Frozen Food Buyers and Sellers Zero in On Biennial InterCool Fair in Düsseldorf
By MARY DAVIS, QFFI Correspondent

Wild Wingers from Eichkamp are still wild-tasting, but the company has turned over a New Leaf and eliminated all artificial ingredients.

New products in the spotlight, including more organic and healthy-eating foods.

If it’s in Düsseldorf Sept. 28-Oct. 1, it must be InterCool, the international trade fair for frozen food, ice cream and technology, which shares the venue with InterMopro for dairy products and InterMeat for meat and sausages.

Among exhibitors coming to InterCool are Agrarfrost, AHT Cooling Systems, Aviko, CES NV, Dafgard AB, d’Arta NV, Eichkamp, Erlenbacher Backwaren, Escal, Eurofrigo, Frenzel Tiefkühlkost, FRoSTA, Galileo, Herbafrost, Kadi AG Frozen Foods, Hiestand & Suhr, Lamb Weston/Meijer, Linde, Lutosa, Mex-Al El Sombrero, Oerlemans, Pickenpack, Pinguin, R&R Ice Cream, Sadia SA, Scelta, Salomon FoodWorld, Setraco NV, Thoks, Viciunai, Vion NV, Vossko and Quick Frozen Foods International.

Spread across some 40,000 square meters more than 950 companies from 30 countries are expected to step out at all three fairs. On the visitor side, the organizers anticipate some 30,000 professionals from the retail, foodservice, wholesale distribution and manufacturing sectors.

“European Food Talk,” which successfully premiered in 2006, will once again be staged during the triple show at Congress Center CCD South. On the agenda will be current issues in international food retailing.

At all three fairs, expert buyers and those in charge of sales at German and European food retail chains will not only be able to investigate innovations but also concepts for existing and new trend ranges. They will be offered a concentrated international overview of the various specialist sections and have the opportunity to enter into exclusive business discussions with other experts on the demand and supply side.

“How do you make freshness, what sets you apart?” asked Wilhelm Niedergöker, managing director of Messe Düsseldorf, the show’s organizing company. “That is the burning question for every full-line retailer. What’s more, the topics of service, quality, customer assistance, regional produce as well as organic, convenience, functional and ethnic foods will also be addressed.”

But the really hot trend is organic foods, or bio foods as they are more generally called in Europe. More than 100 exhibitors at the three shows are bringing their own organic products. Time was when organic foods were laughed off as a fad, but now more mainstream shoppers are buying them on a regular basis.
There is another motivation behind this bio boom – numerous food scandals and rising health awareness.

Two thirds of buyers say that they are keener now than before on maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. They are also prepared to spend more money on it. Small wonder then, that in Germany the sales of bio foods rose to almost EUR 5 billion in 2007. Private households in the country spent 21% more on “green” products last year.

In addition to introducing a new range of convenience beef specialties, chicken products will be in high profile at the Vossko-Tiefkühlkost stand. One such item is microwaveable Skewered Chicken, which contains no more than 1% fat. Four to five sticks come per 250-gram box.

Beyond that, there is a growing demand for food with natural if not organic ingredients. One of the best-known frozen food manufacturers in Germany, Bremerhaven-based FRoSTA, threw out all flavor enhancements and similar additives that had previously been used to make its products. After falling on some years of hard times because of markedly higher pricing this involved, the company reportedly is now gaining market share again. Self-assured FRosTA sales personnel state that consumers have come to better appreciate quality.

Here’s what some of the other frozen food exhibitors will be showing at the fair:

Out with the Maple Leaf brand, in with New Leaf at Eichkamp Fleisch-und Wurstwaren GmbH, Garrel, Germany, which is bringing the new brand to Hall 6, Stand C75. But there’s something missing from that new brand – flavor enhancers, colors and preservatives. What Eichkamp is sticking to is its traditional virtues, namely: high product quality and consistency, narrow calibrations for optimal portion and calculation control, North American-style recipes, and fun- and entertainment-related food products like Wild Wingers.

“With this exercise, the goal was to maintain all product characteristics, while eliminating additives,” said Thomas Elshoff, marketing manager. “Therefore, we are able to guarantee our customers the same experience with our food ranges like Wild Wingers, Filet Fingers and Drumsticks – but without those additives.”

Kaunas, Lithuania-headquartered Viciunai (Hall 6, Stand G20) is going full-tilt with eight new novelty products, plus a new range of “seafood in oil” products (also eight in all), and a new line of healthy-eating surimi items carrying the eco-label of the Marine Stewardship Council.

Two of the novelty products are surimi-based: Surimi Royal and Surimi Imperial. Both are made from 100% Alaska pollock and have less than one percent fat content. A pack of Surimi Royal contains 12 small legs of 10 grams each. Surimi Imperial is a single-stick, convenient snack to enjoy consuming while on the go.

Viciunai is also introducing three new seafood cakes, made with ginger, sea cabbage and tofu. In its ready meals range, the company has developed two new recipes: salmon with a lemon and butter sauce, and tuna with a chili sauce. Both dishes come with vegetables and potatoes, and are packed in an ovenable board for convenient preparation in a microwave oven. And for home parties, or even bigger events, Viciunai has come up with small pancakes topped with salted salmon.

Kadi AG Frozen Foods, Langenthal, Switzerland (Hall 6, Stand J18; Fax: +41-62 9 16 06 80), has used the traditional and popular Swiss rösti as a crispy base for an innovative snack – and combined it with three fine savory fillings.

New products from Mex-Al El Sombrero include (clockwise from top): Mini Chicken Burritos, rolled and folded flour tortillas filled with chunky chicken meat and red salsa; Mini Texas Flautas, rolled flour tortillas with a filling of minced beef and a characteristic chipotle flavor; Mini Burrito Wraps, rolled flour tortillas folded over on one side, filled with chicken meat in an original green Mexican salsa (salsa casera verde); and Mini Pescado Flautas, rolled flour tortillas with a chunky filling of fish and vegetables.

Rösti Snacks are part of the Kadi Mini Snack line, which consists of the products Mini Samosa, Empanidas, Paprinos, Rösti Snacks and Mini Spring Rolls. Each can be prepared together in a combi steamer.

For the third time the community stand of Bremerhaven will be present at the InterCool. The Fish Port Management Company pools the exhibitors from the seaside city. Six firms based in Bremerhaven, a leading production site of the German food industry, will be present at Hall 6, Stand D40. In addition to FRoSTA and the Gewürzmühle Nesse (the latter a spice specialist), three logistics service providers will be on hand at the community stand: BLG Coldstore, Brüssel & Maass and Kitzinger.

Looking for Mini Pizza? You can find them in many varieties, as well as Bruschetta, Wraps and other snack and finger food products at Hall 6, Stand J47, InterCool home of Galileo Lebensmittel GmbH & Co. KG, Trierweiler, Germany. Promoted as the only pizzas available in 12-packs, the Mini’s feature crusts and toppings that reduce fat content by 30% and cut calories by 50%.

Vossko Tiefkühlkost of Ostbevern, Germany (www.vossko.de), will hold forth at Hall 6, Stand B09 with two new convenience meat specialties: beef steaks and strips of beef. Both are juicy (even after microwaving), browned, and have a light spicy aroma. Because they contain only three grams of fat and 571 calories per 100 grams, they are very suitable for wellness-orientated diets.

With the technology of fat-free frying on teflon conveyor belts, Vossko can produce cooked foods with a high culinary and nutritional value. Furthermore, the convenience food specialist sources very high-grade raw material directly from its own production plant in Brazil. Nevertheless, it is a challenge to regulate the process so that the meat remains juicy and tender.

Wellness-oriented restaurateurs are very fond of combining juicy fat-free beef with light salads. With both of Vossko’s new products, they can put together a range of portion-controlled light dishes that have a high value added appeal.

IQF peppermint (Mentha x piperita), a hybrid between spearmint (Mentha spicata) and watermint (Mentha aquatica), with an intense flavor profile, is one of the latest introductions from Herbafrost, Hulshout, Belgium (www.herbafrost.be), which will be showing its wide range of frozen herbs at Hall 6, Stand G61.

Peppermint is known for its menthol scent and flavor, as popularly enjoyed in peppermint candy and chewing gum. Herbafrost’s peppermint is cultivated by contract farmers near the Hulshout plant, where it grows very well in the sandy soil. The culinary use of peppermint is widespread: from refreshing peppermint tea to sauces, salads, cold soups, desserts, jams, cocktails and liqueurs, and chocolate. The herb goes well with lamb, but is also appreciated with roast beef and cooked or grilled fish. Its benefits include energizing, stimulating digestion, and antibacteriological properties

Herbafrost has also extended its range in the past year with purple basil and Thai basil. Purple basil (opal basil, or Ocimum basilicum purpurea), native to India, has a flavor profile described as “heightened in intensity” in comparison with sweet basil. The purple color comes from anthocyanins, which have a lot of beneficial attributes. The Thai variety (Ocimum basilicum, also known as “Siam Queen”), featuring small leaves and purple stems, has a strong flavor imparting a subtle licorice taste.

Mex-Al El Sombrero Import-Export GmbH, Aachen, Germany (www.mex-al.de), is going beyond basic Mexican foods to offer more frozen convenience products because of rising demand. Here are some of the things that will be showcased at Hall 6, Stand H62:

Chili & Cheese Nuggets, featuring a cheddar cheese filling with bits of slightly spicy jalapenos and bell peppers, covered with tempura; Tapas Balls, potato dough enclosing a Mediterranean filling of olives, cheese and tomatoes; Chili con Carne Sticks with a spicy filling of chili beans and meat surrounded by a dough blend of corn, wheat and potatoes and covered in a thin layer of dry crumbs; Texas Dollars, with the same outer layer as the Chili con Carne Sticks, but with a beef filling spiced up with a smokey chipotle; and Cream & Onion Nuggets, with a core filling of cream cheese, onions and bits of green jalapenos, covered with a potato dough and a thin outer layer of wet batter and dry crumbs.

Wok mixes are a hot item at Oerlemans Foods Nederland BV, Venlo, Holland (www.oerlemans-foods.nl), which is coming to Hall 6, Stand D28 with four varieties:

• Wokmix Orient (sliced carrots, bean sprouts, pea pods, diced red peppers, baby corn, black mushrooms, sliced courgette).
• Wokmix Thai (cut green beans, sliced yellow carrots, baby corn, black mushrooms, sliced red peppers, sliced carrots, bamboo shoots, sliced onion rings, spring onions).
• Wokmix Alpe-Adria (sliced courgette, sliced yellow carrots, pea pods, romano beans, salsify, bay corn).
• Wokmix Italia (diced onions, diced yellow carrots, diced tomatoes, white and green leek, pea pods, diced carrots, diced courgette, diced green and red peppers).

Oerlemans is also out with a Carinthia mix of whole green beans, sliced yellow carrots and salsify that can be cooked in a combi-steamer, wok, pan or baking tray. Other introductions include a pepper mix with sweet orange pepper – said to be the highest in Vitamins A and C – along with mild yellow pepper.
Eurofrigo BV, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will be on the scene in Hall 6, Stand A39 to find out more. The company operates two state-of-the-art coldstores at the Port of Rotterdam, with total capacity of 300,000 cubic meters (70,000 pallet places) maintained at temperatures of -30° to +15° C. Services available there include cross-docking, sorting, repacking, labeling, halal as well as organic storage certification, plus veterinary checkpoint inspection.

More Convenience from Easyfood With Innovative Sandwich Items

A new line of pocket sandwiches with tasty fillings that can be warmed in a sandwich toaster, plus an innovative sandwich bread, have helped Easyfood A/S, Denmark’s third-largest bread producer, get off to a good start in 2008. Export markets, with major new customers in both Sweden and Switzerland, have contributed to the Kolding-headquartered company’s success. Overall growth for the year is expected to be 25%.

The full assortment of Easyfood’s thaw-and-serve Bready products was launched by Valora Trade Sweden AB in April.

Besides the Bready range, a new sandwich bread called easyCasella has been a key factor in growth at home and abroad. These products are now making inroads in the Swedish and Swiss markets, and a number of existing Danish customers have also welcomed them.

“It’s important for us always to be able to offer new and exciting products which can create further value for our customers without them having to compromise on quality and flavor,” said Flemming Paasch, ceo. “That was our starting point with easyCasella, which is the bread equivalent of ready-prepared lettuce in bags – fresh, pre-buttered sandwich breads which can be opened without a knife after thawing. They are now on the market in three varieties – pre-buttered with real Italian pesto or extra-virgin olive oil.”

The thaw-and-warm Bready range is packed in a grilling foil, which makes handling easy. In April Valora Trade Sweden AB launched a full assortment in Sweden.

“We felt that the product had great potential because the market for these kinds of products grew faster than the existing range could handle,” explained Therese Norden, marketing manager. “Due to their unique packaging and fresh flavors, Bready is the perfect alternative for a wide perspective of clients who need something tasty and yet simple to serve their customers. Sales have progressed according to expectations, and we have increased our offer to the quick-serve market significantly.”

When the food industry’s major independent analytical survey of Danish wholesale customers last year ranked Easyfood in the number one position in categories such as innovation, market position, information and product quality, said Paasch, this was a reliable indicator that the company was heading in the right direction.

But the ceo emphasized that his team will not rest on its laurels, and is cooperating closely with customers to develop customized solutions in sandwich breads, convenience products and more. “We work with some of the world’s leading fast food chains to develop varieties which are a perfect match for their concepts,” he commented.