Once again, foodies made their way to the Moscone Center in San Francisco to see and taste the latest in greatest in food at the 41st Winter Fancy Food Show. The show featured over 1,500 different exhibitors from around the world and 80,000 different products, all within 215,000 square feet.
These are big numbers, but until you actually step foot in the South Hall and realize you only have seven hours to get through it all, knowing there’s another hall you need to visit, you quickly realize just how intense those numbers really are. This was my first visit to the Winter Fancy Food Show, and let me tell you, it made going to Disneyland on New Year’s Eve look like an off-season day. Just when I thought I was getting down an aisle and in to some clear space, hoards of people with clipboards and determination plastered on their faces would march their way around me going to the next booth on their list.
Despite being utterly overwhelmed from the moment I got my badge scanned, it was one of the most exciting events I have been to in quite some time. A single day is most definitely not enough for one person to spend at the show, but that one day was eye-opening and exciting nonetheless. I managed to successfully maneuver my way through the entire South hall, plus make it to the most important section of the entire show – the cheese. Here are some of the takeaways and trends I saw:
- On-the-Go healthy snacking
There was such a huge presence of this at the show that it was almost impossible to miss. From healthy snack boxes with crackers and hummus to pack-and-go peanut butter and fruits, to healthier style popcorn and candies – it was all about grab it and go and don’t feel guilty about eating it later. As someone who spends more time eating meals at work and in the car than anything else, I can certainly appreciate this, but it was fascinating to see just how much of it there really was. One of my favorites was the Wild Garden squeezable hummus – only 67 calories and a shelf life of two years, without refrigerating it. As a hummus fiend, I was pleased to make this discovery.
2. All the jerky
I’ve never seen so many different variations of jerky in my entire life. Beef jerky, pork jerky, chicken jerky, wagyu beef jerky, organic and gluten free jerky, not to mention all the different flavors these meat jerkies had. Due to the previously mentioned trend, I can see a lot of people are concerned with a lack of protein in their daily diets due to always eating on the go, and something easy like jerky seems to be the answer. It’s also big with the Paleo and other fad diets. Of course, it doesn’t help if you eat your weight in jerky samples, but who’s counting. I have to give kudos to Vermont Smoke & Cure for their super clever social media integration and friendly and welcoming booth members.
- Low ingredient count
When I had people tell me about their product, most of them boasted about how there are only a handful of ingredients in their product, and that they are all natural, no preservatives, etc. (see #5 for more on that). This was shown a lot in the different variations of sauces, especially the vast array of different peanut butters and jams, granolas and oatmeals that I saw. They would proudly show me the side of the box that only had a handful of ingredients. I must admit, I felt better snacking on it knowing I could correctly pronounce, and count on one hand, the number of ingredients, and it made me wonder what other ingredients I was eating in my other foods that I didn’t know about… Some of the standouts to me were the incredible muffins from Simple Mills and the chocolate from Heavenly Organics.
- BBQ Sauce
Again, same with jerky, how many different variations of BBQ sauces can you possibly have?! I have never tried so many different kinds in my life, and after a while, they all taste the same to me. There was a giant push for organic and gluten free BBQ sauce (see below). One of my favorites was from We Rub You – not only was it tasty, but the sisters’ story and the company mission was one that will stick with me for a while.
- Organic and gluten free everything
And when I say everything, I quite literally mean everything. I’m not sure if I talked to anyone that wasn’t offering some sort of gluten free and organic snack, or a variation of the two. I think what stood out to me the most was the fact that it wasn’t just organic or just gluten free, but it was both, and it was very important to those that were talking about their product that it be both. I personally didn’t taste the difference, but my wallet will sure feel the difference if I go to Whole Foods to buy all these products! Nonetheless, it was very interesting to me how vital these two certifications were and the roles they played in these foods.
There were two companies in particular that stood out to me because they were doing something different and unique at the show.
This young lady from Chirps Chips dressed up as a bug to promote, well, eating bugs. I ate a chip and couldn’t even tell I was eating anything bug related. The suit was clever and, even though their booth was in the very back, her character brought the booth a lot of attention.
I also ran in to MANCAN Wine – wine in a can. Everything about their product, their staff, and their booth was so clever, not to mention the wine was spectacular and I never would’ve known I was drinking wine from a can. Keep an eye out for these guys because they’re going places.
It’ll probably take me an entire year to burn off the calories I consumed from all the incredible samples, but I am already counting down to next year’s Winter Fancy Food Show! See you in 2017.
