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.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/438836
Ingredient labels in the soup category ref lect trends and movements across spe- cialty foods. "We like to relate to grow- ing trends in specialty foods that cross many categories," says Mary Kate Hynoski, sales support manager for Hale & Hearty. "Ethnic and special diets are two, as well as kale, which we believe to have stay- ing power," she says. The vitamin-dense green has been added as a primary ingredi- ent to many of the soup chain's offerings. The company has also upped its selec- tion of reduced-sodium soups, as well as vegan and gluten-free. Rice notes a rapidly growing number of customers is interested in soups that are non-GMO certified or contain at least some GMO-free ingredients, such as products from Cadia and Pacific Foods. Pacific Foods looks to restaurant and other trends when developing new soups, as well as consumer desire for healthful ingredients. "We talk about how to keep the ingredient list simple, and what could be added to put our own special twist on a product to make the taste our own," says brand manager Ben Hummel. Two of the company's newest products that came out of such research are Organic Vegetable Quinoa Soup and Hearty New England Clam Chowder. The latter uses wild-caught clams that are harvested by a Marine Stewardship Council certified supplier and rated as a good buy by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program. Meal Kits and More Customers are showing an interest in mak- ing soup at home, both from scratch and partially from scratch. Millennials, in partic- category spotlight Asian favors, spices, kale, quinoa, and GMO-free are among trends in the soup category. NEW PRODUCT ROUNDUP: SOUPS, STEWS & CHILI Backyard Safari Black Bean Tortilla Chili. This sofi Award–winning company offers a seasoning mix that contains non-GMO and gluten-free masa, organic cilantro, cumin, chipotle, sea salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper. Dr. McDougall's Organic Gluten-Free Butternut Aztec Soup. Organic veggies and hints of cumin and cilantro create a light yet comforting 70-calorie meal. Fischer & Weiser Mom's Limited Edition Tomato Basil Soup. A new twist on a traditional Italian sauce, this soup is a hearty starter or main course. Hints of bacon and fall vegetables add to its character. Frontera Foods Red Fork Game Day Chili Seasoning Sauce. This all-natural gourmet seasoning, with fresh tomato and garlic, comes in a single-use pouch. Frontier Soups West Coast Kale & Quinoa Vegetable Soup Mix. A dense, superfood-charged soup enhanced with farm-direct butternut squash. Nona Lim Celery Root Soup. Made with celery root, leeks, and potatoes, this soup is packed full with nutrients and creaminess without the butter or milk. Pacific Organic Vegetable Quinoa. This soup (pictured) is chock- full of vegetables, including onions, tomatoes, and red bell peppers, and packed with the crowd-pleasing super-grain quinoa. Pereg Gourmet Soup Mix Pouch. This mix, featuring a blend of barley, yellow and greens peas, black turtle beans, Romano beans, Dutch brown beans, and red lentils, is a pantry tool for cooking up recipes at home. Purely American Foods Middle Eastern Lentil Cholent. A traditional Jewish meal for a sweet and savory spiced stew that's salt-free and kosher. 64 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com