Feb. 2008 No.
Promoting U.S. food & agriculture in China
A Recipe For Success
By Leslie Lynn
Hands down, the
most important element
of any great restaurant is
the culinary experience it
delivers to its guests. Whether your guests are try-
ing new and exotic tastes or coming back for old
favorites, it’s your restaurant’s food that makes the
experience memorable.
Your brand, and its promise, should come
shining through your menu items. Your success in
accomplishing that will be the defining difference
between you and the competition.
Appealing to the Senses
Creating a menu of carefully-selected, relevant
and inviting items that speak your brand ensures
that your guests not only experience your unique
differences through what they see, but also through
what they taste. Your guests are counting on you
to deliver a dining experience that is authentic and
appropriate for your concept.
Menu methodology
One of the hallmarks of a great menu is the
successful “storytelling” of the brand through the
names and descriptions of its items. Guests are on
the lookout for menu items that reflect familiar
favorites that are prepared and presented in new and
exciting ways.
Remember, your guests will spend only an
average of two minutes reading your menu so the
names, description and layout of your menu are
vitally important. The organization of menu items,
the typeface and color palette do not only convey
your restaurant’s image, but can also be strategically
geared towards increasing profits.
The Signature Dish
There is no better way to gain a strong foothold
in a defined theme than through signature dishes
and drinks. These items are the original creations of
your restaurant and establish defining differences
between your concept and other restaurants in your
category.
MAGAZINE
Own a dish and you obsolete your competition
in tat menu category. You want your guests to say,
“When I want a steak, I only go to……” Don’t be the
best at what you do, be the only one who does what
you do!
Drink Up
A savvy beverage menu will boost sales and
create unique niches that will be hard for your com-
petitors to duplicate. The repackaging of successful
traditional favorites through creative naming and
distinctive glassware can be combined with several
signature cocktails of your own creation to create a
unique offering.
Identify the Trends
Every menu should be in a constant state of
evolution. It’s one of the most effective avenues to
keeping your brand fresh and relevant. Keeping on
top of current and emerging trends is a vital com-
ponent to menu mix management. Determining
what’s hot and what’s not is easy.
Good Impressions
Once you have perfected the menu items that
embody your restaurant’s brand, the best way to show-
case them is through alluring plateware, serviceware,
flatware and glassware. It is important that the pre-
sentation you choose for your menu items enhance
their unique characteristics, not overpower them.
The Proof is in the Pudding
Your restaurant can be elegant, hip, creative,
fun or offbeat, but if it can’t deliver the promise of
your brand through its menu items, your concept
will fall flat. Creating great menus is a process of
blending creative force with analytical principles. In
essence, it is finding the perfect balance between art
and science.
Leslie Lynn is senior director of restaurant opera-
tions consulting for Quantified Marketing Group, the U.
S. largest full-service strategic marketing and public rela-
tions firm focused exclusively in the restaurant industry.
For more information, visit www.quantifiedmarketing.
com.
1
 ATO speaks
With the establish-
ment of the Agricultural
Trade Office (ATO) Beijing(美国使馆农业贸易处)
in China and the U.S.’s most important market for
agricultural trade, the ATO opened its doors to the
public on December 15, 2003. Our primary objec-
tive is to promote, expand and protect U.S. food
and agricultural product markets in North and
Northeast China. We provide a link for American
and Chinese food and agricultural interests seeking
regional, national and local market requirements
and opportunities for food and agricultural product
trade.
China’s accession to World Trade Organization
and resulting phenomenal growth continues to
benefit and provide enormous market opportunities
for traders from both the U.S. and China. By 2020,
China will have an estimated 500 million house-
holds with nearly 50% able to purchase many US
food products exports. And, over the next 15 years,
China’s food consumption is expected to grow to
$25 billion annually which makes it the world’s fast-
est growing market!
e importantly the political capital of the nation
has experienced rapid improvements in recent years.
Investment in improving existing infrastructure for
the Olympics has helped push local GDP growth to
nearly 10 % annually through 2008. More impor-
tantly, North China Emerging City Markets are
growing at a pace more rapidly than other major
urban areas including but not limited to Qingdao,
Hot Trends in Food
The National Restaurant
Association recently surveyed
members of the American
Culinary Federation to rank
food and beverage items. Here are the top ten “hot”
choices as ranked by member chefs.
2
Dalian, Harbin and
Shenyang which
have undergone tre-
mendous change and
economic growth.
The market is not simply “ripe” but at a “critical”
stage of development as the cost of our products
become more accessible to urban consumers who
have seen incomes continue to rise along with fall-
ing prices for imports in real terms based on recent
appreciation of the Chinese Yuan vis-à-vis the U.S.
Dollar.
The opportunities are enormous for suppliers,
and purchasers of high quality, safe, and healthy
food and agricultural products in this market. We
very much welcome you to the services of the ATO
Beijing and the dynamic North China markets.
Please do contact us if your organization has an
interest in U.S. agricultural and food product trade
in North China. Located in the heart of Beijing’s
CBD (Center Business District) and we look forward
to your next visit here in Beijing at the Kerry Center...
Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) Beijing
Kerry Center South Tower (嘉里中心南楼)
24th Floor, Suite #2425
No.1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District (朝阳区
光华路1号)
Beijing, People’s Republic of China
Tel: (86-10) 8529-6418
Fax: (86-10)8529-6692
Email: ATOBeijing@fas.usda.gov
Web site: www.usdachina.org
1. Bite-size desserts
2. Locally grown produce
3. Organic produce
4. Small plates/tapas
5. Specialty sandwiches
6. Craft and microbrew beers
7. Sustainable seafood
8. Grass-fed items
9. Energy drink cocktails
10. Salts (sea, smoked, colored,kosher)

Brand-new GFSE 2008 a
‘must-visit’ trade show
Two months ago, RETAIL ASIA
brought to you the first
announcement of a brand-new
international show, Global Food
& Style Expo 2008, which is set for
April 27-29 in Chicago, Illinois,
USA. Here’s how the show is
shaping up.
FOR starters, the new Global Food &
Style Exposition (GFSE 2008) prom-
ises to be the first major food-related
trade show in the US that is interna-
tional in scope and not specifically focus-
ed on one class of trade such as retail,
restaurant and ingredient.
The debut event — jointly organ-
ised and sponsored by the National As-
sociation for the Specialty Food Trade
(NASFT), the Organic Trade Associa-
tion (OTA), and the National Associa-
tion of State Departments of Agricul-
ture (NASDA) — is garnering strong
support in the US in terms of exhibitor
participation.
Industry leaders view the new show
in a positive light. It will be a brand-new
venue for American exhibitors to show-
case their products and services to the
world.
“Ninety-five per cent of the world’s
population lives outside the US, and
they all need to eat. Minnesota is blessed
with productive land,
skilled farmers and world-
class processors. It only
makes sense for us to focus
on building a presence in
export markets,” says Gene
Hugoson, Commissioner of
the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture.
Commissioner of
A past president of
the Minnesota
Department of NASDA, Hugoson has
Agriculture Gene made numerous trips to
Hugoson: Asia, both on Minnesota
“Minnesota’s and NASDA business, and
agricultural sales has a keen interest in Asia,
to China topped
especially China.
US$363 million last
year, and we
“Minnesota’s agricul-
expect to double tural sales to China topped
that within four US$363 million last year,
years.” and we expect to double
SPECIAL PREVIEW
that
within
four years.
China is our
third-biggest
customer, and
there’s still plenty more growth poten-
tial.”
Under Hugoson’s watch, Minnesota
has risen to the fifth-largest agricul-
tural exporting state in the US, trailing
Illinois, Texas, Iowa and California.
Sharing Hugoson’s views, Tim Ham-
ilton, executive director of Food Ex-
port-Midwest and Food Export-North-
east, notes: “Asia is an extremely im-
portant market for Midwestern and
Northeastern food and agricultural pro-
ducers. Food Export-Midwest and Food
Export-Northeast have been facilitat-
ing trade between Asian importers and
US producers for many years.
“The 2008 US Food Export Show-
case (USFES 2008), which will be an
integral part of the Global Food and
Style Expo, is another terrific opportu-
nity to bring these groups together. At
this event, Food Export-Midwest and
Food Export-Northeast will be hosting
a pavilion, making it easy for Asian buy-
ers to locate high-quality producers from
the Midwest and Northeast.”
As US products are reputed for their
quality, innovation and high standards
of safety, the new show will give retailers
and distributors in Asia an additional
opportunity to shop for some fine prod-
ucts for their home mar-
kets.
The export of US con-
sumer-oriented agricul-
tural products to markets
all over the world contin-
ues to grow. In the first six
months of this year, US
exports of these products
totalled US$15.9 trillion, an Food Export-
increase of 11.9% over the Midwest and Food
same period in 2006, ac- Export-Northeast’s
Tim Hamilton:
cording to figures released
“[We] will be
by the US Bureau of the hosting a pavilion,
Census Trade Data. making it easy for
And, Asia is one of the Asian buyers to
most dynamic regions when locate high-quality
it comes to the buying and producers from
selling of made-in-the US the Midwest and
Northeast.”
products. In the first six
months of this year, Japan imported
US$1.96-trillion worth of consumer-ori-
ented agricultural products, a 12.47%
increase over the same period last year.
With its new status as a World Trade
Organisation member, Vietnam is an
emerging market that has become the
fastest-growing importer of US prod-
ucts, buying US$61.1-million worth of
goods in the first six months of this year,
a surge of 52.27% over the same period
last year.
One of the most significant markets
is obviously China, which is currently
the US’ sixth-largest market for such
products. Its US imports grew by a whop-
ping 41.07% — from US$325.4 billion
in the first six months of 2006 to
US$459.06 billion for January-June
September 2007 Retail Asia
2007.
DeWitt Ashby, director, trade shows
for NASDA, notes that Chinese visitors
to NASDA’s Chicago events have pur-
chased more than US$50 million from
American exhibitors at the National
Restaurants Association (NRA) Show
and the USFES over the past five years.
47 3
 SSPPEECCI IAALL PRREEPVOI R
ETW
“We fully expect these trends to con- show and each time we attend, we bring
tinue,” says Ashby. “The success of back with us useful product information
NASDA’s trade-show programmes in and we expand our network of US sup-
China are both a reflection of, and a pliers. In just three years, we have estab-
modest factor in, the rapidly growing lished trading relationships with many
trade between the US and China.” distributors in almost all provinces/big
Lee’s Market Makers of Shanghai cities for different US food brands which
represents NASDA in China. Accord- we bring into China.
ing to Barbara Lee, principal, Lee’s per- “We would like to enhance our busi-
forms several key functions for NASDA. ness with the US, and in the process we
“We assist NASDA’s trade-show pro- will help to promote the agricultural
gramme in China in several areas. products trade relationship between
“First, we help identify appropriate China and the US.”
attendees for the NRA and GFSE shows. Li also attended a sponsored train-
We coordinate with the Foreign Agri- ing course in the US which gave him a
culture Service (FAS) Agricultural deeper understanding of the US food
Trade Offices in China to help convince export industry and equipped him with
these people that attending [the events] guidelines on purchase policies for the
would be profitable for their business — Chinese market.
this could be in knowledge and/or ac- GFSE is a show that will be better
tual trade. And, if appropriate, we help able to meet the expectations of China’s
with visa and travel logistics. increasingly sophisticated urban con-
“Finally, we conduct two detailed sumer, says LaVerne Brabant, director
surveys of the programme par- of FAS’ Agricultural Trade Of-
ticipants, the first soon after fice (ATO) in Beijing, China.
the show(s) and the second six “We are very excited to
months later. These surveys hear that NASDA is partnering
are a key tool for NASDA to the NASFT and the OTA in
use in evaluating its promo- launching this new show,” says
tional programme in China.” Brabant. The ATO has been
Lee adds: “One of the most promoting the USFES (previ-
rewarding aspects of these ac- ously held in conjunction with
tivities is the camaraderie and Nature Trade’s Li The FMI Show) and the
knowledge shared by the Chi- Zhiqing: “We American Food Fair (part of
would like to
nese participants who form enhance our The NRA Show) in China for
new friendships and alliances business with the many years.
during their visits to the US.” US, and in the “We plan to brand this new
One of the many Chinese process ... show. In the past, the Chinese
companies that find it benefi- promote the buyers were looking for more
cial to participate in US trade agricultural generic, commodity type of
products trade
shows is Nature Trade Corpo- products but, today, China’s
relationship
ration, a leading Beijing-based between China urban consumers are more so-
F&B importer. Describing the and the US.” phisticated, with greater
USFES as his favourite trade spending power, and they are
show, Nature Trade’s founder and CEO, demanding more variety and better-
Li Zhiqing, says he is looking forward to quality, higher-value F&B products.
visiting the new GFSE, which will incor- “GFSE will be more specialised and
porate the USFES. more focused. The show will be an edu-
Li attended his first USFES in Chi- cational opportunity for the Chinese
cago at the 2005 FMI Show and re- trade — they will be able to see first-
turned for the next two shows. “We hand what’s available. What’s hot and
have benefited enormously from the what kind of prod-
Retail Asia September 2007
48
4
ucts are out there.”
The Chinese market
has evolved and contin-
ues to evolve, Brabant
points out. “The number
of importers, distributors
and wholesalers is grow-
ing fast. It is also struc-
turally changing. In the FAS’ Beijing
past, the distribution of Agricultural Trade
Office’s LaVerne
imported products into Brabant: “The GFSE
China would be via Hong will be more
Kong. Then importers in specialised and
Shanghai and South more focused. The
China started to import show will be an
and distribute the prod- educational
opportunity for the
ucts to the rest of the
Chinese trade.”
country.”
As a result of the suc-
cess of trade shows like the USFES,
more traders from China’s second-tier
cities like Dalian and Chengdao (con-
sidered medium-sized cities with popu-
lation sizes of about six million each) are
importing directly.
“The Chinese market is expanding
for everyone, not just the US. The pie is
getting bigger and the US, being the
largest trading partner with China, is
enjoying a larger share of the growth,”
says Brabant.
Today, China’s booming Hotel Res-
taurant and Institutional (HRI) sector
generates revenues in excess of US$125
million. An FAS report notes: “Affluent
urban consumers are shaping the indus-
try with demand for healthier, faster
and safer menus; terms like ‘organic’
and ‘free delivery’ have entered the lexi-
con. Emerging city markets are home to
millions of people who are trying wine,
pizza and steak for the very first time.”
China’s retail-food market is also
expanding rapidly and retail intelligence
provider Retail Forward ranks China as
the world’s seventh-largest retail mar-
ket, which is likely to move to the fifth
position within the next five years.
The FAS has four ATOs in China,
an indication of the great importance
that the US government and the agricul-
tural community in general place on the
Chinese market. The offices are located
in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and
Chengdu.
According to NASDA’s Ashby, the
organisation, together with the FAS,
will continue to provide a specific, con-
secutively interpreted, presentation to
Chinese visitors attending GFSE 2008.
“This is especially useful for attending
importers and retailers who are on their
first trip to the US. The briefing exam-
 ines US-China trade in the food sector,
up-to-date trends in the US food indus-
try, consumptions trends among US con-
sumers, and context about the GFSE —
and how it may relate to their business
and world perspective,” he adds.
“NASDA also sponsors a group so-
cial event for Chinese visitors to USFES
and US business people with specific
interest and activity in China. This is
useful for own-business networking with
Chinese business people from other re-
gions and for an additional opportunity
to meet with US business people.”
The organisation will also provide
additional interpreters, free of charge,
to Chinese visitors so that they can max-
imise their time while visiting the exhib-
its, says Ashby.
The USFES is tai-
lored for international
visitors and NASDA is
in the process of prepar-
ing a programme for
these visitors that will ex-
amine trends and
changes in the interna-
DeWitt Ashby: “[The
tional food-retail busi-
ness. “This forum, to be
USFES], to be held
on the morning of held on the morning of
April 28, will be April 28, will be espe-
especially cially interesting to
interesting to Asians because Asia is at
Asians because Asia
the epicentre of change,”
is at the epicentre
says Ashby.
of change.”
He points out that
NASDA’s events tie in nicely with events
sponsored by the organisation’s four
affiliated state regional trade groups
(SRTGs): the New Orleans-based
Southern US Trade Association
(SUSTA); the Western US Agricultural
Trade Association (WUSATA), based
in Vancouver, Washington; Chicago-
based Food Export-Midwest; and Phila-
delphia-based Food Export-Northeast.
The members of the SRTGs are also
members of NASDA.
“By leveraging the synergies avail-
able between the international market-
ing staff at state departments of agricul-
ture and within FAS, the SRTGs are
able to assist US and international trad-
ing entities by facilitating effective com-
munications,” Ashby adds.
For example, in 2005, the Georgia
Department of Agriculture hosted a
group of 10 Malaysian importers and
retailers who had attended the USFES
in Chicago as part of an activity spon-
sored by NASDA and FAS. After the
show, the group, led by Leepin Loh,
agricultural marketing assistant from
the Office of Agricultural
Affairs at the US Embassy
in Kuala Lumpur, Malay-
sia, participated in a
SUSTA activity where they
met Atlanta area export-
ers, toured stores and vis-
ited a halal-certified poul-
try processor.
According to David
Bryant, director of market-
ing and international trade
Georgia Department of Agriculture’s David Bryant: “The visits we
for the Georgia Depart- organised for the Malaysian delegation were the perfect
ment of Agriculture: “The complement for their trade-show experience. They had more one-
visits we organised for the on-one meetings, but at a more leisurely pace.”
Malaysian delegation were
the perfect complement for their trade- was both valuable and efficient.
show experience. They had more one- With all the related organisations
on-one meetings, but at a more leisurely pooling their resources and working to-
pace. This type of activity demon- gether to create productive programmes
strates how valuable it is to get for the international trade visi-
international buying delegations tors, the new Global Food &
into the US.” Style Expo looks set to make its
As a result, the trip half-way mark as a ‘must-visit’ event on
around the world from Kuala the international trade-show
Lumpur to Chicago and Atlanta calendar. ra
Get globally smart!
Learning Programmes at GFSE 2008
“The scope of Global Food & Style Expo (GFSE) is global, reflecting the marketplace in which
businesses operate today,” says John Kauke, principal of Global Market Linkage and special
consultant to NASDA for trade education. “Keeping up with product and retail trends, trade
and safety regulations and who’s doing what in our increasingly
complex and competitive world is a challenge every retailer and
supplier face.”
With this in mind, the three partners and sponsors of the GFSE have
designed a comprehensive programme of educational offerings to suit
the needs of retailers and producers, importers and exporters from
around the world. In the line up are:
Daily keynote presentations
Food Industry Superstar Appearance: The organisers are not Global Market
revealing more just yet, but they are working to get a leading Linkage’s John
personality in the global food industry to be at the expo for inspiration Kauke: “The scope
and entertainment. of GFSE is global,
The Global Retailer Forum will bring together senior executives reflecting the
from several leading global retail players for a discussion of retail and marketplace in
product trends and issues such as supplier relations and food safety. which businesses
John Moore, former Starbucks and Whole Foods executive, has operate today.”
been there, done that. While helping to build these two retail stalwarts, Moore wrestled
with the challenges associated with company culture and growth. He will share with us what
he learned about retaining small culture as you get bigger.
In addition, there will be more than 35 concurrent sessions to choose from. Here are just
a few topics that have been confirmed:
Organic 101: A comprehensive introduction to what is going on in this booming sector
in the North American market. This session will present a range of perspectives on how to
September 2007 Retail Asia
market organic, speciality and imported products — what works and what does not.
Food Safety is on everyone’s mind these days. Industry experts will discuss current
regulations and best practices to keep participants up to speed on this dynamic topic.
How does the North American Specialty Food Industry work? Are there product
trends or retail practices you could use? Attendees will find out more.
Everyone in the food industry seeks to build and maintain Consumer Loyalty.
Participants will hear how it is being done in the North American market in key growth
sectors. ra
49
5
 News &
Views News and Views
Retail
Retailers are introducing new ethnic food sec-
tions and international aisles, in response to the
growing U.S. minority population, which reached
100.7 million this year, up from 98.3 million in 2006,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, such
initiatives are not only an effort to cater to ethnic
populations, supermarkets are also looking to reach
mainstream shoppers who are searching for differ-
ent tastes and textures and are seeking out retailers
that meet their needs.
Whole Foods Market Inc. launched its Local
Producer Loan Program to expand the availability
of locally made products, strengthen business part-
nerships between Whole Foods and local producers,
and reinforce environmentally sustainable practices.
During the past nine months, the company gave out
loans ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 to more than
20 small-scale food producers in the U.S.
Fully automated convenience stores, fresh-
cooked vending machine hot dogs, and clear-packed
lunches were among the innovations at the National
Automatic Merchandising Association Expo. Kraft
debuted several new or upcoming vending machine
offerings such as cream-cheese-stuffed bagel bars,
which will hit grocery stores in early March and
vending machines later that month.
Sales for retailer meal solutions (excluding
beverages) will exceed $25 billion in 2007, accord-
ing to recent research by foodservice consultants
Technomic. The growth opportunity for retailers is
magnified by the fact that consumers are interested
in a complete meal solution. Because convenience
remains a top priority for time-pressed consumers,
retailers that offer new and appealing meal solutions
are proving their ability to grab consumer attention
and take back market share lost to restaurants.
Foodservice/Restaurants
Restaurant industry sales are expected to reach
$558 billion in 2008, a 4.4% increase over 2007,
according to the National Restaurant Association’s
2008 Restaurant Industry Forecast. Sales at full ser-
vice restaurants are projected to reach $187.4 billion
6
in 2008, an increase of 4.3% over 2007, while quick
service restaurants sales are projected at $156.8 bil-
lion in 2008, a gain of 4.4% over 2007.
McDonald’s Corp. plans to sell lattes, cappuc-
cinos and other specialty drinks in all of its 14,000
U.S. restaurants next year. The company believes the
U.S. beverage market is “one of the largest growth
opportunities” for the company and predicts that
the new drinks will add more than $1 billion per
year to sales, according to company planning docu-
ments.
Flavorings for coffee and flavored coffee rep-
resent almost 30% of coffee sales, according to
Technomic. Colorado-based Le Peep’s customers
prefer hazelnut, French vanilla, Irish cream and
French caramel creme coffees along with seasonal
offerings such as Autumn Spice and Eggnog, while
the 494-unit Caribou Coffee chain offers flavored
shots ranging from chocolate to pumpkin pie.
An increasing number of specialty restaurants
are finding success through marketing one basic
item, focusing on singular products from Belgian
fries to cereal. S’Mac in New York City hooks cus-
tomers through word-of-mouth about its maca-
roni and cheese, Chedd’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese
in Colorado pleases grilled cheese fanatics with 25
specialty melts, and Joe Vento, founder of Geno’s
Steaks, stands out from the crowd because he sells
Philadelphia cheesesteaks -- and nothing else.
Market Trends
The National Restaurant Association predicts
added high-tech ordering options, small plates/
bite-size desserts, culinary tourism and added con-
venience will lead trends in restaurants next year.
Wines and spirits, craft beer and enhanced bever-
ages that offer solutions to everything from fatigue
to hangovers also are expected to emerge in 2008.
Meanwhile, allergen-free food products, as well as
upscale frozen desserts such as ice cream, gelato and
frozen yogurt, also are expected to grow in popular-
ity in the coming year.
Food scientists and market researchers observed
that as baby boomers age (43-61 years old), their
taste buds and smell preceptors start to dull, lead-
ing them to crave foods with stronger flavors. Older
adults’ increased demand for richer- and bolder-fla-
vored products continues to shape the food industry
and has driven manufacturers to innovate product
lines by creating aromatic and spicier foods.
Connoisseurs craving gourmet, specialty and
premium foods and beverages consumed mass quan-
tities in 2007 valued at $59 billion, a growth of 10.9%
over 2006, according to Packaged Facts’ Gourmet,
Specialty and Premium Foods and Beverages in the
U.S. report. By 2012 the gourmet/premium foods
and beverages industry should rise to $96 billion,
with the cheese and dairy sector expected to post the
highest growth rate at 13%.
Energy drinks are expected to grow at an annu-
al rate of 12%, surpassing $9 billion in sales by 2011,
according to Packaged Facts’ Energy Drinks in the
U.S. report. Since 2002, when total retail sales were
just $1.2 billion, the market for energy drinks has
increased nearly 440% overall to an estimated $6.6
billion in 2007.
Snacking continues to remain an important
component of consumers daily eating and drinking
behaviors; however, the majority (61%) of U.S. and
European consumers have sought to improve the
healthiness of their snacking in 2007. Specifically,
healthy options have emerged as the leading choice
to satisfy hunger between meals, yet taste is by far the
most important factor in determining snack choice
for consumers, while brand was least important.
Technology/Internet
Touch-screen computer menus are making
their way into restaurants, letting diners place orders
directly to the kitchen without a wait. The National
Restaurant Association says self-service technology
will emerge as a top new trend in restaurants -- from
quickservice to gourmet.
The state of Louisiana is developing a Web
site that will allow tourists to navigate the state’s
cultural and culinary heritage, as well as map their
own food routes for everything from neighbor-
hood sandwich shops to top-rated restaurants. The
Louisiana Culinary Trails Web site, enabled by the
state’s recognition as one of the top 15 global des-
tinations for food-related travel, plans to offer free
basic listings to all Louisiana-owned restaurants and
paid enhanced listings.
Several web-based subscription services are now
offering their own version of quick and easy meal
planning by providing a week’s worth of recipes and
shopping list for minimal monthly fees. These web-
sites are targeting time-starved parents who want to
serve a variety of satisfying and nutritional dinners
every week. Initially several of these sites were cre-
ated by parents and entrepreneurs, however, larger
organizations are beginning to offer weekly meal
planning services as well.
Food Safety
The White House is expected to propose a 14-
point plan that would expand the authority of the
government’s drug and consumer product safety
agencies to inspect and certify imports in response
to increased concern over recent food and product
recalls. The plan would involve stationing inspectors
internationally who would examine food, drugs and
other products before they were shipped to the U.S.,
and would include measures to list certified prod-
ucts online so the information would be available to
consumers.
The Produce Marketing Association (PMA),
Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA),
and United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA) have
formed a joint Produce Traceability Initiative to
drive broad adoption of consistent traceability best
practices throughout the produce supply chain.
PMA, CPMA and UFPA are combining forces to
focus on the urgent need to use existing standards
for the most effective trace back and trace forward
practices between supply chain partners -- from field
to fork. Representatives of more than 30 companies
from a broad cross section of the produce supply
chain including retailers, foodservice buyers and
produce suppliers have been appointed to serve on
the steering committee.
7
 Superfruits-
The latest food health trend.
In 2006, 8,000 food and
beverage products contain-
ing such fruits were launched globally,
per Mintel Global Solutions, Chicago.
Superfruits are billed as being high in anti-
oxidants and other nutrients such as phyto-
nutrients. The category includes cranber-
ries, blueberries, pomegranates and tart
cherries, açai berries, black currants, ling-
onberries, mangosteen and gogi berries.
Experts say their popularity is being driven
by baby boomers seeking healthy options.
So far, Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid, Pepsi’s
Tropicana, Apple & Eve, Blue Bunny and
POM have released products based on the
fruits. Even Anheuser-Busch moved into
the category last year with 180 Red and
180 Blue energy drinks with açai and gogi
berry flavoring. Last month A-B intro-
duced Bacardi Silver Pomegranate Mojito.
What’s next? “We’re seeing superfruits—
particularly pomegranates and açai—mov-
ing into nonfood categories such as skin-
care, haircare and cosmetics,” said Lynn
Dornblaser, director, Mintel Custom
Solutions. “It shows consumers are aware of
superfruits and their benefits.”

Tradeshows & Events

International Boston Seafood Show Natural Products Expo West Asia Pacific Tradeshows & Events
Diversified Business Communications New Hope Natural Media
February 24-26, 2008 March 13-16, 2008 Natural Products Expo Asia
Boston, Massachusetts Anaheim, California Penton Media Asia
www.bostonseafood.com www.expowest.com June 26-28, 2008
Hong Kong
International International Pizza Expo www.naturalproductsasia.com
Restaurant Show Pizza Today Magazine
February 24-27, April 1-3, 2008 Food Hotel Asia
2008 Las Vegas, Nevada Singapore Exhibition Services
Las Vegas, Nevada www.pizzaexpo.com April 22-25, 2008
www.internationalrestaurantshow.com Singapore
Global Food & Style Expo www.foodnhotelasia.com
Nightclub & Bar U.S. Food Export Showcase
Convention and Tradeshow Fancy Foods Show SIAL China
February 24-28, 2008 All Things Organic Exposium Network
Las Vegas Nevada April 27-29, 2008 May 14-16, 2008
www.nightclub.com Chicago, Illinois Shanghai, China
www.globalfoodandstyleex- www.sialchina.com
COEX (Chain Operators Exchange) po.com
International Foodservice IFIA Japan
Manufacturers Association FMI Show Food Chemicals
February 24-27, 2008 Food Marketing Institute Newspaper
Phoenix, Arizona May 4-7, 2008 May 21-23, 2008
www.ifmaworld.com Las Vegas, Nevada Tokyo, Japan
www.fmishow.org www.ifiajapan.com
SNAXPO
Snack Food Association United Fresh Marketplace
March 1-4, 2008 United Fresh Produce
San Antonio, Texas Association
www.snaxpo.com May 4-7, 2008
Las Vegas, Nevada
www.produceshow.org