Emerging food trends sound like a throwback to caveman diets: Fish is the hottest protein, honey is the flavor of the day, and game is an upgrade on the charcuterie board.
That's due to the hundreds of items on display at the Summer Fancy Food Show, a trade show run by the Specialty Food Association that has earned a reputation as the place to find the next blockbuster flavors, foods and beverages that will dominate menus and grocery store shelves. The annual show returned to New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center this week, running from Sunday through Tuesday.
More than 2,400 companies exhibited food and beverages to visitors including restaurateurs, specialty food retailers and trendspotters. Trends that have been spotted at past shows making their way onto mainstream consumer palates include yuzu, mushrooms and sophisticated alcohol alternatives.
In the past, the show has also served as a stepping stone for smaller brands looking to reach a wider audience: Honest Tea, Ben & Jerry's and Tate's Bake Shop were all early participants on their way to becoming well-known consumer brands owned by the industry's largest players.
Here are some highlights from this year's Summer Fancy Food Show.
Owl Creek Organic & Natural Products' honey spread lineup featured at the Summer Fancy Foods Show
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While humans have been eating honey for thousands of years, it's becoming more popular as a flavoring among some food and beverage companies. In preliminary reports for the SFA show, trendspotters highlighted honey and pointed out its health benefits.
Honey took center stage throughout the show in both food and beverage: Green Bee showed off honey sodas, including a Honey Comb Cider flavor, Owl Creek Organics & Natural Flavors showcased honey spreads in flavors ranging from cafe mocha to lemon poppyseed, and Dutch company Klepper & Klepper used honey to flavor its licorice.
Krill Arctic Foods canned krill meat
Amelia Lucas | CNBC
In past years, canned fish was mainly confined to booths in the Spanish and Portuguese pavilions, but this year exhibitors showed off canned fish products throughout the entire exhibition hall.
Last year, TikTok helped fuel a canned fish trend that boosted sales of canned sardines. Now specialty food companies are responding.
This is not the same canned tuna of old. There are many flavors and varieties, a wide variety of seafood, and trendy packaging. Wild Fish Cannery, founded in Alaska in 1987, showed off a new retro design for its sockeye salmon, giving it a premium feel. Krill Arctic Foods showed off canned krill meat, which, although its packaging is not as attractive as the old days, boasts of its high nutritional value.
Acme Smoked Fish's Lox in a Box kit was on display at the company's booth.
Amelia Lucas | CNBC
Exhibitors also showed off new ways to eat fish on the go, seeking to capitalize on consumers' desire for convenience and more protein in their meals, with the association citing “satisfying snacks” as one trend it's watching.
Acme Smoked Fish promoted its new “Locks in a Box” snack kits with cream cheese or avocado, while Asian food supplier Legend of Masters International sampled crab fishcake sticks that can be eaten like string cheese or used in cooking.
An assortment of salami flavors, including Fossil Farms lamb and bison
Amelia Lucas | CNBC
As with canned fish, the popularity of charcuterie boards is heavily driven by social media, allowing users to dazzle their followers with elaborate displays of preserved meats, cheeses and fruits.
Companies at the Summer Fancy Food Show showed off some new options aimed at raising the bar when it comes to charcuterie, especially salami: Tempesta Artisan Salumi offered a black truffle-flavored salami, while Salt & Tween's selection included mezcal and salted lime flavors.
But exhibitors aren't just enjoying the flavors: Some are making their cured meats using ingredients other than pork. Driftless Provisions' salamis include elk, venison and bison in addition to pork, while Fossil Farms' salami lineup also includes lamb and wagyu beef.
Wine Chips' selgurin-flavored chips are meant to be paired with sparkling wine.
Amelia Lucas | CNBC
A cocktail or glass of wine is nothing without the right snack to go with it, so targeting consumers who need help finding the perfect pairing, both Wine Chips and The Drinks Bakery unveiled snacks made to go with specific alcoholic beverages.
Scottish company Drinks Bakery sells “drinking biscuits”: Parmesan, toasted pine nuts and basil biscuits (called crackers in the US) that can be eaten with around 20 types of drinks, from non-alcoholic lagers to whiskey highballs.
Meanwhile, Wine Chips sells thick-sliced ​​chips made specifically for nibbling while sipping wine, like their Selgris flavor, named after a French sea salt, which is made to pair well with sparkling wines like Champagne.
