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/769179
FROM THE SOLUTION CENTER: ADVICE FOR NEW FOOD COMPANIES, DEVELOPING A FOOD SAFETY PLAN, AND WHAT CORE CONSUMERS NEED FROM THEIR SHOPPING EXPERIENCE The SFA Blog on the specialtyfood.com Solution Center offers specialized blog posts from Association members and staff on a variety of important topics. What's the One Piece of Advice You'd Give to a New Food Company? Head of Content Denise Purcell poses an important question to veteran producers in the specialty food industry: What piece of guidance would you give to someone just starting out? The advice came from a variety of experts whose companies range from three to 30 years old, and highlights the benefits of their experiences. Notable pieces of advice come from people such as Scott Norton of Sir Kensington's, Tressa Cooper of Earth and Vine Provisions, and Jonathan Milo Leal of Milo's Whole World Gourmet, among many others. Developing a Food Safety Plan. As the deadlines for the Food Safety Modernization Act rapidly approach, Ron Tanner, vice president of philanthropy, government, and industry relations at the SFA, highlights the importance of creating a food safety plan that should be managed by people in production, and can include employees in main- tenance, sanitation, quality assurance, and purchasing, as well as marketing and logistics. The FDA defines this plan as "a set of written documents that is based on food safety principles; incorporates hazard analysis, preventive controls, supply-chain programs, and a recall plan; and delineates the procedures to be followed for monitoring, corrective actions, and verifications." The completion of this plan is a manufacturer's first step toward complying with the Food Safety Modernization Act. What Are Your Biggest Gripes About the Industry? As specialty food producers and suppliers, there are plenty of things to balance day to day, including complications that can happen along the way. Denise Purcell compiles respones from SFA manufacturer members on their biggest gripes about the specialty food business, with top issues including the cost of doing business with distributors and large retail chains, and regulatory and product claim confusion. Members are welcome to join the discussion of these and other topics by logging into the Solution Center with their username and password. Specialty Food Association Wins Accolades and Recognition T he talented content and media and exhibitions arms of the Specialty Food Association received recognition and a variety of accolades in 2016. On October 31, Specialty Food News won a 2016 Folio: Eddie Award in the Digital News Coverage, Association/Non-Profit (B-to-B) category, for its extensive news coverage of "Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream's Listeria Outbreak and Recall Recovery." Denise Purcell, head of content, Maria San Andres, art director, and Eva Meszaros, freelance contributor, were the team behind the story. The Summer and Winter Fancy Food Shows were both recognized at Trade Show Executive's Gold 100 Awards & Summit, where the focus was the evolu- tion of the trade show industry. The Summer Show was ranked 48, and the Winter Show came in at 98, with Chris Nemchek, senior vice president of sales and business development, as the featured guest at the Power Lunch, where he was interviewed by Phil McKay, founder, president and CEO of nGage Events LLC. Nemchek also appeared on the October cover of Trade Show Executive magazine. "Recognition for the success of our business platforms in media and events/exhibitions is always an honor," says Becky Renfro Borbolla, chair of the Specialty Food Association's Board of Directors. "We have strong, adept teams in the editorial, creative, and business sides. Their efforts have resulted in the steady growth of the Summer and Winter Fancy Food Shows, and in the consistent notice received for exceptional news coverage." SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION TO HOST BUSINESS SUMMIT IN APRIL The first-annual Specialty Food Business Summit will take place April 2–4, 2017, in Chicago, at the Marriott O'Hare. This summit will give attendees the opportunity to follow one of two tracks of education to better their business: Digital Marketing and E-Commerce, or Operations and Management. With a variety of top-tier experts leading hands-on inten- sive workshops on topics from SEO and content strategy, to email marketing and influencer marketing, to managing the supply chain, human resources and financing your business, attendees will walk away with experience and insight that will help their businesses grow. For more information and to register for the summit, visit specialtyfood.com/sfbs. WINTER 2017 103