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/62387
food trends This month we look at celebrity wines, vegetables in the culinary forefront, bus-top gardens and other trends. V Vegetables Take Center Stage egetables have moved to the culi- nary forefront, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts and CCD Innovation. The prolifera- tion of farmers markets and consum- ers' increasing knowledge of exotic and heirloom varieties have given vegetables the boost they deserve. No longer a dinner accompaniment, veggies are coming up as the main ingredients in green breakfast smooth- ies, filled with kale, parsley and cucum- bers, and in desserts beyond carrot cake, such as smoked white chocolate parfaits with fennel mousse. Greens are in—especially kale, with its super- food profile, poised to follow in the path of baby spinach and bagged greens to become a mainstream addi- tion to the shopping cart. Finally, for time-crunched consumers, especially the younger sets, fresh-veggie juice bars and veggie-juice detox cleansing programs are all the rage. M BY DENISE SHOUKAS Waterproof Culinary Tablet ade especially for wannabe pro chefs, the new French Qooq (pronounced "cook") tablet sports a waterproof display and buttons with a kickstand for easy viewing and claims to be drop-resistant should buttery fingers lose their grip. It goes beyond a normal tablet by offering an array of custom content, including 3,500 recipes from more than 100 renowned chefs (many with technique-demonstrating videos), an ingredient database, wine and cuisine tutorials and a digital culinary magazine. Users can easily adjust quantities to suit the number of people being fed, create shopping lists and customize and share recipes with friends and family. Hitting the U.S. market this fall, the Qooq tablet will retail for $400, and after the initial one month of free access to content, users can sign up for paid subscriptions. The device also includes typical tablet essentials, such as a web browser, email access, and MP3 and video players. A Amy's Kitchen Opens Health Clinic my's Kitchen revolutionized the frozen-food category in 1987 by introducing the first line of certified-organic frozen entrees, breathing life into the then stagnant category. This year the company has broken new ground again by opening two health-care facilities across the street from its plants, for the use of employees and their families for a small $5 co-pay each visit. While it was logistically challenging to cre- ate, the biggest concern was "making sure our employees would embrace the idea of a health center," says Cindy Gillespie, director of human resources at Amy's. "We did this by starting with focus groups when we were in the initial stages of develop- ing the idea and continued with several communication programs that engaged our employees. The results have been exceptional." She adds, "Both health centers have been busy since their initial opening in early 2012." For Amy's, the hope is to expand employees' access to medical care while saving money in the long run by improving the health of its workforce. Hispanic Influence on Eating H ispanics now constitute 16 percent of the U.S. population, and the U.S. Census indi- cates this group is expected to grow 34 percent by 2020. Not only are Hispanics an important segment to market to, but they're influencing the way non-Hispanic Americans eat, according to market researcher NPD Group. Hispanics have stuck to their dining traditions, influencing national consumption patterns, especially at breakfast with the influx of tortilla varieties available. Other breakfast options are consumed less often among this group compared with non-Hispanics' consumption. For example, hot cereal has a 10 percent share among non-Hispanic breakfast options, while that number for Hispanics is only 6 percent. MORE TRENDS: DOMESTIC CURED MEATS, P. 54 14 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com PHOTO: COURTESY OF FRENCH QOOQ PHOTO: BIGSTOCK