CarneMore – This four-product line is the first jerky we are aware of that uses collagen to boost the protein content. Sticks are available in Original Beef, Classic Turkey, Turkey Pepperoni and Chipotle Beef.

Etelka Cottage Cream – Cottage cheese is having a moment. This smoother, European cousin of cottage cheese (known in other parts of the world as quark, turo or twarog) came in plain/unsalted and vanilla bean.

Strip Jerky – The founder claims this is the first line of jerky aimed at women. While the price was high ($11-12 for 2 oz.), the company is hoping the flavors of this gourmet jerky (Original and Hot Honey) will attract a following of females.

Moozy A2A2 Milk – We’ve noted the expansion of A2A2 dairy products at other shows. What sets this product apart is it’s a six-product line of HTST milk in 12-oz. cans with a 50-day refrigerated shelf life. The variants are chocolate, strawberry, coffee, horchata, whole and honey.

Mac Squares – This three-product line of frozen macaroni & cheese in the form of squares (like a brownie) can be heated in the microwave to deliver a very convenient form of comfort food. In aged cheddar, truffle spinach and miso salmon.

Novel Pastas – A chef from the coast of central California – his company is called Santina – creates very high quality, commercial pastas from a blend of semolina, spelt and whole wheat. Another pasta company, Felicia, offered products that included buckwheat (for fiber) and a circular economy pasta using spirulina.

Fun Times Soda Pop – No dyes or caffeine, made with cane sugar in Blue Razz, Chillin’ Cherry, Grrovy Grape, Orange Sicle.

Sangaria Miku-Chu Osaka’s Fruit Blend Drink – This milk & fruit fusion drink has been around Japan for many years; will it catch on here?

One that caused quite a bit of discussion between us: Brain Food Sparkling water, containing B12, zinc, chicory root, vitamin D, rhodiola, CoQ10 + acetyl-L-carnitine with no stevia or erythritol. The claim: “Brainfood is sparkling water that helps you stay sharp, manage stress, and support a balanced, joyful healthy brain.”

A few final thoughts:

Overall, the sensory quality of the products was excellent; lots of thought and care went into the product formulations ... that is why the show is called the Fancy Food Show.

The show has a “chefy” ethos. While it has evolved from small tabletops and mom/pop vendors to the professional image it has today, the roots are apparent and are different from other food shows we attend.

For the most part, the companies used sugar, honey or fruit juice to sweeten their products. When asked why they avoided stevia and monk fruit, a couple of exhibitors responded that these “natural” sweeteners would not give them the product quality they wanted. While it may come at a cost and calories, clean flavor perception was of utmost importance to most of these exhibitors.

Across the show we witnessed an emergence of food and beverages with Indian flavor profiles, including vendors from India.

Both former product developers, Jacqueline Beckley is founder and owner of The Understanding & Insight Group LLC (www.uandicollaboration.com), a strategy and business development company; Leslie Herzog is vice president of operations & research services for The Understanding & Insight Group and a longtime member of Food Processing’s Editorial Advisory Board.