Specialty Food Magazine

Specialty Food Association members: Discuss this topic in the Community Hub on specialtyfood.com A s we enter year three of the pandemic, we continue to see its impact on food choices. Food trends are veering toward comfort in 2022 with pastas, snacks, and chocolate all on the list—but with the flavor and ingredient innovation that appeals to consumers following specific diets or wanting updated spins on the traditional (think plant-based nuggets and purple-carrot pasta). Global flavors are prominent on the trend list too, at some level providing a substitute for people who have avoided or curtailed travel since March 2020 but still seek new taste experiences. But not to lose sight of COVID's reality, some of the year's trends are grounded in health concerns. Consumers are taking immune system health seriously and foods with benefits, especially antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, are attracting their attention. Before I give away all the trends here, head to page 16 to read for yourselves the Top Food Trends of 2022, as identified by the Specialty Food Association's Trendspotter Panel, a group of retailers, chefs, foodservice buyers, educators, and industry watchers who tirelessly comb SFA events. They will be in action at the upcoming Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas too, to see which trends are holding up and which new ones are emerging. Speaking of the Winter Show, we at SFA are energized for a return to live events and this year's new venue in Vegas, a food destination in its own right. As contributor Esther Crain writes in Store Tour: Bright Light City, on p. 22, "Once a city famous for its all-you-can-eat hotel buffets and stuffy celebrity chef steakhouses, Las Vegas has transformed itself into a true food town for adventurous eaters of all budgets and appetites." Read profiles of a foodservice wholesale purveyor turned specialty shop, a destination food hall, and a traditional delicatessen from a familiar specialty food pioneer, plus snippets on other markets offering specialty and global fare worth checking out during your visit. Exploring a new food city is enticing but we're all most excited for the opportunity to bring people together at the Show. The people behind the products and their stories and recipes and values are the lifeblood of the specialty food industry, and SFA is exploring new ways to tell those stories and connect buyers and suppliers, through our live events and beyond. Here are two new developments: • A new and improved Product Marketplace that allows SFA members to showcase products, tell their brand story, field meeting inquiries, and sell directly to qualified buyers via our Infinite Aisle program. • A new podcast launched with Heritage Radio Network, an established podcast network in the food space. Spill & Dish: A Specialty Food Association Podcast, hosted by our content and education team, tells the stories of SFA members, the entrepreneurs, makers, and buyers behind the market's foods and beverages. Listeners can discover the inspiration, recipe, craft, culture, ingredients, and production methods that make specialty food special and get a deeper understanding of the people and motivation behind the products. You can listen to the first few episodes here and follow it wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be recording upcoming episodes from the Winter Show as well. WINTER 2022 1 editor's letter Denise Purcell Editor, SFA Specialty Food dpurcell@specialtyfood.com PODCAST, PRODUCT MARKETPLACE, PURPLE CARROT PASTA— AND THE WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW

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