New Specialty Food Trend: Grown Up Baby Food!

Specialty food sales continue to climb as more shoppers seek elevated experiences in everyday occasions. Hundreds of thousands of specialty food and beverage products were on display from more than 2,400 exhibiting companies at the Summer Fancy Food Show, held  last month in New York.

The specialty food market grew 9.8% between 2016 and 2018 to $148.7 billion, according to a new report from the Specialty Food Association and Mintel International. At retail, specialty food sales outpaced the growth of all food, up 10.3% compared with 3.1% during the two-year period.  Nearly three in four consumers purchase specialty food products, which may be defined as premium, produced in small batches or featuring authentic recipes and high-quality ingredients.

Product innovation and broader availability of specialty foods are propelling the industry, said Phil Kafarakis, president of the Specialty Food Association. “Diverse consumer lifestyles are taking specialty foods mainstream,” Mr. Kafarakis said. “To reach these consumers and increase their own sales, food merchants have embraced the vast assortment of specialty products.”
A far cry from bland and boring, new food products developed for babies and toddlers promote elevated flavor profiles at this Summer’s Fancy Food Showcase in New York.

“We link it to the fact that the whole millennial generation is getting older and starting families, and this seems to be the next category they’re reinventing with new and interesting flavors,” said Denise Purcell from the Specialty Food Association.

Little Pickins, Boston, offers finger foods made with vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and proteins. Varieties include chicken with goat cheese, turkey with Thai vegetables, and maple tofu, kale and edamame. The product assortment from Lil’Gourmets, Chicago, includes refrigerated organic blends of vegetables, beans, herbs and spices. Flavors include ginger beet, sweet potato curry and Moroccan squash. Garlic, tarragon and fennel are among the ingredients found in the organic baby food pouches offered by Kekoa Foods in New Jersey. Varieties include apple and ginger, vegetable curry, carrots and burdock root, and vegetable stew.

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Photo Credit: Iakov Filimonov / Shutterstock.com