Sparkling with fantastic and beautifully displayed innovation, SIAL is never disappointing. It is also the place to observe the birth of new trends and the acceleration of others.
The move to vegan apparently grew by 400% between 2011 and 2016 and this year is no exception, according to Rudolf Wild, the ingredients specialist. Following their ‘feeding your food business’ tag I learned about the increasing demand for 50/50 fruit and vegetable drinks such as banana, cucumber, spinach and mint.
Geography also affects demand: people that live in Africa like food and drink with a different taste profile – namely foods that are sweeter with stronger, more intense flavours.
Yogurt is also enjoying a resurgence with an ancient grain uplift, and ingredients such as apple, chia, kiwi, linseed and hazelnut.
Baby food is seeing a makeover with fabulous packaging and natural formulation – take Comme Des Papas in glass pots made using seasonal fruit and vegetables.
In beverages there are numerous cold-pressed juice drinks – such as glass-packed and brightly shrink-sleeved Blissimo from Brazil.
And in hot teas, Chalo has captured the mood of the moment with chai latte – its ‘hug in a mug’ – with masala, lemongrass and cardamom variants.
There were specialist spicy inclusions for the gin sector from Pipa Botanicals, and that’s touching on most of the beverage halls. Right now I’m looking forward to browsing the dairy and gourmet grocery halls tomorrow.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024