balance

If you've never had a chance to go to a Food Expo, I highly recommend finding one. Be it Fancy Food, or the Candy Show (if you can get a ticket to that one, please share), or some other derivative, they are fascinating cultural events that act as snapshots into the state of the food world.

I just returned from attending the Institute of Food Technologist's 2010 conference in Chicago.  It's been three years since my last IFT conference, and in that gap there have definitely been a few small tremors in the food world. Financial crisis, anyone? Yet at the same time, many things remain the same. For example, the trend exhibit still pulled in an interested audience, but this time, instead of indulgence (very appropriate for the boom time of 2007), satiety was on everyone's lips. From starches to protein, to mouth-filling flavors, it seems the next year of product roll-outs will seek to help us feel more "full" in a world that feels increasingly insecure, while allowing consumers to gain the bodies, and thus the fiscal and moral security, they're dreaming of. Of course, my expectations for the success of such campaigns remains fairly low; after all, how can companies continue to make enough profit to satisfy their endlessly profit-hungry investors--critters that require feeding on a quarterly basis--while selling consumers more filling food in an environment where cost-cutting (for both producer and consumer) is the top game?

Other trends of interest: Antioxidants continue to remain top players, showing up in a variety of forms. My favorite is Mars Botanicals CirkuHealth line of cocoa extracts--unlike most chocolate hits, these contain no additional sugar (at least the Cocoa Extract Supplement beverage mix does not), allowing you to consume cocoa flavanols without the extra 100 or so calories that cocoa butter brings along. Of course, there is a pesky voice in my head asking "why not just make it yourself? Cocoa powder, mixed with a little water, then added to whatever you're consuming?"  There's an even louder pesky voice whining about the "health claims" that are present on the website--yes, cocoa flavanols may have benefits, but I find it difficult to swallow the way that "helps maintain healthy circulation" is accompanied by a "this statement has not been evaluated by the FDA." Translation: we're treating this food like a nutritional supplement, which lets us make these statements, but buyer beware--it doesn't actually mean that you will get what you think you're getting. However, pesky voices aside,  if you hate taking extra time to do anything, and you like dark chocolate, this product may be for you. I'll stick with my cocoa powder, but kudos to Mars Botanicals for an interesting take on chocolate milk.

Next post: what I learned at IFT about storing food, headspace, and mold growth . . .