The Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel has released its list of top trends observed at the 2026 Summer Fancy Food Show, held June 28-30 at the Javits Center in New York City.
The panel walked more than 345,000 square feet of exhibit space, observing, tasting and speaking with industry innovators to identify the trends driving specialty food forward.
“This year’s Summer Show was practically bursting with new flavors, sensations and innovation,” said Leana Salamah, senior VP of marketing and communications at SFA. “Our Trendspotter panel captured the vibrancy and excitement of the incredible products on display in their top trends, and we look forward to seeing how they evolve between now and Winter FancyFaire in San Francisco this January.”
Key trends
The Trendspotter Panel included Fred Hart of Hart Brands; Andrea Hernández of Snaxshot; John Lane of The Raley’s Companies; Matt Leeds of Forward Consumer Partners; Maggie McGlinchy of Pop Up Grocer; Becky Nelson Dahl of Bex Brands; Carol Ortenberg, CPG strategist and editor of The End Cap; and Dahnya Rogers.
Here are the top trends they spotted:
Comfort classics go global. Manufacturers are infusing American comfort food staples with global flavors, from butter chicken frozen pizza to Korean-inspired oatmeal.
“Global flavors aren’t the story anymore. They’re the expectation in specialty food,” said Ortenberg, noting that products offering a unique experience “can command a premium and deliver incremental value for retailers.”
Inside-out innovation. Brands are spotlighting accessible ingredients such as honey, dates, bone broth and avocado oil rather than touting functional benefits or what’s not in products. Panelists said the shift combats “function fatigue” among consumers, with dates in particular emerging as a favored natural sweetener.
Bite-sized, big flavor. As GLP-1 medications reshape the food industry and consumers demand flavor and nutrition density, small formats are proliferating, from frozen dumplings to mini cakes and poppable desserts.
“The opportunity with bite-sized products isn’t simply smaller portions, it’s more occasions,” Ortenberg said.
Ancient reimagined. Founders are drawing on centuries-old traditions, with Ayurvedic drinks, Arabic coffee, Persian sekanjabin, Navajo tea, Peruvian chicha morada and tepache finding new audiences, along with nixtamal tortillas.
Craft aesthetic as a signal. Packaging is moving away from neon, maximalist branding toward hand-drawn art and muted organic colors that convey artisanal, from-the-farm qualities.
Playful, purposeful packaging. An emerging trend saw familiar products in rethought formats, including applesauce in yogurt-style tubes, honey in toothpaste bottles, kimchi in single-use sachets and balsamic in squeeze bottles.
Products cited by the panel included Mazala Pizza Butter Chicken Pizza, Gamsa Foods Sesame Garlic Savory Oatmeal, Daramel Date Caramel Sauce, Benihana Chili Chicken Gyoza Bites, La Milpa Tortillas, Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt and Cheerie Lane Popcorn Cob.
Winter FancyFaire 2027 is set for Jan. 17-19 in San Francisco, where SFA will unveil its 2027 Trend of the Year.