TORONTO -- On-the-go salad kits, all-fruit bars and something called Grok gained the esteem of judges at SIAL Canada last month.
The North American food industry trade show named the Fruit & Fruit bar by Yourbarfactory the top new product in the annual Trends and Innovations competition. Nine other products were honored among 50 participants that offer a peek into global food trends and manufacturing innovations.
Yourbarfactory, which primarily focuses on private-label bars for national retailers and co-pack customers, created an all-fruit bar with no cereal or grains. Each bar has two servings of fruit, and any added sugars are derived from fruit. Three flavors are available: coconut-raisin, pineapple-mango and apple-berries.
[image-nocss]Other 2011 honorees include Summer Fresh Salads' Meals to Go. Compartmentalized containers allow consumers to customize their meal. Varieties include couscous salad, red-pepper hummus, flatbread and trail mix; and a seven-grain salad, regular hummus, flatbread and trail mix.
Another salad kit from Tiffany Gate Foods falls more under the home-mealreplacement category than grab-and-go foods. The Quinoa salad kit isgluten-free, and its 10-day shelf life is an asset to operators.
A funky Italian snack on the winners block was Grok, an oven-baked chip of 100% Grana Padano cheese. Similar to Parmesan, the Grana Padano is baked into a crunchy, chip-type snack.
And it wouldn't be a Canadian food show without some maple products. Decacer was honored in the top 10 for its Maple Candies, along with Erabliere Escuminac for its Birch syrupa flavor enhancer for both sweet and savory foods.
SIAL Canada took place May 11-13 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The show hosted 697 exhibitors from 37 countries and 12,415 visitors from 61 countries. Next year's SIAL Canada will take place May 9-11 at Montreal's Palais des Congres.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.