Chicago once again welcomes Sweets & Snacks Expo, the largest U.S. tradeshow for confectionery and snacking, taking place May 8-10, 2012. New to the show this year is a collective French pavilion, organized by Ubifrance, giving attendees an opportunity to discover delicious new tastes coming straight from France.   The annual show is the ‘’can’t miss’’ event of the year for the category. Unparalleled in the Americas and recognized around the globe, Sweets & Snacks is uniquely focused on the needs of confectionery and snack customers across all major distribution channels. Approximately 14,000 people per year attend the show, discovering new and existing product via 500+ exhibiting companies.   Not only a great place for the French-pavilion participants to find the right buyers, the event provides a unique opportunity for the U.S. market to discover great new French products. Fabulous chocolates, truffles, macaroons, honey, cakes, nougat and caramels will all be in one convenient spot, clearly identified by a large “France” overhead banner.   Be sure to visit your favorite returning exhibitors as well as French Pavilion booths 421A - 421D in the West Building of McCormick Place: -        Les Chevaliers d’Argouges (gourmet chocolate specialties):  www.les-chevaliers-dargouges.com -        Le Manoir des Abeilles (honey, caramels, nougat, small cakes):  www.manoir-des-abeilles.com -        SALPA Group – Yves Thuriès (macaroons, truffles, chocolate bars & mendiants):   www.yvesthuries.com -        Ubifrance www.ubifrance.com/us   Follow us on Twitter and Facebook , and join our French / North American Food and Beverages Business Group on LinkedIn  

The French Food Connection returns for its sixth annual edition in April, showcasing gourmet French products on a road show across the United States. Touring three cities this year, the French Food Connection will stop in Hoboken, NJ (4/16), Miami (4/17) and Los Angeles (4/18) to introduce its French food & beverage items to local importers, distributors, restaurateurs, specialty food buyers and the press. Approximately 15 French food brands, selected by the New York French Trade Office-UBIFRANCE, will showcase a wide range of specialty foods and beverages from artisanal cheese and chocolates to savory caviar and frozen goods. The last five editions of the French Food Connection have proven to offer great business opportunities for the US trade looking for fresh new products, as well as for French companies seeking business development in the US. UBIFRANCE aims to introduce French products to the American market, highlighting both their traditional quality products as well as their progressive approach to US labeling requirements, consumer trends, distribution circuits and U.S. importer, distributor and buyer needs. This is a trade exclusive tasting.   Visit www.frenchfoodconnection.com for a list of exhibitors and the complete schedule as well as to register to attend the event. Follow us on twitter or join our French / North-American Food & Beverage Business Group on LinkedIn  

French chocolate manufacturer Cemoi is to open its first office in the US this month. Cemoi, which sells products under its namesake brand in the US, will open a commercial office in New York. The company told just-food its business has "strong potential" in the US and in Canada, adding it wanted to be closer to its customers in North America. Read the full article at  just-food.com

The EU and USA agreed this Wednesday, February 15 2012, to open their organic product markets to each other. European and American organic standards and certifications have been recognized as equal, which will considerably facilitate bilateral trade of organic products. The US is the European Union’s top commercial partner and the largest producer of organic-certified products in the world. This arrangement comes into force on June 1 2012 for both parties. The combined turnover of the organic market in the EU and the US is estimated at $50 billion (38 billion euros), and represents 90% of the global turnover for this segment. For more information and some facts , go to prnewswire.com F ollow us on twitter @UBIfoodbev or @UBIwinespirit and join the French / North-American  Food & Beverage or Wine & Spirits  groups on Linkedin

  A&P here on Monday said it has filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking to close an additional 14 stores in four states. "We are continuing to take the steps necessary to position A&P to emerge from Chapter 11 with a strong future and ensure that we remain focused on our top priority — providing great value and service to our customers every day," said Sam Martin, A&P president and chief executive officer, in a prepared statement.   Read the full article on supermarketnews.com

An aging population means that grocery store shelves will be increasingly lined with foods that come with added health claims while younger consumers with food intolerances will drive demand for gluten-, nut- or dairy-free foods in 2012, predicts a market research group in the UK. Read the full article on nydailynews.com

2011 brought us higher food prices at unprecedented levels, crops and livestock destroyed by global weather catastrophes, nations at war over the lack of food supplies, and more food recalls from unique points of origin. Americans love their foods – in supermarkets, on television, at restaurants and now even on their mobile phones – we are a nation obsessed with food trucks, molecular gastronomy and struggling to eat as local as we can. All of which has built a foundation for what may be one of the most exciting – and game-changing years in the food world: Welcome to Food 2012. Trend #1: Food Prices There is little doubt that in the coming years, we will continue to see food prices rise based on environmental conditions as well as higher production costs. The costs of fuel, feed, packaging, food safety coupled with a higher demand for export all will factor into the retail price on the shelf. Many of the savings tactics most shoppers deployed in 2007 as the recession began are still being used each time they shop for groceries – using coupons, frequent shopper cards, shopping lists, shopping at non-traditional foods stores and even trading down their choices to less expensive brands are part of the regular routine. Look for consumers to shave costs by augmenting their recipes by decreasing the amount of the more expensive meats and seafood and adding more non-meat proteins that are filling and less expensive, including whole-wheat pasta, tofu, lentils, brown rice and vegetables to recipe. read the full article on supermarketnews.com