Food Check
By John J. Pierce

Low-sodium soups, some using sea salt, are being pioneered by Morgan Foods.

Private Label reads the pulse of the market, with products featuring pomegranate and sea salt as well as zero trans fat and lots of fiber.

Foods these days have to be healthy, or trendy, or both. Organic? Check! Zero trans fats? Check! Anti-oxidants? Check. And there are all sorts of ingredients that are supposed to make food and drink items better for you, or at least better tasting.

Take sea salt. It’s all over the place in seasoning racks, often in several varieties, but now it’s being used as an ingredient to replace ordinary salt in reduced sodium foods. Morgan Foods, Austin, IN, was the first to come out with healthy soups using sea salt at the PLMA Trade Show,

With sea salt, which includes potassium chloride and magnesium sulfate as well as sodium chloride, the sodium count is just 20% of the daily allowance per serving, as opposed to 40% less than for standard soups. Four new introductions are Grilled Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Chunky New England Clam Chowder. Minestrone and Chicken Noodle.

Pomegranate is another hot trend these days, so of course Li Destri Foods, Fairport, NY, came out with a pomegranate syrup to complement a line that already includes a broad range of pasta sauces, salsas, basil-infused olive oil, rice wine and red wine vinegars, Marsala cooking wine, black bean dip and much more.

But the big news at LiDestri was private label vodka and rum, a spin-off from the company’s cooking wine business. It had needed specially equipment and licenses for the wines, and those could also be used for alcoholic beverages. Also new are grapeseed oil and a wok oil specially formulated not to smoke at higher temperatures.

Peppadew is another trendy item. Food Service Specialties, Red Wing, MN, has put them into a new line of pizza sauces, salsas and dips. Peppadew piquante peppers are a “uniquely sweet & spicy fruit,” the company says. Its salsa comes in 16 oz bottles and its pizza sauce in a 14 oz size; white cheddar piquante salsa con queso dip is available in 15.5 oz containers.

Smart Bites for hip and bone care in dogs were debuted by Mars Pet Care.

Peppadew mustard is a recent introduction by Silver Spring Gardens, Eau Claire, WI, which is known for other specialties like beer & brat mustard, habanero mustard, mango wasabi, pineapple-apricot horseradish, sauce, cranberry-radish sauce. The company has put out survey results indicating that 38% of those polled were very likely to buy the peppadew mustard and 41% the habanero mustard.

Clement Pappas, Carney’s Point, NJ, devoted its entire display to a Healthy Child Initiative, offering juices without added sweeteners and fortified with anti-oxidant vitamins C and E, plus B3, B5, B6 and B12. The company also showed off its organic juice line, and proclaimed that all its juices are now available in environmentally-friendly PCR bottles. Also new are organic ready-to-drink teas: pomegranate red, spearmint green, raspberry white, lemon black, peach red and lemon chamomile oolong.

Rival Cliffstar, Dunkirk, NY, was out there with organic pomegranate and apple juices, plus novelty teas: red tea with açai and mixed berry flavor, green tea with lime flavor, black tea with blackberry flavor and white tea with tangerine flavor. Also Trax1, a vitality water; and Trax2, an electrolyte beverage.

Bay Valley Foods, Pittsburgh, PA, debuted low-salt and low-fat soups. “Everyone knows that condensed soups are the basis for many main courses and side dishes.” The company said. “Bay Valley Foods provides healthier alternatives at mealtime that include Healthy, 25% Reduced Sodium and 98% Fat Free varieties of some of the top selling condensed flavors.

“For a healthy meal in minutes, try one of our four varieties of Ready to Serve Healthy Chunky soups that an independent panel of consumers found to be a match with the leading national brand. These soups offer all of the flavor of a regular soup but with reduced fat and sodium levels. In addition, we are excited to introduce our own unique line of soups featuring whole grains. Our four varieties of soups feature whole grain noodles, barley or wild and red rice for a flavorful, healthy meal.”

Speaking of soups, Mondiv Foods, Boisbriand, PQ, showed off a new packaging concept: glass jars, with varieties including Grilled Steak & Potato. Butternut Squash, Cream of Asparagus, Indian Inspired Curried Lentil and Mexican Style Chicken Tortilla. The company has also launched a range of alfredo sauces that includes Original, Sundried Tomato, Tomato (Rose), Basil Pesto and Roasted Garlic. And as if that weren’t enough, it has 256 ml coffee drinks in Original Roast, Cinnamon, Moka and Vanilla varieties.

Clement Pappas introduced line of organic specialty teas.

Some companies are all over the place, and none more all over the place than ConAgra, Omaha, NB, a private label shopping mall for retailers that want just about any kind of potato product (fried, mashed, formed), appetizers (not just onion rings, but stuff like corn nuggets and jalapeno strips), puddings, fruit bars, toaster pastries, cooking sprays, pasta, natural cereals, canned pasta, whipped cream, liquid eggs.

Other companies are jumping into new areas. Ethnic oatmeal? Sturm Foods, Manawa, WI, unveiled a line including Pina Colada, Rice & Cinnamon, Caramel Apple and Tamarind. Also an Energy oatmeal line. But the company is looking to its new sugar-free frappé crème iced coffee drink mix as a breakthrough item. It comes eight packets to a 1.41 oz box.

Fruit and gel snacks are a hot category for Pacific Coast Producers, Lodi, CA. Varieties include Lime with Cherries. Lime with Peaches, Lime with Pears, Orange with Pears and Strawberry with Peaches. Also new are parfaits with yogurt and fruits.

ACH Retail Products, Cordova, TN, came out with the Sweet Set, a line of artificial sweeteners in packets, pouches and jars that allows for one-stop shopping. Also new is a line of holiday creamers: gingerbread eggnog, pumpkin spice, peppermint mocha Capilano Honey Group, Brisbane, Australia, crossed the Pacific with, upside down bottles and varieties like honey & ginger, alfalfa, Luzerne. Closer to home, Sue Bee Honey, Sioux City, IA, debuted upside-down bottles with special valves.

Hampton Farms, Severn, NC, introduced peanut butter in squeeze pouches for kids’ backpacks. Banana, chocolate, roasted nut and cinnamon nutmeg flavors. Family business, uses equipment imported from Italy. In organic peanuts for five years.

Shearer’s Foods, Brewster, OH, came out with unsalted kettle-cooked potato chips, chipotle cheese kettle-cooked chips. Whole grain black bean & salsa with added fiber is also new.
Mirab USA, Taylor, MI, came out with organic cherry & apple wood smoked beef jerky; also beef sticks in 1.5, 3 and 4.5 pound bags–the company says sticks sell mostly in the East, jerky mostly in the West.

Amport Foods, Minneapolis. MN, showed off new resealable trail mixes: Hiker Heaven, Rainbow Munch, plus cashews and pistachios with sea salt.

Organic products are still mushrooming, of course, mostly in the basics. Tee Pee Olives, Scarsdale, NY, for example, debuted organic kalamata and other olives, while Redco Foods, Windsor, CT, came out with organic black and green teas. For Schreiber Foods, Green Bay, WI, it was organic yogurt with Omega 3 in blueberry, peach and cherry varieties.

Richlieu Foods, Braintree, MA, offers organic pizzas as well as artisan oval, brick oven and self-rising varieties. Organic toppings include cheese, 3 cheese, sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, vegetable, margherita. Mediterranean, spinach & feta, chicken with BBQ sauce and chicken with alfredo sauce. The company also markets organic mild, medium and chipotle salsas, and mild and medium corn & bean tomato salsas with organic ingredients.

Ralston Foods, St. Louis, MO, showed off its organic Frosted Flakes, Honey 7-Grain Flakes, Oats & Honey Granola, Golden Flakes Medley With Flax, Crisp Rice, Protein Crunch & More, Raisin Bran, Tasteeos. Instant oatmeal with flax, original and cranberry. Ralston’s Carriage House division offers upside-down squeezable fruit spreads.

Smart Bites for hip and bone care in dogs were debuted by Mars Pet Care.

Sunridge Farms, Pajaro, CA, maker of organic trail mixes, extended its convenient tub pack line of organic and natural snacks with its all organic new Earth Crisp Organics. The Earth Crisp line includes organic Fruit Crisps, Veggie Crisps and cereal-based Earth Crisps.

Organic balsamic vinegar and white balsamic vinegar were debuted by Vigo-Alessi, Tampa, FL, which is already known for a variety of products like dry soup mixes, grinder spices, bean and rice blends, olive oils and pestos. Victoria Packing, Brooklyn, NY, is marketing organic pasta sauces in tomato basil, marinara, a la vodka, roasted garlic and arrabiata varieties.

U.S. Specialty Cheese, Green Bay, WI. debuted Queso dip (a novelty popularized by Atlanta area restaurants), with Hispanic sausage (chorizo). Other specialties from the company include aged cheddar with chipotle, Cajun crab with chipotle, spicy seafood cheese spread, veggie spread with cream cheese.
Bellisio Foods, Duluth, MN, used to be called Michaelina’s, but it’s still offering frozen private label entrees like Chicken Tortelloni and side dishes like Penna Arrabiata, plus snack items like pizza rolls–including a turkey pepperoni version.

When it comes to frozen food, Furlani’s Food, Mississauga. ON, is out in front with pizza Texas toast. Joseph Campione, Oak Creek, WI, also offers pizza Texas toast, bruschetta toast, Three Cheese Texas roast. For Faribault Foods, Faribault, MN, it’s microwave organic bowl meals.

Fripur, Montivideo, Uruguay, has come out with healthy fish packs–100 grams. 100 calories–that can be microwaved in eight minutes. At Request Foods, Holland, MI, it’s teriyaki chicken bowls, in value/club packs. Windsor Foods, Houston, TX, offers pot stickers, and steamed buns with pork filling.

Contessa Premium Foods, San Pedro, CA, brought out four new items in its Green Cuisine of frozen entrees: Mongolian beef with long-grain white rice, scallions, bok choy, onions and garlic in a garlic soy sauce; Vodka Penne with white meat chicken medallions, green peas and penne pasta in a tomato-based vodka sauce; Jambalaya, a Cajun classic of shrimp, white meat chicken, andouille sausage, ham, green bell peppers, tomatoes and onions over white rice with a Creole tomato sauce; and Beef Bolognese, with beef, sausage, pork, spaghetti noodles, tomatoes, carrots, onions and garlic in marinara sauce.

Expresco Foods, Lachine, PQ, came out with a line of fully-cooked, fire-grilled satays, skewers and whole muscle strips from beef, chicken and pork, using a new char broiling technology to “provide an authentic BBQ taste sensation” that will appeal to consumers who are “low on time but high on expectations.” The company offers turnkey programs, from conception to inception.

Corto Olive, Stockton, CA, is out to break what it calls a near monopoly by Italy in the olive category. Its California olives are produced by a new mechanical method of harvesting. A. Camacho, Plant City, FL, offers Natural stuffed olives–jalapeño, almond, pimento, onion, garlic and others.

ICCO Cheese Co., Orangeburg, NY, has really branched out, with sea salt (coarse or fine-ground) and zero trans fat bread crumbs. In its original category, it has gotten into more resealable packs and a cheese alternative: free of lactose, butterfat, transfat and cholesterol.

River Ranch Fresh Foods, Salinas, CA has come out with solid-pack salad bowls and multi-serve steamable vegetables. Red Gold, Elwood, IN, meanwhile, has introduced chef’s cut tomatoes, a cross between sliced and diced, with a restaurant-cut, hand-mashed look.

Shamrock Farms, Phoenix, AZ, debuted half-gallon paperboard cartons with spouts for milk (plain and flavored), coffee creamers, and added-value options like lactose-free milk and soy milk. The new containers offer extended shelf life, and were developed in response to customer preference for paperboard in that size as opposed to the plastic bottles that are common for smaller sizes.

Subco Foods, West Chicago, IL, introduced drink sticks, including pomegranate and blackberry, adding to its line of drink mixes, cocoa mixes, cappuccino mixes and creamers.

“Why shake, when you can grind?” That’s the come-on from Tundalaya, Lafayette, CO, for its line of spice grinders, which runs the gamut from basics like nutmeg and cinnamon to sea salt in three varieties (white, pink and black), tri-color peppercorns and blends like sea salt and herbs.

Mars Pet Care, Brentwood, TN, which took over Doane, put its emphasis on snack items: functional treats with health benefits, and occupancy treats–the kind that keep Fido busy chewing on them so he doesn’t make a pest of himself. Mars also brought out daily supplements: hip & joint, multi-vitamin, dental wellness, heart immunity. Pro-Pet, St. Mary’s, OH, meanwhile, has new packaging for dog treats.

PBM Products, Gordonsville, VA. Expanded its baby and toddler line to include six-packs of pediatric drinks in several flavors. H.P. Hood, Binghamton, NY, debuted zero transfat creamers. Steuben Foods, Elma, NY, is out with shelf-stable milk in aseptic six-packs (plain, chocolate, strawberry); pudding snacks.

4C Foods, Brooklyn, NY, brought energy rush sticks, vitamin drink sticks, tea sticks, dragonfruit-açai juice, passion fruit-citrus juice, wildberry-pomegranate lemonade, cranberry-pomegranate lemonade. Imbibe, Skokie, IL, showed off energy drinks, vitamin waters, drink sticks.

Harris Tea, Moorestown, NJ, offered pomegranate tea, large leaf tea bags (pyramid bags). Eastern Tea, Monroe, NJ, rang in with green and white teas with pomegranate. And Sleepy Hollow Coffee Roasters, Newburgh, NY, debuted Diner blend coffee, like at New York diners, Donut Shop coffee. You want it, you got it at Mother Parker’s Tea & Coffee, Fort Worth, TX. Strawberry swirl coffee, coffee sticks. Pyramid loose long-leaf tea bags. White tea with pomegranate. White tea with blueberry. Green tea with mint.

Sara Lee Storebrands, Earth City, MO, came out with Roman meal whole grain wheat biscuits, trans fat-free crescent rolls. Axium Foods, South Beloit, IL, debuted whole grain and multi-grain tortilla chips. And American Italian Pasta Co. (AIPC), Kansas City, MO, is pushing heart healthy pasta.

Arcor USA, Coral Gables, FL, has been in the candy business up to now. But in a new departure, it is marketing machines to produce custom-mix dog and cat foods from bulk containers. The same machines could also do coffee and trail mix blends. Each customer can set up an account, and save his or her custom blend to the system’s memory for repeat purchases.

Lucerne Foods, Pleasanton, CA, manufacturing arm of Safeway, has come out with single-serve aseptic tea, probiotic yogurts and energy drinks, while continuing to offer a wide range of frozen vegetables, ice cream, dairy and bakery products, cookies, crackers and soft drinks.

Weetabix Food, Clinton, MA, has come out with pomegranate cereal, and can make just about any other kind, too–regular or organic. It can also do all kinds of snack and nutrition bars–flavored, coated, drizzles and other toppings; nut, cereal, seed and fruit inclusions; bottom-enrobed, multi-grain and spice.

Palermo’s Pizza, Milwaukee, WI, has extended its line with Italian-style hearth-baked crust pizzas. The company, which opened a new office and plant last year, is already known for eight and 12-inch national brand equivalent rising crust, and 12-inch thin crispy crust, premium thin crust and super thin crust varieties. It has also gotten into organic pizza.

Fremont Company, Fremont, OH, launched a line of spray salad dressings. Portion control, convenience and ease of use are three of the main consumer drivers today, and Fremont aims to deliver all that for store brands now.

The Fremont line has all the hallmarks of the most successful national leading spray dressing brand:  a 7 oz plastic bottle, shrink sleeve wrapped, pump top availability in an assortment of popular flavors: Balsamic Vinaigrette, Italian Vinaigrette, Caesar and Raspberry Vinaigrette.

King’s Command Foods, Kent, WA, offers turkey meatloaf, oven-baked homestyle meatloaf, barbeque meatballs. With Water Lillies Food, Astoria, NY, it’s Asian entrees, egg rolls. Hormel Foods, Austin, MN, is out there with micro-cup chili. And if you want really tiny canned shrimp, Golden Beach, Torrance, CA, has them in 80-100 count.

Berner Foods, Dakota, IL, has been in the cheese business for ages. But now it’s pushing iced lattes, available in 9.5 oz bottles in coffee, vanilla, mocha and cinnamon varieties. And while they contain small amounts of fat and cholesterol, they have zero trans fats. In a related category, Morningstar Foods, part of Dean Foods, Dallas, TX, introduced 12 oz chug milk shakes in chocolate, vanilla and cookies ’n’ cream varieties.