Specialty Food News

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Get Your News Out to the Industry

The National Association of the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. (NASFT) publishes, in cooperation with the Food Institute, Specialty Food News, an online newsletter emailed to 47,000 subscribers each business day, excluding most major holidays. In each issue of Specialty Food News, the NASFT focuses on member news in the “For Immediate Release” box.

NASFT members are encouraged to submit their news releases for editorial consideration. Submitted items should be newsworthy and timely and have broad appeal to Specialty Food News’ national readership of retailers, foodservice providers, suppliers, consultants and other industry professionals. Successful releases are generally tied to a “call to action,” encouraging readers to purchase a new product or learn more about the announcement. Photos and company logos are highly recommended to include in releases, as are active links to related information on the company’s website.

Typical “For Immediate Release” items highlight new products, new packaging, and new flavors or varieties in an already established line of specialty foods. “For Immediate Release” items also have included business announcements, such as appointments of new company presidents or key sales positions, major expansions, or the opening of new locations or plants.

The NASFT publishes these news releases at its discretion and subject to its editorial judgment. Occasionally, the NASFT will run items from non-members that are deemed newsworthy to its members.

Format of News Releases

While news releases vary, most should include the following key components:

• Contact information: Please be sure to include a contact person,
      mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, email address and
      any website addresses in your release.

• Heading: A simple statement of the news the release is
      announcing.

• Date: Please do not put in a specific date, but rather identify the
      month of the release, i.e. September 2010. The NASFT often has
      a backlog of releases, which means that releases often are
      published several weeks after their submission. On all releases,
      please highlight any date-sensitive information, such as an
      upcoming event or product launch at one of the NASFT’s Fancy
      Food Shows.

• What’s new?: This is the body of your release, which should
      include at least one or two paragraphs about the featured item or
      announcement. If you are announcing a new product, this section
      of the release is where you give potential customers the reasons
      why they would want to purchase it. Why does it stand out?
      Specialty food features high-quality ingredients, used inventively
      and with careful attention paid to quality. Give details about how
      your product fits this definition. For example, if your product
      uses tree- ripened pears from a certain region or is made in small
      batches, highlight this.

• A concluding paragraph about your company: To end your
      release, please include a few sentences that position your
      company for the readers. Outline the extent of your company’s
      product lines, its distribution area, and other information
      such as when it was established and/or the story of its origins.

Go to the most recent Specialty Food News.

How and When to Submit News Releases

Due to the influx of Fancy Food Show-related releases that NASFT receives, these releases should be submitted at least one month before the Fancy Food Show in order to be published before the scheduled Show dates. Other releases may be sent in on a rolling basis. Please follow these guidelines for all submissions:

Website Link: NASFT recommends that members post the release on their own website and provide that specific URL address to us to link directly to Specialty Food News. If releases are not available on your website, they may be sent in separately by email or mail.

By email: This is the preferred method of submission rather than mail. Please attach releases in the form of PDF documents to an email message and send to news@nasft.org. As a precaution, also copy the text of the release into the body of the email. This ensures that your release is still read promptly in case there is difficulty opening the
attachment. Any artwork images or logos must be saved in place within the PDF file.

By mail: Send typed releases on letterhead, and product photos if available, to:

NASFT
136 Madison Avenue, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Attn: Robyn Ryan / Denise Purcell