VOTE TAKING PLACE
ON REVISED CASHEW STANDARD

Members are voting on proposed changes to the AFI cashew standard. Several rounds of input from all sectors of the industry have led up to this vote. The proposed changes are meant to bring the standard up to date with today’s cashew marketplace. The standard was last updated in 1999.

AFI’S ANUGA RECEPTION
CONTINUES TO GROW

AFI’s ANUGA reception continues to grow. An estimated 150-175 people attended this year’s event, held Sunday, October 14 in Cologne, Germany. AFI will hold its third SIAL reception in Paris in 2008. Details on the event will be sent as soon as the date is confirmed.

AFI TO HOST RECEPTION
AT SIAL MONTREAL

AFI will hold its second SIAL Montreal reception in 2008. The trade show is scheduled for April 23-25 at the Palais des Congres de Montreal. AFI will partner with the SIAL organizers to invite many suppliers to the reception to give both importers and suppliers an informal way to introduce themselves. A time and date for the reception will be sent shortly. For information on SIAL Montreal, visit www.sialmontreal.com.

AFI continues to ensure the voice of the food import industry is being heard with regard to proposed legislation targeted at food imports. AFI has been speaking to member of Congress and their staff and to other segments within the industry to ensure they realize the problems the proposed regulations and other proposals would cause if they were enacted.

The proposed regulations were a primary focus of AFI’s Town Meeting held in Washington in late September. Several attendees told me it was not only the best AFI meeting they ever attended but the best meeting they’ve ever attended. All visuals shown by speakers can be found on the AFI website.

The proposed regulations will be an important part of the program for AFI’s 2008 Convention, scheduled for March 27-30 at the Hilton in Clearwater Beach, Fla. Members are encouraged to make every effort to attend.

AFI continues to ensure the voice of the food import industry is being heard with regard to proposed legislation targeted at food imports. AFI has been speaking to member of Congress and their staff and to other segments within the industry to ensure they realize the problems the proposed regulations and other proposals would cause if they were enacted.

The proposed regulations were a primary focus of AFI’s Town Meeting held in Washington in late September. Several attendees told me it was not only the best AFI meeting they ever attended but the best meeting they’ve ever attended. All visuals shown by speakers can be found on the AFI website.

The proposed regulations will be an important part of the program for AFI’s 2008 Convention, scheduled for March 27-30 at the Hilton in Clearwater Beach, Fla. Members are encouraged to make every effort to attend.

PINEAPPLE ANTIDUMPING DUTY
SOON TO END?

A changed circumstances petition by the Thai Canners Association to revoke the antidumping duty order on canned pineapple from Thailand was denied by Maui Pineapple, which originally said it would cease production June 30, said it was going to continue limited production through the end of the year.

However, Maui Pineapple recently issued a press release saying it was to hold an auction Oct. 30 to sell the cannery. We have not been told yet whether the exporters will re-file their petition in November or sometime after Jan. 1.

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT UNVEILS
NEW ORGANIC LOGO

Canada unveiled its new organic logo in July. The logo, which is a part of the new Organic Products Regulations announced in December 2006, will tell consumers they are purchasing products federally certified as organic. The Canada organic logo will be permitted for use only on those food products certified as meeting Canadian standards for organic production, such as using natural fertilizers and raising animals in conditions that mimic nature as much as possible. Certified products must also contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Following the phase-in period ending in December 2008, it will be mandatory that all organic products be certified for interprovincial and international trade.

OLIVE IMPORTS
CONTINUE TO RISE

U.S. imports of fresh and processed olives grew 26 percent between 2003 and 2006 and the value of the imports has grown more than the volume, suggesting that the U.S. is now consuming olives of a higher quality, reported LivinginPeru.com. The main exporter of olives to the U.S. is Spain, which, according to the report is responsible for more than 38 percent of the total amount, followed by Mexico, Greece and Morocco which account for 22 percent, 13 percent and 6 percent respectively.

SURVEY: MORE U.S. ADULTS
CHECKING FOOD LABELS

More U.S. adults are checking food labels carefully -- especially for country of origin -- than a year ago, a new survey found.

Fifty-three percent of U.S. adults surveyed suggested they checked labels one year ago for nation of origin, manufacturer or ingredients -- compared to 69 percent who say they do so today, the survey of 1,000 adults by the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute found.

Eighty-seven percent said they have confidence in American-made and distributed products and food, but less than half said they thought the United States is doing a good job ensuring imports meet established safety and quality standards.

“It is not surprising that Americans are clearly very concerned about food imported from other countries,” Balbir Bhasin of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., said in a statement. “The government clearly needs to do more to protect the consumer for poor quality imports, especially meats, fish and dairy products. Labels and expiration dates alone do not suffice.”

REPORT: QUALITY, TASTE
DRIVE SPECIALTY FOOD MARKET

Consumer demand for quality and taste as well as an increased interest in international food traditions are key drivers for the specialty foods market in the U.S., says a new report by Mintel.

Almost three quarters (73 percent) of the nation's consumers now report purchasing specialty foods, compared to 64 percent just one year ago. Mintel defines specialty foods as those products that are of premium quality such as high-end chocolate, coffee or cooking oil. These foods are generally considered “unique” and may be made by small or local manufacturers or have exotic ethnic flavors.

Other products that fit into this category include specialty beverages, coffee/tea, chocolate, cheese and olive oil, which more than half of specialty food purchases report buying.

Although 82 percent of the population that buys food within this category is willing to pay the extra price for the products, cost remains the primary barrier for 68 percent of those consumers who report not purchasing specialty products.

According to Mintel, taste is the major impetus behind purchases, cited by 88 percent of consumers in the specialty food category. Quality is second, at 63 percent.

Two thirds of consumers say they purchase specialty products for the pleasure of giving themselves a treat, while just over a third said they buy these products for special occasions, such as birthdays or holidays.

The new report finds the typical specialty food shopper tends to be younger and more affluent than the average consumer. They are also more likely to buy products that are natural, organic, kosher and halal, with one reason for this being the higher quality linked to this type of product.

The category is also significantly boosted by international travelers, who are likely to embrace international food traditions and return to the US with a new interest in finding these same ingredients in their hometowns.

Ethnic diversity within a nation is also one of the leading means of introducing new food traditions to a community, and also encourages consumers within that community to expand their food horizons, said Mintel.

In terms of future trends, Mintel suggests specialty manufacturers and retailers are likely to continue to find an audience for their products as consumers' interest in new flavors and presentations continues to grow.

CHINA: FOOD SAFETY EFFORTS
BEARING FRUIT

All legal food exports now bear inspection labels, and any illegally imported meat, fruit or waste materials in circulation has been either returned or destroyed, China Daily reported. The CIQ (China Inspection and Quarantine) inspection mark signifies the goods meet quality standards and should help foreign food importers distinguish certified Chinese food products from fake ones. And the return or destruction of illegally imported products has helped keep the public safe, according to an announcement by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

Both measures are part of an ongoing national campaign against unsafe food and substandard products. Figures released in October show that by the end of September, 80 percent of the country's food processing enterprises had received production licenses and about 70 percent of the small food plants with less than 10 staff had committed to making safe products. In addition, 70 percent of the raw material bases for export food products had been inspected and 94 percent of the agricultural wholesale markets in big- and medium-sized cities had been brought under the observation of a monitoring system.

TRADER JOE’S TO PHASE OUT
PRODUCT FROM CHINA

Trader Joe's said it will phase out foods imported from China amid concerns that standards on organic products from the country aren't as stringent as they should be.

Alison Mochizuki, spokeswoman for the Monrovia, Calif.-based grocer, e-mailed a statement saying the grocer will phase out single-ingredient products from mainland China by Jan. 1.

“We feel confident that all of our products from China meet the same high quality standards that we set for all of our products,” the statement read. “However, our customers have voiced their concerns about products from this region and we have listened. We will continue to source products from other regions until our customers feel as confident as we do about the quality and safety of Chinese products.”

The change apparently does not affect products containing multiple ingredients, of which some may be from China.

MITSUI ADDS
PERSONNEL

Mitsui Foods International, Inc. announced the hiring of Spencer Turer as national sales manager for the coffee & tea division. Reporting to Yong Ma, vice president, Turer will lead Mitsui Foods' coffee sales efforts.

Mitsui also announced the appointment of John T. Cassidy as the vice president of sales for the company’s retail grocery division. The division primarily markets the Empress brand and a variety of retailer’s private brand products within the tuna, pineapple and other specialty food segments.

STUDY TOUTS CAPERS
AS RICH IN ANTIOXIDANTS

Capers are a rich source of antioxidants and exhibit protective benefits even when consumed in the small concentrations used for flavoring, says a new study from Italy. Extracts from capers were found to have significant antioxidant effects comparable to vitamin E, said the researchers in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Three and a half micromoles of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) of caper extract produced the same antioxidant effect as five micromoles GAE of vitamin E, reported the researchers from the University of Palermo.

When added to grilled ground-turkey, the researchers found that caper-extract helped prevent the formation of certain by-products of digested meat that have been linked by others to an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.