NEW YORK—One of the world’s top cities for foodies is showing the way again; 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show displays the latest food trends.
The show is North America’s biggest event for food innovation. Ron Tanner, Vice President of Specialty Food Association said one big movement this year is plant-based alternatives. He said that people are looking for alternative sources of protein, such as protein from plants rather than animals.
This plant-based burger made by June Vegan Pure Pleasure from France tastes just like meat.
“Because people nowadays don’t want to eat too much meat,” Patrick Bernard, June’s export manager, said. “We have other options for everyday consumption that could be plant-based products replacing meats.”
The chicken is made of wheat and the beef is made of soy. Beetroot is added for natural coloring to imitate how well the meat has been cooked.
Besides the plant-based alternatives, Tanner said that Asian flavors are also become more popular, especially in the United States.
One example is seaweed, which could be a healthy alternative for snacking. “[It] was originally an ethnic product, now it’s become much more multi-cultur[al],” said Albert Hong from Kimnori U.S.A. “So there’s a lot of trace minerals and minerals within the seaweed itself, it’s a very, very low-calorie snack.”
And for pâté lovers who are a little more health-conscious, there is a vegetable pâté made from carrot, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower.
“A great summer item, we call it our white wine pate. It’s perfect with white wine or a little champagne,” said Alexandra Tierney, Vice President of Alexian, a family business that has been operating for 37 years.
Tanner said that this year’s Summer Fancy Food show displayed about 180,000 products from around 2,600 exhibitors, where one can taste anything from the imagination and all around the world.
