastic usage compared to traditional trays.

For example, by switching to PaperSeal

trays for its Partner Brand Fresh Pasta, New Seasons Market will use 91 percent less plastic in each pack.

“We’re constantly assessing the tradeoffs between product preservation, upstream material impact and downstream disposal opportunities in our packaging work, and our customers expect our leadership in this area,” said Athena Petty, senior sustainability manager at New Seasons Market. “The decision to adopt PaperSeal packaging reflects the process we take when making decisions, and this change is a positive step to balance our impacts on people, the planet and our business.” GN

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Survey: Consumers Accept E-Commerce Delivery Delay for Improved Sustainability More than three-quarters (86 percent) of consumers are willing to delay e-commerce deliveries for the sake of improving sustainability if given an incentive to do so, according to Blue Yonder’s 2022 Consumer Sustainability Survey. Of those respondents, 29 percent are willing to delay deliveries up to five days and 28 percent are willing to delay a week or more.

The data also showed the COVID-19 pandemic had a noticeable impact on consumer sustainability habits. Nearly half (44 percent) of consumers said their interest in shopping sustainably increased since the start of the pandemic.

“During the pandemic, many businesses had to temporarily trade off sustainability for the sake of public health and safety,” said Edward Wong, senior vice president, global retail sector leader.

“Essential stores such as grocery eliminated reusable bag use and nearly all brick-and-mortar shops strengthened or

in some cases added new online commerce operations with delivery options.

This shifted more sales online that previously would have occurred in-store.

“As retail emerges from pandemic-era practices, sustainability is back in focus.

The findings of this study reflect the paradigm shift toward a more environmentally friendly supply chain as consumers are now willing to do their part to embrace more sustainable shopping habits.”

Retail e-commerce sales are expected to grow by 50 percent over the next four years. To help limit the environmental impact of their online shopping, the survey found that consumers are willing to do their part by recycling, spending more on sustainable packaging or even setting minimum spending requirements on deliveries: • 81 percent of consumers recycle boxes/bags from in-store and online shopping at least half the time and more than half (53 percent) recycle the packaging 75

to 100 percent of the time • 64 percent are willing to spend more on sustainable packaging, with 44 percent willing to spend up to 5 percent more • 40 percent agree there should be a minimum amount a consumer must spend to qualify for expedited shipping or shipping in general The survey also revealed that social media has influenced over half (52 percent) of consumers’ sustainable shopping frequency. Nearly half (45 percent) said they were slightly to moderately influenced and 7 percent said they were moderately to significantly influenced.

For those influenced by social media, Facebook and Instagram had the biggest influence with 31 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Facebook is the most popular platform for ages 45 and older and Instagram for ages 18 to 44. Surprisingly, TikTok (16 percent) and Snapchat (5 percent) were not as large of an influence with consumers

overall. However, these platforms had a larger appeal for respondents ages 18 to 29, with TikTok at 28 percent.

“Businesses are in a unique position to start making smarter decisions that consider not only profit, but the environment and humankind,” Wong said. “With the use of powerful new technologies, these factors are no longer mutually exclusive.

“Forecasting demand using artificial intelligence and machine learning is one of the most effective ways to do this,” he said. “These advanced tools can detect obscure business patterns from hundreds of variables, including the weather, price elasticity and events, to predict sales at the most granular levels. This allows businesses to operate responsibly (and profitably) via reduced waste, more efficient production, smarter transportation strategies, and reduced resource consumption.” GN

Southeastern Grocers Aligns Sustainability Objectives With U.N. Development Goals To streamline sustainability efforts, Floridabased Southeastern Grocers has aligned its corporate social responsibility objectives with six United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to address hunger, health, education, inequalities, responsible consumption and production and ocean conservation. SEG is the parent company for Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores.

“Last year, we enhanced our products to be more environmentally friendly, challenged our suppliers to do the same and worked with our customers to eliminate the use of single-use plastics,” said Anthony Hucker, president and CEO. “We believe it’s our responsibility to be leaders of change and we will continue to push forward for a brighter future for our people and our planet.”

Last year, SEG, together with the SEG Gives Foundation, donated more than 18.6 million meals to help alleviate food insecu-

rity and donated more than $1.1 million to aid and support disaster relief efforts.

The grocer also partnered with thousands of local organizations throughout the Southeast, administered nearly 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines and donated $1.5 million to Folds of Honor, providing more than 300 educational scholarships to the legacies of fallen and disabled service members. In its second year, SEG’s Romay Davis Belonging, Inclusion and Diversity Grant program provided 24 nonprofit organizations with more than $285,000 to help address racial disparities in education, health care and food insecurity.

SEG prioritized waste management by recycling nearly 50 percent more food than the previous year, recycled 134 million pounds of cardboard to save over 1.1 million trees and introduced digital receipts as an eco-friendly option for customers to further diminish waste. SEG also decreased the use of more than 2.3 million plastic

bags while also supporting over 3,200 local nonprofits through its reusable Community Bag program that allows customers to direct a $1 donation to the nonprofit of their choice for each bag purchased.

SEG has also responsibly sourced 100 percent of its tuna and increased sustainability in its Own Brand line of products through its support of fair labor practices, responsible cocoa sourcing and creation of fiber compostable and biodegradable single-use products. The grocer was recently recognized by Store Brands for its commitment to innovating sustainable products and received multiple 2022 Game Changer Awards for its SE Grocers Prestige 100% Ground Single Origin Coffee, SE Grocers

Naturally Better Cage-Free Eggs, SE Grocers Prestige Chocolate Bars, SE Grocers Naturally Better Paper Products and SE Grocers BAP Certified Seafood.

Over the last year, the grocer expanded its product purchases from diverse suppliers by more than $17.5 million and launched an online marketplace to connect with local and diverse suppliers.

In celebration of Earth Day, SEG participated in several local initiatives including the Tree Hill Earth Day Festival in Jacksonville, hosting design contests with local schools in partnership with Florida State Parks, volunteer days and more. GN

PFG Adds All-Electric, Solar-Supported Net-Zero Emission Refrigeration Trailers Performance Food Group Company has added 10 net-zero emission refrigeration trailers to its fleet at the company’s Gilroy, Calif., distribution center. Through a partnership with Advanced Energy Machines, the Transport Refrigeration Units are solarsupported electric refrigeration solutions that are capable of supporting foodservice distribution needs and have the capability of maintaining temperatures down to minus 20 degrees F.

As part of the company’s environmental, social and governance, PFG made the shift toward innovative and sustainable technologies as the California Air Reso Board continues its plan to impose zero-emission requirements on TRUs operated and sold in California by the end of 2029.

“With this first wave of all-electric PFG TRUs, we take an important step to cutting down the greenhouse gas emissions from our trucks and trailers and achieving

our ESG commitment of reducing power consumption intensity by 20 percent by 2030,” said Craig Hoskins, president and chief operating officer. “Operationally, adding new technologies to our fleet gives us the opportunity to take an extended look at how we run our business and to find added efficiencies, which will allow us to provide better value to our customers.”

Since the introduction of the net zero-

emission TRUs in June 2021, PFG estimates the use of more than 6,500 gallons of diesel fuel has been eliminated, reducing the Gilroy distribution center’s carbon footprint by 73 tons. The all-electric TRUs have accumulated more than 13,000 hours of run time, driven more than 100,000 miles and completed more than 1,000 routes with more than 12,000 deliveries. PFG plans to add more all-electric TRUs to its fleet over the next two years. GN

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Brands Launch All Sorts of Sweetness on Market, From Ice Cream to Moonshine There were so many sweet products released in the last few weeks, we thought we’d highlight a few this month.

Halo Top is a leading better-for-you ice cream brand, so it was surprising to hear that they changed the recipe. Why fix what isn’t broken? To make it even creamier, that’s why!

Each of the pints in the Halo Top Dairy Ice Cream portfolio will continue to be lower in calories and sugar than regular ice cream and contain a good source of protein, so ice cream lovers can feel good about every bite.

Halo Top’s new recipe debuts with a new flavor, Chocolate Cake Batter – a chocolaty cake batter light ice cream with colored sprinkles with only 330 calories per pint.

The classic Birthday Cake has been a longstanding favorite for Halo Top fans.

The new recipe includes ultrafiltered skim milk and other high-quality ingredients. Eventually, all the flavors will be made with the new recipe and indicate “Now Creamier” on the label.

Sorbet fans, Halo Top hasn’t forgotten you! The brand has launched its first fruitbased sorbet to its frozen dessert lineup.

Fruit Sorbet pints are made with real fruit and fruit juice, with less sugar and fewer calories than leading sorbet brands.

They come in three flavors – Raspberry, Mango and Strawberry – and began appearing in stores in May. Halo Top Fruit Sorbets are vegan certified, gluten-free desserts with at least 50 percent less sugar than the leading fruit sorbets in the frozen aisle and start at 260 calories per pint.

Häagen-Dazs has launched its City Sweets collection of flavors that are inspired by street food desserts. Now why didn’t anyone think of this before? From beloved street vendor pretzels and crispy churros to waffles and New York’s classic black & white cookies, the collection brings together Häagen-Dazs famous flavors and beloved on-the-go eats.

“Whether you are scooping into crunchy, salty pretzel pieces, crispy churros with caramel, fluffy cake swirled with berry sauce or cookie chunks with delicate ripples of chocolate frosting, the new decadent inclusions are well balanced allowing you to indulge in a new ice cream experi-

ence,” the company said in its announcement.

Häagen-Dazs is teaming with singer and actress Leslie Grace to promote the collection.

“Growing up in the Bronx, I enjoyed many of the street food treats featured in City Sweets,” Grace said. “As someone who was raised by hard-working immigrant parents and was encouraged to pursue my dreams and passions, I share the HäagenDazs ambition to shine a light on inspiring creators.”

Häagen-Dazs launched its #ThatsDazs campaign last year to elevate a new generation of diverse tastemakers and creators. The brand enlisted the talents of Brooklyn-based artist Jade Purple Brown to design the City Sweets packaging with her bright, distinctive and colorful creations.

Häagen-Dazs celebrated the launch of City Sweets with a playful twist on the timeless neighborhood bodega experience in New York City. While the exterior looked like a familiar bodega, inside, guests enjoyed an immersive experience with Brown’s vibrant designs and music

by DJ Twin duo Angel + Dren.

Häagen-Dazs will also continue to uplift marginalized creative communities in 2022 as part of its $1.5 million commitment. It will donate $500,000 this year to organizations such as Hot Bread Kitchen, a nonprofit that supports women of color and immigrant women in New York City’s food industry, and The Tank, a NYC-based nonprofit organization that supports emerging performing artists.

The City Sweets collection is available in five flavors – Dulce de Leche Churro, Coffee Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel, Summer Berry Cake Pop, Black & White Cookie – and as snack bars in three flavors – Dulce de Leche Churro, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel and Summer Berry Waffle.

Alden’s Organic has come up with five ways to sweeten grab-and-go snacking as it launched signature swirl bars and the industry first gluten- and dairy-free Sammie, a vanilla bean dessert sandwiched between cookie wafers.

The new products include Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Almond Bar, Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Vanilla Bar, Gluten Free Dairy Free Vanilla Bean Round Sammie, Dairy Free Coffee Swirl Bar and Strawberry Cream Swirl Bar. The dark chocolate bars are dairy-free versions of some of Alden’s most popular ice cream bars, while the Sammie is a certified vegan and certified gluten free take on a classic ice cream sandwich.

Eat Me Guilt Free’s Brownies mix was such a hit that the brand has expanded to include Chocolate and Vanilla cake mixes in its line of health-focused brownies, tortilla wraps, protein bread and baguettes.

The mixes feature ingredients sourced in

Europe, where regulations against food additives are more stringent than in the United States, according to the brand. The protein cake mixes are just as easy to make as any conventional boxed cake mix and need just two ingredients – oil and eggs.

The cake slices boast six grams of sugar vs.

22 grams of sugar in a traditional slice of cake.

More good news for cake lovers: premium mix maker Krusteaz has expanded its dessert bar offerings with Chocolate Pie Bar Mix, which creates a rich, smooth chocolate cream pie-style filling with a

chocolate crust.

“Families love our Meyer Lemon Bar Mix, which has made Krusteaz the leader in the dessert bars space,” said Andy Heily, president and CEO. “We wanted to offer a new flavor for all the chocolate lovers out there. We believe in the ‘joy of making’ so our boxed mixes are designed to help every maker, no matter their skill set, flex their creative foodie muscles in the kitchen to stir up something special.”

But wait! There’s more!

Krusteaz also announced two other baking mixes those with a sweet tooth will adore – Chocolate Swirl Crumb Cake (a moist cake base brightened by a ribbon of chocolate swirl and topped with a chocolate crumble) and Sweet Corn Cornbread & Muffin Mix (perfect for pairing with pulled pork, chili and other cookout favorites).

Non-dairy frozen novelty creator Chloe’s has unveiled three frozen pop varieties as it expands its retail presence. Plus, it has added two more Marvel characters to its fruit varieties and Grape No Sugar to its clean pop line.

The two Marvel inspired SKUs are Lemon-Lime & Orange variety pack featuring Spider-Man and Ghost-Spider and Strawberry-Mango Pop featuring Avengers characters Thor, Doctor Strange, The Falcon and Captain Marvel.

The new Marvel varieties join Chloe’s SpiderMan StrawberryLemon Pops and Avengers Cherry

& Grape variety pack. They will be available at several new retailers, representing a significant area of growth for the brand.

They come in a smaller 1.5-ounce pop size with 10 pops per box, making them perfect for family snacking.

Chloe’s is also expanding its No Sugar Added line of pops with the launch of Grape, following the success of last year’s industry first No Sugar Added Strawberry Pop. Using a blend of the fruit itself, monk fruit and allulose, No Sugar Added Strawberry and Grape Pops have no artificial ingredients or aftertaste.

Chloe’s recently partnered with Juice Press, a wellness platform and fast-growing organic grab-and-go retailer.

The collaboration brings expanded consumer access to Chloe’s line of pops as well as its vegan, artificial-free soft serve fruit in select Juice Press locations.

If you’re looking for a sweet nightcap, Ole Smokey Distillery announced nationwide distribution of its White Chocolate Strawberry Cream and Banana Pudding Cream moonshines. Yes, you read that right.

The fan-favorite creams are available in fun new 50ml Mini Moonshine Jars, as well as the original 750ml size.

“Both the White Chocolate Strawberry Cream and Banana Pudding Cream Moonshines were originally sold at Ole Smoky’s Distilleries in Tennessee, but due to overwhelming customer demand, they can now be found across the country,” said CEO Robert Hall. “The new 50ml Mini Moonshine Jars are great for traveling, gift giving, or sharing and sipping with friends.”

The White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Moonshine is made with Ole Smoky Moonshine and blended with creamy flavors of white chocolate and fresh strawberries. The sweet moonshine creates cocktails such as White Chocolate Frozen Martini or Sweet Strawberry Latte. The Banana Pudding Cream Moonshine is made with Ole Smoky Moonshine and blended with the familiar flavors of vanilla wafers, whipped cream and fresh bananas. GN

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GOURMET NEWS

Glatzer became acquainted with lamb – Why Australian lamb?

Australian lamb in particular – when she “It’s delicious,” Glatzer said. “Australia studied abroad there in college, returning was built to raise animals. The pasture land Continued from PAGE 1 to work for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. is grazing land. It can’t grow carrots, but it “It’s my favorite place on Earth,” she can grow grass.” for Easter or maybe Christmas – while consaid. “It was adventurous. It was fun. My In addition, she noted, even with the sumers preferred beef, poultry and pork on daughter is named Sydney because I think gains made during the pandemic, the their plates daily. Several generations of it’s the most beautiful city in the consumers and chefs likely have never world.” eaten lamb, much less have cooked and Back in the United States in a served it. marketing career, a chance enWho would have thought that the pancounter in the hotel lobby during demic would jumpstart the American lamb a conference reignited her love for industry? all things Australian and Aus“Americans went to the grocery store to tralian lamb in particular. stock their pantry and freezer and didn’t find “I heard someone speaking with the beef, chicken and pork,” Glatzer said, an Australian accent and I jumped “but saw the lamb that was left behind.” in to say I love it there,” she said.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth,” Stott “It turned out she worked for the said. “When COVID hit and all meat cases commodity board in Australia and were empty, consumers gravitated to lamb her job was to market the red meat PHOTO CREDIT AUSSIE SELECT because it was available. We’re surprised industry here.” and pleased to see that consumers started In due time, Glatzer went from being American sheep industry can’t sustain deto come back time and time again. During vice president of client services for the Atmand, with imports filling in the gap. the COVID period, consumers expanded lanta food and beverage marketing collabThat’s something Superior Farms wants meals cooked at home on a weekly basis orative Summit F&B, to engineering the to change, not only boosting the American from eight to 12 and lamb was one of those growth of Barilla’s award-winning foodsersheep supply, but turning it from a seasonal meals. We saw a 30 percent increase over vice program and the transformation of product to year-round availability. the COVID period and that’s a major, major Meat & Livestock Australia’s North Amer“Sheep have 30 years or more of producdouble-digit increase that we haven’t seen ican strategy. In addition, she launched her tivity,” Stott said. “The average is 1.1 lamb in – I don’t know – forever.” own hotel chefs industry conference, Mise, per ewe. But ewes have the genetic capacity Now that Americans have acquainted (or and is CEO of World Select Cuts. built in to have twins. So we are at a 90 perreacquainted) themselves with the taste of Glatzer took Aussie Selects to the Winter cent deficiency in the industry.” lamb, purveyors are pushing the many Fancy Food Show and had plans to exhibit In addition, he said, 80 percent of lambs ways lamb can be served. at this month’s International Dairy Deli are born within a four-month span.

“It really is about talking to younger conBakery Association’s trade show in North Superior Farms and its partners set out sumers,” Stott said. “My kids are 20 to 40 Carolina. to see if they could increase the numbers of and they love a diversity of food. When you “Americans love lamb, but they tend to lambs born and if the ewes can produce do the research in the category, American save it for special occasions,” she said. lambs year-round. lamb has a unique profile that fits Ameri“They’re afraid they might mess it up. It’s “At the time, we were developing the can consumers. It’s a great opportunity to not in their normal repertoire. Americans technology of Flock54 genomics, in which talk about lamb as a great meal that suits a don’t eat as much lamb as they do around each lamb has a small chip implanted that diversity of foods, ethnic foods, traditional the world. Australians eat 20 pounds of identifies 50 genomic characteristics,” Stott foods, and it’s exciting for us to be able to lamb each year. We eat 1.2 pounds, which said. bring it to them.” has risen since the pandemic. It used to be The process is much like domestic dogs Bringing lamb home is one thing. Know1 pound.” and cats are tagged, but goes beyond indiing what to do next is another. Not surprisWhen asked, though, Americans say vidually identifying an animal. Extensive ingly, American consumers went online to they love lamb and wonder why they don’t data is collected on each lamb, ewe and ram find out how, with Glatzer softly joking eat it more, Glatzer said. that identifies which ewes have a propensity that they “flocked” to websites for more inAussie Select partnered with the Austo produce twins or which sheep can be reformation. tralian lamb industry to invest in rigorous sistant to a variety of diseases.

“We posted a lot of inspirational recipes research and development on putting a Superior Farms contacted partners in six during that time to get Americans comfortproduct that American consumers would states to contribute to the first flock housed able cooking with it,” she said. reach for and eat lamb on a regular basis. in the Sheep Discovery Center. The first “At the same time, charcuterie boards beThe result is Pasture Expectations, a line of sheep arrived in December and began came popular,” Glatzer noted, with social hand-crafted modern charcuterie meats lambing in February. media sites such as Instagram filled with with premium, pasEach inch of the Sheep Discovery Center ture-raised lamb. was designed with the belief that through PHOTO CREDIT AUSSIE SELECT “Lamb lovers love the Flock54 genetics, optimized nutrition, it,” she said. “It has use of electronic individual animal identithat delicious, mild, fication, data-based production decisions, tender taste of Ausblock-chain technology and year-round tralian lamb. And production, the center will produce happy, those who don’t love productive ewes and happy lambs to go to lamb love it and say market. The center they didn’t think they uses state-of-the-art liked lamb.” climate control techNow, consumers nology in the barns, have a lamb product with the sheep havready to slap into a ing unlimited access sandwich or salad for to outside grazing. a quick meal.

To get past the seaAussie Select’s sonal lambing, the Lamb Ham Tikka Masala, Lamb Ham center uses energyhomemade charcuterie boards populating Agave Rosemary and Lamb Pastrami were saving, LED web-enfeeds. launched in 2.25-pound packages for the abled lighting.

“So many of them are a culmination of hams and 2.75 pounds for the pastrami.

“The lights create a the melting pot that America is. The need Newly launched are the 1-pound sliced summer to fall envifor non-pork protein and increase in halal packages of Lamb Ham. More products are ronment, when the food show that people are looking for items in the works. ewes come into like this.”

heat,” Stott said.

This technology is used around the world in various industries, but the Sheep Discovery Center is the first to bring all of these technologies together in the lamb industry.

The center has just embarked on its first lamb acceleration season and even they aren’t sure what the results will be.

“It’s a Sheep Discovery Center because we’re going to discover a lot,” he said.

“At Superior Farms, we say we fail often, we fail fast and fail forward. Failing forward is a critical part of this process. We try new things and new ways to do things better, whether it’s in animal handling systems, sustainability, regenerative grazing.

“We’re going to try to figure out the best way to get ewes and rams to make lambs,” he said. “Our goal is to give them a perfect day every single day and they will produce well above what the industry standard is.”

Happy animals is something Superior Farms and Aussie Select say is of primary importance. But how do you tell if you’ve produced a happy lamb? Images of carefree lambs frolicking in pastures comes to mind.

“It’s seen in the eating quality of the product,” Glatzer said bluntly. “When you exert stress on an animal, the hormones and chemicals make the meat more pungent. When they’re not treated well, they’re not as tasty.”

Australian sheep farms are considered among the most humane in the world.

“It’s a quiet process,” Glatzer said. “It’s not fraught with whips and chains. It’s a beautiful process to see the farmers – many of which are family farmers and have been for generations – care about the animals. The resulting product is not only going to be great because they were conscious of animal welfare, which is what Americans care most about, but it’s going to taste good as well.”

Superior Farms sees happiness reflected in productivity.

“If you give the animals a great environment, a perfect day every day, they’re the right body weight, producing twins, protected from predators, fed the right stuff,” he said. “If you do this consistently, all of these things combine into if they’re happy, if they’re content, if they’re not stressed, all of that is represented in the productivity of the ewes.”

Still, frolicking lambs are a good sign.

“I have 13 grandkids and when I send them pictures and videos of bouncing lambs, they are all thrilled about that,” Stott said with a chuckle. “And that certainly is a part of it, a measure of happiness and calm with the lack of stress.” GN

Lamb Industry

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JUNE 2022

PHOTO CREDIT RYAN HENDER

GOURMET NEWS

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JUNE 2022

Fall Continued from PAGE 1 “Fall is one of the most beloved times of the year for two reasons: beautiful foliage and the start of the holiday food season,” according to foodservice supplier Webstaurant Store. “When you think of fall, what flavors come to your mind? For many enthusiasts of the season, that flavor is probably pumpkin spice. But many other classic fall flavors can get customers into the fall spirit, no pumpkin needed.

Not only are these great for incorporating into baked goods or creative entrees, but they are ideal as fall coffee flavors or holiday drinks as well.”

Webstaurant Store identified 10 fall flavor trends: • Apples: Apples are a fall-friendly ingredient that can be used in a variety of recipes.

Think fresh apple cider, hard apple cider, apple cinnamon cupcakes, freshly baked apple pie and homemade applesauce.

• Salted Caramel: Beyond caramel apples, consider caramel candies, cookies and hot drinks such as caramel lattes.

• Maple: Maple flavor invokes visions of pancakes on lazy Sunday mornings and frost-covered maple trees on crisp, autumn days. Maple has become popular again thanks to delicious concoctions such as maple spice lattes and maple syrup cocktails.

• Hazelnut: The sweet, buttery flavor of hazelnut pairs well with coffee or hot chocolate. This flavor has become a favorite in recent years, largely due to the increased popularity of Nutella spread.

Hazelnuts can be used in sweet or savory recipes and add a rich, nutty flavor that befits the harvest season.

• Pears: The pear harvest falls between August and October, making this fruit another great option for a seasonal menu. Pear tastes great with a variety of spices including cinnamon, star anise and vanilla. Ideas: pear cider, pear crumble, chocolate pear cake or poached pears.

• Ginger: Ground ginger can add a kick of flavor to a wide range of foods but is especially delicious in – of course – gingerbread. Beyond that, gingersnap cookies pair well with hot tea. Webstaurant Store points out that ginger is a natural pain reliever, which can come in handy during the holiday season.

17 • Chai: Chai combines the flavors of aromatic spices including cardamom, clove and cinnamon. To make chai tea, the spices are added to a strong cup of black tea and mixed with creamy milk. Chai flavoring can be added to everything from cookies and cupcakes to ice cream and pancakes.

• Cranberries: Yes, cranberries are a perennial side dish on Thanksgiving, but beyond cranberry sauce, they can go into cheesecakes or pies and pair well with grilled meats.

• Butterscotch: The warming tastes of caramel, browned butter, molasses and vanilla are all wrapped into the classic flavor of butterscotch. It can flavor hot drinks, cocktails, blondies, cheesecakes and cookies, not to mention warm butterscotch drizzled over ice cream.

• Bourbon: Bourbon’s tasting notes evoke favorite fall flavors: caramel, vanilla and oak. The complex flavor goes well in entrees, desserts and – naturally – beverages.

WGSN also singled out apples, maple and pears as global 2022 fall flavor trends for foods and beverages.

WGSN mapped trends in retail and foodservice across four stages: Innovators (chefs, Instagram influencers), Early Adopters (food media, indie CPG brands, trend-forward retailers), Early Majority (mid-size retailers, natural brands) and Mainstreamers (mass food brands, chain restaurants).

“Apple is emerging as a challenger to pumpkin,” WGSN said, “with Innovators adding umami richness and Mainstreamers looking to replicate comforting dessert flavors.

“Chefs and influencers are balancing apple’s intensity of sweetness with miso, adding an umami dimension and bringing newness to the classic flavor,” the report said.

Larger Mainstream brands looked to apple cider to update classic seasonal favorites or created flavors inspired by comforting apple desserts, which will rise in influence in 2022.

The salty-sweetness of salted maple is also growing in influence across food and drink categories, according to this report.

The classic North American pecan pie also is forecast to be a big flavor this fall, not just in its pie form, WGSN said.

“With strong seasonal appeal, the cinnamon bun has nostalgic appeal and newness when applied to new categories,” the report said.

“Pear is adding seasonal sweetness to autumn flavor profiles,” WGSN said. “Expanding beyond its Oktoberfest roots,

pretzel is adding savory salt and warmth to autumn treats.

Consumers still look forward to seasonal flavors, WGSN said, citing Technomic’s Flavor Consumer Trend Report showing 37 percent of U.S. consumers are more likely to try a new flavor or menu item if it features seasonal ingredients.

But don’t count pumpkins out. Brands are continuing to add pumpkin flavors to their offerings. Chobani offers seasonal flavors in its Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Perfection yogurts.

Undercover Snacks has seasonal quinoa cups in Dark Chocolate + Peppermint, Milk Chocolate + Peppermint and Dark Chocolate + Pumpkin Spice.

Among the new products Milkadamia revealed at the National Products Expo West show in March was its Salted

Caramel and Pumpkin Pie milks.

Sprout Organics, which makes organic meals and snacks for babies and toddlers, reminds us that little ones can enjoy fall flavors, too. Sprout Organics has a Pumpkin Butter and Jelly Wafflez among its snacks as well as Apple Oatmeal Raisin with Cinnamon baby food.

Lastly, how about raisins for a Halloween treat? SunMaid earned two category-leading honors at the annual ANA REGGIE Awards for its Halloween brand activation – The Raisin House. Winning a gold distinction in both the seasonal/holiday and small budget categories, the brand was recognized for turning a historically candy-driven holiday into a selfdeprecating celebration by creating the Sun-Maid Raisin House, “the scariest house on the block to kids.”

Sun-Maid developed the Raisin House in partnership with its agency partners on a modest budget, designed as a fully integrated campaign anchored by the idea that there’s nothing scarier on Halloween than raisins. The activation featured a fully produced haunted house in Monsterville, N.J., that highlighted raisin-themed Halloween décor and raisin snack sampling, along with paid media, social, influencer and PR tactics. GN

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GOURMET NEWS

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JUNE 2022

Misfits Market Launches First Private Label Odds & Ends Pantry Staples Misfits Market, an online grocery platform, has launched its first private label, Odds & Ends. The launch of Misfits Market’s private label includes pantry staples including coffee and snacks such as nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate-covered mini pretzels, so customers can stock up on high-quality, affordable groceries.

Many of Misfits Market’s Odds & Ends products have been specifically designed to address supply chain inefficiencies. By working directly with farmers and producers who share the company’s vision of eliminating waste, Misfits Market is prioritizing sustainability and utilizing creative sourcing methods to offer high-quality staple products at value.

For example, Misfits Market’s new direct trade premium coffee blend is pur-

chased directly from the farms where it was grown in the context of lasting and mutually beneficial relationships, providing growers with fair prices and stable incomes while protecting them from market risk and volatility. The end result is a better market for their coffees and more accessible, high-quality coffee for consumers.

“Three years ago, Misfits Market set out to rebuild the food supply chain from scratch in order to provide everyone, regardless of where they live, access to quality food at an affordable price,” said Abhi Ramesh, CEO and founder. “After a recordbreaking quarter, it’s clear that shoppers are looking for new ways to save, especially with food prices at all-time highs.

“Our value-conscious customers are sav-

ing an average of $25 per order and with the launch of our new private label line, we’re excited to provide our customers with an even wider variety of affordable and sustainably sourced pantry staples.”

Misfits Market has sent out nearly 13 million orders and rescued more than 230 million pounds of food. In Q1 alone, the company experienced record-breaking growth fueled by expanding to all of the lower 48 states, launching new product categories such as wine, releasing the brand’s mobile app and now its private label launch.

With consumer prices rising 8.5 percent over the past year and food costs jumping to the highest levels in a decade, shoppers are looking for new ways to save, without sacrificing quality, according to the com-

pany. Misfits Market’s food value supply chain and opportunistic sourcing enables the company to combat rising food prices and more efficiently provide organic produce, high-quality meats and seafood, plant-based proteins, dairy, bakery, wine, and other grocery items to nearly every zip code in the lower 48 states – at up to 40 percent off traditional grocery store prices.

As Misfits Market’s private label expands, the company will continue to look at different ways to deliver quality at a value, whether that means sourcing products from lesser-known regions, upcycling uneven or misshapen foods into new products or blends, or working with producers to use more creative and sustainable practices and packaging. GN

Scallop

to Bristol.

“Overall, aggregate scallop supply in the U.S. grew 13 percent in 2021 as imports grew faster than landings declined,” according to Bristol, “and exports remained unchanged year-over-year.

“Despite growth in supply, we saw increases in pricing – telling us that the U.S. consumer significantly increased their demand for scallops.”

The New England Fisheries Management Council expects a significant reduction in the harvest of U.S. scallops, according to Bristol, falling to 34 million in 2022 from 40 million in 2021 – the lowest level since 2014.

Going forward, U.S. scallops will be fewer and smaller with a continued reliance on imports, Bristol reported.

“The reduction in landings will put upward pressure on U.S. scallops prices,” according to Bristol, “and it will likely be most pronounced larger-count sizes such as U10 and 10-20. Smaller scallops will remain in the mix due to scheduled closed area trips, though the discount for these is smaller than it was when the size first be-

came available.”

Historically, U.S. scallop landings peak in May and June and bottom in January, according to Bristol.

“In 2021, we saw a continuation of a trend with the catch of larger scallops falling and smaller sizes increasing,” the Bristol report says. “We expect this to persist in the coming season.

“In 2021, imports of scallops into the U.S. increased to an eight-year high in reaction to landings at a seven-year low. We expect a continuation of growth in scallop imports to balance supply in 2022.”

In 2021, imports exceeded landings, with more than 60 million pounds imported and the U.S. supply at 40 million pounds, according to NOAA. Imports of scallops grew by 53 percent in 2021, adding another 20 million pounds to the supply.

China, Japan and Canada are the largest importers of scallops, according to Foreign Trade Data, with Peru, Argentina, Mexico and the Philippines importing thousands of pounds.

Scallop exports remain at multi-year lows as a strong dollar, reduced landings and strong local demand have kept more of the catch in the country, according to Bristol.

The United States got 37 percent of its scallop supply from its own landings, with the balance being imported, Bristol reported.

“Despite an industry narrative of tighter scallop supply in 2021,” Handy said in the Bristol report, “in truth, there was an increase in aggregate U.S. supply of 13 percent (from 78 million to 88 million pounds), for the largest increase since 2013.

“The fact we are seeing increased prices in the face of increased supply tells us an important thing: in 2021, we saw a significant increase in demand.”

The New England Fisheries Management Council expects a significant reduction in the harvest of U.S. scallops, falling to 34 million in 2021 from 40 million in 2020, the lowest level since 2014, according to Bristol. GN

fraud as “when a fraudster intentionally deceives a customer about the quality and/or contents of the foods they wish to purchase, and such act is done to obtain an undue advantage, most often economic, for the fraudster.”

Regulators must account for current conditions including a growing global trade of varieties of food products and ingredients susceptible to fraud, lengthening of opaque food supply chains, international reach of public health threats, increasing sophistication in the commission of fraud, rapid advances in online marketing and e-commerce that multiply opportunities for food fraud, expanding media coverage of food fraud scandals and heightened consumer interest in the authenticity and integrity of food.

Examples of major food fraud in recent years includes the “horsemeat-as-beef incident in the European Union in 2013, the fipronil in eggs scandal in 2017 in Asia and the European Union, or the melaminetainted milk in China in 2008,” according to the study.

Smaller-scale food fraud could include the replacement of key ingredients with lower-quality alternatives, sale of conventional foods as organic, incorrect labeling of weight and substituting expensive varieties of fish with low-value species, the authors wrote.

And, of course, there are no easy answers for combating food fraud, according to the report.

“Effective strategies start with food systems thinking and end with a coherent, fluid multi-faceted approach that prioritizes and focuses on balancing prevention and controls, enabling and protecting consumers,” the authors wrote.

“The legal strategies and tools used in these approaches range from coordination with public agencies and food companies, emerging detection and testing technologies and traceability capabilities, labelling and conveying information to consumers, encouraging the development of best practices and CSR codes, and enforcement regimes shaped by civil and criminal ele-

ments.”

The private sector could play a vital role, too, according to the study, including transnational contracts and public-private cooperation dealing with food fraud in the global food value chains.

“Underlying all of these international and national strategies and tools is the overarching need for cooperation, from information sharing to joint enforcement activities. The ability of national governments to abrogate food fraud will depend on their ability under their legal systems and international legal frameworks to cooperate with each other, with international bodies and with private stakeholders,” the authors wrote.

“Amid the complexities of regulating food fraud, there is one simple surety in this paper: doing nothing is not an option in order to maintain consumer and stakeholder confidence in food systems, food products and the ability of national authorities as a whole. All it takes is one food-fraud crisis to undermine this confidence.” GN

Continued from PAGE 1 Scallop vessels from Massachusetts, Virginia and New Jersey are responsible for the majority of the U.S. harvest, according to NOAA. The principal U.S. commercial fisheries for sea scallop are in the Mid-Atlantic (from Virginia to Long Island, New York) and on Georges Bank and neighboring areas, such as the Great South Channel and Nantucket Shoals. There is also a small, primarily inshore fishery for sea scallops in the Gulf of Maine.

The U.S. sea scallop fishery is extremely important to the U.S. economy and is the largest wild scallop fishery in the world, according to NOAA. In past years, there were more scallops in more places, according to the Bristol report. Landings are down from recent historic high levels, exports of U.S. scallops are at their lowest levels in 20 years and imports dominate the scallop supply in the United States especially in 2021, according

Food Fraud Continued from PAGE 1 framework might provide strategies and guidance for an effective regulatory approach,” the authors wrote.

“It may be that more direct guidance on food fraud itself – separate and independent of food safety and quality – could help national governments approach the problem in practical and holistic ways and instill a greater measure of cooperation. It may very well be, with encouragement from international bodies, that these channels can make a substantial dent in food fraud.”

The study suggests a specific definition of food fraud and guidance on how to identify and address food fraud from the Codex Alimentarius, a collection of internationally adopted food standards that aims to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in food trade, would be helpful.

For this study, the authors defined food

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GOURMET NEWS

MarDona Introduces Gourmet Pasta Sauce Line in Family Size

Vermont Coffee Company Medium Whole Bean

MarDona Specialty Foods is proud and pleased to present a new Gourmet Pasta Sauce line in 24-ounce family size. MarDona worked hard to create these sauces to be versatile and perfect for any favorite pasta and non-pasta dishes – as well as the perfect sauce for Steak Pizzaiola, Chicken Cacciatore, Fried Calamari or even just to dip a favorite crusty bread! Customers will love the sauces because they are delicious, natural and perfectly portioned. Perfect for family use.

All of the flavors are contemporary to today’s taste, from Vodka Sauce (with a lot of cheese) to Marinara Sauce that fits every need. Let’s not forget the Garlic Lovers sauce. And for those who like a little spice in their food, try Spicy Arrabiatta Sauce.

Want a smoky flavor? Try the Pancetta Pasta Sauce. For basil lovers, the Sweet Basil Marinara Sauce is balanced to meet the flavor of the sauce as well as the basil.

For the cheese lover, Asiago Cheese sauce is decadent. These new sauces complement other gourmet sauces of

A member of Stonewall Kitchen’s family of brands, Vermont Coffee Company began when its founder paired an antique slotted-drum roaster with classic New England knowhow and a simple desire to share great coffee with the best of friends.

All these years later, and the big, bold flavor of these organic arabica blends continues to be rooted in Vermont values, uniting a tight-knit community of farmers, retailers and customers all over the world.

Today, Vermont Coffee Company invites everyone to come together over a pot of ethically sourced and sustainably slowroasted Organic Medium Whole Bean Coffee. Full-bodied with an enticing cocoa

Black Truffle, Porcini and the Pancetta in the 16-ounce individual size.

MarDona uses only pure, natural ingredients in the making of its gourmet sauce.

MarDona uses the best crushed tomatoes, fresh spices, pure truffle-infused olive oil and the finest black truffles – along with the best Asiago cheese and all the other ingredients involved in the making of these sauces. Then the sauce is slowly cooked over a low heat for hours to bring the sauce its well-balanced thickness and great taste.

MarDona also kept the sodium and calorie levels as low as possible, and the sauces are – of course – gluten free.

MarDona prides itself in having the finest in gourmet products while providing them at affordable prices. So, come and enjoy the new MarDona Pasta Sauces today. MarDona is sure everyone will enjoy the diverse taste and the flavors of great tomato sauce. Manga!

MarDona 855.645.7772 www.mardonausa.com

Odyssey Greek Yogurt Dips Klondike Cheese Company introduces a healthier alternative to traditional sour cream based dips with its Odyssey® brand Greek Yogurt Dips. These glutenfree and rBST- free cow’s milk dips add a refreshing taste to the dairy section.

Odyssey Greek Yogurt Dips have 40 percent fewer calories per serving, three times the protein per serving and half the fat per serving compared to traditional sour cream based dips.

“Our line of Greek Yogurt Dips are perfect for dipping veggies, chips or crackers in, spread on sandwiches or

burgers and used as a topping on baked potatoes or tacos,” stated Luke Buholzer, VP of sales at Klondike Cheese Company. “Consumers are excited about the line of Odyssey Greek Yogurt Dips not only because of the flavor and nutrition, but they like understanding where it is coming from.”

Odyssey Greek Yogurt Dips come in three delicious flavors: Southwest, French Onion and Bell Pepper and the newest Tzatiki.

Odyssey Brands www.odysseybrands.com

Urban Accents Movie Night Set The makers of specialty foods at Stonewall Kitchen are excited to bring your customers gourmet popcorn from Urban Accents. Dedicated to helping home cooks succeed in the kitchen, Urban Accents crafts a wide array of premium seasonings to add some flair to the humble kernel. Produced in small batches, their products are here to spice up everything from movie nights to TV marathons.

A great gift for film buffs, the Urban Accents Movie Night Set includes a multiverse of flavors for customers’ favorite

flicks. Each set includes three Non-GMO Project Verified kernels in varieties including fluffy white, ruby red and a sweet tricolor blend as well as five mini versions of their gluten free, zero-calorie popcorn seasonings for sprinkling on top. From cheesy white Cheddar to kettle corn to spicy chili lime, customers will find their perfect popcorn combo for any streaming session!

Stonewall Kitchen www.stonewallkitchen.com

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JUNE 2022

aroma, this smooth blend features notes of sweet caramel for a wonderful contrast to savory breakfast favorites such as omelets and quiche. It’s a cup of joe your customers can be sure to feel good about!

Stonewall Kitchen www.stonewallkitchen.com

Jake’s Nut Roasters Buffalo Almonds Jake, a fourth-generation member of the Jasper family, is proud to continue the farming traditions of his great-grandfather that have been passed down for over 70 years.

Jake’s Nut Roasters is pleased to announce the most recent flavor addition to the Jake’s can lineup: Buffalo Almonds.

Jake’s Buffalo Almonds are bursting with the bold flavor of cayenne pepper, vinegar and spices. They provide a little tanginess with just the right amount of heat – the perfect addition to your snacking routine on a hot summer day with a cold beverage in hand.

These almonds are “Straight from Jake’s Orchard,” showcasing the company’s vertical integration and commitment to sustainable growing practices.

Jake’s almonds provide the quintessential plant-based protein and make eating this healthy snack both fun and satisfying.

Produced in a dedicated peanut-free facility, these premium California almonds are dry roasted and seasoned in small batches to deliver exceptional quality.

Jake’s Nut Roasters 7ounce cans have a cool, classic appearance that look great on store shelves, kitchen counters and table centerpieces.

They also make the perfect gift!

Since 1948, a commitment to quality and innovation has propelled many fine Jasper Specialty Foods products into the hands of health-conscious almond lovers around the world. Jake’s Nut Roasters can also be found on Amazon.

Jasper Specialty Foods 800.255.1641 www.jasperspecialtyfoods.com www.jakesnutroasters.com

JoGo Eco-Straw Each year, billions of coffee pods are thrown away – enough to circle the entire earth over 10 times – and 1.5 million trees are cut down every year to satisfy demand for paper coffee filters. Luckily, there’s a better way to brew.

JoGo is designed to fight against disposable culture by eliminating the need for paper filters, coffee pods, to-go coffee cups, and plastic straws. JoGo allows you to brew and drink

coffee in the same cup.

Designed by outdoor educators and coffee lovers, the JoGo straw offers all the robust flavor of a French press with the ease of instant.

Drop a scoop of ground coffee into a mug, add hot water, pop in the JoGo and enjoy.

JoGo www.jogostraw.com

New Hard Seltzer from Sparkling Ice Sparkling Ice SPIKED™ is Sparkling Ice’s entry into the burgeoning alcoholic bubbly beverages category.

The new full-flavored spiked seltzer is offered in four flavors: Cherry Lime Cooler, Lemonade Refresher, Ruby Fizz and Strawberry Citrus

Smash, each with 4 percent alcohol, zero sugar and only 80 calories. It’s offered in slim 12-ounce cans in a 12can variety pack.

Sparkling Ice www.sparklingicespiked.com

GOURMET NEWS

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JUNE 2022

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Cara Mia On-the-Go Artichokes

Ariston Infused Salts

Providing quality artichokes and other marinated vegetable products since 1955, Cara Mia is a top choice when it comes to specialty jarred vegetables.

To adapt to the changing needs of consumers, Cara Mia has introduced its newest, on-the-go, liquid-free artichokes that are packaged using vacuum-seal technology to allow the artichokes to retain their crisp, fresh and delicious texture – without the use of preservatives. These liquid-free artichokes are the perfect single-serving size – ideal for carrying along anywhere, anytime. Enjoy the crisp, lively flavor of Cara Mia artichokes without the mess – simply peel the seal, hear the puff of freshness and enjoy!

Try Ariston’s newest arrivals from Greece.

These gorgeous infused salts come with their own adjustable stainless-steel mill.

They are both a gourmet food item and a little kitchen tool all in one. A must in every kitchen and store counter.

Artichokes are a great out-of-hand and snack pair deliciously with salads, pizza, and dips more.

The greatest part is Cara Mia artichokes are available all year long. It is one of those guilt-free pleasures that are sure to satisfy.

Borges USA www.borgesusa.com

Fall River Wild Rice Interest in plants and grains is soaring, as shoppers look for new ways to eat healthy.

High in protein and fiber, nutty and with a striking visual appeal, wild rice is one of the healthiest grains available. It was a staple food of several Native American tribes, who called it “manoomin,” or “precious grain.”

Fall River Wild Rice brings this culinary gem to your store shelf. This naturally cultivated wild rice is great in salads, soups and stir fries. However, it also works well in mixes for pancakes and muffins and even in chocolate and desserts. Fall River’s Fully Cooked Wild Rice is high-protein good-

ness in seconds.

The only cereal grain native to North America, wild rice is not even a rice at all.

It is the seed of Zizania palustris, a tall, blooming water grass that prospers in the Great Lakes region, as well as in the fruitful valley in the shadows of the Sierra Nevadas and the Rockies.

Fall River Wild Rice is a small grower-owned cooperative in the Fall River Valley, a rural mountain valley nestled between the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges.

Fall River Wild Rice 800.626.4366 www.fallriverwildrice.com

Belgian Boys’ Upcycled Stroopwafel The Brooklyn-based food startup Belgian Boys is partnering with Misfits Market to launch Upcycled Stroopwafel – available exclusively via the Misfits online marketplace.

What is an upcycled stroopwafel, you say? Listen to Belgian Boys Co-founder Gregg Galel: “In the process of making the round cookie shape of the stroopwafel, there are delicious waffle pieces left behind. Typically about 3 percent of scraps are mixed back into the batter, but we upped the game to take more than four times the delicious

leftovers and minimize food waste as much as possible.”

The Stroopwafel is one of Belgian Boys’ best-selling treats. Like the original, the Upcycled Stroopwafel is made with premium non-GMO ingredients and is Kosher certified, nut free and free from high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Belgian Boys www.belgianboys.com

Vermont Village Maple & Honey Apple Cider Vinegar Customers can feel good to their core with Vermont Village flavored apple cider vinegars from Stonewall Kitchen. Steeped in New England tradition, these products are kept raw and unfiltered with the living nutrients known as the “mother” intact for a superior taste any health-conscious consumer is sure to love.

Paying homage to Vermont’s sugar houses and apple orchards, the Organic Maple & Honey Apple Cider Vinegar is crafted from the finest, most wholesome ingredients to ensure the best quality. As the name suggests, it gets its smooth fin-

ish from the sweet combo of maple and honey, which mellows the tart taste of vinegar for the perfect sipping experience.

Customers will love to shoot it straight or stir it into fizzy seltzer for their daily dose of apple goodness!

Stonewall Kitchen www.stonewallkitchen.com

They come in the following flavors: • Plain Sea Salt from Greece.

• Greek Salad Infused Sea Salt (beautiful blend of rosemary, oregano and sundried tomato) pairs well with Ariston Select EVOO & Med Herb infused olive oil).

• Garlic & Basil infused sea salt. Excellent with Ariston traditional balsamic, caprese salads, cheeses; great with pasta and Italian meat, too; beautiful color as well.

• Lemon & Turmeric infused sea salt. Excellent with chicken, seafood, rice, potatoes, eggs and anywhere that needs the brightness of lemon flavor and the healthy and earth flavor of turmeric.

• Black Sea Salt (sea salt with all natural cuttlefish black ink). Keep your guests guessing what’s your secret ingredient.

Tastes like sea salt with a subtle hint of seafood. Also works excellent as a salt rim for a cocktail and bloody Mary drink.

• Smoked Sea Salt. Excellent with all meats and seafood. It tastes like you have

been smoking your food for hours without all the work. Excellent and bold flavor – a little goes a long way.

• Plain Pink Himalayan (from the Himalayan Mountains).

Try them all!

Ariston Specialties 860.263.8498 www.aristonspecialties.com

White Coffee Teams With Mars White Coffee, importer and roaster, is teaming up with Mars to extend its iconic brands into the specialty coffee market for flavored coffee and cocoa products under the leading brands M&M’s, Snickers, Twix, MilkyWay, 3Musketeers and Dove. Products will include flavored bagged coffee, hot cocoa and foodservice options.

White Coffee expects the coffee products to be available later this year.

“The Mars brands evoke happiness and our coffees, designed to complement the taste sensations of these iconic brands, are a perfect match,” says White Coffee Executive Vice President Jonathan White.

The coffee varieties will be on display at

the Fancy Food Show held June 12-14 at the Javits Center in New York City.

The licensed partnership was brokered by Mars Wrigley’s licensing agency, Brand Central.

White Coffee is based in Long Island City, N.Y., and is a third-generation, certified womanowned business, in operation since 1939.

Its products are available in retail outlets throughout the United States, online or via phone.

White Coffee 800.221.0140 • 718.204.7900 www.whitecoffee.com

Howard Wax-It-All Howard Wax-It-All is a food-grade paste wax that is safe for any surface where food contact may occur. This thick, smooth blend of beeswax, carnauba wax and food-grade mineral oil helps to revive, seal and protect surfaces in and around your home. Use Wax-It-All on butcher block, concrete, stainless steel, granite, marble, soapstone, slate and laminate countertop surfaces; metal, plastic furniture and painted cabinets.

Features and benefits: • Enhances the beauty and protects surfaces to make them look better and last longer • Easy to use – simply rub the wax on, let it absorb and buff off any excess • Safe for indoor and outdoor countertop surfaces • Helps delay tarnishing and oxidation of bronze, copper, brass and even wrought iron • Gives finishes a soft sheen and a smooth

feel • Locks in the oils and waxes after using Howard’s other food-grade products • Great for woodworkers who need a hard, carnauba wax finish • Made in the USA with food-grade ingredients under strict quality controls Start selling Howard Wax-It-All today! Minimum wholesale orders are only six cases (free freight).

Howard Products 800.266.9545 www.howardproducts.com

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GOURMET NEWS

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JUNE 2022

SMORGASBORD

TRADESHOWCALENDAR (dates subject to change)

June 5-7

August 28-30

IDDBA 2022

Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo

Atlanta, Georgia www.iddba.org

Los Angeles, California www.westernfoodexpo.com

June 7-9

September 11-14

Global Pouch Forum

Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference & Expo

Rosemont, Illinois wwww.packagingstrategies.com/ global-pouch-forum

Miami, Florida www.foodengineeringmang.com

June 12-14

September 12-14

Summer Fancy Food Show

Americas Food & Beverage Show

New York, New York www.specialtyfood.com

Miami, Florida www.americasfoodandbeverage.com

June 24-25

September 17-22

Coffee Fest

International Baking Industry Exposition

Chicago, Illinois www.coffeefest.com/chicago

Las Vegas, Nevada www.bakingexpo.com

July 9-11

September 28-October 2

Texas Restaurant Association Marketplace

World Dairy Expo

Madison, Wisconsin www.worlddairyexpo.com

Dallas, Texas www.tramarketplace.com

September 29-October 1 July 13-14

Natural Products Expo East

Organic Produce Summit

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania www.expoeast.com

Monterey, California www.organicproducesummit.com

October 7-8 July 20-23

Coffee Fest PNW

American Cheese Society Annual Conference

Seattle,Washington www.coffeefest.com/pnw

Portland, Oregon www.cheesesociety.or/2022-conference

October 25-28

The Gathering

Orlando, Florida www.thegatheringevent.com/east

July 26-29

BIOFACH

Nürnberg, Germany www.biofach.de/en

October 27-29

PMA Fresh Summit

July 28-29

Orlando, Florida www.pma.com/events/freshsummit

Product Marketing Association Foodservice Conference

Monterey, California www.freshproduct.com

October 31-November 3

August 28-30

Las Vegas, Nevada west/supplysideshow.com

Supply Side West

Coffee Fest

Los Angeles, California www.coffeefest.com/los-angeles

ADVERTISER INDEX ADVERTISER

PAGE

WEBSITE

International Baking Industry Exposition

2

www.bakingexpo.com

Klondike Cheese Co.

9

www.odysseybrands.com

MarDona Specialty Foods

17

www.mardonaspecialtyfoods.com

STAR Fine Foods

5

www.starfinefoods.com

Stonewall Kitchen

4, 7, 24

www.stonewallkitchen.com

The French Farm

2

www.thefrenchfarm.com

White Coffee

3

www.whitecoffee.com

Global Pouch Forum Speakers Set Todd Maute of CBX will present the keynote speech, “The Private Label Phenomenon: Past, Present & Future,” at the Global Pouch Forum, which is slated for June 7-9 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Ill. Maute will discuss how over its 100plus years of existence, as private label evolved, quality was compromised to meet a price point and focus shifted to mimicking national brand competitors. As a result, sales leveled off. Private label sales grew when the economy suffered, because of a consumer need versus a consumer want.

Today, Maute says, retailers are reverting to origins private label by investing in developing differentiated products that consumers love and packaging them in powerful brands that consumers want.

Other speakers will include GoodBelly CEO Juan Gluth on “Flexible for Consumer Convenience,” Alison Keane of the Flexible Packaging Association on “The State of the Flexible Packaging Industry,” Natalie Quarberg of Dream Pops on “Dream Pops Transitions to Recyclable Packaging,” Prashant Kotkar of RR Donnelley on “The Crucial Role of Pressure Sensi-

tive Labels to Support Circular Economy,” Jorge Izquierdo of PMMI on “Shaping the Future of Packaging Operations” and Dan Blackburn of Kimberly-Clark on “The Current Market Dynamics of Mechanical and Advanced Recycling.”

In addition, Claire Koelsch Sand of Packaging Technology and Research will discuss “Top Three Packaging Solutions to Prevent Food Waste.”

If food waste were a country, Sand says, it would rank third behind China and the United States with a carbon footprint of about 3.3 billion tons of CO2. The number of science-based packaging solutions to reduce food waste is abundant at first glance in comparison to the few systems-based identified solutions. Assessing packaging solutions by their ability to halt major degradative reactions in food offers a pragmatic- and science-based approach.

From this approach, Sand says, the top three packaging solutions to prevent food waste – intelligent packaging, nano-based material science and value chain innovation – will be explored. Included in the session are the impact (dollars of food waste prevented) of packaging solutions for specific foods, as well as case studies. GN

IDF World Dairy Summit Registration Open After a two-year recess due to the COVID19 pandemic, IDF World Dairy Summit 2022 – set for Sept. 12-15 in New Delhi, India – is open for registration.

International Dairy Federation WDS 2022 brings together dairy experts, leaders and interested stakeholders from around the world to connect, learn and exchange about the dairy sector worldwide. Among the summit’s attendants will be business leaders, scientists and technicians, health and nutrition experts, marketing professionals and a diverse, international audience.

Under the theme “Dairy for nutrition and livelihood,” WDS 2022’s program includes various scientific, technical, business and marketing sessions.

The 2022 edition will introduce the IDF Dairy Innovation Awards and the Early Career Scientist Prize, both of which will be awarded during the event, as well as the existing awards and acknowledgments: the IDF Award, for remarkable contributions to global dairy; IDF Prize of Excellence, for out-

standing recent contribution to the Work Programme of IDF; and the Yves Boutonnat International Milk Promotion Trophy, a competition initiated in 1989 by the IMP Group.

“India last hosted the International Dairy Congress in the year 1974,” said Meenesh Shah, chairman of NDDB and member secretary of INC-IDF. “Those were the years when we kick-started our ambitious plan to become self-sufficient.

“Today, India is the largest milk-producing country in the world and this feat has been achieved through millions of small and marginal dairy farmers for whom dairying is an important source of livelihood. The tremendous transformation of the Indian Dairy Sector in the last 50 years is worth witnessing and we are eagerly looking forward to welcoming all stakeholders to come to India and make the IDF World Dairy Summit 2022 truly a global event again,” Shah said.

The forum also includes technical tours of Indian production and processing sites. GN

eGrowcery Platform Accepts EBT SNAP Retailers using eGrowcery’s e-commerce platform can now accept Electronic Benefits Transfer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments. eGrowcery worked with the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create a system that meets all government requirements while expanding shopping options for people facing food security issues.

“Every shopper should be able to order online for store pickup or delivery. Accepting SNAP benefits for digital orders will help our retail partners provide all of their customers with the convenient shopping

opportunities they deserve,” said CEO Patrick Hughes.

Shoppers ordering online through eGrowcery’s solution can use EBT SNAP for all eligible products and buy noneligible items with their EBT Cash account as well.

This additional option is not made available by all e-commerce platforms, Hughes said.

The eGrowcery platform is an end-toend, omnichannel solution that integrates with back-office/point of sale systems while enabling retailers to personalize their own shopper experience. GN