Upcoming food and beverage trends include honey and canned fish

Emerging food trends feel like a return to the caveman diet: Fish is the hottest protein, honey is the flavor of the day, and game meat is an upgrade to meat plates.

That's according to hundreds of items on display at the Summer Fancy Food Show, a trade show hosted by the Specialty Foods Association that has earned a reputation as a place to discover the next big flavors, foods and drinks that will dominate menus and grocery store shelves. The annual expo returned to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York this week, running Sunday through Tuesday.

More than 2,400 food and beverage companies showcased their products to attendees, including restaurant operators, specialty food retailers and trend spotters. Past show trends making their way onto mainstream consumer plates include yuzu, mushrooms and cutting-edge alcohol alternatives.

Previous shows have also served as a launching pad for smaller brands seeking to reach a wider audience. Honest Tea, Ben & Jerry's and Tate's Bake Shop are among the companies that attended the show in its early days on their way to becoming well-known consumer brands now owned by the industry's biggest players.

Here are some highlights from this year's Summer Fancy Food Show:

Humans have been eating honey for thousands of years, but it’s taking center stage as a flavoring for some food and beverage makers. In SFA’s initial report on the show, its trend watchers pointed to honey, citing its health benefits.

Honey was the star of the food and drinks on the show. Green Bee offered a honey soda that had a honeycomb flavor. Owl Creek Organics & Natural Flavors offered honey spreads in flavors ranging from mocha coffee to lemon poppy seed. The Dutch company Klepper & Klepper used honey as a flavoring for licorice.

In past years, canned fish was primarily displayed in booths in the Spanish and Portuguese pavilions. But this year, exhibitors displayed their canned fish products throughout the exhibition hall.

TikTok helped fuel the canned fish trend last year, boosting sales of canned sardines. Now specialty food companies are responding.

This is not the canned tuna it used to be. There are more flavours, different types of seafood and more modern packaging. Wildfish Cannery, an Alaska-based company founded in 1987, has introduced a new design for the sockeye salmon, giving it a more luxurious feel. Krill Arctic Foods also offered canned krill meat, which may lack the same appeal on its packaging but boasts the nutritional value of the food.

Exhibitors also demonstrated new ways to eat fish on the go, hoping to tap into consumers' desire for convenience and more protein in their diets. The association listed “satisfying snacks” as one of the trends it was monitoring.

Acme Smoked Fish highlighted its new Lox in a Box snack kits, available with cream cheese or avocado. Legend of Master International, an Asian food supplier, also tested its Kani fish cake sticks, which are made to eat like string cheese or to cook with.

As with canned fish, the popularity of canned meat bars is due in large part to social media, where users can dazzle their followers with elaborate displays of canned meats, cheeses and fruits.

Companies at the Summer Fancy Food Show showed off some new options to elevate meats — especially salami. Tempesta Artisan Salumi offered black truffle-flavored salami, while the Salt & Twine line featured mezcal and salted lime flavors.

But exhibitors didn't just enjoy the flavors. Some of them are even looking beyond pork to make bacon. Driftless Provisions uses elk, venison and bison meat in its products, in addition to pork. Fossil Farms' product range includes wagyu lamb and beef.

What’s a cocktail or glass of wine without a snack to go with it? Targeting consumers who need help finding the perfect meal, Wine Chips and The Drinks Bakery have introduced their snacks designed to be eaten with specific alcoholic beverages.

Drinks Bakery, a Scottish company, sells “drinks biscuits.” Parmesan, toasted pine nuts and basil crackers (called crackers in the US) can be paired with about 20 drinks, from non-alcoholic beer to whiskey.

On the other hand, Wine Chips sells thick potato chips made specifically for snacking while sipping wine. For example, the Sel Gris flavor, named after the French sea salt, is designed to pair with any sparkling wine, such as Champagne.