Digestive Wellness and Gut-Friendly Foods
Gut health was a mega trend at FNCE, as evidenced by the Healthy Gut Pavilion at the expo. The exhibitors showcased an array of products — from probiotics in many forms (including beyond dairy), gluten-free items and foods low in FODMAPs, an acronym for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols — short-chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that may be poorly absorbed and trigger IBS and other digestive discomforts for some people. Low-FODMAP foods have been trending for a while, but expect this category to get even bigger. Some of the brands included Fody, Fodmapped, Rachel Paul’s Foods, and Lo-Fo Pantry, the first line of low-FODMAP flours and baking mixes. Even Prego has released a low-FODMAP pasta sauce. Because this trend is getting so big, there are now programs that will certify low-FODMAP foods. Two of these programs were at the expo: Monash University and the FODMAP Friendly certification program.
Probiotics were popping up in a lot of foods — going beyond yogurt in products like Good Belly’s plant-based beverages and shots with live active cultures. Kellogg’s debuted an interesting new whole-grain cereal called Hi! Happy Inside that contains prebiotics, probiotics, and fiber — which they described as the “power of 3 in 1” to support digestive wellness.
Not only were gut-friendly foods popular on the exhibit floor, one startup company called Day Two promoted a test that registered dietitians can use to evaluate a client’s gut microbiome for personalized nutrition counseling.
Instagram Trends Crash Freezer Case
I loved how Vegolutionary Foods jumped on two big Instagram food trends to make them conveniently available in your freezer. Their CAULIPOWER cauliflower pizzas and pizza crusts have been out for a while — I especially liked the uncured turkey pepperoni pizza. Their latest product is Sweet PotaTOASTS, frozen slices of roasted sweet potatoes that you just pop in the oven or toaster and top with nut butter, avocado, Nutella and more. Maybe you’ve seen how #sweetpotatotoast has taken over Instagram — with more than 21,000 posts and counting. How clever to make this picture-perfect trend available as a convenience item (only one ingredient: roasted sweet potato). This company is another example of a founder-led brand. It was created by Gail Becker, who said CAULIPOWER was born out of a Pinterest fail. She wanted to find a nutritious gluten-free pizza crust that actually tasted good for her two boys with celiac.
