Specialty Food Magazine

Spring 2020

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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SPRING 2020 41 Fancy Food Show Booth #5507 Fancy Food Show Booth #5807 Simple Ingredients Great Taste JANIS & MEL ANIE OR G ANI CS BAKED & DISTRIBUTED BY J&M FOODS, INC. 800.264.2278 • www.janis-melanie.com BAKED & DISTRIBUTED BY J&M FOODS, INC. BAKED & DISTRIBUTED BY J&M FOODS, INC. Dare to Eat Diierent. Enjoy the rich velvety texture an layers of flavor in our Creamy Hot Sauce. www. avesgourmet.com CATEGORY EDUCATION Specialty Salts Gain Traction on Restaurant Menus Fine-dining restaurants have long highlighted some specialty salts on their menus, but more fast-casual and quick-service restaurant concepts are following suit, says Mark Zoske, founder and CEO of gourmet salt producer SaltWorks. "Sea salt's clean label aligns with the growing trend for menu transparency and better-for-you ingredients," he says. "As consumers become more food-savvy and foodservice operators adjust their offerings to reflect shifting consumer demand, we will start to see gourmet salt mentioned more frequently as a descriptor on menus, especially fast casual and quick service. It's only a matter of time before America's favorite fast-food chains start offering items like French fries with truffle salt or chocolate chip cookies with flaky sea salt." Data from research firm Datassential shows that the trend may already be beginning to take hold. Casual sports-themed chain Buffalo Wild Wings featured sea salt on its All American Cheeseburger, and Starbucks included sea salt in its Salted Caramel Malted Frappucino. Some other examples of specialty salts appearing on menus in the past year include: • The A.M. Superfoods Bowl from First Watch included a chia seed pudding topped with granola and fruits, served with whole-grain artisan toast topped with almond butter and Maldon sea salt. • The Kitchen Sink Cookie from Panera Bread was a shareable treat made with semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel pieces, pretzels, and finished with flake salt. • Burger chain Red Robin featured red Hawaiian sea salt in its Salted Caramel Milkshake. • Fine-dining chain Village Tavern offered a Fish & Chips dish that included French fries with Mediterranean sea salt. • Vitality Bowls Superfood Cafe used pink Himalayan salt on its Avocado Toast Panini, which also included smashed avocado, fresh lemon, olive oil, and hemp seeds on whole wheat or gluten-free toast. Specialty salts also add color and flavor to cocktails, such as: • Fig & Olive's Escape to Provence, featuring Belvedere vodka, rosemary, honey, sea salt, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, pink peppercorn, and aromatic bitters. • The Top Shelf Black Diamond Margarita from Houlihan's, which is made with Maestro Dobel Diamante tequila and Cointreau and finished with a black salt rim. Datassential's research shows that nearly all varieties of specialty salts have been gaining penetration on restaurant menus. In the past year, only Himalayan salt saw a decrease in menu penetration, although it was up more than 300 percent in the last four years. Top gainers in the past year include pink salt (up 150 percent), flake salt (up 200 percent), and Hawaiian salt (up 50 percent), although each has menu penetration of less than 0.1 percent. Sea salt has the highest penetration of any specialty salt variety at 13.8 percent, which reflects growth of 8 percent in the last year and 42 percent in the last four years.

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