This year’s Food & Drink Expo – the flagship event for retail, wholesale and foodservice audiences – centres itself around ground-breaking new products and technologies that are set to help businesses thrive in 2020. The headline show, which returns this month (30th-1st April, NEC Birmingham) will showcase almost 80 new product launches.
Visitors looking for inspiration will get the inside track on 2020’s latest, greatest launches, alongside the chance to see, sample and secure a fast track to profitability. Here’s a snapshot of just some of the innovation on display at the not-to-be-missed show:
Vegan/Plant-based
The growing interest in Vegan and plant-based nutrition saw a record 400,000 people sign up to Veganuary 2020. Business savvy operators will be looking to expand or indeed, launch their vegan-friendly offering and a visit to Food and Drink Expo will provide all they need in the form of product innovation.
Blue Skies (Stand CC261) will be launching 125ml impulse tubs of dairy free ice cream. Perfect as a cinema treat or even a beer garden snack these ‘little pots of Ghanaian sunshine’ are great for those who are passionate about plant-based or who are determined to be able to provide ice-cream for those with intolerances and allergies. The ice cream is dairy, gluten, soy and nut free and made with love using fresh coconut milk and fruit grown in Ghana.
An innovative savoury snack option can be seen over on the Stoats stand (Stand CC221) where it’ll launch Vegan Oat Bar thins, made by hand at its Edinburgh bakery using the finest Scottish oats. Stoat’s boast compostable, plastic-free packaging and a completely palm oil-free recipe. The Oat Bar thins are vegan-friendly, have no added sugars and are less than 100 calories per bar.
Borna Foods’(Stand AA241) latest innovation bottles a delicious milk alternative Pistachio Drink. Vegan and Kosher certified, the creamy pistachio drink is packed with Calcium and Vitamin B12 helping those following a vegan diet, to hit their target intake of these vital nutrients. Borna Foods’ recommends mixing its Pistachio Drink with muesli at your breakfast table, pouring into morning coffee, adding to a smoothie or even enjoying it straight from the bottle as a refreshing alternative to milk.
World Foods
As consumer tastes evolve and world travel becomes more frequent than ever, there’s a clear demand to incorporate global flavours into menus. Take a culinary trip around the world at this year’s show:
With ingredients such as ginger, chili, garlic puree, ground turmeric, paprika, pimento spice and thyme, exhibitor NAHDEE’s (Stand AA319) new innovation, Spicy Marinade paste, will deliver a taste of Sierra Leonean street food right to your doorstep all while being healthy, gluten-free and vegan friendly.
From savoury to sweet, Sweet Vietnam (Stand AA295) will be showcasing a 7-core-ingredient dessert; Chè 7 Màu. The family-owned business combines black eyed beans, red chouri, mung dal, coconut gel, grass jelly, tapioca and water chestnuts to champion a dessert which is also vegetarian friendly. It’s to be served with coconut milk and syrup.
Natural/Healthy Alternatives
Whether it’s of benefit to themselves or the environment, consumers have a renewed relationship with healthier food and drink alternatives and are increasingly looking for better.
Al Barakah’s (Stand AA290) Date Powder is a completely natural product made from 100% dates. Coming from the globe’s largest privately owned date factory, this powder is a perfect healthy alternative to refined sugars whether it be for snacks, baking, sports nutrition, beverages and much more. It is additive, preservative, GMO and allergen free as well as being suitable for vegans. It is a free flowing, pit free, fine powder with an 18-month ambient shelf life.
Closer to home, located in the heart of the Welsh countryside, Radnor Hills Mineral Water Co Ltd (Stand EE251) has been working on its latest range of delicately sparkling, all-natural flavour infused canned drinks; a great healthy alternative to a sugar-packed fizzy drink. The range is sugar, sweetener, calorie and preservative free and packaged in a recyclable can. The innovative range is flavoured with British garden Mint and Lemon & Mint extracts and Cherry and British Raspberry extracts.
Low2No meets a natural spin on Spain’s reputable Verdejo wine. Diez Siglos De Verdejo’s CANTO 5 FRIZZE offers a low alcohol strength (5.5%) carbonated beverage. The brand says it’s “something fresh, new and exquisite that continues to attract more and more attention from those who are captivated by its excellent flavour”. Sample it for yourself on stand BB260.
To see more of what’s on offer at the show and plan ahead, visitors can go to: https://www.foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk/ and select the ‘Innovation@’ product category, which shows each and every new launch at the show.
To register for a free badge visitors can go to: https://foodanddrinkexpo-2020.reg.buzz/website
The UK Food Shows unite five co-located shows under one roof, covering the complete supply chain in three comprehensive days of insight, innovation and inspiration. Foodex joins Food & Drink Expo, The Ingredients Show, National Convenience Show and Farm Shop & Deli Show, to create an unmissable proposition for progressive food and drink professionals across the industry.
While the content of each co-located show has been tailored to meet the exacting requirements of its respective audience, The UK Food Shows are united by four overarching themes: Health & Nutrition, Sustainability, Technology and Consumer Insight; issues faced unilaterally that will filter down into every part of the show discourse.
The UK Food Shows are a product of the award-winning team at William Reed.
