Fine Cheese & Charcuterie March 2013

As I wrote this, I was preparing to go to Chicago for the International Home + Housewares Show (IH+HS), the annual trade fair organized by the International Housewares Associa- tion. Why was a food editor going to a housewares show, you might ask? Just as many food retailers carry housewares items, so too do more and more housewares and kitchenware stores carry a selection of food products, especially cof- fees and teas, confections, olive oils, vinegars, and many other shelf-stable gourmet goods. Each year at the IH+HS, we showcase a selection of food producers in our Gourmet Business Pavilion, all displayed amid complementary kitchenware and tabletop items. We do this in an effort to gain exposure for the food companies to the buyers from the housewares industry, allowing them to see foods with which they might otherwise be unfamiliar. This year’s theme was foods from Asia, Latin America and the Mediterranean, as well as a focused tasting of specialty coffee and tea. I was on hand, along with the whole team from Gourmet Business and Quench – our newest digital magazine devoted to the beverage industry – to conduct tastings, answer questions and to help guide the buyers through the various food and beverage displays. It was a great show in a great city and, hope- fully, we helped bring the housewares and food industries closer together.

Our feature this month focuses on the natural deli, page 8, and looks at how retailers and consumers face so many more considerations these days when deciding what foods to buy and eat. Consumers are increasingly asking questions about how and where their food is raised, and are turning to retail- ers who have addressed those issues. Foods produced by factory farming and industrial food production are very likely harming our health and the envi- ronment, and in most cases, lacking in flavor. Food lovers today are looking for food that is traditional, sustainable, humanely raised and free of unneces- sary chemicals and additives. In other words, the kind of gourmet food we write about regularly in the virtual pages of this magazine.

Our regular columns make interesting reading this month. John Bode’s column, page 18, reminds us just what it takes to bring cheeses in and get them in the case. Every day, cheese importers are faced with obstacles ranging from food safety issues and changing government regulations to strikes and natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy, and yet we take for granted that those cheeses will be de- livered on time and in good condition. The miracle is that they usually are!

Margaret Eckert’s column, “Rules and Regulations,” page 19, talks about new regulations concerning food safety, how the government is stepping up efforts to raise consumer awareness about nutrition by paying attention to labels, and the surprising new campaign from the USDA encouraging everyone to eat local and know your farmer, exactly what we talk about in our feature article, “The Natural Deli.” I guess great minds think alike.

James Mellgren

Managing Editor,

Fine Cheese & Charcuterie

jmellgren@gourmetbusiness.com