Specialty Food
Association members:
Check out SFA's monthly
Trend Reports, an exclusive
member benefit, by visiting
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T
he new year has us all pondering what food
and market trends are ahead for the specialty
food industry.
We've devoted much of this issue of Specialty
Food—and programming at January's Winter Fancy
Food Show in Las Vegas—to addressing that topic.
You can start with an overview of the Top Trends
for 2024 on page 10, selected by SFA's Trendspotter
Panel, a group of retail and foodservice buyers, chefs,
food writers and educators, and market watchers.
Maximizing pleasure while minimizing stress is
the common denominator to the emerging and
continuing food, ingredient, and flavor trends we'll
see on shelves and on menus in the coming year.
Findings from SFA's recently released annual
research, Today's Specialty Food Consumer,
support the Trendspotters' predictions about low-
stress indulgence. In the highlights beginning
on p. 27, chocolate, snacks, baked goods, and
meal solutions top the list of the most purchased
categories. And a look into the trends, habits, and
motivations driving consumer selections shows
that eating occasions for specialty foods have
spread beyond defined mealtimes, driven by a
demand for convenience and speed of meal prep.
Those are only two insights from this year's
research. For a deeper understanding, more will
be covered at an in-person session at the Winter
Fancy Food Show, where you are more than likely
picking up this issue of Specialty Food. Not only
is the Show a source of on-trend, innovative, and
new-to-market products you'll discover among the
aisles of exhibitors, but we've also designed a full
lineup of trend-focused sessions throughout the
three days to help prepare you for the coming year.
Download the Show app for session details,
dates, and times for the full roster, some of
which includes Understanding Trends in Retail,
Foodservice and Beyond; How Influencers Shape
Culinary Trends; flavor trends in cheese; trends in
product development; pop up talks on trends in top
categories like snacks and beverages; and a session
previewing more recently-released research from
SFA on the Real Value of Specialty Foods, which
demonstrates the profitability of specialty foods for
retailers' bottom line.
The Trendspotter Panel will also be working
to determine what products on display fit current
trends and what new trends are emerging,
which they will reveal in a session on Tuesday,
January 23 on the Big Idea Stage. And whether you
are attending in person or not, be sure to follow
our daily Show reporting on news, trends, and
products by reading SFA News Daily, our daily
enewsletter.
Enjoy this issue and the Winter Show.
We hope the products, sessions, and discoveries set
you up for success throughout the year!
WINTER 2024 1
editor's letter
Denise Purcell
Editor, SFA Specialty Food
dpurcell@specialtyfood.com
WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2024?
