Principals at Heinz report that group efforts have led to many of their most successful introductions over the past few years. That collaboration is not only in-house between the various divisions at the company, but also with their customers, consumers and suppliers.
Similarly, Kraft involves multi-discipline teams of R&D, marketing, finance and operations in the early stages of product development. Both companies have found this to be an excellent means of setting priorities and ensuring that all have common goals. Heinz has found an additional advantage—working together assures that any of Heinz' business units can benefit from any developments.
Fostering such a collaborative development spirit led Prepared Foods to arrange the first New Products Conference two decades ago, and as we put the finishing touches on the 20th edition of the conference, that same purpose holds true. Every year, attendees are allowed insights into the principles driving new product development at leading, cutting-edge companies in the food industry. In addition, attendees enjoy an unparalleled opportunity to mingle with top executives from some of the most innovative companies in the food business, plus our friends over at Mintel International Group afford a glimpse and taste of the latest foods and beverages from around the world.
Scheduled to take place next month (October 13-16, to be exact), this year's conference promises the most unique opportunities yet, as attendees will benefit from an examination of the impact of food safety concerns on developing new products. Plus, our bonus session on the 16th explores perspectives of one of the largest demographics in America-kids. Children will evaluate the latest kid-oriented food products and give their unabashed reviews, which should prove most interesting.
Let's see: top-level executives, the latest in development principles, an examination of food safety concerns, a wide sampling of products from around the globe, and a panel of consumers reviewing recent development efforts. This year's New Products Conference offers a glimpse at virtually an entire development process over the span of four days.
For more information on the 20th New Products Conference, contact Marge Whalen, 630-694-4347.
Internet Information
For more information on this issue's articles, see the Internet sites provided below.
The Benefit
of Heinz-Sight
www.heinz.com
H.J. Heinz
www.oreida.com Ore-Ida
French Fries
www.heinz.com/grillingsauce/index.html
Jack Daniels Grilling Sauce
www.starkist.com StarKist
tuna
www-ezsquirt.com EZ-Squirt
ketchup
Appetizers
Appeal
www.chefamerica.com
Chef America
www.gourmetpops.com
David Burkes Gourmet Pops
www.simmonsfoods.com
Simmons Foods
www.ling-ling.com
Ling Ling
Natural Weight
Loss Options
www.cdc.gov/health/obesity.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on obesity
www.cytodyne.com Cytodyne
Technologies provides information on Xenadrine EFX
www.ephedrafacts.com
Information on ephedra from the Ephedra Education Council
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez
National Library of Medicines PubMed search page
www.fenulife.com Commercial
website on weight-loss benefits of fenugreek seed
www.PreparedFoods.com
Search for relevant articles by using keywords such as chitosan,
lowfat, diabetic and so on
Tex-Mex Cooking:
A Fusion of Cultures
www.easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~gcaselton/chile/variety.html
A primer on chiles
www.melissas.com/Magazine/index.cfm?article_id=117&Page_ID=69
A short history of Tex-Mex cooking
The 20th
New Products Conference
www.PreparedFoods.com/npc/program02.asp
Complete conference information