Top Trends (and My Finds) from the 2018 Fancy Food Winter Show

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Last month I traveled to San Francisco to staff the FMI and SQF food safety attendee information area at the Fancy Food Winter Show. We had a great booth experience with many attendees interested in our food safety accreditation program. In addition to assisting with food safety information, I was able to visit the show and pick up on a few trends to share with you.

By: Margaret Core, Vice President, Marketing & Industry Affairs, Food Marketing Institute <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/mushroom-products-at-fancy-food-show.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=27ca786e_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Mushroom products at Fancy Food Show" title="Mushroom products at Fancy Food Show" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /> Last month I traveled to San Francisco to staff the FMI and <a href="https://www.sqfi.com/">SQF</a> food safety attendee information area at the <a href="https://www.specialtyfood.com/shows-events/winter-fancy-food-show/">Fancy Food Winter Show</a>. We had a great booth experience with many attendees interested in our food safety accreditation program. In addition to assisting with food safety information, I was able to visit the show and pick up on a few trends to share with you. The Specialty Food Association (SFA) publishes a Show Daily, by the editors of Specialty Food News, and included an article by Denise Purcell on <a href="http://www.pageturnpro.com/CustomNEWS/82825-WFFS-ISSUE-2/default.html#page/1">Trends Spotter & Innovations from Day 1</a>. The article pointed to top trends they found such as Filipino cuisine, foods using root to stem (utilizing an entire fruit or vegetable to reduce food waste), collagen-infused foods, mushrooms, alternative sweeteners like dates, honey, monk fruit, sorghum and goth foods. In addition, SFA trend spotters pointed to a consumer trend, product labeling 2.0, which is greater consumer interest on label visibility of sourcing and ingredient transparency. This trend is right in sync with FMI’s <a href="https://www.fmi.org/our-research/research-reports/u-s-grocery-shopper-trends">U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends</a> findings and the <a href="https://www.fmi.org/industry-topics/private-brands/smartlabel-implementation-recommendations">SmartLabel™</a> initiative. Intrigued by the chance to discover goth foods and forage for mushrooms, I set out to see what I could find on the show floor. Now, what are goth foods? According to Purcell, goth foods are visually compelling black foods made with activated charcoal, which is gaining superfood status. According to <a href="http://beautydesk.com/should-you-be-eating-activated-charcoal/">BeautyDesk</a>, charcoal, a byproduct of burning wood or plant materials, has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. I set out to find any black ice cream, charcoal-laced juices or lattes on the show floor. It was easy to find mushrooms! I found a big crowd around the <a href="https://us.foursigmatic.com/collections/mushroom-coffee?gclid=Cj0KCQiAq6_UBRCEARIsAHyrgUx8Df5D3WuXgqeOydtX7V_IXZH985QfOoiAMhGVwrhOk8myycMzd4QaAk3NEALw_wcB">Four Sigmatic</a> booth where they were serving up different mushroom coffee varieties, and buyers talking with <a href="https://www.mushroomjerky.com/">Pan’s Mushroom Jerkey</a> and I enjoyed Shitake MushroomChips from <a href="http://www.yuguofarms.com/">Yugou Farms</a>, who also had collagen-infused foods on display. As I made my way through hundreds of booths in the two Fancy Food Show halls, I did not find any goth foods (that I could tell), but I did find these products that caught my eye: <ul> <li>Super Food Bites from <a href="https://www.urbanfoods.com/">Urban Foods</a></li> <li>Just Date Syrup from <a href="https://www.spicemamasf.com/just-date-syrup/">Spice Mama</a></li> <li>Frutons Snacks from <a href="https://www.trainafoods.com/">Traina Foods  </a> </li> <li>Pistachio Chewy Bites from <a href="http://www.settonfarms.com/">Setton Farms </a></li> <li>Gravycubes from <a href="https://bouforyou.com/">Bou</a></li> <li>Drinakable Veggies from <a href="http://bonafideprovisions.com/drinkableveggies/">Bonafide Foods</a></li> <li>Coconut Yogurt from <a href="file:///C:/Users/kjw/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/7VT0B7FG/Anitas.com">Anita </a> </li> <li>Beet with Vegan Goat Cheese snacks and Yuca Root chips from <a href="http://plantsnacks.com/">Plant Snacks</a> </li> <li>PBfit  Peanut Butter Powder from <a href="https://www.betterbodyfoods.com/product/pbfit/">Better Body Foods</a> </li> <li>Veggie-based products in small packets for people on the go from <a href="http://www.joyloopfoods.com/">Joy Loop Foods </a> </li> <li>Honey and Chocolate from <a href="https://www.drogachocolates.com/collections/put-your-money-on-honey">Droga Chocolates</a></li> <li>Made in Brooklyn beverage with a crisp bite of ginger from <a href="https://www.brucecostgingerale.com/">Bruce Cost Ginger Ale</a> </li> </ul> I was happy to stumble upon <a href="https://firecider.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAq6_UBRCEARIsAHyrgUyZcqIvWyldsQ9NBebaKWNWcUGvAG8IzYcySwmTBzms51D7QY3aoN4aAms8EALw_wcB">Fire Cider</a>, an emerging brand, who boasts apple cider vinegar tonic. Fire Cider, which earns its name easily with one sip, helped my family shorten our December head colds. I walked away with a complimentary shot glass and a Fire Cider cocktail recipe. My real treat during my venture was to meet, Meg Barnhart, founder and co-creator of the <a href="https://www.thezenofslowcooking.com/">Zen of Slow Cooking</a>. I had heard about Meg’s story and how she started a food company that employs individuals with learning challenges—adults like her son, Doug. Now, Meg and her business partner, Jane McKay, employ 30+ people and have a full line of great slow cooker spice blends. While the show daily article pointed me to their trends and products, I was happy to find my own list of interesting products. Here is my <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/HJhhIXzqg6MIGngW2">list via photos</a>. I hope you join us at the <a href="https://www.specialtyfood.com/shows-events/summer-fancy-food-show/">Fancy Food Summer Show</a> at the New York Javitz Center in July.

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Supporting West Virginia Communities

OMEGA members play a vital role in West Virginia, supporting communities through substantial tax contributions and a wide-reaching presence across the state. With over 55% of the population living in border counties, our members are dedicated to serving both local and regional needs. Beyond business, we’re proud to give back, having contributed over $3.1 million to children’s charities since 2003, reflecting our commitment to making a positive difference.