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/438836
trends & happenings LABELS & PACKAGING OF THE FUTURE The newest labels slated to hit the market are the most advanced yet. One coming out of the University of Alberta in Canada changes color when it detects microbes like E. coli, salmonella, or listeria in meat and perishables. Another, the Bump Mark, has a gelatin-flled food expiration label that turns from smooth to bumpy at the same rate that the food inside spoils; its creator is in talks with frms for development. And a third smart label, now in production from Insignia Technologies, aims to help prevent food waste by changing color to show when produce is start- ing to spoil. Meanwhile, Tetra Pak has unveiled the world's frst beverage carton made entirely from plant- based materials. Available in early 2015, the cartons will be made from low-density polyethylene flms and bio-based high-density polyethylene caps, both derived from sugar cane, and paperboard certifed by the Forest Stewardship Council. Tetra Pak is making it easy for existing custom- ers to make the switch. Companies using the standard 1-L Tetra Rex with TwistCap OSO 34 will be able to move to the plant-based cartons with- out having to modify equipment. Online Sales Soar Global online sales of packaged goods, including foods, are on track to hit $53 billion by 2016, according to Kantar Worldpanel. Big-name brands will make up a hefty portion of those sales, but small specialty producers are command- ing a larger share as well. The Specialty Food Association and Mintel's 2014 report "Today's Specialty Food Consumer" revealed almost half of specialty food consumers say they buy gourmet food online. They are also more likely than the average consumer to use social media, such as Facebook and Pinterest, to talk and learn about food. GMOS RETURN TO THE LAB Factor GMO, a group backed by research institutions in Russia, the U.S., and Europe, will launch a $25 million study to examine the health impacts of GMO corn and herbicides. Beginning in 2015 the researchers will study 6,000 lab rats fed genetically modified food and pesticides. The study will address numerous concerns, including whether GMO food and associated pesticide use are safe for human health, and toxicity levels in Roundup herbicide (made by biotech giant Monsanto) and its active ingredient glyphosate. The researchers in charge of the study have no connection to the biotech industry or the anti-GMO movement, and the Russian National Association for Genetic Safety, the initiator and coordinator of the proj- ect, had no involvement in designing the study. Testing will take place at undisclosed locations in Russia and Western Europe. The group intends to make the funding process completely transparent, and a full list of funders will be provided at the start of the experimental phase. amount invested in food-related tech companies in just the first half of 2014— more than double the amount invested in all of 2013 Source: Rosenheim Advisors $4 billion Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor for Specialty Food Magazine. 20 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com