Sparkling Drinks, Tea Infusions, Cauliflower Prevalent at Show

Several flavor and ingredient trends and product innovations are on the radar as the 2018 Summer Fancy Food Show gets underway. Throughout the show, which runs until Monday, July 2, the SFA Trendspotter panel of buyers, food writers, educators, and other industry professionals, will report daily on their official selections for trends of the Summer Show.

Here are some initial trends and innovations expected to emerge, with a few examples of each. More examples can be found throughout the exhibit halls. 

Sparkling and Functional Beverages
According to newly released SFA research, The State of the Specialty Food Industry 2018, produced in collaboration with Mintel, beverage categories collectively have grown 18 percent in retail sales between 2015 and 2017—faster than food categories as a whole. Sparkling and functional beverages, in particular, are prevalent at the show.

Sparkling beverages have been gaining as alternatives to sodas, mixers for cocktails, as well as cocktail alternatives altogether. Some on exhibit include a 2018 sofi New Product winner, Tost dry sparkling white tea with cranberry and ginger, marketed as a sparkling wine alternative. Other examples include Blue Monkey sparkling watermelon juice, Kimino Drinks Yuzu Sparkling, made of yuzu juice, sparkling water, and cane sugar; and O.Vine, a wine-grape infused mineral water from Golan Heights, made with grape skin byproducts from the winemaking process. 

Refrigerated RTD functional beverages are up 20 percent, according to the State of the Specialty Food Industry research. While driven in large part by kombucha, more categories are emerging. Exhibitors are offering functional vinegars such as Vermont Village Organic Beauty Boost Functional Vinegar, a combination of raw and organic apple cider vinegar mixed with cherry juice and lime juice and spiked with collagen to replace diminishing levels as consumers age. Other functional beverages include probiotic teas and waters, including Suja Life Probiotic Waters that contain crushed fruit and high probiotic unit count. 

Cauliflower
In the quest for the “next kale” cauliflower has appeared with increasing frequency on restaurant menus. Now, more cauliflower-based packaged products are hitting retail shelves, often cheered as a carb substitute as well as a beneficial source of vitamin C, folate, potassium, and magnesium among other nutrients. In addition to riced cauliflower, mashed cauliflower, and cauliflower pizza crust, more products at the show include cauliflower pretzels from Halen Brands’ The Ground Up brand; Caulipower vegetable-based baking mixes; and Hummus Gourmet cauliflower hummus spread made with pureed cauliflower florets.

Foods from the Philippines
The SFA Trendspotter panel noted that Filipino cuisine is one of the top 10 trends for 2018, mostly because of the rise in Filipino restaurants and more chefs putting traditional dishes, or elements of dishes, on their menus. Now, the trend is phasing into retail products that use authentic ingredients and flavors. Examples include calamansi juice, made from a small round citrus fruit that’s similar to a lemon and ubiquitous in the Philippines. Made by a company called Mansi, this juice is high in vitamin C, antioxidants, and electrolytes. Bergenfield, N.J. restaurant CJC Pit Barbecue will also be exhibiting with its bottled lechon sauce, a traditional sauce made from pork liver, vinegar, breadcrumbs, and spices.

Tea Infusions
Tea varieties are being used as ingredients in snacks, treats, and even condiments and sauces. Runamok Maple Jasmine Tea is showcasing a maple syrup infused with jasmine tea, TeaSquares offers black tea infused snack bars that provide a caffeine boost, and Charlie & Sam's Tea has a toffee almond that is enrobed in chocolate that’s been triple infused with organic tea.

from Food Trends https://ift.tt/2tQHz61