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![]() New Product Manufacturing Opportunities Identified for Frozen Foodsat the Winter Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, 2003
Prepared By: Dan Wuerch, MISB, AAFC Manitoba The frozen food sector was under-represented at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. Traditionally, this show has a focus on showcasing high end, specialty foods that are not frozen. However, there were enough exhibitors and products at the 2003 show to make intelligence gathering possible and to answer the frozen Key Intelligence Topic. The frozen food exhibitors in attendance did bring unique looking or tasting products to the Winter Fancy Food show. There appears to be a demand for frozen food appetizers, especially those that are easily turned into a meal. A Quebec company in the Canadian pavilion was making mini pizzas for the snack food market. The manufacturer had found a successful niche in the growing US frozen pizza market by keeping the product small. In addition, ethnic appetizers were commonly displayed throughout the show. With ethnic appetizers, a host could add an element of exotic to any dinner party. In general, The Fancy Food Show had plenty of ethnic sauces and spreads. It appears that a natural extension of consumer needs would be for ethnic frozen foods. Unique appearance or taste of a traditional product was another trend observed. A french fry/potato wedge manufacturer was using dye coloured french fries and spicy potato wedges to successfully establish a market niche in the food service industry. The packaging of frozen entrees is geared to the "meal in a bowl" concept, whereby there is no additional dish to dirty. The bowl allows the product to be attractively packaged and is functional at the same time. Most US homes now own a microwave oven and use it considerably to prepare a quick meal. In conversations with Canadian exhibitors of frozen foods at the show, it was apparent that they did well as private label manufacturers for US retailers or distributors. They felt strongly about their competitiveness as a private label manufacturer and how non-competitive they were or would be as a brand based company in the United States. Things to Consider
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