Industry News – November 2007

CRFA offers new trade show, Consumers want functional foods, Smucker Foods acquires Carnation

CRFA offers new trade show
The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) has unveiled its new trade show, set to debut March 2 to 4, 2008. With the tag line “Together at Last,” the new CRFA Show amalgamates the Hostex and the Canadian Food & Beverage Show, bringing them both to downtown Toronto, under the roof of the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place.

The new location will highlight the city’s vibrant food, beverage and hospitality industry, as well as “be a showcase for Canada’s $53-billion foodservice industry, and a must-see event for foodservice operators,” says Douglas Needham, president of the CRFA. “Response to the show has been superb and we’re already looking at the possibility of a sell-out show.”

The trade show will offer a number of new features, including an Author’s Corner, with appearances and book signings by well-known cookbook, food, wine and restaurant writers. Celebrity chefs like Massimo Capra and Lynn Crawford will offer cooking demos, and a cocktail contest will allow bartenders from across the country to strut their stuff by submitting their favourite recipe to a panel of judges.

Show attendees will also have a series of free seminars to choose from, with topics such as staff recruitment and retention in a tight labour market, reducing energy costs, using flavour trends to revitalize menus, and how restaurants can go green.

Find out more about the show at www.crfa.ca.

Consumers want functional foods
New research suggests many consumers have heart health, better bones and cholesterol counts on their minds as they shop for food. A recent national survey commissioned by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) shows that not only do consumers believe that foods can provide benefits beyond basic nutrition, familiarity with these foods is at an all-time high, with 92 per cent of consumers able to name a food and health benefit, such as calcium for bone health.”

Our survey results show the American public is receptive and eager to receive nutrition information about specific foods and their health benefits. They want to make wiser choices about what kinds of foods they eat based on a desire to improve their overall well-being and their physical health,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, M.S., R.D., and director of health and nutrition for IFIC.

According to the 2007 IFIC Consumer Attitudes toward Functional Foods/Foods for Health Survey, the top ten “functional foods” or foods with health benefits beyond basic nutrition named top-of-mind by consumers were: 1) fruits and vegetables; 2) fish, fish oil, seafood; 3) milk and other dairy products; 4) whole grains, including oats, oat bran, and oatmeal; 5) fibre; 6) green tea; 7) meat; 8) water; 9) certain herbs and spices; and 10) nuts. Consistent with previous surveys, consumers overwhelmingly believe food and nutrition play the greatest role in maintaining or improving health (75 per cent) and certain foods have health benefits that go beyond basic nutrition and may reduce the risk of some diseases (85 per cent).

The top five “diet and health relationships” named by consumers in this research include:1) calcium, for promotion of bone health (89 per cent); 2) fibre, for maintaining a healthy digestive system (86 per cent); 3) Vitamin D, for promotion of bone health (81 per cent); 4) omega-3 fatty acids, for reduced risk of heart disease (76 per cent); and 5) fibre, for reduced risk of heart disease (74 per cent).

The 2007 IFIC Consumer Attitudes toward Functional Foods/Foods for Health Survey is a web-based survey of U.S. adults, 18 and older, that measures and tracks changes in consumer awareness, knowledge, behaviours and interest in functional foods, or any food or food component that may have health benefits beyond basic nutrition. The sample size in 2007 was 1,000 adults. This is the fifth edition of the survey, which was also fielded in 1998, 2000, and 2002, and 2005. The survey is planned to be fielded again in 2009.

Smucker Foods acquires Carnation
Smucker Foods of Canada Co., a subsidiary of The J.M. Smucker Company, has acquired the Canadian Carnation brand canned milk products business from Nestle Canada, including the rights to use the Carnation brand for these products in Canada. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The current line of Carnation branded milk products marketed in Canada that was acquired includes evaporated milk, thick cream, and skim milk powder, with annual net sales of approximately $50 million.In addition to the licence for the Carnation brand in the evaporated, thick cream, and powdered milk category in Canada, the acquisition includes a manufacturing facility in Sherbrooke, Que., with 29 employees. For the remainder of fiscal 2008, the acquired business is expected to add approximately $30 million in net sales and be slightly accretive to earnings.