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://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/165618
"Non-GMO is so new that companies are just starting to get verifed." well. Coconut milk is a popular substitute in making vegan caramels, appearing in Desiderio chocolates, Hey Boo sauces and JJ's Sweets Cocomels. Sjaaks and Enjoy Life Foods employ rice milk in making their "milk" chocolate bars. Raw is a wavering trend that may have potential if offerings improve. Gizella Otterson, assistant general manager at Bklyn Larder in Brooklyn, N.Y., says it had a strong start. "When Bklyn Larder first opened [in 2009], there was quite a demand for it, but in the last few years it's definitely tapered off," she says, citing imperfect texture for its lack of appeal. Still, a subset of customers are asking for it, says Michael Moody, natural foods coordinator at Oliver's Market in Northern California, and options exist from noteworthy producers, such as Equal Exchange and Go Raw Chocolate, the latter of which Oliver's Market carries. Non-GMO. Last year's California Proposition 37, to mandate labeling of all food products that contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, was defeated but it was ultimately a win for supporters, as the aggressive campaigning it spurred drew national attention. "Ever since then, our customers have been much more aware of GMOs," Van Hee says. Whole Foods Market furthered the cause with its own commitment to mandate labeling of its more than 300,000 SKUs by 2018. While it's all but set to propel sweeping change in the supply chain, non-GMO is still a fresh concept in confections. "Non-GMO is so new that companies are just starting to get verified," Van Hee says, referencing the verification process offered by third-party certifier the Non-GMO Project. As of this past August, more than 700 products from 65 confectionery, dessert and sweetener producers have non-GMO verification, says Caroline Kinsman, communications manager at the Non-GMO Project. Among those early-bird confections are The Ginger People's Gin Gins, Go Naturally's hard candies, Theo Chocolate and the Surf Sweets line. "It's not easy; the verification process definitely takes a lot of time," concedes TruSweets' Cohen, but he believes in its importance. "[It's] something that I think will also help create better ingredients and can lead ingredient suppliers out there to understand what they need to do to be part of this process." The verification is already beginning to impact buyer decisions. "There are times when I'll turn down products because of GMO soy [or] GMO corn," says Moody. Organic certification, already a mainstay in specialty foods, meets the requirements for non-GMO certification, so educating consumers about that common ground can guide customers to existing confectionery options—such as YumEarth candies and Fearless Chocolate—while the non-GMO movement catches up. A Clean Sweep The days of the dense ingredient list strewn with unpronounceable terms is on its way out. More people are taking greater interest in what's in their food, where it comes from and how it affects them, Van Hee explains. "I think that's only growing," she says. "So I think all these different specialty diets grow along with that." From a marketing standpoint, Cohen sees an emerging type of shopper, called the caring mom. "This mom really cares about what she's feeding her children," he explains, whether it is GMOs, artificial ingredients or allergies causing concern. "There are a growing number of moms like this. So it's important for retailers to make sure they're catering to this mom in all their different categories but especially in confectionery, because moms want to be able to give clean treats— especially for special occasions—to their children." Eva Meszaros is associate editor of Specialty Food Magazine. SEPTEMBER 2013 51