Specialty Food Magazine

Summer 2016

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 Róisín Cameron, Denise Purcell and Denise Shoukas are managing editor, editor, and contributing editor, respectively, for Specialty Food Magazine. World's Biggest Wine-Drinking Countries Revealed Annual wine consumption per person in the U.S. stands at 10.25 liters, according to research from the Wine Institute. Consumption is far higher in other countries, though, and 14 of the top 15 nations for wine consump- tion are in Europe, with Uruguay being the sole exception. Vatican City tops the list, with the average resident consuming 52.26 liters a year. The study attributes this to its older residents, who tend to eat together in groups and consume Communion wine as standard practice. Andorra places second at 46.26 liters consumed per capita, while France places fifth with 42.5 liters of wine drank each year.—R.C. US MEAL KIT SALES TO HIT $1.5B THIS YEAR According to a new report by Packaged Facts, the U.S. meal kit delivery services market will generate $1.5 billion in sales in 2016 and is poised to become a multi-billion mar- ket over the next fve years. The projection is based on the number of meal kit delivery services around the country, the current numbers of meal shipments and growth rates claimed by marketers, and the entry of such services from retailers and food marketers. Packaged Facts defnes online meal kit delivery services as those that deliver to consumers' doors, or arrange the delivery of, a box or bag of fresh ingredients for one or more meals, along with a step-by-step recipe with photos showing how to cook each meal at home. The report excludes services that deliver completely cooked heat-and- eat meals and services that deliver frozen foods. The growing presence of meal kit delivery services presents a cave- at for various other segments of the food and beverage industry, accord- ing to the report. These services have the potential to disrupt both the restaurant industry and grocery industry since they offer customers the convenience of cooking a res- taurant-quality meal at home without having to grocery shop.—R.C. ERCOLE OLIVARIO AWARDS SHOWCASE ITALIAN OLIVE OIL Ercole Olivario, a competition to promote excellence in Italian olive oil, was held in Perugia, Italy, on March 19. Twelve awards were given out in six categories, judged by a panel of 16 professional tasters, in addi- tion to four special-designation awards. The competition, now in its 24th year, is organized by the Union of the Italian Chambers of Commerce, Industry, and Handicraft in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Perugia and the National Chamber System. In light of recent reports of industry fraud and mislabeling of oils as extra virgin, the organizers sought to stress the quality of artisanal Italian olive oil production. "Ercole Olivario wants to respond … as ambassador of quality, to all of the controversies of the past few months regarding the counterfeiting in the olive oil world. It would like to strongly and frmly reiterate the quality of Italian oil production, in that world made up of millers and olive farmers, whose tireless work produces this excellence of Italian cuisine," said Giorgio Menacaroni, presi- dent of the Ercole Olivario committee, in a statement. "The accusations … have nothing to do with those who dedicate their lives to the production of oil." The 2016 Ercole Olivario brought together 100 fnalists from 249 produc- ers across 17 regions of Italy. Finalists competed for top honors in the DOP (Denominazione d'Origine Protetta or Protected Denomination of Origin geo- graphical indication) and Extra (for extra-virgin varieties) categories in light, medium, and intense-fruitiness subcatego- ries. Two award winners were designated in each subcategory. Additional awards included Amphora Oleria, for best label; Lekythos, for individual with the most out- standing knowledge of tasting techniques; Special Mention for organic extra-virgin olive oil; and the New Enterprise for new startups.—Denise Purcell 144 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com

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