Food Wire

Kettle Cuisine, artisan producer of refrigerated and frozen premium quality, all natural soups, announced today that it has acquired Del Monaco Foods, a privately held custom food manufacturing company based in Morgan Hill, California.

Sabra Dipping Company, maker of America’s favorite hummus, announced today the launch of Sabra SpreadsTM. The line comes in convenient squeezable bottles and is hitting the market with three delicious flavors: Garlic Herb, Honey Mustard and Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper.

Del Monte is excited to team up with actress Katrina Bowden to introduce Del Monte Fruit Refreshers, the first ever Fruit Cup® snack made just for adults.

New on deck… Blue Harbor Fish Co. pouches and cans combine the simple ingredients of sustainably-caught, wild Albacore tuna, water, a touch of sea salt or no salt added with no preservatives to bring back the essential fresh flavor of tuna. Blue Harbor Fish Co. is committed to offering the highest-quality Albacore Tuna from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries in the South Pacific.

eureka!® Organic Bread, makers of rich and flavorful organic bread, announced the national launch of its six organic bread varieties. Since day one, eureka!® Organic Bread has been passionate about baking organic bread with high-quality ingredients that contains no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or high fructose corn syrup and is USDA Organic, Vegan Certified and most recently Non-GMO Project Verified.

Pamela’s Products continues to live up to its role as an innovator in the baking and gluten-free categories by launching a Nut Flour Blend and a Grain-Free Pancake Mix, along with a line of Sprouted Grain Pancake Mixes. These additions seek to feed growing consumer demand for nutrient-dense foods that specifically align with the many specialty-food diets that 44 percent* of U.S. consumers subscribe to – vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo and more.

At IFT 2016 a panel of industry experts named AVOKE as the top choice for the startup to win Ganeden’s Probiotic Innovation Jumpstart program — with entrant Daniel Karsevar taking home $25,000 for AVOKE to support the launch of the new vegan, avocado-based smoothie bowls with probiotics.

My Matcha Life’s distribution of its high-quality matcha green teas continues to expand. Matcha lovers can now purchase a select line of My Matcha Life™ matcha teas at over 700 The Vitamin Shoppe locations throughout the United States.

Maple Hill Creamery, which started out in 2009 as a small New York State dairy, can be found nationwide in over in over 6,000 retailers, including Whole Foods Market, Target, Walmart, Safeway, Sprouts, and Stop & Shop. This year, the brand is rolling out a new packaging, along with a brand-new website and a #ThisIsMapleHill social media campaign to provide deeper education on the benefits of 100% grass-fed dairy, highlighting the dedicated farmers who are the backbone of Maple Hill Creamery’s success.

The Board of Directors of the Specialty Food Association announced today that it has named Phillip M. Kafarakis as President of the not-for-profit trade association. Mr. Kafarakis brings more than 30 years of food industry experience to the Specialty Food Association, with a background in innovative brand management, membership development, and strategic planning.