Per the usual, the 2020 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco attracted thousands of visitors and vendors, rolling out heaps of new food and beverage products aimed at being the “next big thing”. Amongst the hype and buzz around the show, there were a few stand-out trends in the savory space. From snacks to culinary products, the Fancy Food Show always features some of the most unique savory food products from around the world. The Symrise team was in San Francisco to break it all down and bring you the biggest savory food trends from the show.
PART 1: Top 12 Trends from the 2020 Winter Fancy Food Show
FRUITS MEET SAVORY SNACKS
Up first, fruits are making their way into savory snack products. This is not an instance that we haven’t seen before – think Mango Salsa Lay’s Potato Chips or Planters Chili Lime Peanuts. But what was unique about the products at this year’s show, is that the fruit was the star. Evoke Healthy Foods, who’s main products are natural and organic muesli, showed their “wholesome oat crisps”, which resemble small rice cakes but are made from whole grain oats, naturally sweetened with cane sugar. The 3 main flavors showcased were berry, cocoa, and honey. Here, you can see the sweet flavors came first, unpaired with heat or any other savory flavors.
Another entry to this trend was the Orange Almonds from Almond Brothers – time to queue up “Ramblin’ Man” – wait, it’s Almond, not Allman. Anyway, again the fruit (orange) took center stage, with a hint of cayenne in the background of these almonds. Lastly, there were intriguing plant-based snack mixes called Bouchees from Becca’s Petites in flavors like savorureux (subtly smoky), flambeaux (enticingly spicy) and chocolate noir (richly dark). But our favorite was the original (perfectly sweet) featuring citrus, maple, cinnamon and ginger. The citrus really shined through, putting a seal on the “fruit meets savory snacks” trend.
SPREADS 2.0
No, this is not a new software product aimed at helping you create the best food spread for your next dinner party. Spreads 2.0 is about the evolution of spreads and dips in the savory space. After the wave of hummus that has taken America by storm the last few years, brands are now launching new and exciting spreads made with all types of different bases and intriguing flavors. Speaking of hummus, one brand that falls into this trend is Lantana. Their “alternative” hummus switches out chickpeas for fun and interesting bases like edamame, black beans, carrots, beets, yellow lentils, peppers and white beans. Some Lantana flavors include Sriracha Carrot, Hatch Chili and Buffalo. Also along the lines of an “alternate base” was Philia. Philia’s spreadable feta cheeses were a hit at the show, solving that desire I’m sure most foodies have experienced; “I wish I could just easily spread this feta cheese onto everything”. The spreadable feta cheeses come in flavors like rosemary and basil, roasted red pepper, dill and garlic as well as habanero.
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One of the most exciting new spreads at the show came from Burma Love. Burma Love is a brand founded by Desmond Tan, owner of Burma Superstar Restaurants in California. Burma Love Foods Company has formed a partnership with Paulang tea farmers in the Nahmsan Mountains of Burma enabling them to create a line of products inspired by Burmese Tea. At the show we sampled their traditional fermented tea leaf dressings (which come in containers that look and feel like hummus). There is a traditional flavor along with spicy and vegan flavors. Our favorite was the “tea aioli”, which was a truly unique tasting experience blending the earthiness of tea with the sweet creaminess of aioli.
EGG NOSH
You be asking yourself, “What’s an Egg Nosh?” Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like – this trend is all about taking eggs to the snacking world. We’ve all seen Starbucks’ Sous Vide Egg Bites by now, but recently the trend has moved into retail. The first example we saw at the show were the Sous Vide Egg Bites from Trois Petits Cochons. They have an array of flavors from egg white bites with broccoli and parmesan to egg bites with prosciutto and gruyere. We also tasted Egg Bites from The Perfect Bite Co who offer a plant-based version with potatoes and Soyrizo (a soy based chorizo product) as well mainstream flavors like their Three Cheese Egg Bites.
One of the more unique egg snacking examples came from Snazk Bites. Their product is a salted egg bite in the style of a 10cm x 10cm x 20cm cube. According to Mintel, “Salted Egg” flavor has taken off in the Chinese market, skyrocketing from 1% of new product launches in 2014-2015 to 39% of new product launches in 2018-2019! In China, salted egg flavor became very popular in 2018 and it can be used in traditional Chinese pastries like moon cakes or sweet green rice balls as well as meat or tofu dishes, Mintel says. Overall, eggs seem to be growing fast as consumers seek out more ways to work protein into their diets.
Savory food trends in snacking and culinary quickly evolve within the North American market and consumers are always looking for the next new thing to intrigue them. Fortunately, the Symrise team is here to help you stay at top of the latest trends and flavor experiences. Reach out today for more flavor trends and to see how Symrise can help you stay ahead of innovation curve in culinary and snacks in 2020 and beyond.
Check back on In-sight for much more coverage of the 2020 Winter Fancy Food Show coverage!
