May 2009 by annexbusinessmedia

ADVENTURES IN TASTE

Lynn Ogryzlo’s fresh ideas for flavours

The Clear Choice. It’s the one Show that spotlights the newest products, the future trends, and the problems and opportunities facing your brands. Build your reputation among the best retail buyers, merchandisers, and food marketers in the industry.

Ca s t Your Vote. Choose your platform to network, exchange ideas, and experience new products with over 8,000 of your fellow delegates. You can build recognition for your company and its products on the 1,500-booth Expo Floor, in the 10,000 square foot Show & Sell Center, or at one of the many other Special Events.

The Brighte s t Star s. We’re giving you, the people, what you want –popular, dynamic speakers with many educational sessions to choose from. This year’s topics include: marketing trends, branding, sales, the future of food retailing, leadership, and other topics designed to build loyalty among your consumer fan base.

Show & Sell 2009. The IDDBA’s Show & Sell Center is an idea center that focuses on meals, deli, cheese, and bakery. We’ll give you the how-to instructions, the ideas sheets, and photos to show you how to do it yourself. See new ideas and excellence in merchandising in action.

Jim Gaffigan Beyond the Pale: The Ultimate Foodie

Gen Colin Powell Taking Charge in a New World Order

Dr. Lowell Catlett Economic Behemoth: The Final Frontier

Harold Lloyd 2 Dozen Ways to Raise Sales

Alton Brown Good Eats – It Doesn’t Get Better Than This

Martin Lindstrom Buy-ology and The Future of Branding

Jeff Noddle The Future of Food Retailing

Brian Darr The New Value Shopper

Oren Harari How to Compete in a Copycat Economy

Bob Knight A Little Knight Magic

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By BRIAN HARTZ

RECESSION-PROOF ?

Is this country’s food manufacturing industry recessionproof? In essence, yes, according to an intriguing report released in March by the Conference Board of Canada. “Demand for everyday products such as food is not particularly sensitive to economic conditions, so the food manufacturing industry in Canada is expected to come through the economic turmoil without suffering too much,” economist Valerie Poulin, the report’s author, said in a press release. The report, titled “Canadian Industrial Outlook: Canada’s Food Manufacturing Industry – Winter 2009,” is available for download at www.conferenceboard.ca.

Now, to head off any complaints about being a mouthpiece for government ivory-tower types, allow me to say that it’s not much of a stretch to conclude that the food manufacturing industry has a much better chance of surviving this recession than, say, the automobile manufacturing industry, which is teetering on the brink of collapse. Food and beverages, as the report says, “are the single largest component of retail sales. And with the exception of full-service restaurants, the performance of most food-related businesses is largely independent of economic conditions.”

Indeed, as almost every other manufacturing industry in Canada witnessed a decline in production during the first 11 months of 2008, the business of making food continued to grow, and was second only to the pharmaceutical industry in overall production growth. Bakeries and tortilla makers, which the government lumps together for statistical purposes, have done well enough over the past few years to warrant special attention in the section of the report on industry trends, in which Poulin writes, “Although low-carbohydrate diets had challenged this segment recently, a transition to diets that focus on better carbs … has returned bakery products to the place they used to have in the grocery basket.”

}As almost every other manufacturing industry ... witnessed a decline in production ... the business of making food continued to grow, and was second only to the pharmaceutical industry in overall production growth.

Poulin also states that the performance of bakeries and tortilla makers has buoyed the overall industry in recent years: Production in this sector increased by an impressive 19 per cent in 2006-07. And with real output in the industry expected to decline by only 0.8 per cent in 2009 before rebounding to increase by an average of 2.3 per cent annually between 2010 and 2013, bakers can take a bow; you are the backbone of the food business, and should be justifiably proud of the work you do.

However, here at the Journal we want to go beyond the numbers and find out which products are really helping the bakery business grow. Poulin’s report mentions cereal bars and snack crackers as strong performers – and we’ve seen and heard anecdotal evidence of 2009 being the year of single-serving, comfort-food desserts like cookies, cupcakes and hand-held cakes and pies – but let us know what’s been a strong seller for you by dropping an e-mail to editor@bakersjournal.com and we’ll try to include your comments in next month’s issue, whose theme is “What’s Driving Industry Growth?”

Getting back to this month, however, we welcome a new columnist, registered dietitian Jane Dummer, whom you might recognize from an article on sodium reduction in the December 2008 issue. Jane is an expert on nutrition and food safety, two areas of the food industry that, in our opinion, warrant regular examination.

Jane will be with us every other month as she shares The Final Proof column with Stephanie Ortenzi, a food service marketing writer with 15 years of experience as a fine dining chef, who wrote this month’s feature article on wheat prices. We are excited and fortunate to have them both as part of Bakers Journal. / BJ

Happy reading,

MAY 2009 | Vol. 69, no. 4

editor | Brian Hartz editor@bakersjournal.com 1-888-599-2228 ext. 250

technical editor | John McColl, Puratos Canada jmccoll@puratos.com

national advertising Manager | stephanie Jewell sjewell@annexweb.com 705-826-2254 1-888-599-2228 ext. 268

sales assistant | Barb Comer bcomer@annexweb.com 519-429-5176 1-888-599-2228 ext. 235

Production artist | Brooke shaw grouP Publisher | Martin McAnulty mmcanulty@annexweb.com

President | Mike fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com

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CRFA elects new chairman

TORONTO – Brenda O’Reilly, a well-known St. John’s restaurateur, was elected chairman of the 33,000-member Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) at the association’s annual meeting on March 9.

O’Reilly is the owner/ operator of O’Reilly’s Irish Newfoundland Pub, one of the most popular destinations on George Street in St. John’s. Last year she opened Yellowbelly Brewery and Public House in a restored heritage building on the same street. She also owns a catering business

called Food on the Run.

O’Reilly employs 95 to 120 people throughout the year.

“I’m very proud to be representing such a vibrant industry where the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well,” O’Reilly says.

“Restaurants are an important part of every community in Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia. They’re gathering spots for people of all ages, they attract tourists, they contribute to the local economy, and they create amazing opportunities for both entrepreneurs and employees.”

L.V. Lomas among ‘Best Places to Work in Canada’

BRAMPTON, Ont. – L.V. Lomas, a chemical manufacturer and supplier of raw materials and ingredients to the baking industry, has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Canada by the Great Place to Work Institute Inc.

As reported in The Globe and Mail on April 6, L.V. Lomas was ranked among the top 25 workplaces in Canada.

The Great Place to Work Institute Inc. is a U.S.-based research and management consultancy with affiliate offices

worldwide. The survey instrument used by The Great Place to Work Institute Inc. is the same primary selection criterion used annually to compile similar lists for leading business publications such as Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in the U.S.

For more information, see www. greatplacetowork.com/gptw/index.php.

BakeMark goes tri-lingual

PICO RIVERA, Calif. – BakeMark USA, a leading manufacturer and distributor of bakery products and ingredients, has launched a new tri-lingual website: www.yourbakemark. com.

The website is centered on bakery customers’ needs, providing information on products, bakedgood ideas, recipes and opening channels to communicate with BakeMark. In

three languages – English, Spanish and French – this website reaches across different parts of the baking community in the North American market. BakeMark has six distribution centers in Canada.

In addition to supplying information about baked goods for bakery operators to stay on trend, the website features bakers with their signature products in Bakin’ n Rockin’ and introduces BakeMark employees in Meet & Greet.

Puratos, Fugeia forge alliance

The Puratos Group and Fugeia have entered a partnership aimed at developing bread and pastry products with enhanced digestive health benefits.

The technology developed under the collaboration makes the natural fibres of cereals, such as wheat or rye, more accessible to digestion by beneficial bacteria in the large intestine. As a consequence, the activated fibres act as prebiotic substrates for the intestinal flora. What makes the technology unique is that it activates during the baking process the fibres that are already naturally present in cereal flours, without requiring the addition of external sources of fibre.

As part of the agreement between the Puratos Group and Fugeia, bread with activated cereal fibre is being tested in clinical trials on human volunteers conducted by the University of Leuven and Fugeia.

New corporate identity for Fleischmann’s

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – Fleischmann’s Yeast and Innovative Cereal Systems, which are part of AB Mauri Food Inc., will align under the new corporate banner of AB Mauri Fleischmann’s effective Sept. 1.

Positioning the sales and marketing strategies under one umbrella represents a natural evolution for the business, as the complete portfolio includes Fleischmann’s Yeast products, AB Mauri Bakery Ingredients and ICS enzymebased technologies. Fleischmann’s Yeast is a reputable brand in North America, while AB Mauri has global capabilities that benefit the baking industry.

AB Mauri encompasses six geographic regions around the globe, including Fleischmann’s Yeast and Innovative Cereal Systems in North America. The new combined company, AB Mauri Fleischmann’s, will continue to be a leader in yeast and baking ingredient technology.

Fresh new face in Home Hardware’s kitchen

TORONTO – In early March, Home Hardware Stores announced an exclusive retail partnership with Food Network host, professional chef and cookbook author Anna Olson to bring top-quality kitchen products and solutions to Canadian consumers.

Home Hardware’s partnership with Olson is designed to help its dealerowners grow their share of the kitchen and entertaining category, through product awareness and helpful recommendations from a well-known professional chef. Olson will work with Home Hardware dealers to ensure customers get expert advice within the

Ocean Spray names new VP

Ocean Spray has appointed Mike Stamatakos as vice president of agricultural supply and development. Providing an essential link between the co-operative’s grower-owners and customers, Stamatakos’ position is critical to uniting their needs as Ocean Spray’s global business expands.

Stamatakos assumes the vice presidency with 14 years of experience in Ocean Spray operations. His thorough understanding of the dynamics involved in bringing fruit from the cooperative to global markets makes him instrumental in realizing Ocean Spray’s long-term strategy.

“In his new role, Mike brings the necessary experience and insight required to govern Ocean Spray’s grower relations, ensure a long-term fruit supply and deliver the highest quality fruit ingredients to the market,” CEO Randy Pappadellis says.

Rob Beams, who preceded Stamatakos for five years, has taken up the post of vice president, supply chain. His new role will cover logistics, engineering, customer service and procurement.

convenient setting of their local Home Hardware store.

“Creating a warm and inviting kitchen is like building a home. Everyone has a vision of what they want, but most of us need advice to pull it together – which appliances to choose and how to care for them,” Olson says. “That’s why I am excited to partner with Home Hardware. [Its] dealers and staff are equipped with the knowledge and products to help anyone create an inspired living space.”

Home Hardware plans to leverage the exclusive relationship in advertising, flyers, promotions, POP materials and its in-store magazine.

IBIE welcomes RBA as new partner

CHICAGO – The theme for the 2010 International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), “Where the Industry Unites,” became even more fitting with the news that the Retail Bakers of America (RBA) will become a new strategic partner of the triennial show.

As part of the agreement, RBA will not hold its standalone event, the American Retail Bakery Exposition, in 2010.

Partnership talks began as the result of

a strategic planning session conducted in 2008. The IBIE committee examined opportunities to unify the baking industry and strengthen its show through strategic alliances with related exhibitions. The organizations say the new relationship will enhance value and benefits to attendees and exhibitors.

RBA exhibitors will be integrated into the IBIE show floor, rather than placed in a separate hall or pavilion.

Anna Olson and Home Hardware marketing director Jack Baillie.

By MICHELLE

A LITTLE WHIMSy IN THE BAkERy

The next great miniature dessert trend could very well have you saying “whoopie!”

When cupcakes became the trendy new baked good we took modest interest. But when they became so popular that entire bakery chains dedicated exclusively to making cupcakes became commonplace, we sat bolt upright and took notice.

A recent New York Times food column crowned whoopie pies as the next big bakery trend, and in light of “cupcake mania,” we would be wise to give it our attention. It seems we want a little whimsy in our baked goods – now more than ever. But this desire begs some questions: Why is this trend so strong now? Do these products have staying power, or will they be just another flash in the cake pan?

}We all remember the bagel craze of about 10 years ago. Cupcakes have enjoyed a similar mercurial rise in popularity, but the reasons are more deeply rooted in popular culture.

can easily cut the cost of the wedding cake by half.”

The Frosted Cupcake does not have a traditional storefront but operates as a virtual business for the moment, filling only online orders.

“We’ve approached the decoration of the cupcake as though they are little works of art,” Mowat says. “We’ve found our cupcakes with flower designs on top are especially popular with women. Daisies, which are traditionally thought of as being whimsical themselves, are quite a trend.”

For businesses that want to quickly tap into the “personal portion of whimsy” trend offered by these baked goods, Rich Products of Canada boasts a wonderful program designed to tickle the kid in all of us. Rich Products business development manager Kevin Spratt and associate business development manager Jeff Solway confirm cupcakes are the perfect vehicle for tapping into the comfort baked goods trend.

Created by the Amish community in Pennsylvania, the story goes that when an Amish man found one of these treats in his lunch he would gleefully exclaim, “whoopie!”

The hit TV show “Sex and the City” featured its main characters enjoying gourmet cupcakes at Magnolia’s bakery in New York City. Thus, the cupcake’s renaissance is generally attributed to some combination of a population fresh off the no-carb diet craze craving a sugary indulgence; the chick-lit culture that revolved around “Sex and the City”; and a need for grown-ups to seek out the comfort foods of an idealized childhood

The cupcake, however, has more practical appeal. It’s sweet. It’s portable. It requires no cutlery. It’s large enough to be satisfying but small enough to be guilt-free or at least guilt-free enough.

Rachel Mowat, co-owner of the Frosted Cupcake in St. Catharines, Ont., sees all of these factors driving the cupcake trend.

“As a wedding planner, I saw so many requests for cupcake trees instead of wedding cakes,” Mowat says. “A cupcake tree is an ideal way to control costs when wedding budgets are tight. A cupcake tree

“Cupcakes are an individual portion-sized baked good that really lends itself to impulse purchases,” Spratt says.

Solway points out that a strong trend they’re seeing includes a Rat Pack meets the Brady Bunch vibe.

“There’s a tendency to take what’s familiar and childlike and give it an unusual presentation,” he says. “We’re calling it ‘familiar with a twist.’ For example, we’re seeing happy-hour cupcakes made with margarita icing as a way of making a child-like treat more sophisticated.”

While cupcakes might be the current darling of the trend-spotters, the humble whoopie pie might just be a contender for the crown.

Whoopie pies are best described as two cake-like cookies with whipped topping sandwiched between them. Created by the Amish community in Pennsylvania, the story goes that when an Amish man found one of these treats in his lunch he would gleefully exclaim “whoopie!”

The Williams-Sonoma catalog describes whoopie pies as “pure edible nostalgia.” The

filling is generally of one of two types: a thick, sweet frosting made from Crisco shortening combined with confectioners’ sugar, or, more conveniently, a dollop of marshmallow fluff.

Cranberry Island’s whoopie pies, which start at US$28.75 per half dozen, are made with chocolate cake or vanilla and are available in shapes such as scallop shells and pumpkins. Filling flavours include rum, peppermint, Cointreau, raspberry and espresso – echoing the “familiar with a twist” theme seen in the cupcake trend.

While whoopie pies are becoming more commonplace in the United States, they are only beginning to make their presence known in Canada. It makes sense that whoopie pies would have the same positive attributes as cupcakes: portable, decadent and nostalgic.

But beyond the obvious attractions for consumers, these small quirky treats more

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Held every other year, it is the only baking specific event produced in Canada

Niagara food expert weighs in on new flavours, ingredients for baking in 2009 and beyond |

ADVENTURES IN TASTE

TASTE

Lynn Ogryzlo’s culinary passion has led her on a bountiful journey as Niagara’s homegrown champion of food and wine. For the past two decades this petite culinary activist has transformed her love affair with food into a career as a much-sought-after speaker, writer and key player in the food and tourism industry, and she takes pride in advocating, educating and promoting culinary traditions and innovation.

Her cookbook, Niagara Cooks, celebrates the flavour of Niagara’s local foods along with profiles of the people who grow it. With full-colour photographs of each of its 89 seasonal recipes, farmer profiles, harvest schedules and appropriate wine pairings, mainstream publishers balked at a book that touted a community message of “celebrating each season’s bounty by concentrating on eating local.”

Ogryzlo moved production along by seeking out independent investors committed to publishing and printing the book in Canada. Within six weeks of distribution it became a Canadian bestseller, winning the Gourmand World Cookbook Award (Madrid, Spain) in the Best Local Food Cookbook category for Canada, thus qualifying to compete for the Best Local Food Cookbook in the World, to be judged this month.

}There is also an Asian influence gaining popularity in baking, such as lemon grass … And tea – you can expect a lot more influence of teas in baking, such as tea-infused coffee cakes.

Growing up in an Italian household that cultivated and cooked its own food, Ogryzlo believes that, as in her childhood home, food is a celebration that brings people together. Bemused by those who say they can’t cook, when in fact, they manage to feed themselves on a daily basis, she thinks “the whole thing – cooking and baking – is a way of life and shouldn’t be difficult. If it’s a hobby, then it’s a lot of fun. But if you cook just to feed yourself, then it should be easy to prepare and enjoy.”

Admittedly, her own baking regime adheres to a mantra of practicality and convenience, leaving the elaborate decadence to her favourite Niagara

specialty shops such as Criveller and Willow Cakes & Pastries. But the agriculturally rich banana belt in which she lives offers many variations of simple and delicious desserts that she prepares in her own kitchen and shares in regular newspaper and magazine columns. Be it cookies, raisin buns, zucchini bread or delicate meringues filled with variations of whipped cream, rose petals or wine-infused fruit, Ogryzlo believes baking is therapeutic.

“You mix the ingredients and give a part of yourself,” she says.

Animated as she describes the process of transforming a “jiggly liquid” into a food offering shared with family and friends, she likens the art of baking to

“putting a piece of love on a plate” to share with others.

Seasonality is fundamental to Ogryzlo’s gastronomic attitude.

“Baking changes; our bodies are in tune with the seasons,” she said, excited that spring’s resurgence means it’s time again to use Niagara’s fresh berries to make such delicacies as her homemade custard-based ice cream and grape pie.

An advocate of local sustainability, she says the vital importance of supporting local growers is as important as the health benefits consumers receive by buying locally.

“Seasonal fruit is fresher and better for you. It ripens on the vine and is picked at the height of its nutritional value,” she says, explaining that imported produce that is harvested and shipped prior to optimum ripeness diminishes in taste and nutrition.

As trends go, Ogryzlo intentionally avoids the road of low-fat, low-sugar

Lynn Ogryzlo, award-winning Niagara author and speaker (opposite); Tayberry (above).

Lynn Ogryzlo predicts lemon grass, top, and other Asian ingredients will rise in popularity, while single-serving desserts such as cheesecakes, above, and cupcakes will satisfy Canadians’ desires for smaller, healthier indulgences.

diets, believing instead that by “eating local, eating pure and eating in moderation” we are responsible for our own health.

“At the end of the day it’s about making better choices toward purity, moderation and better quality,” she says.

As Canadians become more health conscious they are “looking for smaller, lighter, healthier desserts, finger-food

type pastries and single-serving-size indulgences, like cheesecake and cupcakes.”

She believes the old traditions of hand mixing and handcrafting baked goods and decorations are coming back to mainstream bakeries. She expounds the virtues of vanilla as “never out of season,” chocolate as continually holding “its number one status as a pallet

pleaser,” and lavender as having “the ability to make anything taste decadent – especially crème brûlée or coffee cake.”

Regarding new ingredients, Ogryzlo believes that it’s a matter of making the old new again.

“Old varieties are being rediscovered,” she says, and used in sensational recipes calling for lesser-known fruits indigenous of the Niagara region, including tayberry (a natural hybrid of a raspberry and blackberry, similar to a blueberry with seeds), saskatoon berry (likened to a raspberry) and Niagara kiwi (a smooth grape-like fruit the size of a large green olive that’s sweeter than the more conventional fuzzy kiwi).

“There is also an Asian influence gaining popularity in baking, such as lemon grass, which is now being grown in the area. And tea – you can expect a lot more influence of teas in baking, such as tea-infused coffee cakes.”

Living in a region that possesses some of the most distinguished vineyards in the world, Ogryzlo makes use of the local offerings in her classic wine-poached pear recipe, as a fruit and meat marinate, and in a wine reduction sauce – one of her signature dishes – prepared with garlic, olive oil, pepper flakes and tomato flesh and poured over freshly steamed shrimp and pasta.

Ogryzlo’s talents go beyond hosting a variety of television segments or penning hundreds of original recipes as published in her cookbook and articles, and on her website. The spark of enthusiasm has allowed her to develop educational elementary and college food programs, teach seminars, create the Niagara Culinary Trail and the Niagara Industry Tasting Guild for winemakers, as well as work tirelessly with industry and government agencies to expand the impact and value for agriculture, tourism and culinary traditions in the Niagara region.

Ogryzlo’s travel experiences abroad have provided a fertile stomping ground to experience delectable menus and nurture new ideas, but her summer plans will keep her closer to home: zigzagging Ontario to uncover its distinctive flavours and bringing home what she calls a “delicious way to communicate that special sense of place that exists in each destination.” / BJ

For more information, visit www.LynnOgryzlo.com.

products

From Sethness labelling colours to SK Food’s crimson red corn ... Bakers Journal keeps you “in the know.” for more on new products for the baking industry, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com

sethness plain caramel colour options

In search of cleaner labels, many companies are turning toward plain caramel colours and caramelized sugar syrups as colouring options.

Sethness Products

sk crimson red corn

FARGO, N.D. – SK Food International has released identity preserved certified organic and conventional non-GMO crimson red corn. This hybrid red corn has two unique qualities, one of which is coloured alerone. Other varieties’ colour is in the seed coat, which causes the corn to lose its colour during food processing. However, SK Food International’s crimson red corn has a clear seed coat, with the colour in the alerone, allowing the red colour to remain in tact through processing. The other unique feature of the Crimson Red Corn is the gametophyte gene that prevents cross contamination of other types of corn. Product applications include, but are not limited to: snack foods, tortilla chips, soft tortillas, flour and meal. Packaging options include 50-pound bags, bulk 2,000-pound totes and bulk truckload. For more information, call 701-356-4106 or see www.skfood.com.

Barbie thumbelina

Co. of Lincolnwood, Ill., produces a wide variety of plain caramel colours. These colours are produced by heating highdextrose corn syrup, fructose or sucrose, and without adding any ammonia or sulphite reactants during the process. Sethness’s seven plain liquid caramel colours offer excellent yellow, red or light

brown tones in a wide spectrum of applications. Sethness also makes two label-friendly plain powdered caramel colours, which can improve the visual appeal of baked goods, cereals, dry blends, meat rubs and seasonings. For more information, call toll-free 1-888-7721880 or visit www.sethness.com.

To celebrate the recent DVD release of “Barbie Thumbelina,” Check out DecoPac’s new Barbie Thumbelina Blossom Edible Image #44384, PhotoCake Image #4459 and the Barbie Thumbelina PhotoCake Frame #4458. Visit www.decopac.com or call 1-800-DECOPAC to order.

BY stePHAnIe ortenzI

WHEAT GOES FOR A WILD RIDE

Aisack of flour on its shelf in the bakeshop has tiny phantom numbers spinning around it – like electrons around an atom, or like a cartoon character’s chirping stars after being bonked on the head.

Wheat has been getting bonked on the head for a couple of years, and it has rollercoaster commodity pricing to show for it.

Looking back, it turns out

the price of wheat had been on the rise long before its big climax in mid-2008. As the price climbed, the market drew gamblers.

It wasn’t about food anymore, but big, fast profits. Regulatory bodies lightened up on their regulating. Investors grew powerful through their sweet-spot loopholes. Food commodity investors began dealing in abstractions, and index and pension funds got richer. Farmers reaped few benefits,

because profits were ravaged by the higher costs of getting the wheat to market.

The short version of the story begins in January 2008.

The year isn’t two days old before the predictions are out: wheat prices are going to rise. A few days later, forecasted crop shortages crank up the price from $160/metric tonne to $430. By mid-February, the price is at $500, and a week later it’s hit $798. By early March, market watchers are hoping the price will settle at

$600, which it did – for a while.

In July, Statscan reports the price of flour is up 44 per cent from the year before.

Talk turns to increasing acreage. More wheat, more opportunity to reap profits from these high prices at market – except that gasoline is up 28 per cent from the year before.

By August, industry watchers were predicting record crops, and that prices would hold.

Statscan reports that the month’s four per cent rise in

The economic crisis continues to keep the price of grain uncertain, but the weaker Canadian dollar and lower ocean freight rates have been mitigating factors.

food prices was pushed by a 13 per cent jump in baked goods. Inflation overall is at its highest level in more than five years.

In October, Ron Bonnett of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture draws attention to the rising costs of growing wheat – fuel, fertilizer and the availability of credit. He tells the Canadian Press that these factors make it “extremely difficult to plan and pencil out a reasonable profit.”

}markets are established on the principle of risk. Where there’s money to be made, players have studied the angles. Where there are angles, there are loopholes.

In a May 20, 2008, article titled “Who is responsible for the global food crisis?” Globe and Mail reporters Sinclair Stewart and Paul Waldie break down what happened last year on the commodity markets; how the agricultural product

Nearly a year after the worst of wheat commodity prices, regulating how the markets invest in food futures is still unfinished business.

A C.D. Howe Institute study released in November says that the Canadian Wheat Board has delivered poor results for agriculture, which sparks a debate on the best way for the board to do right by its farmers.

By the end of the year, the anticipated increased planting never materializes. Globally, planting is down three per cent. Revenues are at record highs, and the cost of taking wheat to market has retreated only temporarily.

By early January 2009, markets are still reeling. Crude oil is at $100/barrel, and wheat futures have bottomed out at $168/tonne. Durum gets sold aggressively abroad to reduce the Canadian surplus.

On Feb. 26, the Canadian Wheat Board reports that the world economic crisis continues to keep the price of grain uncertain. Some good news, says the board, is the weaker Canadian dollar and lower ocean freight rates, but “major customers continue to buy on a hand-to-mouth basis, as their attention increasingly turns to new-crop prospects.”

That can’t be good.

Guess, HeDGe, Bet, WIn, lose, DrAW Enter the speculators. The

became so far removed from the forces establishing its value; how deregulation spoiled speculators’ natural benefit to the commodity markets; and how loopholes from Reaganomic policies opened the door to the abstract and artificial valuation of energy companies such as Enron.

The price of wheat takes its cue from commodity markets, influenced on many fronts. Asian markets present a tremendous demand for food. Crops are often failing because of poor weather, most recently drought. The growing production of ethanol puts a strain on wheat, because

u.s. PlAntInGs to DeClIne

According to a Bakingbusiness.com story dated April 7, 2009, acreage planted to spring wheat and durum will decline by “6 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, leaving all wheat seedings down 7 per cent from 2008. After last year’s surge in plantings and subsequent price declines, this cutback largely matches trade estimates.”

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Sounds great? That’s what it is! Call us today. www.miwe.com

WHeAt PrICes

March ‘08 March ‘09

Sources: www.agr.gc.ca/mad-dam, RBC Current Economic Indicators April 3, 2009

wheat has to make up the slack for feed, which is worth less at market.

North American pension and index funds are major players in commodity markets. They began investing heavily and increasingly in agricultural commodities as a way to diversify. In 2003, their investments were valued at US$13 billion. Five years later, their bottom line was US$260 billion.

Because agricultural markets are small, relative to stock markets, the Globe report explained, “The amount of cash pouring in, gives these funds substantial clout.” Their sheer heft can sway the value of a commodity toward a profitable position for the fund.

These funds became powerful because of a loophole left by deregulation policy championed by Reaganomic Republican Wendy Gramm, chair of the U.S. Commodities Futures Trade Commission. The policy was drafted to help an offshore energy company, which turned out to be Enron’s predecessor, leaving the door open for non-agriculture interests to

invest freely in food futures.

When the Republicans lost control of Congress, Gramm joined the board of Enron, and an era of corporate over-valuation began.

In Canada, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan was one of the earliest funds to invest in food futures. In 1997, the investment was $100 million. Today, it sits at $3 billion, making it one of the world’s largest commodities investors.

Between 2000 and 2007, the price of wheat increased 147 per cent.

PlAYInG WItH our fooD

In April 2008, the high cost of food had created a global crisis. Some market watchers believed prices were being forced up unnaturally, that the loophole was making the investment in food an abstraction rather than putting a price on human sustenance.

A distinction was drawn between “commercial” players, such as farmers, grain elevators and processors – all those directly involved in the food chain – and the “specula-

year from now at $8 a bushel, they need speculators willing to buy the contract in a bet that prices will rise by the delivery date.

Regulation is the key. It first appeared in 1922 as the Grain Futures Act and later the Commodities Exchange Act of 1936, each time limiting how much money “non-commercial” players can invest.

Nearly a year after the worst of wheat commodity prices, regulating how the markets invest in food futures is still unfinished business.

tors,” investors such as index funds, hedge funds and pension plans, who have no visceral connection to the commodity itself.

There is a quick assumption that speculators in general ratchet up market prices for a personal profit, but the Globe report points out that speculation performs a vital role in the markets. If farmers want to hedge against their risk by selling a futures contract to deliver wheat a

Fortunately, somewhere something is always looking up. The prime-lending rate is 2.5 per cent, down from 4.75 per cent last year. Crude oil is selling for $48 a barrel, down from $112 last year. Canadian Western Amber Durum Wheat is selling for $453/ tonne, down from $941. While some count their profits, others count their blessings. / BJ

Stephanie Ortenzi is a foodservice marketing writer with 15 years of experience as a fine-dining chef. She can be reached at steph@ortenzi.ca or 416-624-9758. Visit her website at www.pistachiowriting.com.

Bakery Showcase Moves to International Centre in 2010

Bakery Showcase, Canada’s national baking industry event, is moving to the International Centre located in Toronto (Mississauga), Ontario, Canada May 16-18, 2010. Bakery Showcase, produced bi-annually is the largest baking industry trade show and conference in Canada, attracting participation across Canada and the United States and from around the globe.

Paul Hetherington, President & CEO of the Baking Association of Canada, the producers of Bakery Showcase announced the move to the International Centre as part of an overall focus to enhance Bakery Showcase as the premier event for Canada’s baking industry. “After a lengthy review the Board of Directors approved the move after determining that the International Centre

offers numerous opportunities to improve the value experience for both Bakery Showcase delegates and exhibitors alike. As a result we look forward to implementing a number of initiatives for next year’s event that we believe will enhance the overall experience for all of those participating.”

Started in 1963, Bakery Showcase has grown to include more than 200 exhibiting companies promoting a range of baking ingredients, equipment, finished & frozen baked products along with business services that attract some 4,000 industry professionals over a three day period. In addition to the trade exhibits, Bakery Showcase offers unique learning opportunities for bakers and other industry personnel through a variety of workshops and seminars.

New Ontario Toxic Reduction Act Will Force Bakers to Develop Plans on VOCs

Bill 167, the Toxics Reduction Act, 2009 will, if passed, require bakers and many other Ontario businesses to track and quantify the toxic substances they use, to develop a Toxic Reduction Plan for reducing the use of such substances, to report on their use of toxic substances, and to implement their Toxic Reduction Plan to the Ministry of the Environment. Information on companies’ use of toxic substances would also be made public. Among the substances that would be required to be reported are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) produced by bakeries during the fermentation and baking process

Many of the details on the toxic reduction strategy will be spelled out in not yet released regulations. The Ontario government has indicated that it plans to invest $24 million to help industries transform their processes, find green chemistry alternatives, and reduce the use of toxic substances in their operations.

Announcing the Baking Association

New Ontario Chapter Executive

It is with great pleasure that I announce to you the new Baking Association Ontario Chapter Executive roster for the upcoming 2009-10 term. The Ontario Chapter Executive works closely with all activities spearheaded by Paul Hetherington, President & CEO, along with his staff at the national office.

As Chair of the Ontario Chapter I encourage industry professionals to volunteer their services to help build a strong membership base and active participation at all association planned events. The role of the executive is to bring leadership and activities to the many members across the province. This is achieved by regular planned social events, education seminars, dinner programs and other Bakery

Showcase activities.

I am extremely proud of the hard work, ethic and enthusiasm that is brought to the meetings. It is refreshing to know that these individuals really care about the industry that employs them and provides their livelihood. We are constantly challenged by our roles and activities and the underlying question is always “what does the BAC do for me?” As a suggestion to all industry professionals maybe the question to be asked is “what can you do for the BAC both provincially and nationally?”

To reach the association national office you may call 905-405-0288 or log onto the website www.baking.ca If you would like to reach myself I can be reached by calling 905-595-0987 or by email franks@kingswaysales.com.

Baking Association of Canada

Upcoming Events

Bakery Showcase 2010

May 16-18

International Centre, Hall 3 Toronto (Mississauga), ON

International Centre, Hall 3

Toronto (Mississauga), ON

Ontario Chapter

May 12

Dinner Meeting

Valhalla Inn

Etobicoke, ON

June 2

Spring Golf Tournament

Carlisle Golf Club

Carlisle, ON

BC Chapter

June 14

Annual Golf Tournament

Newlands Golf Club

Langley, BC

Atlantic Chapter

September 14

Annual Golf Tournament

Magnetic Hills Golf Club

Moncton, NB

Baking Association Ontario

Baking Association Ontario Chapter Executive 2009-10:

Chapter Executive 2009-10:

Chair – Frank Safian

Kingsway Brokerage Sales

Vice-Chair – Maurice Corsi

Caravan Ingredients

Treasurer – Dieter Claassen

Del’s Pastry

Social – Tom Nowak

Lallemand Distribution

Membership – Phil Robinson

Dawn Foods

Education – Frank Lucente

Metro

Secretary – Stephanie Jewell

Bakers Journal

Member At Large – Dr. Philip Lee Wing Food Development Group

Member At Large – Dr. Philip Lee Wing

Food Development Group

Member-At-large – Dan Peroff wOlympic Wholesale Ltd

Member-At-large – Dan Peroff

wOlympic Wholesale Ltd

Member-At-Large – Ira Day

Prosperity Foods

Congratulations To Our Most Recent Correspondence Course Grads!

Bozena Bladek

Food Hazard Control: Sanitation & Bakery Technology Unit II

Anthony Borgo Operating A Successful Bakery

Gurjeet Sidhu

Certified Bakery Specialist Diploma C.B.S.

Jorge Verastegui

Certified Bakery Specialist Diploma C.B.S.

For information on correspondence courses for baking industry employees and the Certified Bakery Specialist (CBS) program, please contact ext. 21 at the BAC office or check out our website at www. bakingassoccanada.com.

Moncton, NB A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Members

A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Members

Doug Lovsin

Freson Bros IGA, Drumheller

Ross Nunweiler

Nunweiler’s Flour Co

Ursula Sysko

Mark Ward

Eclipse Magnetics

Mark Ward Eclipse Magnetics

Chair – Frank Safian

By D R . J OHN M ICHAELIDES

THE SkINNy ON FATS AND OILS

Continuing our series on the basic ingredients of baking, what is the function of fats and oils in baking, what is new in this area of health research and what are the alternatives?

Oil, shortening, butter and margarine are essential baking ingredients. These fats play a substantial role in making good bread, cookies, cakes and many other baked goods our customers enjoy.

Fats share a common general chemical composition with variations that can contribute negatively and positively to people’s health, but they often function and behave differently. They mainly contain triglycerides, which are basically a combination of a glycerol molecule with three fatty acids attached, forming a tail configuration. The composition and characteristics of the fatty acid tail determines the fat’s behaviour as a functional ingredient as well as its effect on human health.

}of fats in the formulation of baked goods is the fat’s melting point. Different baked goods require fats that melt at different temperature regimes. The hydrogenation process was developed many years ago to provide the flexibility of variable melting points to satisfy the food industry needs. In addition, hydrogenation of vegetable oils eliminated concerns about cholesterol. However, the process of partial hydrogenation results in trans fats, which have been identified as a major contributor to health problems such cardiovascular disease.

Fats and oils as ingredients for the baking industry are of different importance depending on the finished product. By far the most functional fats in baked good formulations are shortenings. Shortenings are essential because they perform many important functions in the process of baking: They tenderize

Benefits, health concerns and challenges abound when considering how best to incorporate oils and fats in baked goods. Therefore it’s essential to be aware of the ingredient options.

In this article I will not discuss in detail the different types of fatty acid composition but rather examine how these ingredients relate to health issues and behaviour in the food we eat.

A major concern of the medical profession is our over-consumption of fat, especially unhealthy fats such as saturated and trans fats. Fats contain more calories than proteins and carbohydrates. Thus, many food manufacturers are trying to reduce or eliminate unhealthy fats in their products and at the same time provide the consumer with great-tasting foods.

Fatty acids, the major components of fats and oils, can be classified as saturated, mono or polyunsaturated according to the absence or presence and the number of double bonds found in their hydrocarbon chain. Saturated fats are normally hard fats that are solid at room temperature while unsaturated fats and oils are usually liquid.

A key requirement of the application

and add shortness to the structure of the crumb, help in the aeration of the product during mixing, help stabilize batters and creams by the process of emulsification, improve palatability and help extend the shelf life of the product.

Recently, because of the health problems blamed on trans fats, alternatives to traditional shortenings are being sought, but this has been proven difficult. Significant progress has been made with processes such as enzymatic interesterification, which results in shortenings with no trans fats and blending processes that reduce the amount of trans fats created.

The greatest challenge, however, is finding alternatives for cakes, laminated doughs and puff pastries. But progress is being made toward this goal. Many manufacturers and suppliers have shortenings with reduced trans fats available for use in different applications. Recently, a new nonhydrogenated margarine called Novarin, with nearly zero trans fats, has been touted as a

replacement for normal margarine on a one-to-one basis in puff pastry, thereby reducing saturated fat or eliminating it completely. No details of this technology, which originated in the Netherlands, have been revealed, but it is rumoured to be based on the specific blending of oils and the interaction of water with emulsifiers and fat.

New research from India suggests that 50 per cent of fat can be replaced in cakes with sesame oil in combination with hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and Sodium Stearoyl-2Lactylate (SSL), resulting in high-quality cakes. Using sesame oil also decreases the use of saturated and trans fats in addition to boosting the essential fatty acid content in cakes.

As an alternative to seeking oils and fats that perform well and do not present any health issues, food manufacturers may choose to replace fat with other ingredients. Many ingredients are available to enable the bakers to reduce or eliminate fat in baked goods. We don’t have space to discuss all the options here, but there have been a few key developments. For example, Sta-Lite, a polydextrose from Tate & Lyle, can replace fats and sugars and add fibre

MArY luz MeJIA

E ROTI c cA k ES GROWING U p

iAdmittedly, adult cakes are an acquired taste. Some are very elegantly crafted to look more like finely sculpted art pieces than XXX eye-poppers, while others are meant to be provocative and shocking.

Either way, this is a baking industry niche that isn’t going away. Once relegated to bachelorette and stag parties, the adult cake is now making show-stealing headlines at milestone birthday celebrations and even anniversary parties. And its shock-factor innovations can be and have been ratcheted up for those who seek a vicarious, cakebased thrill.

Michelle and June Heidrick, the mother-daughter team behind Katie’s Cakes in East York, Ont., and they agree that their customers buy these creations to put a smile on the recipient’s face as well as to incur the crimson glow of a full-fledged blush.

“I think everybody is a little more liberal these days in general and they want a little bit more of an edge in their cakes,” Michelle says. “The people purchasing these cakes from us want the recipient to say, ‘Oh my God!’ and then it was worth every penny they paid. They love to shock.”

June has been making naughty cakes (and confections such as adult chocolate lollypops) for 30 years at her nut-free bakery. The duo now sell more than 300 of these cakes a year. Customers can select a female or male torso (covered or nude), they can focus on a specific body part or they can go as off-the-wall as their imagination allows.

}subject. Katie’s Cakes gets groups of girlfriends buying an erotic cake for their best friend’s bachelorette party, or a wife wanting to surprise her husband on his 50th birthday. Men are more reticent to buy erotic cakes – the majority of customers are women.

To build their reputation in the adult cake market, sisters Barbara Accogli and Monja Chiara of CakeStar Bakery in Scarborough launched the erotic cake side of their

We’ve had other bakers tell us, ‘I just can’t bring myself to make those erotic cakes,’ and I tell them, ‘That’s fine, go ahead and send them all to me! We don’t take it too seriously – it’s just cake!

Michelle, known as the artistic family member, says, “The amount of work I put into every cake makes them look real.”

June adds: “That’s my daughter – nothing gets out that door unless it’s perfect.” To which Michelle responds, “I always say, if I wouldn’t pay the money myself for something, then it’s not getting out there.”

There’s a lot of passion behind baking and decorating the perfect cake, no matter the

business at last October’s Everything To Do With Sex Show in Toronto. One of Katie’s Cake’s employees saw their very realistic and intricate cakes at the show and reported back to June with admiration. It’s no wonder, given that the sisters learned the finer points of baking from their Roman pastry chef father, Nicola Chiaravalloti.

“The encyclopedia of baking,” as Accogli calls him, taught them, in order to make a truly fabulous cake, no matter what the shape, there are no shortcuts.

At CakeStar, the inside of the cake is just as important as the hand-painted, sculpted exterior. A coffee and cognac cream between sponge layers is a customer favourite; as is the rum caramel cream that Accogli says, “tastes like a rum butter Life Saver.” But if you’re to judge a book by its cover, then CakeStar’s cover has all of the details of a sculptured piece of art – in large part thanks to Chiara’s artistic inclinations.

“We’re not just bakers – we like to think of ourselves as edible designers. If you can imagine it, we can make it,” Chiara says.

How far will CakeStar go to please customers?

“We’ll make the cake as wild as our clients want. We can add body jewelry, tattoos; we can replicate a favourite piece of lingerie –the works. We’re Romans, nothing can shock us!” Accogli says with a laugh.

The sisters don’t just make erotic cakes; they make what they proudly call “edible art.” They use no moulds, preferring a made-to-measure approach; they even airbrush the skin colour onto their cakes for added realism.

When asked how they would respond to others in the industry who frown upon the whole concept of adult cakes, all of the bakers and artists had definite opinions.

CakeStar baker/designer Barbara Accogli, left, and cake artist Monja Chiara.

“We’ve had other bakers tell us, ‘I just can’t bring myself to make those erotic cakes,’ and I tell them, ‘That’s fine, go ahead and send them all to me! We don’t take it too seriously – it’s just cake!” says June Heidrick of Katie’s Cakes.

Accogli concurs, saying, “Life’s too short not to have fun and be creative and we get to do that with these cakes. It’s why we love coming to work!”

For the record, CakeStar and Katie’s Cakes make customized birthday, wedding, anniversary and other specialty cakes. Both have clients that have compared their work to Duff Goldman’s Ace of Cakes whimsical offerings. But it seems that the cakes that allow both bakeries to truly flex their creative muscle and play with child-like abandon are adult cakes.

¦ new products ¦

new line of nutritious bread

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Consumers are constantly reminded that healthy eating is important to maintaining a healthy and fit body. With that in mind, Ontariobased Kasseler Food Products Inc. has launched a line of organic whole grain breads for the North American market under the Erich’s Extraordinary Bread Co. label.

Ciranda sustainable palm shortening

After all, as long as there are naughty customers, there will be naughty cakes. / BJ

Mary Luz Mejia is a Toronto-based freelance food writer and food programming TV producer whose sweet tooth enjoys a good piece of cake –even the naughty kind! E-mail her at mluzy@ hotmail.com.

HUDSON, Wis. - Ciranda has released the EcoSocial-certified Palmfruit organic shortening to support sustainable, fair trade agriculture in the tropics. Palmfruit palm products are produced by AgroPalma and certified by IBD Brazil. The EcoSocial certification assures that Palmfruit oils are produced in a sustainable way that is preserving the environment and bringing economic and social benefits to communities. It

Erich’s Extraordinary Bread is a whole-grain bread that is specifically designed as a functional food to provide consumers with superior nutrition in every slice. The breads are now available at Metro, Wal-Mart Superstores, Longo’s, Whole Foods, Planet Organics and other food retailers in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

For more information, visit www. kasselerfoods.com.

verifies the environmental conservation, fair relations and investments in programs of human and social development for employees, farmers and neighborhood communities.

For more information, visit www.ecosocialnet.com or www. ciranda.com.

BrIAn HArtz

HOLD THE NUTS, p LEASE

As an allergen, nuts might not be as prevalent as wheat flour and gluten, but the consequences of ignoring them can be much more dangerous – even fatal.

With schools removing food products containing nuts from their menus, bakeries and other food manufacturers are under pressure to comply with strict safety, sanitation and ingredient traceability rules, such as those set out in the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Path (HACCP) program.

Touché Bakery, a London, Ont.-based producer of biscotti, meringues, cookies and dough, has invested several years and untold sums of money to become Canada’s first HACCP Advantage Plus-certified commercial bakery, and president and CEO Allan Swartz couldn’t be happier with the results. Last November, he and his wife, Peggy, who handles the bakery’s sales and marketing, unfurled their HACCP banner and hung it from the rafters of their sparkling-clean, 16,000-square-foot facility in southeast London.

“That’s the most expensive banner in the world – you don’t want to know how much it cost per square foot,” Swartz joked when we spoke in late January. “So I understand why people don’t want to go with it. It really is a costly, arduous process, and if you’re not committed, it doesn’t work.”

There are different levels to HACCP certification in Canada, Swartz explained, with Advantage Plus being the highest and most difficult to obtain (the others are Advantage GMP, for good manufacturing processes, and Advantage HACCP Certified), not only because of the financial investment in upgrades to the bakery’s equipment and facilities, but also because of dramatic changes to recordkeeping practices, ingredient traceability, supplier integrity, sanitation, security and staff training.

“My rationale was if we do it, we do it right,” Swartz says. “It took us a little over a year, and that’s fast-tracked. A lot of

companies do it over a longer period of time because of the physical changes to their plant.

“For example, we built a special wash-up room to clean our equipment; we segregated shipping/receiving from production; we extended the walls all the way up to the ceiling, and had to remove all the glass and hard plastic from the facility. All the light bulbs had to have shatter shields. Staff had to have a separate set of clothing and shoes to wear in the plant. Visitors are questioned when they walk in whether they’ve recently eaten peanuts or tree nuts,” … and so on.

Swartz’s rundown of what Touché Bakery went through to become one of only a handful of HACCP Advantage Plus companies in the entire country was truly dizzying, but what seems to have been most difficult was the paperwork.

“It’s not like in school where you graduate and get your diploma and it’s over. It’s

continuous and we always have to improve our paperwork,” he says.

“We do a lot more documentation on goods coming in, recording lot numbers throughout the process, lot codes from raw materials and how they relate to our lot codes. So when we make batches of dough every batch has a lot code and within that is the lot code of all the ingredients. So it’s an enormous amount of paperwork. And the hardest part was finding staff to do the paperwork. At your typical bakery, if you’re combining flour, sugar, water and all the other ingredients, no one’s bothering to record all the lot numbers.”

Worst – or best – of all, the HACCP paperwork can’t be solely electronic.

“Everything has to be able to be tracked and signed off, so we have binders and binders and binders full of documentation,” Swartz says. “But it’s a way of life for us now, and if we don’t follow it someone with an allergy will suffer. A lot of consumers don’t understand HACCP but the retailers understand what it means and they know our plant has high standards.”

Before buying ingredients from a new supplier, Touché Bakery, which is also a certified-kosher facility, requires an allergen assessment in which the supplier must specify whether allergens such as peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, soybeans, fish, shellfish, etc., are A) present in the product; B) present in other products manufactured on the same line; or C) present in the same manufacturing plant. If B or C are true of any of the allergens listed on the assessment, the supplier must specify whether they have effective procedures to avoid cross-contamination of the ingredient intended for sale to Touché Bakery.

“When we get frozen goods in, we check the temperature in the truck to make sure it’s correct. It’s important because some things, if they thaw, you’re going to have issues,” Swartz says. “We also check the condition of the vehicle – if goods come in on a truck and the floorboards are shot, we reject the shipment. If there’s a chance of

contamination, if bags or boxes are broken or something like that, we reject it. Our supplier of cartons had to provide us documentation about the inks they used. It seems excessive, but the consumer is the beneficiary of all this, ultimately.”

Also, if you’re thinking of visiting Touché Bakery, lay off the peanut butter – it’s fallen out of favour with most people, anyway, due to the salmonella outbreak.

“We had to refuse entry to a tradesman who’d just eaten a peanut butter sandwich. He couldn’t do the work he’d been asked to do because he was contaminated,” Swartz says. “Yeah, I guess you could say I’m kind of anal, but you have to be. And if I don’t care, staff won’t care.”

Touché Bakery’s products might be safe, but are they any good? Swartz answered that question with a variety of samples of the company’s biscotti, cookies and meringues. The verdict? Delicious.

That’s because Swartz, who was a partner in the gluten-free food company Gluteno before buying Touche in 2004 and moving it from Cornwall to London, believes qualities such as taste and texture shouldn’t take a backseat to safety. And with a growing roster of retailers, including Sobeys and London Drugs, as well as direct sales to schools for fundraisers, consumers are discovering the results of that belief for themselves.

“Our first objective is to make a great product,” he says. “Being kosher and nut-free is a bonus. The reason we are getting into more places is the quality of the product, not because we’re nut-free. When I was in the gluten-free business in the early ’90s, gluten-free was like eating wet cardboard. People bought the product because they had no other choice. Regular consumers wouldn’t buy it because it tasted terrible. People buy our product because of the taste, texture and quality, and hey, if you have a nut allergy, you’ve still got a great product.”

Swartz says Touché Bakery is ahead of the food-safety curve with its groundbreaking HACCP Advantage Plus certification, but that’s mainly due to the state of the economy.

“It’ll be three or four years before someone else goes through with this. If I had to initiate a HACCP program now, I definitely would have delayed it because of the economy,” he says. Still, these allergies aren’t going to go away, if anything they’ll get worse. But with HACCP, you do it, not because of the allergen issue, but because it raises your standards and customers

recognize that you take a lot of care in your manufacturing process.”

Despite Touché’s arduous road to HACCP certification, Swartz says the process has given the bakery an identity and culture it didn’t have before.

“We’ve had to be different. We’re not Proctor & Gamble, we’re not Nabisco – we have only 22 employees (one of whom is a full-time HACCP quality-control supervisor) so we had to find a niche. And a big part of that is quality. That’s where HACCP came in and gave us an advantage.

“As a result, we get e-mails that are really moving, like ones from parents saying their homes are so much safer for a child who has a nut allergy, and that they don’t have to worry as much anymore.

“That’s nice to hear.” / BJ

8On the Web: www.touchebakery.com www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/ inspection/haccp/index.html www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/polstrat/ haccp/haccpe.shtml

The Art of Ingredient Selection

Flaxseed!

Pizzey’s Whole-Milled BevGradTM and SelectGradTM

flaxseed is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acid (22%). Also a good source of dietary fiber and protein, Pizzey's flaxseed does not require refrigeration and is gluten free.

To find and keep the best people, throw out the resumé and focus on fit

| BY Wolf Von BrIsInskI AnD JAn G. VAn Der HooP

N EW I DEAS FOR SMART HIRING

It hasn’t been an easy ride for the baking industry. Spiking commodity prices and an economic roller coaster are the latest challenges, but labour shortages in skilled and semi-skilled positions continue to be an ongoing headache.

There’s not a lot you can do about the shortage on a macro basis – the laws of supply and demand will continue to drive the labour market in the same way they have always done. But you do have the ability to insulate your business from the worst of the pain in the market, while claiming – and keeping – more than your share of the talent you need.

Here are the three most common and debilitating staffing problems in our industry:

You just can’t find enough people

• with the skills and experience you need,

The people you do hire don’t stay

• long, or … They didn’t work out – you didn’t get

• what you thought you were getting. These problems boil down to two broad issues: one of attraction (not seeing enough of the right kind of candidates) and one of selection (not choosing the candidates that are right for you).

AttrACtIon

Attraction consists ofactivities that result in candidates finding out that you have a job opening, and then applying. Common approaches include placing ads in print and online, building relationships with

Email: sales@pizzeys.com www.pizzeys.com

-Guaranteed Shelf Stability

colleges and universities (who has the time?), using recruiters (who has the money?), and working your network to see who might know somebody who might know somebody who might want to work for you.

With little variation, those are the usual tactics. And the sad truth is that these conventional approaches to attraction simply no longer work.

Why? Several reasons: Almost all of the conventional • attraction tactics are designed to reach people who are actively on the job market: people who are either unemployed or expect to be moving on soon. This represents, at most, 20 per cent of the workforce and they are typically not the most talented, gifted or desirable 20 per cent. Each of these approaches requires a • candidate to provide a resumé in order for you to learn about and consider them. It is the same 20 per cent of the workforce described above that typically has an up-to-date CV. The majority, including the 60 per cent or so of the workforce who are better performers and who are approachable even though they are not actively on the market, do not have a current resumé. If you are requiring one as a starting point, you are actually creating a barrier to entry for the right talent.

Finally, the attraction game has • changed fundamentally in the past three years. Candidates simply aren’t looking for work the way they used to, and they are more selective than ever before about who they will work for and what they will put up with.

So, how will you reach the people you most want to speak to? More importantly, how will they find and learn about you?

You need to be online. Three years ago it was optional; today it’s an absolute requirement. Not just with a website that focuses on providing information about your products to clients and potential clients, but with one that captures and engages the kind of people you want to attract to work for you.

This can seem like a tall order – especially if you don’t have a website or don’t like the site you have. But the truth is that getting you up and running can be simple and economical with the right support.

The key to attracting the right candidates is to be clear on the story you are telling about your company – and that

story must be truthful. It’s likely that your existing employees are already online and telling their friends their version of the truth about your business, and these stories ultimately define your employment brand.

Your employment brand will become a powerful tool for attracting, hiring, training and retaining the right people. To understand your brand, you must start with the employees you have and not the ones you hope to have. You need to look inside and answer the question, “Why are our employees our employees?”

Good, bad or indifferent, that answer (and not what you wish they were saying) forms the foundation of your brand.

Once your employees have answered this question you then need to leverage the strength and sheer power of the Internet. Credible web presence is critical to your brand. Most organizations do a decent job of projecting their consumer brand online, but they often neglect to extend the same effort to employment brand, which gives early adopters here an immense advantage in building relationships with potential employees.

From a candidate’s perspective, Internet searches have changed everything. We go online to diagnose aches and pains, often before we contact a doctor. The same also applies to employment. When the average person looks for a job today, they start online. The starting place is to first research potential employers by poking around on their corporate website and searching deeper to check out what people are saying. Once they are satisfied that you are worth their time and attention, you will hear from them.

Our challenge to you is this: If a potential candidate went looking for information about your organization, could they find it? Would it be current? Would it be from you, the employer? Our guess is not all the time.

seleCtIon

Selection is deciding whom you want to hire from the pool of candidates you’ve collected. This involves collecting resumés, sorting them into two or more piles (depending how decisive you are) and then screening and interviewing candidates.

Are you applying the same uncompromising standards of quality to the candidates you hire as you do to the products you sell? Almost certainly, you have made compromises at one point or

FRESH GOODS + QUALITY INGREDIENTS = LOYAL CUSTOMERS

Withbaking hours from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Arremony’s Quality Bakery products are available warm and fresh throughout the day. Owner Philip Arremony describes the Jewett City, Connecticut business as an “Old World” style bakery that has maintained its popular product line since its founding in 1960. Phil has taken Arremony’s Quality Bakery services beyond those of a retail bakery. He offers catering services, and plans to develop a mailorder operation. Why not? He already ships baked goods to the west coast and Florida to satisfy former Jewett City residents.

In fact, some Arremony customers travel as far as 50 miles to pick up their favorite baked goods. They place their orders in advance in order to schedule visits around Arremony’s two week summer shut down. What generates such enthusiasm? For starters, Babka bread, sweetened with golden raisins, Whoopie pies (a cream filling between two chewy chocolate cookies), chocolate chip cookies and date or apricot filled shortbread cookies.

Phil, who grew up in the business and learned the trade from his father Philip F. Arremony, took over in 1996. Phil’s son Ian, now 26, has followed his father into the business.

In Phil’s view, a major challenge facing bakers today is the nutritional awareness of today’s customers. “Using good, pure ingredients is essential,” he said. “Because customers expect consistency in my products.” For consistent results, Phil relies on International® Bakers Services to flavor all of Arremony’s baked goods. Phil is particularly fond of the Vanilla Crystals he adds to his “wonderfully delicious” donut glaze.

If you want consistent quality, turn to International® Bakers Services. Contact us toll-free at (800) 345-7175, by fax at (574) 287-7161, or in writing at 1902 North Sheridan Ave., South Bend, Indiana 46628. We have the flavors your customers deserve.

supports engagement. They are willing to place a premium on fit.

So how do you hire for fit? First, ditch the resumé. Next, ask questions that will help you understand how a person thinks. What do they like and dislike about different styles of supervision, about different types of work, about certain customers? What are their demonstrated strengths and talents, the things they naturally do well? What do they do first in their day, week or month because it’s easy for them and fun – and what do they do last because it’s not?

The answers to these questions are unique to each individual, and have nothing to do with what is found in a resumé – but they are the biggest predictors of fit. You will find this information only by asking the right questions in the interview and using the right assessment tools.

What would you look for in an assessment? Something that measures attributes far beyond personality. Something that measures the other predictors of fit: thinking style, behavioural tendencies and occupational preferences.

Each of these is hard-wired in the sense that they don’t change much after we pass the age of 14, when our brains finish developing. The way we are and the way we see and respond to the world doesn’t change from the time we are old enough to drive. Which means the activities we enjoy the most and perform in the best don’t change either.

So how do you win the war for talent? By following the principles outlined above and placing a premium on fit. Then, once you have the right people, invest in teaching, training, developing and stretching them.

As long as you can keep them engaged, you will win the talent war. / BJ

Wolf von Brisinski is a master pastry chef and baker with many years of international experience helping companies increase profits through better business, retail and production management, as well as improvements in research and development. He can be reached at 905-338-9740 or stelleur@sympatico.ca.

Jan G. van der Hoop is president of HiringSmart, a Halifax-based provider of cutting-edge employment solutions, including online hiring portals. Call Jan toll-free at 1-800-513-7277, e-mail info@ HiringSmart.ca, or visit www.hiringsmart.ca.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

while maintaining body and texture in food products. It is also considered to be a prebiotic fibre with only 1 kcal per gram. Another fat replacer, Soft’R Slim from Puratos, a combination of emulsifier technology with enzymes and flavours, has been claimed to help reduce the fat content of baked goods without compromising the taste and texture.

Other new developments in the area of fat and oil ingredients include the incorporation of omega oils in baked goods. These oils are added primarily to make the products healthier for the consumer. However, they present major challenges to the baking industry, especially in delivering proper health benefits and oxidative stability – but without fishy flavours. Sources of omega oils include flax seed, fish oil, algae and fungi. Recent developments in micro-encapsulation of omega oils allowed the successful incorporation of these oils into baked goods and many

other food products.

Benefits, health concerns and challenges abound when considering how best to incorporate oils and fats in baked goods. Therefore it’s essential to be aware of the ingredient options when embarking on the development of new products or reformulating your existing ones. / BJ

Funding for this report was provided in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Adaptation Council’s CanAdvance Program.

Dr. John Michaelides is Guelph Food Technology Institute’s director of research and technology. For more information, or fee-for-service help with product or process development needs, please contact GFTC at 519-821-1246 or gftc@gftc.ca.

Correction: Due to a copy-editing mistake, last month’s Technical Talk said Tate & Lyle’s Sta-Lite polydextrose “delivers fewer calories and less fibre.” The text should have read, “delivers fibre and fewer calories.” Bakers Journal apologizes for the error.

CocoaButter Buds™ provides the rest.

Problem: Cocoa powder is missing the fat that gives chocolate its rich, rounded, long lasting flavor. Solution: CocoaButter Buds™ –

S U cc ESS FOR SIAL M ONTR é AL

MONTREAL – The 2009 edition of the North American Food Marketplace (SIAL Montréal) and the Services, Equipment and Technology show (SET Canada) was a resounding success. The feedback received from exhibitors, which included Bakers Journal, and visitors has been positive, with comments focusing on the quality of SIAL Montréal and SET Canada and their position as must-see events for all North American agrifood professionals.

Xavier Poncin, director of SIAL Montreal and SET Canada, says the success of the April 1-3 show can be attributed to its unique positioning as an international exhibition on Canadian soil as well as its integration with Groupe SIAL, which also holds shows in Paris, Shanghai and Buenos Aires. He also said that the success of the event, in spite of a difficult economic period, was made possible thanks the enthusiasm of exhibitors and visitors.

HeAltHY AttenDAnCe

This 2009 edition welcomed 12,043 agrifood professionals from all

Canadian provinces, the United States and 52 other countries. The show hosted some 520 businesses from Canada and the U.S., as well as 30 countries, with an international offer representing 45 per cent of the exhibition. This edition had the remarkable presence of 12 new countries such as Brazil, Tunisia, Cyprus, Taiwan, Mexico, and Jamaica. Canadian provinces were well represented with exhibitors from Quebec, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Alberta and New Brunswick. / BJ

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BUSINESS FOR SALE: European Bakery and Tea Room in the B.C. Rockies. Four season ski and golf resort. Well established and profitable, with growth potential. Good equipment, 6,600 sq. ft. building. Gross sales over $400,000. 5 year lease option $2,400. with 5 year extension. Owner willing to train, financing available. $195,000 - large apartment upstairs. Call 250-427-5204.

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By JANE DUMMER

NEW NAME GAME FOR ALLERGENS

What do proposed changes to food allergen labelling requirements in Canada mean to the consumer and the baking industry?

Two per cent of the adult population and five per cent of the child population in Canada have food allergies.

People need to access a qualified allergist to determine if they have a food allergy, which requires a referral from a family physician. This leads individuals with food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances to avoid specific foods and ingredients.

Food allergies and intolerances are ongoing public health issues that continue to challenge the health-care sector, the food industry and the Canadian public. An allergic person coming into contact with an undeclared allergen such as almonds in a cake may have symptoms that develop quickly and rapidly progress from mild to severe, including anaphylactic shock and death. For those suffering from celiac disease, the only current treatment is to maintain a strict gluten-free diet.

}regarding school as a safe place.

Based on consultations with stakeholders, including allergy associations and the medical community, Health Canada developed amendments to the current regulations to enhance labelling requirements for specific priority allergens, gluten sources and added sulphites in prepackaged foods sold in Canada.

Health Canada published its proposed regulatory amendments in Canada Gazette, Part I, on July 26, 2008, to allow for a public and industry consultation period. The consultation period closed on Nov. 28, 2008. The comments from that period are being summarized and will be posted on Health Canada’s website. The estimated publish time in Canada Gazette, Part II, for the final amendments is June 2010.

What does this mean for the consumer?

Overall, these proposed measures should

Consumers are not food scientists. Reading labels shouldn’t require a detailed knowledge of the alternative names for food components.

What is being done to address this health concern?

Sabrina’s Law has been in effect since 2005. This legislation requires Ontario school boards to adopt policies that include: training for school staff on dealing with life-threatening allergies on a regular basis; individual plans for pupils who have an anaphylaxis allergy; and emergency procedures for anaphylactic pupils.

The University of Toronto and McMaster University are conducting research studies related to Sabrina’s Law. U of T, led by Lisa Cicutto, PhD, is reviewing the effectiveness of Sabrina’s Law via a national study consisting of team members from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland; McMaster University – led by researchers Susan Elliott, PhD, and Nancy Fenton, PhD, RD – is researching the perceptions and experiences of Ontario students with anaphylaxis and their parents

lead to greater clarity in food labelling, which will benefit Canadians with food allergies. Specifically, the proposed measure of using common language will be implemented. Marilyn Allen, a founding member of the group that preceded Anaphylaxis Canada and a consultant to the industry including Anaphylaxis Canada, suggests this is great news for the consumer.

“For example,” Allen explains, “milk sometimes appears on the label as casein or whey; with the new legislation, it will need to appear as whey (milk). Consumers are not food scientists. Reading labels shouldn’t require a detailed knowledge of the alternativee names for food components. This use of different terminology can be challenging for the average consumer. This new way of declaring the information should make it clearer without the guess work.”

What does this mean for the industry?

Allergen control programs are necessary in the food sector from the cottage industry to the multinationals, just as food safety programs are a given in the business. In Canada, the Food and Drug Regulations

(FDR) require that a complete and accurate list of ingredients appear on the label of most prepackaged foods. However, certain components of ingredients are exempt from declaration in the list of ingredients. As Allen stated in the example above, a prepackaged food product labelled listing casein or whey may be unsafe for food allergic consumers to milk. Therefore, changes to how priority allergens are labelled for pre-packaged foods in Canada will need to be implemented by the industry.

The following foods, or any of their protein-containing derivatives, are the allergens that will need to be declared under the new regulations: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios or walnuts; peanuts; sesame seeds; wheat, kamut, spelt or triticale; eggs; milk; soybeans; crustaceans; shellfish; or fish.

Also, the gluten source will need to be declared when a food contains gluten protein or modified gluten protein from barley, oats, rye, triticale or wheat, including kamut or spelt. And added sulphites will have to be declared when directly added to a food, when they are components of an ingredient not exempted from component declaration, or when the total amount of sulphites contained within the food is 10 parts per million or more.

The proposed amendments referring to the declaration of gluten sources will affect the baking industry. Currently, the definition of what is considered gluten sources is under scientific review and will be well defined at the point of implementation.

Another change the baking industry will need to keep a close watch on is the labelling of food “made on premises” and pre-packaged. An example in the industry includes bread made at an in-store bakery and pre-packaged, then labelled to provide clear information of the priority allergens. This information will be very specific when the final amendments are published in Canada Gazette, Part II. In the meantime, keep checking Health Canada’s website for updates on this process. / BJ 8

On the web: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/ allergen/index-eng.php

Jane Dummer is a registered dietitian. Visit her website at www.janedummer.com.

Watch out for the new Crispearls™ with their overwhelming taste and crunch

Here it is, life size

Small and beautiful as beads of caviar, delicious as only chocolate can be: that’s the new Crispearls™ in a nutshell. The biggest surprise comes when you taste them. With their crunchy heart of toasted biscuit, you can even mix them in chocolate mousse, ice cream… Crispearls™ are your new tool for creating taste, texture and decoration.

Great ideas are a piece of cake with Dawn.

Let them eat cake! It’s all about cakes in May with Mother’s Day, Victoria Day, First Communions and Graduations. Increase your proﬁts with Specialty Cake Solutions from Dawn. Look for fresh proﬁt ideas including time saving concepts, recipe spin-offs and new product trends with Dawn’s Fresh Bakery Solution program. For more innovative bakery solutions – contact your Dawn sales representative at 1-866-277-3663. dawnfoods.com