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/654717
EDITOR'S LETTER Opportunities for the Supply Chain SPRING 2016 1 SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION MEMBERS: Discuss this topic in the Solution Center on specialtyfood.com E ach year in our annual State of the Specialty Food Industry report, in addition to publishing product category dollar and unit sales figures, we survey the supply chain. Beyond the bench- marking sales and operational data respondents provide, the most insightful information comes from their comments about where they stand today and what they envision for the future. Denise Purcell Editor, Specialty Food Magazine dpurcell@specialtyfood.com This year's remarks show strong agreement in three areas where they see the potential for future growth: Non-GMO products. Throughout the supply chain, non- GMO comes up as a product claim with staying power among consumers. Themes for 2016 include seeking non-GMO cer- tification or developing new products. Retailers surveyed plan to continue emphasis in response to consumer interest. "We sell lots of products to Whole Foods Market, so being non- GMO is important today," noted one distributor. The foodservice channel. When asked about their biggest success in 2015, comments from several manufacturers cen- tered around foodservice segments, whether the "airline in- dustry," "top chefs using our product," "a permanent SKU cre- ated for a hotel," or "expansion through a QSR chain." Plans for 2016 center around creating new offerings and increasing the customer base. Private-label sales. Pushing more private-label efforts was a resounding theme from suppliers, importers, distributors, brokers, and buyers alike, who counted the "securing of new clients" and "creation of [our] own private-label lines" among their biggest successes and focal points for the coming year. With more companies turning attention to these growth areas, our editorial and educational content team is developing resources to help. • As the debate about mandatory GMO labeling at the state level plays out in Congress, Specialty Food News regularly features updates about proposed legislation. • In this foodservice-themed issue of the magazine, you'll find information about revolutionary chefs, ground- breakers in the fine-dining and fast-casual segments, and prominent culinary trends for 2016. We've also recently published a white paper, "Getting Started in Foodservice," available for download via the specialty food.com Knowledge Center. • Finally, while private label can be an opportunity to maximize sales and capacity, its growth is viewed by some as a potential threat to branded products. We will be hosting a webinar this fall to enlighten on the chal- lenges and benefits of this segment. Supply chain participants provided many more candid comments and in the coming weeks you can turn to The SFA Blog in the specialtyfood.com Solution Center to read and weigh in on topics ranging from biggest industry gripes to the impact of current legislation around FSMA and natural prod- uct labeling. In the meantime, turn to p. 81 in this issue for more highlights from the 2016 State of the Specialty Food Industry report, and visit specialtyfood.com/stateindustry2016 for ac- cess to more comprehensive details about this year's research.