The experts on the Specialty Food Association (SFA) Trendspotter Panel scouted the sold-out 68th Summer Fancy Food Show for products, and flavors, and innovations that speak to where the specialty food industry — and by extension, food consumers as a whole— is headed.
In their report, the Panel identified Bespoke Baking, Original, Daring, Different (ODD), Lavender, Fast & Fancy, Warmth & Comfort, Upscaling At Home, and West Asian and North African Flavors as the top emerging trends.
These notable commonalities, outlined in detail below, were spotted among the more than 2,400 domestic and international companies that exhibited at the Show, which took place June 23-25 at the Javits Center in New York City.
Leana Salama, SVP of marketing and communications at SFA, said:
Trends from the Summer Fancy Food Show, which covers not just one or two categories but the entire specialty food landscape, are uniquely powerful at telling the story of changing consumer tastes, needs, and values.
Trends that start in specialty hit menus and mainstream retail shelves in the blink of an eye. So the Trendspotters' observations from this year's Show offer a snapshot into the future of not just specialty but all food and beverage.
Top Trends from the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show
Bespoke Baking
Versatile baking mixes and batters that invite customization and creativity were on display at the Show. "It's about starting with a really great product and helping the consumer understand what to do with it by saying 'hey, you can just have this as is or you can really kind of chose your own adventure with it,'" said Trendspotter Melanie Bartelme, associate director of Mintel Food & Drink." Examples:
• Dosa Kitchen Stone-Ground Dosa Batter
• Flour and Olive Olive Oil Cake Mixes – Almond, Chocolate, Ginger & Vanilla
• Kittylamb Creamy Lemon Bar Organic Baking Mix and Fudgy Brownie Organic Baking Mix
• Lakanto Pancake & Waffle Mix
• Butter Cake Shoppe Pink Cookie Original Mix – Gluten Free, Chocolate Chip, Original Mix
Original, Daring, Different (ODD
"A significant emerging theme was the embrace of the 'odd' — a celebration of the original, daring, and different," said Trendspotters Mikel Cirkus and Hannah Rogers of dsm-firmenich. "Exhibitors showcased products that pushed the boundaries of traditional food and beverage norms, challenging consumers to step outside of a culinary comfort zone and drop their biases towards the unusual." Examples:
• Success Import Bread in the form of a banana, with a banana-flavored filling
• Country Fresh Food & Confections Inc. Dill Pickle Fudge
• CUPFFEE Edible Coffee Cups
• Dixie Grace Boiled Peanut Hummus
• The Foodie Family Food Crayons
• MushGarden White Chocolate Covered Mushrooms
• Pastazerts Chocolate Ravioli
• Pump Street Bakers & Chocolate Makers – Croissant
• Tamalitoz by Sugarox Fruity Popcorn and Chili Pops
• K-Wook Best-Ever Seaweed Snacks – Chocolate
Lavender
"Lavender signaled for the first time as a stand-out flavor at the Fancy Food Show. Weaving its way through a diverse array of products, this fragrant herb, traditionally associated with relaxation and calm, was featured in everything from beverages and confections to savory dishes and snacks," said Trendspotters Cirkus and Rogers.
• Bluestem Botanicals Lavender Simple Syrup
• Dripdash Lavender Maple and Oat Milk Latte
• Lunae Sparkling Lavender Water
• Savannah Bee Lavender Raw Honey
Fast & Fancy
Convenience has emerged as a winning attribute for specialty products in recent years, as noted in SFA's Today's Specialty Food Consumer 2023-2024 Report. Innovative food and beverage makers are responding with ready-to-eat and easy-to-prepare options that sacrifice nothing on flavor and quality. Of Myojo USA's frozen Yuzu Shio Raman, Trendspotter Kara Nielsen said: "first, this is a high quality, authentic Japanese ramen conveniently found in the freezer; second, the yuzu oil adds an unexpected bright flavor to a hearty dish." Examples:
• Arya International Roti
• Belberry Green Cucumber Vinegar
• Brooklyn Delhi Sweet Potato Dal
• Jane Foodie Flash-Frozen Soups and Stews • Madid's Eggplant Spread
• Mercado Famous Cured Meats
• Miracle Noodle ready-to-eat Egg White Vermicelli Noodle
• Myojo USA Yuzu Shio Raman
• Wellinus Collagen Jelly Sticks
Warmth & Comfort
"A prominent theme was the continuing validation that we all just need a food hug. This was characterized by the prevalence of products featuring warm, familiar flavors often associated with nostalgia and home-spun meals," said Trendspotters Cirkus and Rogers. "Exhibitors presented a variety of items with globally familiar warm brown notes such as molasses, cacao, chai, maple, mushroom, hazelnut, and tahini." Examples:
• Anjali's Cup Saffron Chai and Turmeric Elixirs
• Bear Maple Sparkling Ginseng Elixir
• Blake Hill Preserves Chipotle & Maple Spicy Chili Jam
• Hebel & Co Pistachio Nigella Organic Sesame Tahini Halva
• Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop Molasses Spice Cookies
• McConnell's Coffee with Molasses Chip Ice Cream
• Nana's Special Sauce Maple Syrup with Butter & Marshmallow
• Sugimoto Shiitake Mushroom Powder
Upscaling At Home
"More people are eating at home and working from home," said Trendspotter Kat Craddock, CEO, editor-in-chief, and owner of Saveur. "We don't have to live out our food consumption in a lunch hour. It opens up a whole new way to sustain yourself." Indeed, the findings of SFA's State of the Specialty Food Industry 2024-2025 Report show that two of the three main specialty category growth drivers are cooking at home and indulgence.
• Barcoop Bevy Bloody Mary with Smoked Sea Salt and Chiles
• Drench Mediterranean Lemon Dressing & Marinade
• Five Star Montauk Mezcal Habanero Glazing Butter
• Milène Jardine Chocolatier Sicilian Salted Lemon Chocolate Bar
• Manfredi Barbera & Figli S.p.A. Lorenzo N°1 Olive Oil
• Pi00a Frozen Pizzas
• Runamok Whistle Pig Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
• Spring Primavera Ltd. Purple Tea
West Asian and North African Flavor
"Exhibitors showcased cultural food preparations, highlighting ingredients and dishes that have been staples in [West Asia and North Africa] for centuries, but less widely known elsewhere," said Trendspotters Cirkus and Rogers. "While dates are nothing new, a growing presence from regions where dates originate was noticeably new, and illustrated an ownership over the heritage of the date and the many ways in which this ingredient has been culturally interpreted." Other traditional ingredients and dishes included sesame, sumac, buchu, African olive leaf, dolmas, pistachio, baklava, doner kebab, shawarma, and mulukhiyah.
• Blake Hill Preserves Date & Cumin Chutney
• Fresh Fizz Sodas Date Cola
• Fusion Epicure On a Date Tahini & Coffee Chocolates
• Galaxy Foods Fluffy Pistachio Pancake Sandwich
• Pesetas Mitica Chocolate Date Almond Discs
• Al Nassma Samha Camel Milk Chocolate-Covered Dates
CONTINUING TO TREND
Crispy Snacks with a Twist
Salty snacks bested all other specialty categories for the second consecutive year, show the findings of SFA's State of the Specialty Food Industry 2024-2025 Report. Summer Show exhibitors keyed into the trend with innovative takes on crunchy classics. "The flavor and texture of [Pom Pom Nori Crunch] popcorn is next level," said Trendspotter Jeanette Donnarumma, Emmy award-winning producer, content creator, and recipe developer. "This is the best popcorn I've ever had."
• Capta!n Danny Pop Pop Rice Sour Cream & Onion
• Caulipuffs Puffed Snacks
• Diggables Snacks Buckwheat Puffs
• Doosra Indian Snack Mix
• HBAF NY Cheeseburger Flavored Popcorn
• Field Trip Cinnamon Churro Fried Pork Rinds
• Like Air Puffcorn – Pancake
• Pom Pom Nori Crunch Popcorn
• Top Seedz 6-Seed Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Crackers
• WILDE Protein Chips Nashville Hot
Heightened Heat
Rich, global flavors shined in specialty makers' innovative offerings on the Summer Show floor. This trend is about more than spice level. "With some of the oil-based chili condiments like salsa macha, it's more about the flavor of the peppers than the amount of heat," Craddock said.
• Auria's Malaysian Kitchen Sambal
• Chingonas Salsa Macha
• Clark + Hopkins District Hot Sauce
• Cuatro Mamas Chili Crisps
• Hot N Saucy Collards N Ghost Hot Sauce, Dive Bar Hot Sauce
• Kameya Wasabi Salt
• Mama Lam's Malaysian Curry Paste
• Maungo Craft Roasted Chili, Garlic & Marula Hot Sauce
• My Fabulous Food Hot Honey
• Pink Salt Nam Prik Pao
• Savor St. Croix Pound Seasoning Hot Pepper Sauce
• The Spotted Trotter Spicy Chupacabra Salami and Spanish Salchichon Salami
Fruit Forward
Fruits cropped up in some unexpected places at the Show, as exhibitors showcased how these natural products and and flavors can be enjoyed as a snack, given as a gift, or used as a specialty ingredient. "I'm obsessed with colorful fruit and vegetables," said Bartelme, "and [Natural Blonde Golden] Bloody Mary mix with golden tomatoes pops. It's also tasty and bright, so it's something familiar and safe, but with a twist."
• Divina Greek Apricot Spread
• Iam Super Juice Soursop Juice
• Kim'C Market Strawberry Gochujang
• Lifeway Foods Kefir - Guava
• Natural Blonde Golden Bloody Mary Mix
• Ponti Balsamic Vinegar Cherry Condiment
• Recoup Organic Prebiotic Sparkling Beverages – Watermelon Blood Orange + Ginger, Pineapple Passionfruit + Ginger, and Lemon Lime + Ginger
• Sun Tropics Solar Dried Saba Banana
• We Just Love Frozen Durian
Plants Aplenty
Innovation is the name of the game in the plant-based space, and the Summer Show was awash in interesting plant-based proteins responding to consumer wants and needs. Among the standouts were nitro-infused Twrl Plant-Based Canned Milk Teas in Ube and Hojicha Roasted Green Milk varieties. "This is a complete plant-based beverage versus just a plant-based milk," said Trendspotter Jenn de la Vega. "The nitro really makes it smooth and all of the flavors are so cool, and hail from countries including the Philippines, Japan, and Taiwan."
• Prime Roots Black Truffle Koji Pate and Koji Foie Gras
• Stockeld Dreamery Inc. Cultured Cheddar Style Slices
• Strive Nutrition Corp.Turtle Tree Animal-Free Dairy Milk
• Twrl Milk Tea Plant-Based Canned Teas with Nitro
Also on the radar...
Gateway Gastronomy
Approachable specialties that act as a gateway for less adventurous eaters are also top of mind with specialty food makers. "In the Bulgarian Pavilion there was a hot sauce designed for kids that was pretty mild and there were other palate openers for different products," said Trendspotter Bartelme. "Even in cheeses there was a milder blue cheese and a mild gouda. These might be for people who don't really know what to expect or who may be intimidated by blue cheese."
The 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show Trendspotter Panel included:
Melanie Bartelme, associate director, Mintel Food & Drink; Mikel Cirkus & Hannah Rogers, dsm-firmenich, Taste, Foresight & Trenz; Kat Craddock, editor in chief, SAVEUR; Jenn de la Vega, chef, stylist, cookbook author, trends expert, Randwiches; Jeanette Donnarumma, Emmy award winning producer, content creator and recipe developer and charcuterie maker; Dr. Beth Forrest, The Culinary Institute of America; Jeanne Houchins RD, global communications executive, WSET; Thomas Joseph, executive vice president, Culinary, Marquee Brands/Martha Stewart, Sur La Table; Chala June, freelance culture & lifestyle writer; Sarah Lohman, culinary historian, author, and public speaker; Klancy Miller, freelance, For the Culture; Kara Nielsen, Trendologist; Chef Clara Park, claraparkcooks.com, chef, teacher, consultant and writer; Stan Sagner, Founder, We Work for Food – CPG and Hospitality Consultancy; Cathy Strange, Ambassador of Food Culture, Whole Foods.