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.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/328566
Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 458 see the move as a positive one, encouraging consumer education and a greater appre- ciation of specialty offerings. For those who support broader societal shifts, the grocery giant's role is seen as game-changing. "If there's going to be a sea change, they have the buying power to inf luence farmers to do things correctly and have companies ... change the way that they choose their ingre- dients," says Nate Plutko, grocery buyer at Delaurenti Food & Wine in Seattle, Wash. "They're setting the foundation." In the meantime, buyers are getting proactive, reviewing what is GMO-free in their current offerings as well as using it as a component in evaluating new pitches. Plutko says he pays particular attention to incoming products being considered for inclusion on Delaurenti's shelves, as does Marczyk. "It's on my list of questions to ask of producers," says Weir, who adds that he's been considering adding signage and start- ing to contemplate changes to the market's prepared foods menu. "This is something that is important to my customers," he explains. "They've voiced that to us." A handful of specialty grocers are tak- ing a bolder stance on GMOs. Some, like Mom's Organic Market, based in the DC Metro region, are no longer accepting prod- Non-GMO ranks second- highest among infuential product claims that manufacturers produce (42%) and sell (31%). More than 2 in 3 specialty food retailers report selling non-GMO products. 86% of distributors agree the natural/ ethical claim that will grow most in the next 3 years is non-GMO. THE STATE OF THE 2014 SPECIALTY FOOD INDUSTRY o r g a n i c NON GMO SOURCE: SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION/MINTEL 38 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com lede_GMO.indd 38 6/5/14 11:44 AM