Specialty foods

Specialty foods are foods that are typically considered as

unique and high-value food items made in small quantities from high-quality ingredients.[1] Consumers typically pay higher prices for specialty foods, and may perceive them as having various benets[1] compared to nonspecialty foods. Compared to staple foods, specialty
foods may have higher prices due to more expensive ingredients and labor.[2] Some food stores specialize in or
predominantly purvey specialty foods.[3][4] Several organizations exist that promote specialty foods and its purveyors.

Etymology

The term specialty foods does not have a standard

denition.[1] Food processors, regulators and consumers
may be confused by the term due to its potential
ambiguity.[1]

Specialty foods

Foods that have been described as specialty foods include:

Caviar[5]
Caviar has been described as a specialty food

Cheese and artisan cheese[6]

Specialty coee sometimes referred to as artisanal
coee[7]

Taboo food and drink is also a good way to nd

other speciality foods

High-quality chocolate[8]

Bean-to-bar chocolate, used here to prepare hot

chocolate

Foie gras[9][10]
Morel mushrooms[11]

Foie gras being sliced

Mostarda

[12]

Mostarda di Cremona

Gourmet pet foods

[13]

Stinky tofu

Edible seaweed [14]

A black Prigord true

Stinky tofu (Chinese: chu dufu) has been described as a local specialty food in the Old City of Some specialty foods may be ethnic specialties.[20]
Shanghai[15]
Foods that have been described as specialty foods as per
Trues[16][17]
not precisely corresponding into other food categories include:
True oil[16][18]
Vegan cheese[19]

Kimchi[21]
1

4 SPECIALTY FOOD COMPANIES AND STORES

3.2.1 Bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers
As of March 2015 in the United States, the number
of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers (companies that
process cocoa beans into a product in-house, rather than
melting chocolate from another manufacturer) had increased to at least 60.[27] The Fine Chocolate Industry Association stated that this represented a tenfold increase in
the past decade thats outpacing growth in Europe.[27][28]
3.2.2 California

Umeboshi being dried in the sun

Olives[21]
Royal jelly, bee pollen and propolis[21]
Sauerkraut[21]
Sea vegetables[21]
Umeboshi[21]
Frozen bee pollen, a human food supplement
Kimchi
Various olives

3
3.1

By country
China

In 2012 in the United States, the specialty foods market

sector was experiencing signicant growth, with its annual growth rate at 810%.[1] In 2010, specialty foods
comprised 13.1% of total retail food sales and totaled
$55.9 billion in sales.[1]
In 2010 in Oakland, California it was reported that abandoned industrial spaces previously occupied by large food
producers were being inhabited by small specialty food
companies.[29]
In 1998, the U.S. state of California had the secondhighest amount of specialty and gourmet foods of all U.S.
states.[30] This has been attributed as possible due a diverse variety of unique fruits and vegetables that can be
grown in Southern California.[30] Another possibility for
the high quantity and diversity of specialty foods in California is that food innovations often occur in the state,
as has occurred in other sectors such as health food and
organic produce.[30]
In 1991, the Los Angeles Times reported that city ocials in Monterey Park, Los Angeles County, California
suspected that signicant numbers of non-residents were
visiting the city to shop at Asian markets there to obtain
specialty foods.[31]

In China, specialty foods have been described as having

3.2.3 Vermont
important roles in the food culture...[22] Some Chinese
recipes may be footnoted with a statement that ingrediIn terms of food-place association perceptions, Vermont
ents may only be available in specialty food stores and
has been described as being associated with homemade[23]
Chinese markets.
style specialty items, along with maple syrup.[30]

3.2

United States

In the United States, specialty foods and their purveyors

are regulated by both federal and state agencies.[24]

4 Specialty food companies and

stores

The Specialty Food Associations annual State of the Some companies, grocery stores and food stores specialSpecialty Food Industry 2014 report stated that in 2013 ize in or predominantly purvey specialty foods. Some of
in the U.S., specialty foods and beverages sales totaled these companies include:
$88.3 billion, accounted for an increase of 18.4% since
Asian markets and supermarkets
2011, and was a record high for the fourth consecutive
year.[25][26] The report also stated that around 80% of spe Boulder Specialty Brands Inc. [32]
cialty food sales occur at the retail level, and that seven
Centennial Specialty Foods Corp., Centennial, Colout of ten specialty food retailers reported that the word
orado [33][34]
local had the most importance as a product claim.[25]

6 See also

Innovative Food Holdings [35]

Organic Food Brokers, Boulder, Colorado [35]

Artisan

Whole Foods Market [36]

Delicacy
List of delicacies

Specialty food organizations

5.1
5.1.1

Foodie
Gluten-free diet

United States

Gourmet

Connecticut

Health food store

Connecticut Food Association has a specialty food

division [37]

List of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers

Connecticut Specialty Food Association

Third wave of coee

[38]

Natural foods

Whole food
5.1.2

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Specialty Foods Association [39]

5.1.3

5.1.4

[1] Zhao 2012, p. vii

Michigan

Traverse Bay Specialty Foods

[40]

New York

The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade,

also known as the Specialty Food Association is a nonprot trade association founded in 1952 in New York
that has over 3,000 members.[41] The organization also
oversees its Specialty Food Foundation, a foundation that
works to reduce hunger and increase food recovery efforts via grantmaking, education and industry events.[42]
In New Yorks Finger Lakes region, the Worker Ownership Resource Center established the Specialty Food
Network.[43] The network was established to help clients
start or expand small food businesses and to promote
the businesses and products of its members.[43] Establishment of the network was enabled in part with a grant from
the John Merck Fund.[43] In 1998, the network had 46
members.[43]

5.1.5

South Carolina

South Carolina Specialty Food Association [44]

5.1.6

7 References

Vermont

Vermont Specialty Food Association [45]

[2] Hall, S. (2005). From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your

Gourmet Food Specialty. From Kitchen to Market: Selling
Your Gourmet Food Specialty Series. Kaplan Publishing.
ISBN 978-0-7931-9997-6.
[3] Wemischner, R.; Karp, K. (1997). Gourmet to go: a guide
to opening and operating a speciality food store. John Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-13939-3.
[4] Pegler, M.M. (1999). Specialty Food Store Design. Visual
Reference Publications. ISBN 978-0-934590-77-8.
[5] Zhao 2012, p. 298.
[6] Prisco, Joanna (October 2, 2013). Americans Hungry
for Funky, Innovative Cheeses. ABC News. Retrieved
March 2, 2015.
[7] Ferdman, Roberto A. (February 24, 2015). Its true:
Americans like to drink bad coee. Washington Post.
Retrieved March 2, 2015.
[8] Szogyi, Alex (editor) (1997). Chocolate: Food of the
Gods. Issue 14 of Contributions in intercultural and comparative studies (ISSN 0147-1031). Greenwood Press. p.
137. ISBN 978-0-313-30506-1.
[9] Demand for foie gras soaring in California after ban
lifted. Fox News. January 21, 2015. Retrieved March
3, 2015.
[10] Moore, Derek (January 8, 2015). Courts overturn foie
gras ban. Petaluma Argus Courier. Retrieved March 3,
2015.
[11] Holusha, John (July 11, 1986). Laboratory Morels
'Bloom'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 March 2015.

[12] Small, E.; Canada, National Research Council (2009).

Top 100 Food Plants. NRC Research Press. p. 346. ISBN
978-0-660-19858-3. Quote: " In Italy, it (mostarda)
is sold by the barrel, while in other Western countries
mostarda is generally marketed as a gourmet item in specialty food stores
[13] McGrath, R.G.; MacMillan, I.C. (2000). The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Strategies for Continuously Creating Opportunity in an Age of Uncertainty. Working paper
series (Snider Entrepreneurial Center). Harvard Business
School Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-87584-834-1.
[14] Harris, Richard (June 10, 2013). How To Clean Up
Fish Farms And Raise More Seafood At The Same Time.
NPR. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
[15] Owyang, S. (2010). Frommers Shanghai. Frommers
Complete Guides. Wiley. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-47043794-0.

REFERENCES

[29] Jou, Diana (December 13, 2010). Small specialty food

companies moving into Oaklands factory spaces. Oakland North. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
[30] Shortridge, B.G.; Shortridge, J.R. (1998). The Taste of
American Place: A Reader on Regional and Ethnic Foods.
Rowman & Littleeld. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-8476-85073.
[31] Hoder, Randye (June 6, 1991). A Passion for Asian
Foods : Markets: City ocials suspect that many nonresidents ock to Monterey Park for its specialty food
stores. One developer is banking on it.. Los Angeles
Times Articles. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
[32] Boulder Specialty closes IPO. Denver Business Journal.
December 22, 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
[33] Centennial Specialty Foods loses nearly 800K. Denver
Business Journal. March 31, 2005. Retrieved March 1,
2015.

[16] Farnham, Alan (March 25, 2014). Celebrity Chefs Buying Trues to Tune of $30K a Day. ABC News. Retrieved March 2, 2015.

[34] Centennial Specialty being delisted. Denver Business

Journal. October 25, 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

[17] Vasarri, Chiara (October 21, 2014). True Boom

Brings La Dolce Vita Amid Italy Economic Slump.
[Link]. Retrieved March 2, 2015.

[35] Innovative Food Holdings Launches Retail-Focused Specialty and Organic Food Oering, Acquires Organic Food
Brokers, LLC. PR Newswire. October 1, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2015.

[18] Tolson, Shaun (November 6, 2014). The Truth About

True Oil. Robb Report. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
[19] Vegan Cheese Company Prepares for National Expansion After $125K Shark Tank Investment. Specialty
Food Association. February 27, 2015. Retrieved 2 March
2015.
[20] Halter, M. (2007). Shopping for Identity: The Marketing
of Ethnicity. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 110.
ISBN 978-0-307-42770-0.

[36] Fromartz, S. (2007). Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and

How They Grew. Houghton Miin Harcourt. ISBN 9780-547-41600-7.
[37] Connecticut Food Association. Connecticut Food Association. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
[38] Connecticut Specialty Food Association. Connecticut
Specialty Food Association. Retrieved 2 March 2015.

[21] Bowden 2007, p. 222.

[39] Massachusetts Specialty Foods Association. Massachusetts Specialty Foods Association. Retrieved 2
March 2015.

[22] Newman, J.M. (2004). Food Culture in China. Food culture around the world. Greenwood Press. p. xii. ISBN
978-0-313-32581-6.

[40] Traverse Bay Specialty Foods. Traverse Bay Specialty

Foods. Retrieved 2 March 2015.

[23] Dahlen, M. (2010). A Cooks Guide to Chinese Vegetables.

askmar publishing. ISBN 978-1-935842-03-3.

[41] Who we are. Specialty Food Association. Retrieved 2

March 2015.

[24] Resources. Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship, Cornell University. Retrieved 2 March 2015.

[42] Specialty Food Foundation Announces Grants to 14

Anti-Hunger Programs. Food Shift. December 17,
2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.

[25] The State of the Specialty Food Industry 2014. Specialty Food Association. October 27, 2014. Retrieved 2
March 2015.
[26] Frozen Dessert Sales Up 28% in US Specialty Food Market. Frozen Foods Biz. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
[27] Pierson, David (February 28, 2015). Artisanal, handcrafted chocolate is a growing niche. Los Angeles Times.
Retrieved 2 March 2015.
[28] Niche Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Production Shows Rapid
Growth. Specialty Food Association. March 2, 2015.
Retrieved 2 March 2015.

[43] Markley, K.; Hilchey, D.; Program, Cornell Farming Alternatives (1998). Adding Value for Sustainability: A
Guidebook for Cooperative Extension Agents and Other
Agricultural Professionals. Community agriculture development series. Farming Alternatives Program. pp. 55
58. ISBN 978-0-7881-8993-7.
[44] South Carolina Specialty Food Association. South Carolina Specialty Food Association. Retrieved 2 March
2015.
[45] Vermont Specialty Food Association. Vermont Specialty Food Association. Retrieved 2 March 2015.

Bibliography
Zhao, Y. (2012). Specialty Foods: Processing Technology, Quality, and Safety. Science & food technology. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-4398-5423-5.
Bowden, J. (2007). The 150 Healthiest Foods on
Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What
You Should Eat and Why. Fair Winds Press. pp.
221240. ISBN 978-1-61673-416-9.

Further reading
Gourmet News (v. 62). United Publications, Incorporated. 1997. p. 74. ISSN 1052-4630

10

10
10.1

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Specialty foods Source: [Link] Contributors: Yoninah, Nikkimaria, VMS Mosaic, Huggi, Arjayay, Khajidha, Trappist the monk, RjwilmsiBot, Brandmeister, Northamerica1000, Johnwalker87 and Anonymous: 1

10.2

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File:Caviar_and_spoon.jpg Source: [Link] License: CC BY 2.0

Contributors: Flickr: Caviar Original artist: THOR
File:Factory_1b.svg Source: [Link] License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: PNG version on the English Wikipedia Original artist: Dtbohrer, updated to SVG by Tomtheman5
File:[Link] Source: [Link] License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Original Original artist: Seahen
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10.3

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