Trendspotting at the Winter Fancy Food Show

Rich artisan cheeses and charcuterie and delectable gourmet chocolate bars shared the stage with an extensive array of better-for-you fare at the 2016 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, where more than 1,500 exhibitors unveiled aisles of specialty foods from around the world.

“Health and convenience come across loud and clear in 2016’s trend forecast,” says Denise Purcell, head of content for the Specialty Food Assoc., which produces the show. While there seemed to be an endless array of these foods to taste and see—including more than 1,000 new products—some common trends emerged within the crowded aisles.

Thinking thinner

Consumers are continuing to look for ways to enjoy their favorite treats with less guilt, making thinner versions of chips, crackers, and cookies a welcome addition to their pantries. Cookie Chips, which are thin, crunchy cookies available in a variety of flavors, are billed as a “daily indulgent treat you won't feel guilty about,” according to the maker’s website. A serving of five crispy cookies provides just 120­–130 calories, and the company recently introduced gluten-free versions of some favorite flavors. Paul & Pippa, a Spanish brand, uses organic ingredients in its crispy, all-natural biscuits; according to the company, the addition of extra-virgin olive oil helps prevent the biscuits from becoming too crunchy. A serving of three cookies provides roughly 70–80 calories.

On the cracker side, 34° Crisps are a versatile, low-calorie way to serve dips, cheeses, and charcuterie as well as peanut butter, yogurt, and fruit. Nine of the superthin crackers—which are inspired by traditional Australian crispbreads—provide just 50 calories. Made without oil, the crackers are available in seven flavors. Peter’s Yard, meanwhile, produces Swedish crispbreads—knäckebröd—made from an authentic Swedish recipe with whole-wheat flours, fresh milk, honey, and naturally fermented sourdough. One of the varieties in this line features a hole in the middle, which the company says is inspired by a traditional method dating back to the 1500s that suspended crackers around a pole above the fire to dry. The crisps come in a range of sizes, from cracker-sized mini crispbreads to the bagel-sized Original varieties.

Beverages with benefits

Sipping for playful wellness has become the norm, according to Melissa Abbott, director of culinary insights for the Hartman Group, who spoke about snacking trends during the show. “Beverages highlighting health benefits are winning because they are fun and playful, not prescriptive and stodgy,” she said. Beverages in this vein proved popular throughout the show, such as turmeric teas from Numi and The Republic of Tea’s U•Matcha Charcoal, which is intended to cleanse toxins from the digestive system, according to the company.

Pok Pok Som, a company developed by James Beard Award­–winning chef Andy Ricker, combines organic red Hawaiian turmeric with cane sugar in one flavor of its line of drinking vinegars. According to the company, vinegar has been used throughout history to promote health, and shrubs—vinegar-based syrups—have experienced a resurgence in recent years in bars. The company provides recipes for combining its vinegars with liquors to create cocktails, but the syrups can also be enjoyed by simply diluting with water or soda.

Health-Ade Kombucha, meanwhile, amplifies the benefits of its small-batch raw, organic kombucha with a range of superfoods, including wheatgrass, mangosteen, and maca, while Harmless Harvest pairs coconut water with Fair Trade coffee for what it calls a “low-glycemic refresher” that combines hydration and an energy boost. Similarly, Säpp Organic Birch Tree Water, a product inspired by Eastern European tradition, is collected from silver birch trees. According to the company, the light, sweet-tasting drink contains 70%–80% less sugar than coconut water and is rich in manganese.

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Popping out of the mold

Popcorn has proved popular over the last few years thanks to its image as a healthier alternative to chips and crackers, and the global popcorn market could hit sales of $12 billion by 2020, according to a new Technavio report. Indeed, popcorn is still popping up all over, and the Winter Fancy Food Show saw some companies taking it in a new direction. PopCorners turns traditional air-popped grains into triangular chips available in a variety of flavors, from sweet caramel and kettle to savory sweet chili and cheesy jalapeño. One ounce of the chips delivers 120–140 calories and no trans fats. Two companies showed popcorn that isn’t fully popped. Halfpops “curiously crunchy popcorn” resemble large, puffy kernels, and Pop’d Kerns look a bit like flower buds. Billing themselves as an alternative to fluffy popcorn, both half-popped snacks are gluten-free and use non-GM popcorn.

Traditional popcorn also abounds, albeit in exotic flavors. Japan’s T-Pops Tokyo-style popcorn, which will launch this year, will be available in four flavors: nori toasted seaweed, matcha, curry, and tarako furikake, a seasoning made with dried fish roe. Another creative offering, Pop Art Gourmet Popcorn, attempts to “elevate the all-American snack by infusing it with fun flavors that appeal to the foodie snack lover.” These flavors include Tandoori Yogurt, Thai Coconut Curry, and Rosemary Truffle.

Mad about meat

According to market research firm IRI, Americans spent $2.8 billion on dried meat snacks in 2015, and 2016 doesn’t appear to be different: from jerky to bars to sticks, meat snacks were everywhere at the Winter Fancy Food Show. At least 15 exhibitors were showcasing their protein-packed wares, which included beef, chicken, turkey, pork (and bacon), and salmon offerings. The majority of these purveyors described their products as handcrafted, artisanal, chef-driven creations, and two brands—EPIC and The New Primal—were marketed to draw in the Paleo crowd.

Breaking from the jerky mold, two products stood out. Pork Clouds are “fluffy crisps made from salt-cured pork skin,” according to the company. They are available in four flavors, including cinnamon, and the company reuses its frying oil by transforming it into “porkified” Castile soap; the company also offers Pork Dust, ground pork skins that can replace breadcrumbs in any recipe and add a fried taste to salads and grilled meats. Little Red Dot’s Bak Kwa, meanwhile, is a jerky-like product made in California that is inspired by street snacks found in Singapore and Malaysia. The all-natural, antibiotic-free meats, which are sourced from family farms, are seasoned with Southwest Asian spices and then grilled; varieties include classic pork and turkey and spicy chipotle beef.

Winter Fancy Food Show: The Quick Bite

While many of the items on display at the show aligned themselves neatly into categorization, there were some that weren’t as easily classified, though no less noteworthy. These three products were some of the most interesting foods and beverages sampled at the show.

Tapping into the Paleo trend, LonoLife offers bone broth in K-Cups in two forms. A low-calorie snack broth designed for a midday boost is available in three varieties, including chicken, vegetable, and cream of mushroom. A 40­–50 calorie protein-added bone broth, meanwhile, provides 8–10 grams of protein and could function as a meal replacement; it comes in chicken and beef flavors. All of the broths are packaged in recyclable cups and are free from monosodium glutamate and gluten.]

While there were a variety of great-tasting cow’s milk alternatives at the show (including almond, rice, and macadamia nut), Desert Farms Camel Milk was a real highlight. Sourced from grass-fed, hormone-free camels on Amish and family farms around the United States, the nonhomogenized milk tastes surprisingly similar to cow’s milk and is a good option for those with allergies. It also contains 50% less fat than whole milk and is an excellent source of calcium and B1 and a good source of protein, potassium, and phosphorous.

According to the Specialty Food Assoc., cricket flour was a top 10 trend of 2015 and appeared in a range of bar products. Six Foods breaks that mold with its Chirps, chips made with cricket flour. The sustainably produced protein source adds 4 grams of protein to each serving of the chips, as much as one egg white, and the snacks are non-GM, gluten-free, and made without artificial colors or flavors. They are available in sea salt, cheddar, and barbecue varieties.