Specialty Food Magazine

SUMMER 2014

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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trends & happenings TRACE VALUE Transparency about the origins and sustainable nature of food ranks high when consumers make purchases. So much so that the global food track-and-trace market is expected to reach $14.1 billion by 2020, averaging 9 percent growth annually, according to Allied Market Research. Traceability trumps cost, with consumers paying more for foods they believe were sustainably produced, like meats that are raised free-range and fair trade coffee and tea. Retailers are fnding that labels on sustainable products, or those that were produced in environmentally friendly ways, are in high demand and a very effective way to engage shoppers. Giants like Whole Foods Market are meeting the needs with a new sustainability ratings system on all of its produce and fowers, rating them as "good," "better," or "best" in regard to how the products were grown, similar to its existing meat-labeling program.—D.S. Don't Cry Over Spilt Vodka Especially when it's made from milk. Packaged in the rep- lica of an old-fashioned milk bottle, Milk Money Vodka, a new premium vodka from New Zealand sold through Leche Spirits in Roswell, N.M., is twice-distilled from milk, twice filtered and offers a smooth, full-bodied taste with a sweet finish, all for $19.99 a bottle. Milk Vodka currently is only available in New Mexico but the company plans to expand to other states in the next few months.—D.S. SAPPY SWEETENER Demand for alternative sweet- eners in the U.S. is expected to increase 3.3 percent annually through 2015, reaching $1.4 bil- lion, with newer alternative sweet- eners—like stevia and agave—see- ing the fastest growth, according to market researcher Freedonia. That's good news for newcomers like Villa de Patos Organic Sweet Maguey Sap—a raw, organic sweet- ener obtained by concentrating the organic sap from the maguey plant at room temperature, giving it enhanced nutritional value over other agave syrups. Maguey's sap is rich in naturally occurring phy- tonutrients and prebiotic soluble fiber, which the company is tout- ing for its many health benefits, from digestion aid to metabolism booster, says Mayra Ortiz, direc- tor of sales and market- ing for Villa de Patos. Each spoonful of the made-in-Mexico prod- uct covers 14 percent of daily recommend- ed fiber intake. "We take extra care sourcing raw material that is not only environ- mentally sustain- able but also rep- resents a source of income to mar- ginalized commu- nities in Mexico," Ortiz adds.—D.S. PHOTO: VILLA DE PATOS PHOTO: MILK MONEY VODKA 20 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com TrendsHappenings_Summer14.indd 20 6/5/14 9:37 AM

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