Our diet has changed a lot over the past 100 years. Kimchi, edamame and chimichurri have also entered into Little Robert 2025. This diversification is not about to stop, because the industry never lacks imagination to offer us new products.
The SIAL, or International Food Fair, which opens this Wednesday in Montreal, is precisely the opportunity to discover current trends in tastes and innovations.
The event is, however, not accessible to the general public. It is aimed at professionals in the agri-food sector who want to sell or buy the next new thing that will be a hit or simply get inspired.
Since it’s always interesting to know what the future holds, I asked food expert Isabelle Marquis to tell me about the most promising products of the year. As co-president of the competition organized by SIAL to reward innovation, she was able to get a first taste of the new products imagined in the four corners of the world.
This year, 200 products from 13 countries were submitted to judges.
Fermented and freeze-dried Kampot pepper flakes, honeys containing fruit purees, beer sorbets, frozen kits for making your own sushi, Bloody Mary cashews, vacuum-packed frozen Asian soups. And even a cardboard bottle, because new packaging can also be applied for.
What is exceptional this year is that five of the ten finalists are from Quebec. And it’s not settled with the views guy. “There was no favoritism,” swears Isabelle Marquis. It must still be said that a lot of promotion was done in the province to stimulate the number of applications. But our companies have been able to stand out thanks to “their attention to detail and their particularly keen creativity”.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SIAL
Isabelle Marquis, co-president of the SIAL Innovation 2024 Canadian jury and senior food strategist
An example: cans of Sorbière, an original blend of fruit puree and microbrewery beer imagined by two SMEs from Estrie, Boquébière and SAVO, producer of gelato and sorbets. The technological challenge of freezing alcohol was met, which gives a spongy texture and a product never before seen, says Isabelle Marquis, who expects a buzz around swimming pools in the summer.
Sustainable development is one of the few trends that companies are trying to put forward in their products. Many seek to reduce waste, use greener packaging, and improve the shelf life of food.
Others aim to reduce the impact of transport by offering concentrates, which are by definition less bulky. Will the consumer be there? Campbell’s was a pioneer a few years ago by launching a range of liquid and concentrated broths for diluting. To date, its small 250 milliliter containers have not replaced the usual 900 ml format. They sit side by side on supermarket shelves.
The jury also received numerous foods touting their health benefits thanks to the addition of “plants with functional attributes”. Powders, including maca, are incorporated into recipes to increase their vitamin and mineral intake.
It’s not really original compared to the cake mixes from Bela Peko, a Quebec company that is one of the ten finalists. Her desserts contain a sachet of vegetable puree to incorporate into the dough. Beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes…
It’s really delicious. Vegetables add texture. It’s delicious. It doesn’t feel like you’re grazing on grass.
Isabelle Marquis
This innovation which improves the nutritional value of cakes, however, is not cheap. The blends sell for about $10 each. Retail price is not a factor that competition judges consider. But it is clear that the time is not necessarily ideal to market more expensive foods after two years of high inflation. Innovations must be more relevant than ever, and their benefits obvious.
That said, successes are always rare, despite months of work – generally between 12 and 18 – and colossal investments.
New products sometimes create temporary hype, but 85% don’t stay on shelves for more than a year, according to NielsenIQ. “Most of what we buy is what we buy all the time. We remain very conservative, despite our curiosity. It’s very ironic,” explains Isabelle Marquis.
Online grocery shopping poses an additional challenge as consumers are not exposed to what’s new on shelves. Some will say that this is a good thing, that it tempers impulsive purchases of non-essential processed foods. That’s one way of looking at it, but I prefer to browse the aisles of supermarkets to come across new flavors to discover and disconcerting products like Magiciel and bubble gum pancake mix. He makes me smile every time.