Trend, Tradeshow Recaps, Industry Insights and more!
By Michelle Lindsholm, vice president of business development and Morgan Anderson, sales manager – The Barcode Group
The global specialty foods market is expected to reach more than $420 billion by 2028. This is driven, in large part, by consumers cooking more at home, willingness to experiment with new ingredients and the wider availability of foods through ecommerce.
We had those monumental figures on our minds when our team from The Barcode Group explored the Summer Fancy Foods Show at the glistening Javits Center in New York City. The team was ready to taste the trends in specialty foods offered by more than 2,000 vendors at the event.
Want to know what you’ll be seeing on store shelves and online through the end of 2024 and early 2025?
When many people think of freeze-dried food they think of camping rations, but not anymore! Freeze dried treats like candy, cheesecake and ice cream are making waves for being tasty as well as very portable. How else would you carry ice cream in your purse?
Nothing says luxury quite like expensive fungus and the truffle reigns supreme. Woodsy, earthy truffles are popping up everywhere in the form of chips, artisan cheese, butter, hot sauce, mac and cheese and even truffle ice cream.
All the rage in the 1990s, boba tea (also known as bubble tea) features large, edible tapioca pearls and is making a big boba comeback. Brands are getting creative with this classic, fun Taiwanese beverage and you’ll be able to find them in just about every imaginable flavor.
Prebiotics, probiotics, adaptogens – if it can potentially benefit your health and wellness, you’ll be able to find it in every food and beverage form. From collagen jelly sticks to prebiotic pasta, consumers are responding to brands’ calls that food can do more for them.
From tinned tuna to preserved pollock, canned fish is popular in Europe, but is breaking through in the U.S. as well. Thanks to gourmet brands highlighting the versatility of tinned fish, U.S. consumers are snapping up smoked salmon, anchovies, oysters, mackerel and more in record numbers. Fish is the new twist on the high protein craze.
Olives and pickled vegetables are not only pantry-stable, they are gastronomic delights. Portable snacking pouches of pickled veggies and gourmet-flavored olives are as at home at charcuterie picnics and brunches as they are in school lunches.
Despite the increase in cooking at home, or maybe because of it, the demand for distinctive, high-end, easy-to-prepare meal kits is increasing. Everyone from singles working overtime to parents juggling growing (hungry) families is looking for a little extra help in the kitchen in a way that still nods to homemade. Meal kits deliver.
From aioli to za’atar, the Summer Fancy Foods show truly spanned the globe in bold, colorful packaging. And you’ll see that reflected in stores and online in the months to come.
Have a food or beverage brand you’d like to see in stores? The Barcode Group helps brands and manufacturers build and maintain successful relationships with large retailers. Discover what we can do for you, contact us today info@thebarcodegroup.com
We’re constantly gaining industry knowledge: from tips and tricks to back end data, we got crazy amounts of knowledge ready to share with you.
Get access
