Here are the Top 10 trends we saw from both food shows:
- Food with a Story. This year saw brand storytelling at peak importance. No longer enough to just focus on ingredients and taste, consumers want to know more about the story of the brand and where the food is coming from.
- Indian (finally) Reaching Mainstream. People have been expecting Indian food to go mainstream for a couple of decades now and it looks like authentic Indian cuisine is finally making its way into the general consumer’s shopping cart. There were new snack flavors unveiled at the show based on chaat, the Indian term for street food.
- Talk of the Town. New applications for familiar ingredients were some of the highlights seen on the show floors including beet salsa and pork panko.
- Classic for a reason. Caramel and coconut continue their reign as two of the top flavors, now being paired with new interesting flavors and applications like caramel marshmallows, hibiscus coconut and cold brew coffee caramels.
- Balls are the new Bars. Energy balls popped up all over the place as a popular alternatives to energy bars. Focusing on protein benefits were the overall focus of these bite-size snacks.
- Gluten-Free for Me. Gluten-free continued to be an important dietary search and this year’s shows saw some interesting options like trail mix crackers and cauliflower-based pretzels.
- More Sour than Sweet. Sour flavors continue to explode in the candy space with a punch of sour flavor added to interesting flavors with a special emphasis on spicy/sour balances.
- It Takes Two. As snacking continues to replace a traditional lunch, consumers are searching for a more complex option. Two-in-one snacks offer a unique snack experience with the ability to eat the two sections separate or mix them together.
- Puff, Puff, Snack. We’re seeing alot more puffed snacks in the salty category with ingredients like chickpeas, edamame and peas. These new extrusion methods are creating a healthier snack that’s still full of flavor.
- Year of the Dragon(fruit). Sweet, fun and vibrantly pink, dragon fruit is having a moment with new nutrient-dense snacks.
Tags: chicago, food shows, national restaurant association, nra show, Sweets & Snacks Expo