Meal Starters, Global Pantry, and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Are On the Radar at Winter Show

As the Specialty Food Association opens its Winter Fancy Food Show today in Las Vegas, several top trends for 2023, identified by the SFA Trendspotter Panel in November, continue to gain momentum with products coming to market and on display at this year’s event, which runs through Tuesday, January 17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Trendspotter Panel, which is made up of retail and foodservice buyers, market researchers, food writers and educators, and other industry professionals, will be working the Show over the next few days, reporting on strengthening and emerging trends. On Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., Trendspotter representatives will join a panel discussion on trends from the Winter Show on the Big Idea Stage.

Following are examples of products that fit trends currently on the radar. You’ll find more examples throughout the exhibit hall and on the SFA Fancy Food Show App. 

Globally Influenced Pantry and Grocery Staples. According to the Trendspotter Panel, a fresh crop of globally inspired condiments, sauces, oils, and seasonings will help consumers experience global and regional flavors as new kitchen staples. At the Winter Show, expect to see the trend extend to other staples like cookies, snacks, and beverages. Examples include:

• Buddha Baby Banyan Thai curry sauces, available in Green, Yellow, Massaman and Penang. The curries are made from ingredients sourced directly from Thailand and overseen by owned Kamolporn (Mon) Sungthong, to bring the culinary traditions of her homeland to customers worldwide. Booth #2647

• The French Farm Terre Exotique Orange Flower Water and Sur les Quais mustards. The orange water is produced by families living in Cap Bon, Tunisia. It is a traditional ingredient in Tunisian pastries, couscous and used for festive occasions. Sur les Quais mustards come in flavors like Honey and Curry, Walnut and Zaatar. Booth #1631

• Haig’s Delicacies Mediterranean-Inspired Dips, including Tzatziki, Baba Ghanoush, Spicy Feta Dip & a full line of Original Hummus & Organic Hummus flavors, all based on traditional family recipes. Haig’s has been a household staple in the Bay Area for the past 60 years, and is now focused on retailer expansion across the country, launching in Publix, Food Lion, and Harris Teeter, among other top retailers over the past year. Booth #2326

• KTM Services Taro Cookies. These crunchy cookies are Individually wrapped and bite-sized and are a popular local favorite in Hawaii. Booth #3138 

• Wen&Winnie Trading Cravi Milk Tea, available in original, taro and brown sugar flavors. Wen&Winnie are Asian food and beverage importers and distributors working to bring well-known Asian brands to North American users. Booth #2525 

Convenient Meal Starters, Bases, Sauces, and Kits. Consumers are seeking brands that help them keep food preparation simple and efficient but still allow them to cook at home without sacrificing taste. Starter meal kits, frozen entrees, and cooking sauces will proliferate, and plant-based options will be in the forefront. Some examples: 

• Chilau Stew Base. Pronounced “shil-lah,” the name derives from the Cubano term for crab stew, which gained popularity in Tampa’s Ybor City district during the 1920s. The stew base is available in 8-ounce retail jars and bulk gallons. Chilau's best-selling flavors are original southern-style, low-country citrus, creole trinity and shrimp and crab boil. Booth #3046

• Conifer Foods Canterbury Naturals Whole Grain Bowls. These starter kits for plant-based bowls come in three flavors, Asian Quinoa, Southwest Farro & Brown Rice, Italian Orzo and can be served warm or cold with a few added ingredients. Booth #2107

• White Toque, an importer of frozen French specialties, has expanded its IQF ready-to-heat line with 11 new grains and pulses options, including lentils, bulgur, buckwheat, spelt, quinoa, and chickpeas. The products are precooked and need only to be heated up and served as a side or vegan meal.  Booth #2949

Sustainable, Upcycled, or Regeneratively Grown Ingredients. Sustainability and environmental concerns continue to be top of mind with consumers and the Trendspotter Panel expects sustainable or upcycled ingredients, environment-friendly packaging, and regeneratively grown ingredients to be more prominent. Examples include: 

• Wild Orchard Tea Company Regenerative Organic Certified tea line. The company focuses on artisanal, small-batch production and regenerative farming to remove contaminants from the teas, while sequestering carbon into the ground to help curb climate change and restore fragile ecosystems, says Michael D. Ham, president. Booth #3007

Functional Products for Immune System, Gut, and Brain Health. Consumers will be seeking more balance between their desire for health and indulgence, but functional foods won’t suffer as a result. Interest in foods that help address immunity, digestion, memory, and heart health is strong. Examples: 

• Republic of Tea Single Sips Collection contains new products: Immunity Elderberry Punch, made with berries and hibiscus to support immunity, and Immunity Nectarine Honey Orangeade, a source of vitamin C with turmeric and ginger for added immunity. The company has also added to its SuperGreen Tea collection with SuperGreen Digestion, with turmeric, ginger, and green tea to promote gut health, reduce inflammation, and improve digestion. Booth #1317

• Spicewell’s line of Ayurvedic, plant-based pantry essentials are created to add 10 percent of the daily recommended intake of 21 vitamins and minerals in every half teaspoon serving of salt and pepper. Made with vitamins derived from organic vegetables like kale, broccoli, and maitake mushrooms. Booth #3225

Heat in Honey, Cheese, Snacks, Beverages and More. With the popularity of hot sauces, heat from various chiles will spread a spectrum of products from cheese to chocolate to snack chips, but in more nuanced levels, says the Panel.

• African Bronze Honey Company, a Canadian, woman-owned food-ceutical social enterprise, offers Organic Hot Honey made with organic chilies and Fair-trade, organic unpasteurized forest honey. This honey, harvested by 10,000 Beekeepers in Zambia and Tanzania, is infused with hot pickled peppers for a taste that is hot, but not too hot, and can be used on pizza and vanilla ice cream. Booth #3424

• Laura Chenel Mango Habanero Fresh Goat Cheese. These 4-ounce logs were developed in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America in Napa. Mango Habanero is a flavor that speaks to the bounty and the culinary influences of Sonoma while meeting consumer demand for sweet heat. Booth #631

• Beehive Cheese Red Butte Hatch Chile rubbed cheddar. This Gold Medal winner of the World Cheese Awards in 2021, features a rub of chile powder and coriander on the rind and New Mexico Hatch chiles in the paste. Booth #526

Non-alcoholic Cocktail Culture. Ready-to-drink beverages like flavored seltzers, alcohol-free wines and aperitifs, and unique mixers are all helping those opting not to imbibe in alcohol enjoy sophisticated options.

• Abstinence Spirits alcohol-free botanical spirits and aperitifs are newly available for purchase in the U.S. since September 2022, having launched in South Africa in 2020. Available in four non-alcoholic spirits and two aperitifs: sugar-free and calorie-free Cape Citrus, Cape Floral, and Cape Spice highlight signature South African botanicals such as buchu, cassia, and honeybush; Epilogue X has a malty, smoky profile; Blood Orange Aperitif and Lemon Aperitif balance sweetness, bitterness, and herbal notes. Booth #3241

• For Bitter For Worse non-alcoholic beverages in four varieties: Eva’s Spritz sparkling aperitif, Rose City Fizz, Saskatoon red wine-style beverage with a flavor profile similar to a grassy pinot noir, and Smoky no.56, brown spirit-style nightcap. Sampling at DPI, Booth #1001

• Prima Pave, an Italian non-alcoholic wine, launched in January 2022, has been awarded medals at major wine competitions including the IWSC in London and the San Francisco International Wine Competition. The beverage is sold locally at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Booth #2520

More trends on the radar the panel expects to see unfold throughout the Winter Show: better-for-you snacks, natural sugars from dates, maple syrup, and fruits, uncommon citrus, melon and stone fruits in beverages, sweets, snacks, and alone.

Check SFA News Daily’s Winter Show Editions each day for more reporting on trends and innovative products from the Show. 

Related: Winter Fancy Food Show to Feature State, Special, International Pavilions; sofi Application Process Begins March 1.

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