What’s new at the Summer Fancy Food Show?

27-Jun-2019 - Last updated on 28-Jun-2019 at 16:12 GMT

The summer iteration of the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) Fancy Food Show took place in New York City this week. Specialty food and beverage sales make up 16.1% of the total industry, with plant-based products growing the fastest in all categories.

Plant-based meat alternatives are leading in both market share and dollar growth in specialty, followed closely by dairy. The landscape of specialty dairy products still leans heavily toward dairy alternatives, dessert novelty innovations and healthy snack launches.

Creams, creamers, cheese, yogurt, frozen desserts, and plant-based products are the standout products in specialty dairy this year, according to SFA, and DairyReporter rounded up a few of the best dairy products at the show.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams showed off its new dairy-free line at Fancy Food, launched this March. The collection debuted with four flavors: Dark Chocolate Truffle, Cold Brew Coffee, Texas Sheet Cake and Roasted Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam.

This adds to the US brand’s existing portfolio of 28 flavors, including indulgent options like Blackout Chocolate Cake and Boston Cream Pie, and lighter choices like Frose Sorbet and Lemon Buttermilk Frozen Yogurt.

“Though the ingredients list for most dairy-free ice creams on the market today more closely resemble a science project, with ingredients like pea protein, Jeni’s stands in contrast by building its dairy-free flavors with the purest coconut cream,” Jeni’s said.

Australian yogurt alternative brand Coyo expanded its offerings this year with the launch of a drinkable kefir product, in addition to its dairy-free yogurt in cups and tubs. Available in Natural, Vanilla and Mango, the non-dairy kefir promises enhanced gut health from probiotic cultures.

The drink is organic and made from a base of coconut ‘milk’ blended with 14 species of live probiotic kefir cultures, available now in healthy retailers like Whole Foods.

Chameleon Cold Brew debuted a new large-format, retail-ready innovation this spring, blending its signature coffee with whole milk and an oat milk alternative. The 46oz varieties are organic and lightly flavored and sweetened.

The launch includes Oat Milk Original, Oat Milk Dark Chocolate, Whole Milk Pecan and Whole Milk Mexican (cinnamon, almond and vanilla flavors).

Mooala specializes in milk alternative products, and has just expanded with a creamers line. The core beverage collection includes its signature Bananamilk in Original, Chocolate and Strawberry, an Almondmilk in Original and Vanilla Bean and an Oatmilk in Coconut.

All Mooala products are organic, and the creamers have no added sugar and are free from dairy, gluten and lactose. The Vanilla Bean creamer is made from a base of almonds and coconut cream, Oats n’ Creme contains oats, almonds and coconut cream and Banana Nut has banana, almonds and coconut cream.

“Unlike some plant-based creamers, ours won’t break down in your coffee the way other plant-based creamers do. We believe in the Organic difference at a price point that won’t break the bank,” Mooala said.

Ample Hills Creamery has partnered with Marvel for its 80th anniversary in launching three new superhero-inspired flavors. Captain America, Black Panther and Spider-Man ice cream are now available in pints. Ample Hills said it drew from the characters’ origin stories and reflected that in the comic strip pint design.

The Black Panther ice cream has a black raspberry base, reminiscent of T’Challa’s purple heart-shaped herb, also featuring ‘Wakandan chocolate fudge.’ Captain America’s flavor is mirrored after the traditional Brooklyn Blackout Cake dessert like Cap’s home of 1940s Brooklyn, with vanilla malt ice cream and chocolate pudding. Spider Man’s Peter Parker famously loves cherry pie, so his flavor is a sweet cream ice cream with cherry pie filling and crust pieces.

GeeFree produces a line of frozen gluten-free foods in snack-size appetizers. At Fancy Food, the specialty company launched three varieties of Cream Cheese-Filled Bagel Puffs--Everything-On-It, Cinnamon Raisin and Plain. The bite-sized snacks are a blend of GeeFree’s puff pastry dough and bagel dough, filled with plain cream cheese.

GeeFree’s collection already includes Puff Pastries, Cheese Pizza Pockets, Buffalo Style Chicken Pockets, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Pockets, Cheeseburger Bites, Chicken Pot Pie, Spanakopita and Franks in a Blanket.