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A library of specialty food references including pamphlets, white papers and books on topics aimed at the specialty food trade from manufacturers to retailers to distributors and beyond.You’ll be able to access these documents instantly and print them out yourself at home or go green and save the file to your desktop instead.

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  The State of the Specialty Food Industry 2013 – Summary Report

  Learn how the specialty food industry performed in 2012 with industry statistics and insights (released in April 2013) to help you understand the potential for growth and the dynamics of change in this market. Also available as an hour long webinar via the WEBINAR tab on this page.

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  The State of the Specialty Food Industry 2013 - Full Report

  Learn how the specialty food industry performed in 2012 with industry statistics and insights only Specialty Food Association members have access to this valuable 100 page full report at no charge!

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  Today’s Specialty Food Consumer 2012

  Produced by the Specialty Food Association and Mintel International and released in October 2012, this summary report was originally produced in Specialty Food Magazine and contains key statistics on the consumers buying specialty food today.

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  Connecting the Dots: Collaborative Best Practices for Specialty Foods

  Released in fall 2012, this is a must-have document for anyone working in today's evolving specialty food marketplace.

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  The Food Safety Modernization Act For Specialty Food Association Members: A Manual

  Gain a better understanding of the Food Safety Modernization Act with our comprehensive FSMA manual. Included in the document are summaries of key terms, important definitions and helpful suggestions for businesses both large and small.

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  webinars@work archive: How to Succeed at the Winter Fancy Food Show 2013

  Learn how to make the most of exhibiting at the Fancy Food Show.

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  The Non-GMO Project

  The Non-GMO Project provides readers with simple and effective explanations of the highly controversial GMO topic and the non-GMO Project’s commitment to providing the highest quality food to consumers.

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  Category Leadership in Today's Retail Environment (+ Consumer Decision Trees by Category)

  Category Leadership in Today's Retail Environment provides NASFT members with a clear understanding of the buyer decision making process at retail and gives recommended insights and approaches required to present specialty food brands and products to retailers.

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  Traceability Manual

  The Specialty Food Association Traceability Manual provides critical information on product tracking for domestic specialty food producers under the Bioterrorism Act, examining the "how-to" steps of tracing a product's origin one step back (incoming product) and one step forward (outgoing product) as well as options for building your own simple system and sample forms.

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  Glossary of Natural & Organic Terminology

  Cut to the chase with this no-nonsense glossary of terms crucial for today's specialty food professional.

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  Organic & Natural Food Standards

  The Specialty Food Association White Paper on Organic & Natural Food Standards outlines the USDA Organic Standards as it pertains to specialty foods along with the de facto natural standards. Labeling requirements for organic and the retailers stance on natural product standards are also discussed in this summary document.

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  Directory of Kosher Buyers

  Specialty Food Association’s Directory of Kosher Buyers is a product of the Kosher Council in partnership with Specialty Food Association's Education Department.

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  Kosher Food Holiday Guide 2011-2014

  Open your eyes to the world of Kosher Food Holiday promotions with the Specialty Food Association’s latest publication detailing notable Jewish holidays with detailed descriptions of the traditions and the ever-important food that completes the occasion. Keep this handy guide close by when the holiday season is approaching and be better prepared than ever to sell & promote foods to support this growing buying population.

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  Ten Low Cost Consumer Marketing Approaches

  Ten Low Cost Consumer Marketing approaches will give specialty food manufacturers straight answers on how to improve marketing reach and better their bottom line by leveraging low-cost marketing ideas.

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  Database of Specialty Food Brokers

  Listing of Specialty Food Brokers available to Specialty Food Association Members only.

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  Database of Specialty Food Distributors

  Listing of Specialty Food Distributors available to Specialty Food Association Members only.

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  Glossary of Foodservice Terminology

  The foodservice segment is often misunderstood. This glossary of foodservice terms can help to level the playing field as you enter into discussions about getting your product onto restaurant menus, cafeteria trays and more.

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  Case Pack Study

  The Case Pack Study delves into an important topic for manufacturers, distributors and retailers alike: case pack optimization for specialty food products. You’ll receive two documents: the results of the study on case pack optimization and the case pack optimization tool, a customizable excel worksheet to help you weigh your own case pack options.

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  Broker Contract Template

  Structure your agreement by utilizing Specialty Food Association's Broker Contract Template, a guide to industry standards for broker-principal contracts.

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  Directory of Diversity Buyers

  Specialty Food Association’s Directory of Diversity Buyers is a product of the Diversity Council and includes a summary on who qualifies for diverse supplier programs, recommendations on how to approach them and a list of diversity buyers.

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  Specialty Food Association Recall Manual

  The Specialty Food Association Recall Manual is the first of its kind for the specialty food industry providing a thorough primer on food safety and product recalls in the specialty food industry

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  How to Market Natural & Organic Foods in a Changed Economy

  The market for natural and organic foods changed significantly during the economic downturn. Lessons learned should help natural, organic and specialty manufacturers better manage their businesses and market their foods as the economy slowly recovers.

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  2009 Affordable Market Research

  Selling specialty food products in today's business environment is more difficult than ever. To make sure that your new and existing products are meeting a consumer need, it is vital to do market research. There are many affordable ways to learn what your customers thinks of your product.

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  REVISED! The Basics: The Business of Specialty Foods

  Price recently reduced! This jam-packed workbook from the classic Fancy Food Show educational program enables you to secure a solid foundation in the specialty food industry.

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  Roadmap to Retail

  As specialty food companies grow, one of the largest hurdles that must be overcome is how to successfully manage and implement a "go-to-market" strategy that gets their products to the shelf in a way that is most appropriate for the manufacturer, retailer and consumer.

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  2012 Broker Guide

  Specialty Food Association's recently released broker list available now!

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  Why Become Kosher?

  A Primer for the Specialty Food Industry. The kosher products category is a $10.5-billion business and growing. Learn the history of kosher in the U.S., the laws of kosher and why becoming kosher can help build your business.

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  Becoming Certified: A Guide to Kosher Certification

  There are many advantages to having kosher certification for your specialty or natural food products. But it can be a lengthy and expensive process. Learn what to ask yourself when considering kosher certification and how to go through the process of certification if you decide to move forward.

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  Getting Started in the Specialty Food Business

  Are you ready to jump into the specialty food business but don't know where to start? Then this booklet is for you! You'll find key steps to starting your own specialty food business including how to structure your business, protect your product legally, information on contracts, licenses and insurance. A must have for any entrepreneur entering our industry.

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  The Specialty Food Association Guide to Successful Demos

  How to Plan and Produce Demos that Drive Sales: Create and implement a sales-boosting demo program using this hands-on guide filled with checklists, sample forms and worksheets.

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  Best Financial Practices for Specialty Food Association Members

  If your love for food and running a business outpaces your financial genius, this guide is for you.

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  A Guide to Understanding & Managing Trade Promotions

  Boost your bottom line and intelligently grow your business by learning how to implement not just a promotion strategy but the RIGHT promotion strategy.

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  FREE! Focus on Diversity

  In this FREE reference piece, you'll learn more about the Specialty Food Association's Focus on Diversity Program as well as how to access supplier diversity programs and get your business certified.

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  A Supplier's Guide to Managing Invoice Deductions

  Learn how to prepare for and manage deductions that cover expenses associated with selling and promoting products through the distributor network.

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  Sensational Customer Service: From Idea to Action

  One of the most important elements in running a specialty food business is providing strong customer service.