The Specialty Food Association hosted eight students and three professors from the University of Nevada Las Vegas William F. Harrah College of Hospitality during last month’s Winter Fancy Food Show. These future food industry professionals served as Junior Trendspotters, identifying products and flavors that will influence the food industry in the months ahead.
The following nine participants, under the guidance of Joseph Lema Ph.D., professor and doctoral program coordinator, and Seyhmus Baloglu, Ph.D., professor and associate dean of research, served as Junior Trendspotters:
• Angelika Bazarnik
• Dennis Baloglu
• Sooyeon Lee
• Inyoung Jung
• Xinyue (Cindy) Hu
• Yuze (Crystal) Ji
• Niansong (Harry) Zhang
• Wai (Sunny) Sun
• Samuel Lee, assistant professor in residence
"We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the Specialty Food Association in Las Vegas and it is a valuable learning experience to connect with the people and companies who contribute to the innovative trends that are happening in the industry today,” said Lema in a statement.
Junior Trendspotters identified the following top trends:
• Environmental Impact: Burroughs Family Farms regenerative organic nut butters; Nutraberry seed powders; IBIDEN Bussan Co., Ltd. plant-based animal-free shrimp; SoMeat Aburiyaki Karaage Mince; Hiddenfjord sustainably farmed salmon; upcycled Confetti Black Truffle Mushroom chips.
• Beverage Innovation: Club Mate low sugar energy drinks; Bolero & Co. Ltd. watermelon-flavored drink mix; TÖST Rosé Alcohol-free sparkling beverage; White Coffee Snickers, Twix and M&Ms coffees; Unity Wellness Co. organic energy drinks; Artly robot coffee maker.
• True to Culture: Fukuroya Co., Ltd. low-salt miso; SR Foods Corporation Avocado Fritter Garlic Tempura; Vandersterre Prima Donna cheese; Miscela d’oro Italian coffee; Caplansky’s Deli mustards; Donika olive oil from Albania; Macoritto Valentino S.r.l. breadsticks.
"It is exciting to network with industry professionals, share cutting-edge ideas, and participate in recognizing trends to help inform our research in a real-life setting that is like no other considering the large scale and size of this unique event,” said Ji in a statement.