For more than 90 years, the Association for Dressings and Sauces (ADS) has represented the interests of the industry. In this news section, you’ll find trends and news affecting the industry, as well as news of the ADS awards. Each year, ADS selects products to receive the Dressing of the Year, Sauce of the Year and Package of the Year awards. These prestigious awards recognize excellence and innovation in products related to our industry. Awards are presented at our Annual Meeting, held each fall.
Statement from The Association for Dressings and Sauces:
The Association for Dressings and Sauces (ADS) supports the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed rule to revoke the French dressing standard of identity. In 1998, ADS submitted a citizen petition to the FDA requesting, in part, that the French dressing standard of identity be repealed. Since the standard was adopted, there has been a proliferation of a wide variety of nonstandardized pourable salad dressings with different flavors (e.g., Italian, Blue cheese, Vinaigrette, Ranch, Caesar) and composition (including reduced fat, “light” and fat-free dressings). Further, French is the only pourable salad dressing with a standard of identity. The French dressing standard does not serve as a benchmark for these pourable salad dressings, due to the variation in composition to meet changing consumer needs. The need for flavor identity standards within a market with a proliferation of flavors is obsolete, and could restrict innovation. There are a wide variety of French-style dressings on the market, and these will continue to be available based on consumer demand.
