2019 Summer Fancy Food Show Trends
Sales of specialty foods are rising as more consumers look for more sophisticated experiences on regular occasions. Summer Fancy Food Show, June 23–25, New York; hundreds of thousands of specialized food and beverage goods on display from over 2,400 exhibiting companies.
In 2018, the market for specialty foods expanded by 9.8% to reach $148.7 billion, according per a recent analysis by the Specialty Food Association and Mintel International. Specialty food sales at retail increased 10.3% during the course of the two-year period, surpassing the rise of all food sales by 3.1%.
Nearly three in four consumers purchase specialty food products, which may be defined as premium, produced in small batches or featuring authentic recipes and high-quality ingredients.
Product innovation and broader availability of specialty foods are propelling the industry, said Phil Kafarakis, president of the Specialty Food Association.
“Diverse consumer lifestyles are taking specialty foods mainstream,” Mr. Kafarakis said. “To reach these consumers and increase their own sales, food merchants have embraced the vast assortment of specialty products.”
Rice cakes, ready-to-drink coffee and tea, water, and frozen and refrigerated plant-based meat substitutes are the categories with the biggest revenue gain. The popularity of frozen sweets is also growing, thanks to premium, reduced-sugar, and plant-based options.
According to Denise Purcell, chief of content for the Specialty Food Association, “plant-based certainly is not slowing down.” “A lot is going on with meat and dairy substitutes.”Boston’s Whipped Urban Dessert Lab provides one example. Oate is a new line of frozen sweets made from oats that comes in tastes like coffee, mint chocolate, cookies and cream, and vanilla sweet cream.
New gluten-free recipes involving vegetables are starting to appear, such as cauliflower crackers and broccoli pizza crust. Chia and flax seeds are combined with toasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, and carrots in maple syrup and olive oil to make a grain-free granola.
According to Ms. Purcell, “we’re expecting to see more vegetables substituted for traditional carbs.”Full of veggies, such as carrot, red bell pepper, sweet potato, butternut squash, red beet, spinach, onion, and portobello mushroom, is Otamot Foods’ Brooklyn-based tomato sauce of the same name. Based on “maximum nutrition from whole, plant-based foods,” the product was produced, as stated by the firm.
A lot of talk about mushrooms
An increasing number of snack options feature mushrooms. Plant-based jerky with portabella and shiitake mushrooms masquerading as meat. Shrooms are available at South Mill Champs in Kennett Square, PA. In a reference to the “blended burger” craze in restaurants, Shrooms Splits Jerky combines mushroom jerky with beef or turkey jerky to produce a more sustainable and healthful option.
Shiitake Mushroom Chips from MudLrk, La Porte, Indiana, are cooked in palm oil and seasoned with dry veggies, herbs, and spices. There are flavors including sriracha, ranch, and Kansas City barbecue. Umamis Crunchy Snacks, an extruded, puffed snack manufactured from king oyster mushrooms and corn in flavors of salt and pepper, salt and vinegar, and barbecue, are being introduced by The Mushroom Benefit Ltd., Netanya, Israel.
“The mushroom base allowed us to create a delicious, all-natural snack that also has mycotherapeutic benefits,” The Mushroom Benefit, Ltd.’s chief executive officer and co-founder Mira Weigensberg stated.
Companies are utilizing the benefits of fungi in new drinks as well; two examples are a slow-brewed chaga drink that made its debut at the exhibition and a shiitake oolong tea.
Baby food and adult food
According to Ms. Purcell, new food products created for infants and toddlers have heightened flavor profiles, which is a long cry from bland and boring.
“This appears to be the next category they’re reinventing with new and interesting flavors, and we link it to the fact that the whole millennial generation is getting older and starting families,” the spokesperson added.Boston’s Little Pickins serves finger snacks that are high in nutritious grains, proteins, healthy fats, and vegetables. There are several variations, such as kale, edamame, and maple tofu, or turkey with Thai vegetables and goat cheese on top.
Lil’Gourmets in Chicago offers a variety of products, including chilled organic vegetable, bean, herb, and spice blends. Moroccan squash, sweet potato curry, and ginger beet are among the flavors.
Kekoa Foods, located in West Orange, New Jersey, sells organic baby food pouches that contain ingredients including fennel, tarragon, and garlic. Carrots with burdock root, apple and ginger, vegetable stew, and vegetable curry are some of the variations.
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Inspiration for libations
According to Ms. Purcell, a distinct combination of ingredients—lavender, rosemary, bourbon and rye, and pink peppercorns—stands out as popular components and tastes found in award-winning inventions at the event.New specialty food and beverage releases featuring floral flavors, such as honey lavender sea salt butter and wild rose and strawberry jam, are booming.
Flavor profiles for a variety of carbonated soft drinks include turmeric honeybush with orange peel and black pepper, juniper lime with chamomile and elderflower, and pink peppercorn with lemon.Sweet goods may contain savory herbs and spices. For instance, candied nuts, caramels, and cookies all contain rosemary.
Flavors of whiskey provide spreads, sauces, and nibbles a sophisticated touch. Products include sausages flavored with beer, rye whiskey chocolate bars, and bourbon ponzu sauce. A new pickle product has jalapeño, rosemary, and gin in a brine.
As seen by a new milk stout cookie and a dark ale beef jerky, beer and wine flavors are making their way into snack categories. A new treat from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio, is a frosé sorbet that is modeled by frozen rosé wine sangria.O.Vine is a range of spring water beverages infused with residual grape skins and seeds from winemaking, launched by Wine Water, Ltd., Rosh Pina, Israel. The company claims that their non-alcoholic drinks, which come in chardonnay and cabernet varieties, have the flavors, aromas, and health advantages of wine.
According to Anat Levi, chief executive officer of Wine Water, “O.Vine inspires consumers who are seeking new and innovative beverages to complement their way of life, and in line with the latest trends for alcohol-free and all-natural beverages.” This served as the impetus for O.Vine to carve out a new market niche for wine water.
Accents from India
More American consumers are becoming familiar with Indian dishes and flavors because to the rise in popularity of ghee, turmeric, and chai in recent years. The Summer Fancy Food Show showcases regional flavors from throughout the nation through its selection of sauces and seasonings.
A vindaloo cooking sauce with paprika, peppercorn, and red chili, influenced by West Indian cuisine, is available from Spicemode L.L.C. in Chicago. Meal Mantra, Newton, Massachusetts, offers a Goan curry simmer sauce that is characterized as tangy and flavored with tomatoes, kaffir lime, lemongrass, and aromatic spices.According to Ms. Purcell, “regional Indian flavors have been growing.” People are truly interested in learning more about the various locations and the subtleties and variations in flavor. That is still a cuisine that is expanding.The ChaatCo., L.L.C., New York, sells snack packs with mango, tomato, and tamarind chutney with popped chickpea chips. Sassy Lassi is an Indian-style drinkable yogurt available in flavors like mango, strawberry, celery, and rose from Dash of Masala in Austin, Texas.
A well-liked Indian snack is starting to take the place of popcorn. According to WaterFox Foods Inc., Springfield, Mo., which sells Hopapops popped lotus seeds in flavors like white cheddar, sweet heat, mango habanero, Himalayan sea salt and pepper, and coconut, popped lotus seeds, also known as foxnuts or water lily seeds, have less fat, fewer calories, and more protein than regular popcorn.
Roast Health Foods, an Indian company making its American debut at the exhibition, offers a variety of foxnuts in flavors like tomato and peri-peri. Bohana, Boston, bills itself as a “Ayurvedic superfood” and offers popped water lily seeds in spicy, Himalayan pink salt, and white cheddar variations.