news & trends

2022 Product of the Year Canada Awards!

A red square announcing the 2022 Product of the Year award winners. A display of winning products including Vector cereal, Sol Cuisine chick'n wings, Heinz wasabioli mayo and maple syrup flavoured popocorn.

Now in its 13th year nationally and 35th year globally, Product of the Year is the world’s largest consumer-voted award for innovation in product function, design, packaging and ingredients. For the Canada awards, products are voted on by a nationally representative sample of 4,000 Canadians. Here are a few winners that are on trend and caught our eye!

Product Trend #1 – Plant-based ingredients

Plant-based eating is here to stay according to our 2022 trends blog. These products combine a variety of ingredients to offer consumers more choice.

a package of Sol Cuisine cauliflower burgers

Cauliflower Burgers – by Sol Cuisine: Cauliflower continues to be a trendy, versatile and gluten-free ingredient used an alternative to bread, pizza crusts and rice. This veggie burger is made with cauliflower, sweet potato and chickpeas. Each patty contains 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre. Gluten-free, soy-free and an excellent source of iron.

a package of chickpea tortillas

Chickpea Tortillas – by Dempster’s: We’re seeing more bean-based product innovations. This limited edition tortilla is made with a blend of chickpea flour and Canadian wheat flour. Interestingly, the product carries a company-created “V” logo to signify vegan. Note, at the time of writing this blog, the product was not available in stores.

The Laughing Cow Mix Chickpea with Herbs – by Bel Canada Group: This is the first product on the Canadian market that mixes real cheese with legumes. Portion packed in 8 single serve triangles, it’s yet another example of a product blending animal and plant-based ingredients. These products may appeal to “flexitarians” who wish to add more legumes into their diet without becoming completely vegetarian or vegan.

Product Trend #2 – Make it with Maple

Maple is a trending flavour profile that’s still going strong. Last fall, we noticed the launch of a maple brown sugar flavoured non-dairy creamer (by Silk) and a classic maple glazed doughnut at Krispy Kreme.

a package of maple and aged white cheddar popcorn

Compliment’s Maple & Aged White Cheddar Popcorn Mix – by Sobeys Inc.: A sweet and cheesy popcorn mix coated with sweet maple (made with real Grade A Canadian maple syrup) and savoury, sharp aged white cheddar flavour.

 

a package of salted maple popcorn

Angie’s BoomChickaPop Salted Maple Flavoured Kettle Corn – by Conagra Foods: Another ready-to-eat whole grain popcorn that combines salty with sweet. I guess we love popcorn!

Vector Maple Crunch Cereal – Kellogg Canada: First launched in 1999, Vector is a high protein cereal. This new flavour is made with crunchy maple syrup pieces and offers 10 grams of protein per 44 gram serving.

Product Trend #3 – Turn up the Heat!
It appears that Canadians like it hottt! These new products are sure to tantalize our taste buds.

a bottle of wasabioli mayo

Heinz CrowdSauced – by the Kraft Heinz Company: You guessed it! This is a combo of wasabi and garlic aioli. Other flavour pairings in the CrowdSauced line-up include TarChup (tartar sauce plus ketchup) and Hanch (hot sauce and ranch).

a box of sol cuisine chikn wings

Hot & Spicy Chik’n Wings – by Sol Cuisine: This meat-alternative is soy-based and a new option for vegans, vegetarians and are plant-curious consumers.

a package of tortilla chips in a bright purple bag with yellow lettering

Takis Dragon Sweet Chili – by Bimbo Canada: Sweet meets spicy in this rolled tortilla chip! While this flavour is a limited edition, the chips also come in Fuego Spicy Chili Pepper and Lime.

Now tell us, which product are you excited to try first?

 

Written by Sue Mah, MHSc, RD, PHEc, FDC – Award-winning dietitian and Co-Founder, n4nn

 

Images Sources:
https://solcuisine.com/product/cauliflower-burger/
https://productoftheyear.ca/winners-2022/
https://www.thelaughingcow.ca/products/triangles-en-ca/mix-chickpeas-with-herbs/
https://www.compliments.ca/en/products/maple-aged-white-cheddar-popcorn-200-g/
https://www.boomchickapop.com/ready-eat-popcorn/salted-maple-flavored-kettle-corn
https://www.kelloggs.ca/en_CA/products/vector-cereal-maple.html
https://www.heinzcrowdsauced.ca/
https://solcuisine.com/product/hot-spicy-chikn-wings/

 

 

 

 

Top Food Innovations at the 2017 SIAL Show

SIAL_2017

This year marked the 150th anniversary of SIAL – North America’s largest food innovation show! We were there and here’s what caught our eye!

Quinoa still going strong

Making its foray into the baby / toddler food market, Bio-Kinetics introduced an organic Sprouted Whole Grain Quinoa Baby Cereal. Millennial moms will be pleased with the clean ingredient deck (nothing but quinoa). Also in this line-up are sprouted oats and sprouted buckwheat cereal. #GetKidsHookedOnQuinoaEarly

IMG_6545.

Building on the convenience trend, France-based Sabarot showcased Le Petit Quinoa, a ready-to-slice roll of quinoa – really! Recognized as a top 10 finalist for the SIAL Grand Award, the product can be sliced, grilled, fried and used in a variety of dishes. #ConvenienceMeetsHealthy

SIAL quinoa loaf2.

The Millennial Market

It was the name of the exhibitor booth – “Millennial Foods Inc.” – that made me stop in my tracks! Quebec-based founder Simon Letendre created a “North Americanized” version of bubble tea. Instead of using tapioca, the tea is made with Mubbles – which stands for “Molecular Bubbles” and are essentially tiny fruit juice bubbles made via a molecular spherification process. Mubbles are packaged in a small container, much like a fruit cup and can also be used in drinks, salads and desserts. #InterestingButALittleTooSweetForMe

Sial mubbles1

Healthy Snacks

Innovation often starts in the home or farm kitchen. This is true for Spokes – air-puffed potato snacks, shaped like bike spokes, with 40 calories per cup and no preservatives. Created by Calgarian #SeniorEntrepreneur Elaine Cadrin, Spokes is geared to millennials. “The millennial mom is our target,” says Mike Cadrin, Senior Sales Director and proud son, “They’re looking for a super clean ingredient deck and want something special and unique.” #LovedTheMangoHabaneroFlavour

SIAL spokes potato chips 3

Another one of our favourite snacks at the SIAL show were these Crunchy Peas – made by Zak’s Organics, a fourth generation family-run farm in the small community of Fir Mountain, Saskatchewan (where the population is under 500). Inspired by Allen Zak’s own kids, the snacks are made from organic whole green peas and available in four different taste profiles with a new #trendingflavour mango habanero launching next month. #GrownInTheCanadianPrairies

Sial Zaks crunchy peas

East Meets West

If you’ve never tasted sea vegetables, Acadian Seaplants wants you to try! Hana Tsunomata is a sea plant that’s cultivated in the east coast. It’s available in a trio of colours: pink to represent Japan’s cherry blossoms; green to represent new life; and yellow to represent the chrysanthemum which is the favourite flower of the Japanese royal family. The product must be rehydrated in water for about eight minutes and can be used to add colour and texture to salads, cold noodles or pasta dishes. Holly Reardon, Brand Strategist for the product says food service is their primary market. #SeaVeggie

IMG_6609

Sweet Stuff

A Quebec-based company, Great Northern Maple, developed Kombucha Syrup. The ingredients are evaporated cane juice, black tea and kefir cultures. Though the product claims to have probiotics, there is no disclosure of the amount. #DidntWinMeOver

IMG_6639

Février 29 was another top 10 finalist for the SIAL Grand Award for it’s fun way to package Maple Syrup. Designed to sit right on the counter, the syrup is packaged in a bag-in-tub container, complete with a spout. And what’s the rationale for the company’s name? February 29 makes every day exceptional, 366 days of the year. #CoolPackaging

SIAL feb 29 maple syrup2

Taking the Grand Prize at this year’s SIAL show was Taj Food’s Saffron Sugar Cubes. According to Sap Hariri, Sales Director for the product, the sugar cubes allow consumers to add flavour and sweetness their teas all at once. The sugar cubes are also available in cinnamon and cardamom flavours. #SweetMeetsSpice

SIAL sugar cubes winner

Winners of the 2016 Grocery Innovations Show

Here are a few of the winning products, as selected by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.

black-water

blk. Alkaline Mineral Water
blk. is a pure alkaline water that is infused with fulvic trace minerals.This beverage is naturally black with no artificial dyes or colouring. Fulvic acid (also called humic acid) occurs naturally in soil and sediment. Like all plain, unflavoured waters, blk has zero calories, zero sugar and zero caffeine.
My take: Tastes earthy. There are no human requirements for fulvic acid. Might make a good Halloween drink.

goh-goh-granola
goh-goh cereal
goh-goh cereal is made with air-dried milk. The first two ingredients are whole grain rolled oats and goh-goh whole milk powder. After adding water (warm or cold), the cereal is reconstituted. Available in two flavours: Honey, Hemp & Flax; and Raisin & Almond. A servings contains: 270-290 calories, 6-9 g fat, 43-45 g carbohydrates, 8-10 g protein, 3-4 g fibre, 15-20 g sugars and 10-15% DV (Daily Value) for calcium.
My take: Higher in sugars than I’d like, but tastes quite nice and is very filling. A novel idea for those who are camping, travelling or on the “goh”.

chickpea-beverage
Chickpea beverage
Made from organic chick peas, this is the first fortified chickpea beverage in the world. A serving (1 cup) contains: 70 calories, 2.5 g fat, 1 g omega-3 fat (from flaxseed oil), 2 g carbohydrate, 10 g protein, 0 g sugars and 30% DV (Daily Value) for calcium. (Vitamin D content not available.)
My take: Really does tastes like chickpeas. Contains more protein than other plant-based beverages such as almond beverage or rice beverage.