When it comes to discovering what the next big thing in the food industry is going to be, there is no better place to look than the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Food Show. Of course, when 25,000 people in the food industry get together, you can certainly bet there are more new kinds of food and trends than any single person could get through. But there were a number of trends among the nearly 200,000 products showcased there.
Almost Water
Everyone knows water is important, which is why one of the top things seen was waters that had various things added to them. Some low-sugar waters, others just flavored a certain way, and even waters infused with flowers for taste and aroma. Blossom Water was a highlight, but there were certainly a number of coconut waters as well. The new way toward water is not just bottling it, but adding something that flavors it in some way.
Drinkable Vinegar
A trend many people weren’t expecting, until recent health benefits had been discovered to consuming vinegar. We are seeing actual vinegars you can drink by themselves. Many have sugars added, but some come as mostly the bitter vinegar that you know of already. Just don’t go out and start drinking your apple cider vinegar.
All the Beets
Beets everywhere are yet another one that people weren’t expecting. Sure, beets are healthy, but short of pickling, or in salads they were never a big deal. Now we are seeing beet flavored ice creams, and yogurts. Plus marmalades come in as a truly unusual choice, combining onions and beets. Even drinks were having beets infused into them.
Such a Pickle
This is a long-time favorite, and one of the easier things for people to do, which is probably why we saw hundreds of different kinds of pickled products. From your basic pickles with a spicy twist to pickled and smoked okra or chipotle carrots. We’ve also seen whiskey being used as a way of pickling for a number of vegetables too.
Korean Craze
It took some time, but Korean food has finally pushed ahead of Chinese and Japanese foods. Kimchi and Sriracha pushed it forward, but we are seeing all kinds of Korean sauces and methods of cooking. Sriracha popcorn was one of the more unique ones. But with the health food craze, it makes sense that people are taking advantage of what Korea has to offer in that area.
And these are just some of the most common food trends that were found at this great food expo. Not all of them will spread quickly, but a lot of it actually makes sense with everyone in the food industry concerned about health these days.
–Rich
Source: http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/top-10-trends-fancy-food-show/293952/