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/950112
trends & happenings Where There's a Will, There's a Whey Greek yogurt—one of America's most popular breakfast and snack items—produces a heaping amount of excess whey. In 2012, New York state alone made 315,000 tons of yogurt, and left 630,000 tons of whey behind as waste. A recent research paper from Cornell University announced the discovery of a way to use bacteria and the otherwise wasted whey to create biofuel and food for livestock. By combining the waste—made up of lactose, fructose, and lac- tic acid—with a group of bacteria, they produce green antimicrobials that, if produced in large quantities, could be used by farmers to add to feed as a replacement for antibiot- ics, eliminating the worry of creat- ing antibiotic resistance. If left to produce more chemical reactions, it could become biofuel. The feed option is the most promising, but researchers need to figure out how to make the chemical reaction on an enormous scale first.—D.S. Taking a Bite Out of Data One of the top restaurant trends for 2018 has nothing to do with new cuts of meat or vegetable carb substitutes—and everything to do with data. According to the Winsight 2018 Restaurant Trends Forecast, the level of personalization that restaurants achieve by gathering data on their clients will set them apart. "Today's customer is looking for more than just good food; they want an experience," says Sara Rush Wirth, managing editor of Winsight's Restaurant Business Magazine. "And the only way for operators to really tailor that experience is to know their guests." Establishments can gather data to create more efficient purchasing and production or hyper-customized menus based on past purchases. "Already, customers have shown that they are growing more comfortable sharing personal information with restaurants, as long as there is some kind of perceived value in the exchange," said Rush Wirth. Value may be realized as a promotion tied to a favorite dish, a geo-targeted message around lunchtime, or a personalized discount to encourage repeat traffic.—D.S. APPLES IN SPACE Domex Superfresh Growers has launched its popular Autumn Glory apple into the atmosphere on a homemade weather bal- loon, which traveled 75 miles, reaching an altitude of 116,000 feet, and temperatures of -77° F. This inventive marketing ploy was intended to get consumers excited about its exclusive variety, which sold out last year. Two cameras documented the trip.—D.S. in sales of single-serve snacks in 2017, with 98 percent of U.S. households purchasing such items at least once, according to Food Processing. $33,000,000,000 16 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com