Top 5 Food Trends Seen at the 2017 Winter Fancy Food Show

I was pleased to attend the Winter Fancy Food Show held by the Specialty Foods Association from January 22 to 24, 2017 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. The trade show hosted over 1,400 exhibitors representing specialty food and beverages producers from over 25 countries. In this article, I will highlight noteworthy trends in food that I saw at the show. A separate article on beverage trends will be published.

1. Chickpeas go beyond hummus

Year 2016 was proclaimed the International Year of Pulses by the United Nations. The 12 pulses include chickpeas, lentils, dry beans, and dry peas and are good sources of plant-based protein as well as being gluten-free. Exhibitors showcased chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, in snacks and pasta in addition to hummus. Hummus is the best known food made of chickpeas in the US, with the majority of users buying the pre-made refrigerated hummus from supermarkets instead of making it at home. Baruvi Fresh LLC’s Hummustir won the inaugural Frontburner Foodservice Pitch Competition at the Fancy Food Show by offering a kit that allows consumers and foodservice operators to easily make fresh hummus. Using Hummustir, home cooks can make hummus by combining packets of organic chickpea puree, organic tahini, and spices, and stirring it with the enclosed stir stick.

Snack companies are also increasingly using chickpeas to appeal to consumers looking for snacks with the health benefits of protein and fiber. Biena Foods offered its Biena Chickpea Snacks as a better-for-you alternative to chips and nuts with its snacks offering 5g of protein and 6g of fiber per 1oz serving in flavors including Barbecue, Cinnamon Crunch, Habanero, and Sea Salt. American Halal Co. introduced Saffron Road ChickBean Crisps that are certified gluten-free, Halal, and kosher, with 4g of protein and 2g of fiber in a 1oz serving. The Saffron Road ChickBean Crisps are made with lentils, yellow peas, chickpeas, and sweet potato flours and come in Sea Salt, White Cheddar, and Zesty Ranch varieties. Even pasta companies are incorporating chickpeas to offer high protein in a gluten-free format. Tolerant Foods introduced Tolerant Balanced Blend Organic Chickpea Pasta that is made with chickpeas and rice to offer 14g of protein in a 3oz serving along with being certified gluten-free.

2. Gluten-free expands options with cauliflower and tapioca flour

Numerous companies offered gluten-free options as many Americans look to avoid gluten even if they do not suffer from celiac disease. Brazi Bites are likely to appeal to lovers of Brazilian food because Brazilian cheese bread (Pao de Queijo) is one of the most popular items served at Brazilian restaurants. The frozen Brazi Bites bake in 20 minutes and are naturally gluten-free because they are made with tapioca flour, cheese, and yucca root. Another company offering a gluten-free “bread” at the Fancy Food Show was Outer Aisle Gourmet that showcased its Cauliflower Sandwich Thins and Cauliflower Pizza Crusts as being gluten free, Paleo friendly, low carb, and low calorie. Outer Aisle Gourmet is able to transform cauliflower into a “bread” product by combining it with cottage cheese, skim milk, cage-free egg whites, and parmesan cheese. Another cauliflower company also seeks to address the market of consumers looking for low-calorie as well as gluten-free products. Some consumers have been using cauliflower and zucchini as substitutes for rice and pasta, respectively. Cauli Rice, made of parcooked cauliflower and seasonings, is marketed as having fewer calories than white rice as well as being gluten-free. Cauli Rice also stands out from competing cauliflower products that are refrigerated or frozen because the Cauli Rice pouches are shelf-stable.

3. Ice cream becomes healthier

Multiple companies offered better-for-you alternatives to ice cream at the show as Americans are looking for healthy indulgence. Companies took different approaches, with some targeting vegan consumers, and others focusing on its functional benefits. Food bloggers, including Paleo dieters, have embraced banana “ice cream” because it is vegan, dairy-free, and contains no added sugars. Snow Monkey uses frozen bananas as a base, adding apple puree, hemp seed powder, and either cacao or goji berry to create what it calls a “Superfood Ice Treat” that is marketed as all-natural, non-dairy, non-GMO, vegan, paleo, and gluten-free. Mr. E’s Freeze Coconut Banana Frozen Dessert similarly uses frozen bananas but combines it with coconut milk. At the functional end, Arctic Zero Fit Frozen Desserts are marketed as containing 3g of protein and 2g of fiber per 60g serving through the use of hormone-free whey protein and monk fruit. Arctic Zero is also low glycemic, lactose free, gluten free, and GMO free. Similar to Arctic Zero, Brio! uses whey protein to raise the protein content but differentiates itself from other BFY ice creams through the use of Ganeden, Inc’s probiotic, Bacillus Coagulans GBI-30 6086. Brio! touts its ice creams as containing 5g of protein, antioxidants, probiotics, and 24 vitamins & minerals with less fat and fewer calories than super premium ice cream per 82g serving.

4. Meat snacks offer protein and a Paleo-friendly option

Premium meat jerky and meat bars have been more visible as a high-protein, minimally processed snack, boosted by the rising popularity of the Paleo diet. Both Epic Provisions, owned by General Mills, and Krave, owned by The Hershey Co, introduced meat sticks at the show. The single-serve meat sticks offer the advantage of portion control compared to meat jerky that comes in multi-serve pouches. Krave worked with the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley to create Krave Sticks in three unique flavors: Rosemary Lemon Turkey with White Beans, Spicy Red Pepper Pork with Black Beans, and Sesame Garlic Beef with Sweet Potato. Epic’s new Waygu Beef Steak Strip is marketed as being the first shelf stable Waygu beef snack in wide distribution. Many of the meat snacks producers are using Asian-inspired flavors. Little Red Dot Kitchen offered its Singapore-style Bak Kwa in Lemongrass Beef and Spicy Chipotle Beef. Lorissa’s Kitchen offered Korean Barbecue Beef and Szechuan Peppercorn Beef for its meat snacks. Even pork rinds are becoming more gourmet. EPIC showed pork rinds that use organic, non-GMO, pastured, and antibiotic-free pork skins with spices in Sea Salt and Texas BBQ Pork Rinds varieties.

5. Turmeric goes beyond Indian food

The turmeric herb has expanded beyond use as a spice in Indian food and Ayurvedic medicine into many different applications as food, beverage, and spice companies take note of its superfood positioning. Spice makers are taking advantage of growing health awareness about turmeric. The Spice Lab introduced a line of Healing Spices that includes turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric & black pepper, and turmeric tea. Pranayums offered Daily Super Spice Shots single-serve packets that contain turmeric, black pepper, cardamom, ginger, and other spices as “a daily home remedy” inspired by the Ayurvedic science of healing. The pre-measured spice shot packets are designed for consumers to sprinkle on oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, tea, or coffee. Turmeric is increasingly being used in beverages. Califia Farms featured a Ginger and Turmeric Spice Blend into its line of Enhanced Almondmilk. The use of turmeric and ginger in a dairy-free drink is noteworthy as most almond milk and soy milk producers in the US have focused on vanilla and chocolate flavors. Though turmeric has not yet been widely seen in snacks, we are likely to see more in the future. At the show, RW Garcia offered Lentil & Turmeric pulse tortilla chips.