The meaning of IFE
There is a global flavour at the International Food and Drink Exhibition (IFE) 2001 being held at London's new exhibition centre, ExCel, on 25-28 March. Everything from miso soup to cider and advice on choosing cheese can be found at the 1,500 exhibitor stands representing more than 50 countries, or among the programme of debates, demonstrations and seminars lined up by exhibition organiser Fresh RM.
Kicking off three of the four exhibition days is a programme of Business Breakfasts, providing a forum for debate and discussion on issues facing the food and drink industry. Taking place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday within the Innovation Zone, the programme includes The Future of Food Purchasing, at which Alan Taylor, a director with Integrated Strategy Sapient, and Len Swain, development director with Granada Compass, will discuss how to harness competitive advantage through e-business in a session chaired by Gary Crossley, publisher of the Caterer & Hotelkeeper group.
Publicans in search of new ideas to enhance their food offering can take advantage of two sessions geared toward attracting customers and increasing profits through food. Brannigans chief executive Stephen Evans and Adam Robinson, managing director of Robinson Restaurants, will look at the balance between creativity and consistency in a debate on prepared versus fresh foods. And themed pubs and other creative concepts are the subject of discussion between Catherine Chauvet, food development and marketing manager with Punch Retail, and Rupert Clevely, managing director of Geronimo Inns.
If a profitable cheeseboard is among your goals, useful advice can be gleaned at the Innovation Zone session showing how to achieve it, one of three sessions to be run by the UK Cheese Guild. Tastings will be a feature in the Cheese & Dairy section, giving visitors a chance to try medal-winning cheeses from the World Cheese Awards.
Having its biggest presence yet at IFE is organic food and drink, which this year is the topic of debate in four Innovation Zone seminars, all run by the Soil Association - the Development of Organic Standards, Importing Organic Standards, Going Organic, and the launch of the Organic Food and Farming Report.
For visitors wanting to watch some action, practical cookery sessions will be a big feature of the Innovation Zone programme, with a lesson in German food from Roz Denny and demonstrations by chefs such as Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck in Bray, London chefs Paul Merrett of the Greenhouse and Jason Atherton of L'Anis and Sat Bains of Nottingham's Hotel des Clos.
The exhibitors
Some 1,500 exhibitors will be displaying food and drink products from more than 50 countries, including Britain, Germany, the USA and Japan. For easy reference, the exhibition has been divided into 12 product sections - Alcoholic and Soft Drinks; Bakery; British Specialities; Cheese & Dairy; Confectionery; E-Business Solutions; Food Packaging & Design; Frozen Foods; General Food & Drink; International Pavilions; Organic Foods; and Seafood.
Many companies will be taking the opportunity to launch new products at the show. RH Amar & Co (stand 1712) are introducing three new ranges - Gabry Fruit Spreads containing 100% fruit and no added sugar, available in 11 flavours; Ortalli Balsamic Vinegars made from cooked grape must; and Crespo's Olives du Marche, including green and cocktail olives packed in resealable zipped bags.
Saupiquet Tuna in brine or oil, packed in ambient storage pouches, will be making its debut on the Porter Foods stand (stand 1304), while Bombay Bangers (stand 1014) will be showing a new range of Quick Curry Fix speciality Indian sausages, including lamb, pork and vegetable varieties wrapped with hot pickle.
Putting a twist on the traditional Kiev is Bernard Matthews (stand 2524) with Stilton, apricot and cream cheese turkey Kievs, and the company is also launching a 142g sage and onion turkey escalope. New additions aimed at the school meals market include unbreaded Lamb Twizzlers with a sweet mint coating, and Number Crunchers, number shapes of turkey in a crunchy coating.
Forest Products (UK) Ltd (stand 1932) is showing a range of salsas including hot-and-spicy tomato and sweet-and-sour green pepper; dressings such as tomato and basil, Caesar Salad, Spiced Mustard, and Honey and Mustard; and reduced sugar, extra fruit conserves in strawberry, raspberry, medium-cut marmalade, blackcurrant and apricot flavours.
Cooked Peking duck, ho choi pancakes and hoi sin sauce make up the Peking Duck Kit from Cherry Valley (stand 2230), being exhibited alongside Cherry Valley Sliced Duckling, available in plain and Peking flavours for use in sandwiches, baguettes, wraps, salads and pizza toppings, and with pasta and rice dishes.
New to IFE and showing four low-fat rolls under the Weight Watchers from Heinz brand is Gibsons (stand 1313). Varieties of the rolls aimed at the food-on-the-move sector include poached salmon and prawn; gammon and chargrilled pineapple; sun-dried tomato and chicken; and roast beef salad.
The Sorriso vacuum-packed cooked Mediterranean range - including grilled, steamed or puréed aubergines, chicory, cima di rape, artichokes and pumpkin - will be the main feature of the complete product portfolio from L'Aquila (stand 1734). Also on show will be Sorriso Semi-dried Tomatoes, a sweet version of the traditional sun-dried tomato.
The Italfresco range of ambient filled pastas, gnocci and polenta from Rondanini (stand 1714) has a new addition in the form of Italfresco Cappellettis, available in ham and cheese, spicy peppers and cheese, and mushroom varieties.
Sandwich ingredient specialist Fridays (stand 2300) is launching a range of sliced meats including chicken tikka, red Thai tandoori chicken, Italian chicken, lemon peppered chicken, Mexican chicken, Louisiana beef, and minted lamb. More sandwich fillings are to be found at Sandwich Supplies (stand 1441), which is displaying its recently launched range of marinated meats. And yet more meats come from Ridpath Pek (stand 1424), with sliced deli meats from five of the most popular varieties of Polish sausages. Pek Gold Chopped Pork and Organic Hot Dogs in brine will also make an appearance. Fully traceable Dutch Butcher's Choice Bacon can be seen on the Becketts Foods stand (stand 2225).
Canterbury Foods (stand 2804) has a premium Aberdeen Angus quarter-pound burger among its new launches. For something more exotic, check out Daloon Foods' (stand 2533) Oriental and Indian Gourmet Selections, each comprising 12 varieties of ethnic snack products.
Meal Solutions from Perkins Foods (stand 1632) is a new line in European and ethnic ready meals on display at IFE, accompanied by more new products from the same company - the Restaurant Express range of such classic meals as beef bourguignon and chicken chasseur, and the latest in meat-based hot-eating frozen sandwich fillings.
Teaming up on stand 2633 are Belfield Farms, Eurofreez and Begro, to display several new products including flavoured mashed potatoes in cheese, garlic and herb, colcannon, Parmesan and red onion, and horseradish flavours, and a range of cooked frozen vegetables in carrot and green bean, broccoli, cauliflower, courgettes, macedoine and stir-fry varieties.
To quench a thirst, head to Britvic Soft Drinks (stand 6334), where the company will be handing out IceBlast, a frozen carbonated drink in red cherry, blue raspberry, orange, and lime flavours. Also on show at the Britvic stand is the new Tango Fish Machine, a vending machine with a fish tank design.
For something stronger, try a new single-variety medium cider called Spartan from Thatchers Cider Company (stand 6246). More cider will be flowing from Aspall (stand 1025E), whose Suffolk Cyder comes in four styles - organic, dry, extra dry and medium.
If it's organic soft drinks you're after, visit Belvoir Fruit Farms (stand 1934), which will be showing its new organic Elderflower Presse. Or for a flavoured coffee, try Boaters (stand 3100), where a number of the company's new products are on show.
New frozen foods on display include a breaded chicken breast fillet filled with bacon and tomato sauce from Riverside Foods (stand 2812); a range of organic vegetable ingredients for food manufacturers, including fully prepared red and green peppers and onions from Icefresh (stand 2915); and Penny Lane Foods' (stand 2835) gourmet sausage and burger products.
If it's desserts you're after, Colombo (stand 2634) is launching its fat-free frozen yogurt, which comes in chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate mint flavours, in 100ml and 500ml tubs.
Among the bakery products will be some new varieties of Cornish pasty from Proper Cornish (stand 4112) including chicken tikka, roast chicken and asparagus, peppered steak, Mediterranean vegetable, and ham and cheese slices; and a vegetarian roll. And there will be six new Belgian individual desserts and four new pyramid-shaped French individual desserts from Les Delices de Simply Desserts (stand 4134).
Speciality foods from Britain are out in force, not least on Edgmond Foods' stand (stand 1914) where a new range of hot flans and quiches accompany the unveiling of the company's new logo and corporate identity. Smoked and poached fish are on display from Andwell Mill Foods Ltd (stand 3134), with a new range comprising smoked trout fillets, kiln-roasted smoked salmon, and kiln-smoked salmon.
More British specialities include infused fresh herb and spice oils in basil, coriander, chillies, garlic, cinnamon, lime leaves, lemon, and lavender varieties from Castle Aromatics (stand 1904), and condiments such as mustard and dill sauce, and gluten-free organic mustards from the new catering division of Gordon's Fine Foods (stand 1925). For relishes, visit Tracklements (stand 1938), which has two new products to show - chilli jam and salsa balsamica.
In the Cheese & Dairy section, Dew Lay Products (stand 4925) is launching its Blue Lancashire cheese marbled with a blue vein, while a Babies range of individual goats' and cow's milk cheeses will be the new attraction from Cornish Country Larder (stand 7144). Organic cheeses form a new range from Alvis Bros Ltd (stand 4924), featuring Wensleydale, Lancashire, Cheshire and Caerphilly varieties. And the award-winning Swaledale Cheese Company (stand 3141) will be unveiling hand-made Yorkshire Dales cheeses including Swaledale Italiana, made from a blend of cow's milk, fresh basil and Italian sun-dried tomatoes.
A strong international presence will be felt at IFE this year, with numerous pavilions from countries outside the UK. New products are abundant in the German pavilion, where Huober-Brezel is launching a party pack of authentic German pretzels, and bottled wheat beer is introduced by Erdinger Weissbrau Werner Brombach GmbH.
Also from Germany, new sausages from Wolf/ Forster include bratwurst, weiner sausages, bockwurst, and bratwurst with herbs and veal, while a new line in chicken snacks - chicken spare ribs and chicken popcorn - comes from Wiesenhof. Available for sampling on the Dan International stand will be three new juice drinks - guava nectar, mango nectar, and organic orange juice - in the Bertrams Exclusiv brand. Yogobella, a yogurt containing extra-large pieces of fruit, debuts on the Zott Dairies (UK) stand.
Back to sausages. Drink and Food Services will be launching a Premium Meat Sausage with Pommeranian ham pieces, in coarse and fine varieties. From the same company comes Christinen Yogurt Drinks, a fruit yogurt drink in two flavours - peach/pear and strawberry/orange. And from Schneider Brot GmbH is a range of organic breads made from grain free from artificial chemicals, fertiliser or pesticides. Varieties include rye bread, three-grain bread, sunflower seed, pumpernickel, and cocktail rounds.
Meanwhile, offering a taste of the Mediterranean are 11 companies in the Cyprus pavilion, where cheeses, yogurts, wines, fortified wines, beer, pasta, ice-cream and confectionery will be available for sampling. And some 30 Japanese companies will be showing their wares, ranging from miso soup to energy drinks, in a pavilion organised by the Japanese Government and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).
A trip to the Canadian pavilion will reveal Carooba, a new organically sweetened energy bar from JMK Manufacturing, and a specially shaped sandwich bread by Manoucher Food & Co. In the French pavilion will be fruit paste hearts, chocolate hearts and Bills d'Halloween from SA Francois Doucet, and Normandy products from Biscuiterie de l'Abbaye, such as Le Trouvillais combining Isigny AOC crème fraiche and fruit with sweet shortcrust pastry.
Chocolates from Delaviuda Alimentacion, including chocolate rounds with nuts, turrons, and mini turrons, will appear in the Spanish pavilion alongside a new fruit juice from Juoos Canarios. And in the Netherlands pavilion, Slothouber Seafood will launch a Dim Sum Shrimp, and a selection of pre-fried shrimp items including wonton, dumpling, Oriental shrimp in filo pastry, spring roll and shuimail.
Closer to home, the Scottish pavilion features a dill sauce made with wine, honey, dill and capers from Kathy's Cornucopia, and from across the Irish Sea, Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, will present Ireland: the Food Island, a collection of 13 Irish companies offering confectionery, chilled and frozen food, and meat and dairy products.
