Food Processing - June 2008 - (Page 19)

SPECIAL REPORT Eleven of the 15 largest food processors were missing from this year’s FMI Show, but attendance was 17,543. ‘New’ FMI Show rolls the dice in Vegas The ﬁrst show outside of Chicago in 26 years draws few big food companies. T he first Food Marketing Institute FMI Show held outside of Chicago since 1982 certainly was a different FMI Show. The city was Las Vegas, the venue was the Mandalay Bay Convention Center (not the Las Vegas Convention Center), and 11 of the top 15 food processors were missing. The changes were inevitable, FMI officials and some of the processors in attendance admitted privately. “Chicago’s great,” said one exhibitor, “but going to the same town for 26 years gets old.” Others criticized McCormick Place management and its labor unions. Another said big companies had painted themselves into a corner with ever-larger exhibits. “They were getting too expensive, but companies feel exhibiting with a smaller booth than you had last year sends a negative signal to people. It’s better to not show up than to show up small.” Among the companies exhibiting were Kraft Foods, Nestle USA, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and Campbell Soup. Among those missing were Tyson, Pepsico, General Mills, ConAgra, Kellogg and Unilever. New products galore As a clean slate, FMI 08 provided a great venue for Kraft to launch 90 – that’s right, 90 – new products (although not all were on display). Just a taste includes DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen For One, great single-serve microwavable pizzas; DiGiorno Ultimate Focaccia Pizza, which features Italian herbs, cheeses and olive oil mixed into a light focaccia crust and topped with classic toppings; and Nilla Cakesters Soft Snack Cakes, building on the momentum of Oreo Cakesters with a vanilla variety. Kraft also put Cool-Whip in an aerosol can. A visitor could drink lime cactus, Tuscan orange grapefruit, pomegranate raspberry, blueberry, goji berry and acai – and that was just in the Anheuser-Busch booth. Not to mention the new Bud Lights in lime and Clamato. A-B also was promoting a distribution-only agreement with Borba Skin Balance Water. ere are four nutraceutical-based varieties in the line: Age Defying (acai), Clarifying (pomegranate), Replenishing (lychee) and Firming (guanabana). While marketed by the Woodland Hills, Calif., company, the product samples were manufactured by Sparta, Wis.-based Century Foods, now a Hormel unit. JUNE 2008 FOOD PROCESSING • 19 FOODPROCESSING.COM http://FOODPROCESSING.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Processing - June 2008

Food Processing - June 2008 Editor's Plate NewsBites Show Report The Trends Rollout Food Biz Kids Consumer Taste Test A Bevy of New CEOs Ingredients Packaging Plant Operations MRO Q&A New Supplier Products Toops Scoops Contents

Food Processing - June 2008

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