Spiceful - a WSJ trending snack!
12 Trending Snacks From the Food World’s Answer to Fashion Week
IMAGINE Epcot Center crossed with Costco on the best sample day ever. For three days this June, that was the scene at the Jacob Javits Center in New York during the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Food Show. About 29,000 retailers, distributors and other food-industry insiders noshed their way through the newest and best comestibles displayed by more than 2,400 exhibitors. The show’s 29 international pavilions featured fare from 56 countries. Reps staffed booths and wandered the show floor dressed as popcorn, cows and stalks of broccoli.
The Fancy Food Show is where food trends come to market, and the market is a massive one. Specialty foods—a $207 billion slice of the food industry—include gourmet-grade olive oils and pastas, above-par chocolates and sweets, artisanal cheeses and charcuterie, and sundry snacks from around the world.
At a trend-spotters’ panel, Kat Craddock, editor in chief of Saveur magazine, noted that many producers these days are catering to the large cohort now working from home. “Being able to graze and pop in and out of the fridge and take breaks when you need them is a different way to sate yourself,” Craddock said. In other words, 2024 is on track to be the year of the snack. Here, a dozen of our favorite sweet and savory bites from the show.