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://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/90978
food trends This month we look at ancient einkorn, Greek yogurt products beyond the dairy aisle, matzo beer and more. BY DENISE SHOUKAS Cultivating Greek Yogurt G reek yogurt continues to be a winner in the dairy case. In each of the last three years, sales of Greek yogurt have surged more than 100 percent, while non-Greek yogurt has grown at a single-digit pace, accord- ing to consumer data tracker Nielsen. This massive growth has made room for Greek yogurt products in other categories, like frozen Greek yogurt, Greek yogurt–covered granola bars, Greek yogurt dips and, the newest addition, Ilios Greek Yogurt Butter. Having observed the popularity of yogurt butters in Europe, president Susan Delegan recalls thinking, "Why not have a [product] that offers the health benefits of Greek yogurt in a butter I can feel good about putting on my children's toast in the morning?" Ilios' cultured butter combines rBST- free cream with traditionally strained Greek yogurt, creating a slightly tangy, creamy butter with five live and active cultures and less fat, sodium and cholesterol, plus fewer calories, than traditional butter. Edible Cupcake Wrappers E ating your food wrapper is the future of eco-packaging. Debra Lee, founder of Bake Huggers' edible decorative cup- cake wrappers, wanted a way to minimize the mess and waste involved with plain paper liners. By creating liners made of a special mix of potatoes and vegetable oil and decorating them with edible inks, she's created a line that had Emeril Lagasse on Discovery Channel's "Homemade Millionaire" saying, "Why didn't I think of that?" They're tasty too: "The wrappers are very pleasing to the palate, with a subtle sweetness," Lee says. "Within the first bite, they become one with the baked good." She's added another level of creativity with her new "graffiti" liners, on which consumers can draw with edible colored markers. Ancient Einkorn Makes a Comeback S ometimes the oldest ingredient turns into the newest trend. Einkorn, the first species of wheat grown by people more than 12,000 years ago had been all but forgotten until two years ago when Jovial Foods debuted its einkorn pasta, followed by einkorn ginger-spice cookies and flour. Made with einkorn organically grown in Italy, these "new" grain products, already distributed nationally, are poised for even greater growth as awareness of einkorn's health benefits increases. "There is a grow- ing passion for the health, nutrition and flavor benefits of einkorn," says Bob Donnola, Euro-USA Trading Co.'s vice president of sales. "It's nature's original wheat and the only one never hybridized." Einkorn offers a variety of other benefits, such as high protein content, much like quinoa. The company reports that trials in Austria found that when compared with wheat and spelt, ein- korn showed a higher percentage of essential amino acids important for nerve function, and had three to eight times more carotenoids, which are said to aid in the prevention of cancer and reduce the incidence of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. MORE TRENDS: THE LASTEST IN GREEN PACKAGING, P. 44 14 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com PHOTO: BAKE HUGGERS PHOTO: STOCKFOOD PHOTO: ILIOS GREEK YOGURT BUTTER