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The Value of Shipping & Handling Organic Ingredients

Organic products are growing in popularity, and more buyers are becoming aware of why they should choose organic ingredients. At Bremer Ingredients, we’re proud to be officially certified to handle and ship organic bulk ingredient products. With this certification, we now supply organic flour, organic oil, and organic wholesale vinegar to bulk ingredient buyers. Learn about organic products, certifications, and the benefits of going organic to determine if organic bulk ingredients may be right for your needs.

What are Organic Products?

Organic products are products free from certain chemicals and additives that can be found in other non-organic foods. Non-organic products may contain synthetic chemicals and genetically modified components to make the products last longer or grow in certain environments. Organic products eliminate human-made pesticides and fertilizers, so they grow naturally, provide more nutrition, and support self-sustaining resources on organic farms.

 Why is an Organic Certification Required?

 If you’re growing, handling, or distributing foods, there are strict standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to guarantee organic products are up to the standards to officially be labeled as organic. At Bremer, we value quality and integrity when distributing bulk ingredients. Becoming formally certified to handle our new organic flour, oil, and vinegar products guarantees our buyers are receiving quality, organic bulk ingredients.

Why Buy Organic Ingredients?

Organic ingredients can be of interest to many buyers for a wide variety of reasons. Buyers looking for less processed ingredients to eliminate the chances of human-made pesticides and chemicals may find appeal in buying organic. If you’re a buyer looking to improve sustainability practices, buying bulk organic ingredients can help achieve this goal due to the self-sustaining environmental benefits of organic agriculture. Research also suggests that organic products contain more nutrients compared to non-organic products, including antioxidants and vitamins. The preferences of buyers can also come into play, as some believe organic ingredients create a better taste and freshness than non-organic products.

Find & Request Organic Ingredients in Bulk at Bremer

Have organic products sparked your interest? Find our newly listed organic flour, oil, and vinegar, and contact us to get started with buying bulk organic ingredients. Looking for something organic that’s not currently on our list? Connect with our team to request those ingredients, and we’re happy to find an ingredient solution for your needs in the meantime.

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How to Properly Store Oils & Shortenings

One of the keys to successful food preparation is knowing how to store and maintain your ingredients. While oils and shortenings may not seem like they need to be carefully stored in order to remain fresh, taking certain steps to properly preserve them can actually be quite valuable. By understanding factors to consider when storing oils and shortenings, as well as the best ways to preserve them long-term, you’ll be set up for success when cooking.

Considerations for Proper Oil & Shortening Storage

The first thing to understand when storing oils and shortenings is the shelf life of both. Cooking oils typically last for about a year when kept stable, and shortenings are good for two years when unopened and approximately three months once they are opened. Depending on the type of oil or shortening – variations range from canola and corn oil to all-purpose and donut frying shortening – these time frames can vary, however.

Unsurprisingly, shelf life also depends heavily on how the products are kept. The quality of stored oils and shortenings can diminish over time when the ingredients’ packaging is not sealed properly or is exposed to too much light. It’s also important to consider contamination risks when storing oils and shortenings. Making a conscious effort to keep the ingredients away from heavily odored items that could potentially spoil your product is wise.

The Best Ways to Store Oils & Shortenings

To ensure your oils and shortenings are stable for as long as possible, there are a few best practices you should follow when storing them. We recommend keeping the products in their original packaging and limiting significant oxygen exposure to the containers. Proper ventilation is important to avoid the build-up of moisture, however, so the ingredients should have some access to fresh air. Finally, try to keep oils and shortenings away from direct sunlight by storing them in a cool, dry place, such as the interior of a pantry or cabinet.

Preserving Oils & Shortenings for Future Use

If you’re interested in preserving oils and shortenings past their expiration date, freezing or refrigerating them is a possibility. For oils in particular, doing this will keep the product fresh for longer; just make an effort to let the oils thaw to a room temperature before using them to ensure their quality. It is recommended that shortening not be kept in the refrigerator, but freezing the product for up to one year is an acceptable way to extend shelf life.

While taking these steps will keep oils and shortenings stable for a longer period of time, it’s still important to change out your oils and shortenings semi-regularly and not keep them too long. Once oils and shortening have eventually gone bad, there are a few signs to look out for. Expired cooking oil typically has a bad smell and tastes sweet or fermented. While it likely won’t make you sick, consuming bad oil still isn’t fun. As for shortenings, this ingredient will harden, darken in color, and smell off once it’s out of date.

There isn’t one correct way to preserve your oils and shortenings, but learning the steps you can take to better do so and paying attention to how you’re storing your ingredients is important. For additional insights on storing oils and shortenings, contact us – we’d be happy to help determine the best preservation method for your situation.

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Pickles, Pickling, and Fermented Foods

With people pickling at home at record rates and the industry of fermented foods growing and growing, it’s a good thing we sell vinegar by the drum and tote! Take pickled cucumbers, for example. According to the U.S. Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS), 239.17 million Americans consumed pickles in 2017. This figure is projected to increase to 245.56 million in 2020!

Pickled What?

So what’s so special about pickles? In short: Everything. Americans are smitten with pickles. Pickling is not just for cucumbers anymore. A staple ingredient of European, Asian, African, and Middle Eastern traditional cooking, pickled and fermented food items are only in the last few years making their mark on American cuisine. Integrated into sides – and even cocktails! – in-home and in-restaurant pickling programs experiment with standard vinegars, but are frequently accented with nontraditional pickling ingredients and flavors to create unique small-batch treats for patrons.

Pickles and Fermented Foods Trends

Between a Pinterest fried pickle recipe that has been repinned and saved over 100,000 times, and dill pickle flavors showing up in everything from fast food slushies and soda, to dips, potato chips, and even beer, it seems that the trend for pickled and fermented foods is on track to grow, not shutter through 2020, which is good news for Bremer customers who value our vinegar quality and selection.

Wholesale Vinegar for Your Pickling Needs

We have all the wholesale and bulk vinegar you could want: White distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and other varieties are ready and in stock for pickling your own craft accoutrements to integrate. Contact us when you’re ready to order!

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2018 Food Industry Trends

Food Industry Trends for 2018

Every year, analysts from various markets put together lists upon lists of what is new in food and beverage for the upcoming year. We’ve taken a cue from them to make a master list of the bigger trends and predictions that will shape consumer behavior.

Here’s what’s trending in 2018:

Mindful Choices/Mindfulness

Buzzword bingo over here. Mindfulness has officially reached mantra status, which probably means that too many people are talking about it. When it comes to food, mindfulness is not quite the Zen experience you were thinking it would be, but more so “the quality or state of being conscious or aware.” Driven mostly by Millennial buyers, this consumer attitude is meant to truly understand everything possible about a brand, from ingredients to sale, as Millennials are most apt to purchase based on brand value alignment.

Full Circle Initiatives

We’ve officially moved on from “farm-to-table” into a more ethical awareness around food waste and packaging waste with a demand from consumers to understand exactly how it is that companies are using their resources. This has lead to more packaging containing words like “biodegradable” or “upcycling” to communicate the dedication of a company to sustainability efforts.

Positively Processed

Maybe it’s the Whole30 impact on marketing, or maybe people really understand “from scratch” initiatives or a slower food movement, but processing technologies are increasingly being used for marketing purposes. Claims, such as “cold-brewed” or “sprouted,” are appearing on labels to promote the products’ health benefits. We chatted earlier in the blog about the anti-GMO movement in regard to sugar, and this is a direct result of that knowledge or crowdsourced concern for understanding how food is handled on a larger scale.

Farming

It all starts with the field where our food comes from. With the world’s population still growing, and over 65% of us living in urban areas, our limited resources like soil, water, and land are all in a vulnerable state. Much like we mentioned in the positively processed and full circle initiatives points, the movement for a more direct model of farm-to-consumer as it relates to nature has been increasing. As younger farmers move into the field, and technology plays more of a role in everything from planting to harvesting, we are entering a new era of agriculture which will impact everything.

Food Politics

Fortunately, this is not about political parties. Food policy is a bipartisan issue with rules and regulations being built and dismantled as trends emerge and new normals are established. With conversations swirling around things like climate control, immigration, importing/exporting, farming, and the environment, food politics will be a topic that is continually at the forefront of our economy.

 

We’re committed to assisting you with your wholesale ingredient needs, no matter the shifts in consumer demands. Contact us today for a quote for your business as it adapts to the changing market.

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