Foodie? Here's what'll be in your supermarket

Phil Lempert TODAY Food Editor • Profile • E-mail

The 51st Summer Fancy Food Show, which started this past Sunday in New York City, is the place to spot eating trends before they happen.

The industry-only event displays 100,000 specialty food and beverage products to some 25,000 supermarket and gourmet food retailers – the ones making the decisions what will be on store shelves all over the world.

So what did we find at the giant Jacob Javits Convention Center? First, the trends:

Trend #1: Indulgence meets health
Many products are being reformulated — a “nutritional correction” if you will — to reduce fat, remove trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup in order to create a better nutritional profile. Many products are also touting their antioxidant content to jump on the latest research findings which show that foods that are rich in antioxidants can help prevent some cancers, heart disease and also slow the aging of our skin.

Trend #2: Back to nature
We counted over 250 new products that tout their organic, toxin-free or hormone-free heritage. In addition to delivering products that generally taste better, these brands tend to be better for the environment and better for our bodies.

Trend #3: Convenience comes to gourmet
No one seems to have time to cook any more, but with the global influences in cuisine and the rise of celebrity chefs, we all want to cook like Julia Child – but do it in under 20 minutes. Delicate flavors meet modern technology as the packaging and manufacturing processes introduce new products that cook up easily and in a matter of minutes while using fewer preservatives or artificial ingredients.

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And now to some of the specific products. These items are due to be among those seen on our “Today Taste Test,” where Katie, Matt, Ann, Al and Alexis give us there thumbs up (or down):

APPETIZERS/SNACKS

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar Cheese
Made one vat at a time from milk from one breed of cows (surprise #1 – it is purely Holstein milk!), the result is a very good, Old World-style cheddar. A special blend of cheese cultures gives an unpasteurized taste to this (surprise #2!) pasteurized, fresh milk cheddar. The downside? It’s expensive ($20 a pound).
www.cabotcheese.coop

T-Bars
The all natural T-Bar nutrition bar is a delicious whole-food Green Tea Bar that has been cold-processed, promoting optimum enzyme activity. Consisting of 100 percent raw, whole food ingredients, these vegan-friendly bars contain antioxidants from EGCG-rich Green tea leaves and brewer’s yeast which is comes from Japan's Sapporo beer distillery (don’t worry, it contains no alcohol). It’s rich with protein, natural cellulose, vitamin B, zinc, selenium, chromium and a total of 14 minerals and 9 essential amino acids. Price: $2.50 a bar.
www.tzu-the.com

Late July Organic Sandwich Crackers
The peanut butter for the peanut butter version of these crackers is made by roasting and grinding organically-grown Valencia peanuts. Then they spread it on their Organic Classic Rich Crackers, which are made with organic red winter wheat, and have a buttery, toasted flavor. Their Organic Cheddar Sandwich Crackers are made with aged organic cheddar cheese. The result is organic, trans fat-free and home-style. Price is $3.79 for a 6-ounce box.
www.latejulysnacks.com

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