Food distributors from western Wisconsin gathered at the annual Fall Food and Equipment Show at Alliant Energy Center Oct. 15 and 16 to see and sample new innovations in food.
Sysco, the largest food distributor in the United States, holds the Food and Equipment Show for western Wisconsin twice a year. In the fall and spring, hundreds of food companies present their products for food service distribution.
Food companies displayed mountains of food including stuffed green peppers, buffalo wings, pretzels, soups, desserts, beverages and fresh produce.
After the show is complete, all the remaining food is donated to food pantries across the state.
The excess food is removed by the Second Harvest Food Bank, which distributes the food to agencies that feed the hungry.
“Last spring, we delivered 14,000 pounds of food to over 300 agencies in southwest Wisconsin,” Second Harvest executive Robert Mohelnitzky said.
“People come to take food orders and find out about new products,” funnel-cake vendor John Marshall said. “A lot of people just come here for lunch.”
Norm Dyer, a food broker from Ventura Marketing, explained that the food market operates under two categories: retail and food service. The retail market is strictly catered to grocery stores for direct consumer purchasing. Sysco distributes food to restaurants, hospitals, schools and prisons, which all operate under the food-service sector of the industry.
Events such as the Food and Equipment Show are held regularly throughout the U.S. Sysco and other food distributors place orders and scope out new items.
Ventura Marketing is one of the food brokers responsible for marketing client’s food and equipment. Some companies employ a broker, while some remain independent.
“Sysco is a $23 billion company that distributes food from companies that [food brokers] represent at food shows,” Dyer said.
This fall, Ventura Marketing displayed several new products, including a new yogurt smoothie from Dannon and Scratch Soup Foundations from Campbell’s.
Atkins Elegant Desserts covered an entire table with their cheesecakes and chocolate mousse, inviting people to take a piece with them.
“This company started off in a woman’s kitchen in Indiana,” Atkins representative Tim Peters said. “Now we have quite a list of clientele. We’re known to have our desserts served in the White House.”
About 125 Sysco buyers were present at the food exhibition, searching for useful products.
“The coolest thing is getting people out here to see all the products,” Sysco buyer Brad Benner said.
