A new year brings optimism, and optimism appears abundant as the food industry heads into 2014. The economy is easing a little, and processors celebrate a relatively calm 2013 vs. the upheavals of a few years ago. Cooperation, communication and creativity apparently sprung from the chaos of financial meltdown.
Cooperation is evident in the way ingredient makers have geometrically expanded their participation with manufacturers to overcome increasingly complex hurdles set up by both regulators and by the most informed and uncompromising consumers. Whether it’s for tasty products that are gluten free, organic and fair trade/sustainable, or items that are healthful, yet deliciously indulgent, people know what they want—and those who fail to provide will subside