This is one of those rare instances when we don’t delve as deeply into food science and food ingredients—the HOW behind new product development. Instead, this issue examines the operator needs and menu category topics that drive new product ideation—the WHAT and WHY of R&D.
As before, this issue examines category-by-category food and beverage menu trends. However, we also asked market researcher-contributor, Technomic Inc., to address more questions in more articles. We asked their experts …
Q: WHAT is the key menu issue facing both operators and their food and beverage manufacturer-suppliers?
Q: WHAT are three or four areas food and beverage manufacturers should address to stay “on-trend” with operators?
Q: WHAT operator channel segments will grow in 2013? What will decline?
We also are expanding our coverage to include the WHO behind new products. This year, we’re talking directly to food company executives and profiling new items and ideas from PepsiCo Foodservice, Nestlé Professional, Land O’Lakes and even Starbucks.
Moreover, it just so happens that new product success benchmarking has become an important issue to the largest foodservice manufacturers group, the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA). We’re honored to bring you an exclusive look at IFMA’s three-step project, as supported by none other than Stage-Gate International.
Can you tell I’m excited about this new issue? That said, please do let us know what you think and tell me how we can improve next year’s edition. I already have many more ideas and would love to discuss them.
Looking for Healthy Formulations?
Join us at Prepared Foods’ R&D Applications
Seminar-Chicago, August 13-14, 2013, at
Renaissance Chicago O’Hare.
This 9th annual event provides food & beverage formulators with practical, non-commercial, “how-to” solutions to specific formulation
challenges and a better understanding of the functionality of a wide range of ingredients.
The Seminar’s extensive educational program features more than 40 individual, technical
sessions and eight 75-minute Application Labs, and a keynote address each day.
Application Labs
The Application Labs feature the use of product samples to more effectively demonstrate an
ingredient’s functionality or its use in a finished consumer product or model system.
All sessions are non-commercial and provide technical solutions to current ingredient
application and formulation challenges.
Submit Your Presentation at www.rdseminarchicago.com
For more information, visit www.rdseminar
chicago.com or contact Marge Whalen at 847-405-4071 or whalenm@bnpmedia.com.