Getting a Leg (Or Shelf) Up on Launching a Healthy Food Product
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ — Magazines from Entrepreneur to Business Week have nominated “healthy food products” as a hot trend for 2007. This is good news for food consultants with nutrition expertise, as startups rush to leverage growing demand for tasty, healthier foods while trying to avoid the statistical reality of food business mortality. One firm, Palate Works, has created an online Food Startup Kit to address the most common questions and needs of the next Power Bar or Amy’s Kitchen.
Food startups gain an early advantage when provided easy access to information on regulations, nutrition, production, distribution and marketing, according to Palate Works, which offers the kit at http://www.palateworks.com/. “A great recipe for a healthy salsa, soup or snack bar is a small part of the recipe for success in launching a food product,” says Carol Harvey, president of Palate Works. “Along with copious determination and funding, there’s a lengthy checklist to master, which the kit addresses through tips and links. Additional, tailored resources and referrals are provided by e-mail.”
On the to-do list for a food startup are licenses, barcodes, nutrition testing and labeling, recipe scaling, obtaining a processing facility, organic (or Kosher, or Halal) certification, Web marketing, etc. Palate Works’ expertise in nutrition labeling is in particular demand now that companies are more cautious about mislabeling products with claims such as “low-carb,” which “never was a defined or legal labeling term, not to mention its shaky status as a health concept,” notes Harvey. “Good source of fiber” is one of the allowed claims getting more play. It applies to foods with at least 2.5 g fiber per serving.
Unlike books or seminars, the Food Startup Kit is continually updated with links to commercial kitchens, business classes, software and nutrition testing services, as well as sources of ingredients, packaging and funding (including angel and venture capital investors seeking food startups). Membership is $89 for six months of access, and includes discounts on services that startups and existing food companies can use, such as lab services and Web design.
Palate Works has provided nutrition analysis and consulting to food companies and restaurants for over 15 years. It hosts the popular Nutrition Bloopers column, and helps evaluate foods for http://www.winningfoods.com/, a free listing of products selected for taste and nutrition.
Palate Works
CONTACT: Carol Harvey, +1-415-455-5450, or palatemail@yahoo.com
Web site: http://www.palateworks.com/
Web site: http://www.winningfoods.com/