PORTLAND, ME. (May 27, 2009) — The upcoming All Things Organic™, Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food trade shows, which also feature a focus on specialty food and health and wellness products and education, take place June 16-18, 2009, in Chicago, IL, at the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place. The events will showcase products that reflect what’s valuable to consumers in these tough economic times.
Recent studies show that consumers are evaluating what’s truly important to them. Core values such as home, health, family and sustainability are coming out on top. For example, consumers see organic products as a solution versus a luxury. According to the Organic Trade Association, U.S. sales of organic products, both food and non-food, reached $24.6 billion by the end of 2008, growing an impressive 17.1 percent over 2007 sales despite the economic downturn. Packaged Facts reports that consumer interest in experiencing new ethnic cuisines and flavors is expected to grow this year as well. The U.S. cultural food market is strong, estimated at $75 billion in annual sales. This is the equivalent of $1 out of every $7 being spent in groceries (Agricultural Marketing Resources). Packaged Facts
also reports that Hispanic and Asian food retailers, both independents and chains, are expected to experience significant growth in 2009 to serve both ethnic and mainstream consumers.
These events give buyers direct access to the hottest growth segments in today’s food market, with new and innovative products, education and tools to capitalize on today’s top consumer trends in the organic, multi-cultural, health & wellness and specialty food industry categories.
Educational events to highlight industry trends and challenges
The All Things Organic™ Conference, presented by the Organic Trade Association, and the new Health & Wellness Education Program, presented by partnership with Progressive Grocer Magazine and Nielsen Business Media, will focus on consumer trends, exclusive research and retail trends in the organic and wellness sectors.
Navigating the current market conditions also is a focus, with conference topics on “Capital Funding in Today’s Economic Crunch,” “To Survive and Thrive: Strategies for Growing Organic Sales in the Economic Downturn,” and “Organic Consumer Trends 2009: Economic Effects and Outlook.”
Exhibitors at this year’s show will feature new and innovative products on target with key industry trends. Top product trends this year include:
• Foods including functional ingredients rich with antioxidants, Omega fatty acids and more.
• Gourmet presentations of high nutrient foods such as caramelized flax seed, walnuts and out-of-the-box salad pairings of blueberry and basil.
• Kosher certified products that are also organic and gluten free.
• Stevia, Agavé and other natural low calorie sweeteners incorporated as ingredients in a variety of products, as well as stand-alone sweeteners.
• Authentic, ethnic prepared foods, exotic ingredients and flavors from markets around the world.
• Gluten-free savory and sweet snack items, breads and prepared meals.
• Whole and raw foods to meet consumer demand for unprocessed items.
• Private label organic products, lead by companies such as O Organics.
• Organic and green cleaning products to satisfy consumers’ desires for healthy products beyond food.
• Green household and functional items from Fair Trade African baskets, fine linens and jigsaw puzzles that can be planted when completed to grow flowers.
• Organic and biodynamic wine varietals, green tea beer and a full range of organic spirits.
The following is a sample of exhibitors and new and innovative products industry retail, foodservice, distribution and ingredient trade buyers will find at the combined shows:
Functional Snack Products
• Alvarado Street Bakery: Lifestyles Bread - a low-glycemic bread created specifically for diabetics. No-Salt Bread, the only salt-free bread available for those with high blood pressure. Essential Flax-Seed Bread - a natural source of Omega 3 and 6, and is the lowest calorie and lowest carb count of the company’s sprouted breads.
• BIO-GRAPE (Life from the Grape): Eight Organic Fruit Pastes made with BIO-GRAPE grape skin extract containing a range of over 600 powerful antioxidants. Organic Fine Water Crackers are made with the seed extract of the grape and have powerful antioxidant activity.
• Cloud Top: The first USDA Certified Organic frozen yogurt soft-serve product approved by the National Yogurt Association. Also, the first frozen yogurt products with Omega-3 DHA (for brain, eye, and heart health), and Inulin (a natural dietary fiber and prebiotic).
• Dynamic Health Laboratories Organic certified Açaí Gold: 100% pure Açaí , rich in naturally occurring Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
• GoodOnYa Bar: Unprocessed whole food, lightly sweetened with raw honey or pure maple syrup. No soy or whey powders, no puffed brown rice or brown rice syrup. The wrapper is made from a sustainable source of aspen trees and is non-GMO and certified compostable.
• Lakewood Organic Juices Organic Pure Purple Carrot Juice includes a high level of anthocyanins to promote better health.
• Nancy’s Organic Low-fat Blueberry Kefir provides the health benefits of antioxidant-rich blueberries matched with kefir.
• Navitas Superfood Products: Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits available in three superfood varieties – Goji Berry, Cacao Nib and Goldenberry. Chia seed, offer by in bulk, is an ancient, nutrient-dense superfood. Organic Green Stevia is poised to be a major low-calorie sweetener breakthrough.
• O Organics: Tropical, Mixed Berry with Açai and Pomegranate Blueberry Juice Blends pack powerful antioxidants into tasty beverages.
• Organic B.R.A.T.™ Rice Milk for kids – This delicious new enhanced rice inspired by the B.R.A.T. Diet contains electrolytes and is vitamin and calcium fortified.
• Pacari Chocolate-70% and 100% Raw Cacao Bars are minimally processed and kept at low temperatures to maintain the antioxidants and complex flavor of carefully selected cacao.
• Weymouth Farms OMEGA MUNCHIES™: All-natural caramelized flaxseed walnuts in maple, cinnamon and banana varieties. This unique combination of heart healthy walnuts and flaxseed offers a new way to add Omega-3 fatty acids to the diet.
• Yogavive™ Yogachips™: Organic, eco-friendly and uniquely crunch apple chips in four flavors - Original, Peach, Caramel and Cinnamon. Certified Kosher, Halal & Organic.
Gluten-Free Products
• Conte’s Gluten Free Pizza, Pasta, Pierogi and Microwave Meals: An extensive line of fresh/frozen gluten-free products. Conte’s Gluten Free Gnocchi and Potato w/Onion Pierogi are casein free.
• Kosher Natural’s Bakery Gluten Free Pound Cake Mini’s are made from premium Kosher ingredients and come in a variety of flavors.
• N2 Ingredients Alterna provides a gluten-free alternative to wheat and other gluten-containing grains and flours, for a broad range of traditional bakery and other food products.
• Raw Creations: health-conscious desserts for individuals with food allergies and dietary restrictions. These energy-rich, certified organic, raw/vegan desserts are primarily allergy-free (e.g., gluten, soy, dairy), and sweetened with only raw, natural sugars such as Agavé and dates.
• TOATS Friendly O’s: Fun, tasty and healthy gluten-free snacks, good for people as well as for their dogs and horses.
Organic Ingredients, Spices, Sweeteners & Condiments
• American Natural & Organic Spice Organic Saffron is conveniently and beautifully packaged for home use.
• Cal-Organic Farms Organic Shredded Carrots: Cal-O is changing chef's habits by offering an attractive organic shredded orange and yellow carrot mix.
• Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla: Made from the highest quality certified organic vanilla beans and pure, certified organic alcohol. Produced using a unique cold extraction process.
• Salad Girl®: Seven vibrant and delicious flavors of certified organic salad dressings: Savory Strawberry, Lemony Herb, Blueberry Basil, Pomegranate Pear, Curry Fig, Crisp Apple Maple, and Sunny Pear.
• SK Food International Chia Seed, Non-GMO Expeller-Pressed Corn Oil and Crimson Red Corn Oil. Including Identity Preserved, certified organic, and non-GMO oils and grains, and new Identity Preserved Non-GMO Corn Oil.
• Suzanne’s Specialties Organic Rice Maltodextrin, Organic Rice Flours, and Organic Rice Proteins. The use of these relatively simple compounds has expanded from traditional applications such as bulking agents and carriers, to include roles as fat replacers, nutrition supplements and high-tech film-formers in a multitude of applications.
• Wholesome Sweeteners’ Organic Zero is the organic replacement for sugar substitutes. Organic Zero is calorie free with a glycemic index of zero, has a clean, sweet taste that digests easily with no unpleasant side effects, and reduces plaque buildup, helping to prevent tooth decay.
• Fair Trade Organic Honey: collected by Mayan beekeepers from hives nestled deep in Mexico’s rain forests, in designated organic agricultural zones.
Organic Beverages, Wine, Beer and Spirits
• Bonterra Dry Rosé is a blend led by Sangiovese, Zinfandel and Syrah, with touches of Rhone varietals such as Carignane, Grenache and Mouvedre adding to the crisp, bright taste. Made with organically grown and Biodynamic® grapes.
• Frey Vineyards: America’s first organic winery, operated since 1980, introduces Organic Zinfandel 2007.
• Herbal Water: Lemon Verbena Geranium. A luxurious, refreshing palate cleanser. The crisp depth of lemon verbena is softened by a delicate floral scent of rose geranium.
• Ineeka Himalayan Green Tea Beer: The first certified organic green tea beer.
• 7 Jewels Collection organic teas including an Earl Grey unlike any other, a Gyokuro fit for royalty, and an exquisite Golden Yunnan akin to an earthy Pinot Noir.
• Infinium Spirits: First established in 1776, Casa Noble Tequila (certified 100% Organic) is produced by slow cooking rich Agavé pinas for 38 hours in stone ovens, followed by an all natural fermentation process, completed with a triple distillation.
• QTrade Teas & Herbs Black Celebration tea blend - winner of the World Tea Championship ’08 “Blended Black Tea” category.
• Rain Organics Cucumber Lime, Honey Mango Melon Lavender Lemonade Vodkas: Award-winning super-premium, USDA certified organic vodkas.
• Vinlozano Imports private label, Fair Trade certified organic wine program: VLI designs custom wine brands for large scale retailers featuring IMO certified organic Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cleaning Products
• Greenology Products: USDA certified organic household & institutional spray cleaners, surface wipes and laundry detergent. Surface wipes and all-purpose bathroom & kitchen cleaners are made with antimicrobial cleansers that kill odor-causing bacteria.
• MV Style-SOAP NUTS: Premium quality, all-natural, hypoallergenic, biodegradable detergent directly from its source, SOAP NUTS are a simple, extremely effective, chemical-free alternative method of cleaning and doing laundry.
Green Household & Pet Products
• Baumgartens Conserve Disposable Dinnerware: made from residue of sugar cane production. Conserve Cutlery is made from corn and other starches.
• Bethel Products-Real Organic Real Easy Seed Starting Kit: Includes all that’s needed to get a garden started: seeds, soil tablets, fertilizer, wooden plant markers, garden almanac and 80% wood fiber-based DOT Pots. All of the products are either OMRI Listed or USDA organic certified.
• Bolga Baskets International: This wide variety of baskets woven by the farming families in Ghana Africa made from a naturally sustainable grass offers a viable, useful and re-usable product that benefits the African weavers producing them.
• Hawaiian Health Ohana-Lavender Noni Lotion for Pets is great treatment for fungal and bacterial infections, cuts, wounds, scratches, muscles and ligament strains and more. Noni Fruit Leather for Pets promotes good health and energy.
• TDK Games Greenpieces Jigsaw Puzzles: Printed on paper that is embedded with wildflower seeds. When done with the puzzle, plant the pieces in dirt, water daily and watch the flowers grow. The Green Game: An entertaining, enlightening and sometimes alarming way to examine the ecological facts and myths that face us today. Made of 100% recycled materials, soy inks and wood composite game pieces. 99.8% biodegradable and carbon neutral.
Personal Care & Fiber
• Alteya Organics: USDA NOP certified organic skin care based on the world’s most exquisite essential oil, the Bulgarian Rose Otto.
• Anvil Knitwear-AnvilOrganic® TearAway™ Tee: Special ring spun yarn is used to make these super-soft tees. Available in 11 basic and fashion colors and features a TearAway™ label that can easily be removed and replaced by a customized label for corporate customer self-branding.
• Quality Assurance International (QAI): Now certifying to first U.S. national standard defining labeling and marketing requirements for organic personal care products. This new voluntary, consensus standard in organic personal care enables companies to make organic label and marketing claims for products such as cosmetics, rinse-off and leave-on personal care, hygiene, and oral care products.
Ethnic & Exotic
• Atlantic Herbs & Spice's Biquinho Pepper: Offered in vinegar preserve flasks, "Biquinho" has characteristic flavor and taste, just like the Aromatic pepper. Planted in small farms in Brazil for only five years, the seeds of this new pepper are free of capsaicin (the substance that makes it hot).
• Chartreuse Organic Teas: Moroccan Spice is a Wild Harvested sweet blend featuring cinnamon; Brazilian Berry is Açaí in a cup with organic Rooibos, Açaí and a blend of berry flavors.
• Franco Suissa Group: The Atlantic Herbs & Spices line of natural, ethnic condiments and preserves products from Brazil iss produced in a natural way in order to preserve flavors and aromas. Organic Jungle Teas are gathered directly from the rain forest in a sustainable and ecological manner.
• Mountain Rose Herbs-Epicurean Organic West Indies Rub adds charm to almost any meal with its exceptional balance of warm island spice, bold flavor and just a hint of sweetness.
• Quality Assurance International (QAI) and STAR-K Certification: These agencies now offer a joint Kosher and organic auditing program, providing two certifications with one audit. For the growing numbers of companies worldwide that opt for both organic and Kosher certification, this new streamlined auditing process reduces overall certification costs, saves time and provides excellent service.
Companies and Products that Give Back
• Bonneville Environmental Foundation: A non-profit provider of renewable energy certificates and carbon offsets. All net revenues are reinvested into new renewable energy projects, like Solar 4R Schools program, and a watershed restoration program.
• Mullen's Applesauce: Produced by Jim Mullen, a disabled Chicago police officer who was shot and left paralyzed in October of 1996 while answering a citizen's call for help, Mullen Foods will donate a portion of the proceeds from Mullen's Apple Sauce to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation.
Visitor and media registration for the co-located 2009 shows are available at www.RegisterNowChicago.com. Working media representatives can register to attend at no charge.
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The Organic Trade Association (OTA)
OTA is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy. One hundred percent of all revenue OTA receives from All Things Organic™ is reinvested in programs that support the organic business community (www.ota.com).
Diversified Business Communications (DBC)
Diversified Business Communication provides information and market access through trade exhibitions, magazine publishing, and online resources on five continents. In addition to serving the natural products/organic market, DBC offers more than 80 face-to-face buying and selling opportunities and conference programs. These serve a broad spectrum of markets, from food to fitness, healthcare, business management, construction, manufacturing, investments, and franchising. (www.divbusiness.com).
Progressive Grocer
Progressive Grocer has been the voice of the food retail industry for over 85 years, serving top management at headquarters and top decision-makers at store level. Progressive Grocer is published by Nielsen Business Media, a part of The Nielsen Company, a global information and media company. (www.progressivegrocer.com).
The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows, and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA. (www.nielsen.com.)
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