Trends & New Products from the NACS Show: Foodservice

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ATLANTA -- There may not have been many groundbreaking new foods or flavors, but suppliers made up for it with a new level of sophistication not before seen at The NACS Show.

Suppliers more likely to be seen treading the floor of the NRA Show were in Atlanta, and existing exhibitors wheeled in their more advanced foods and equipment, reflecting retailers ready to evolve to the next level of foodservice--regardless of where on the spectrum they lie.

Along with the perennial trends of freshness, higher-quality packaging and snacking, suppliers focused on comforting, familiar flavors such as Piccadilly Circus Pizza’s chicken bacon ranch pizza and Johnsonville’s new sausage and gravy stuffed biscuits.

Deli Express just wrapped up some extensive research and found that customers wanted a premium product, but with a sense of familiarity. The company launched its Premium Selections line at the show, including BBQ Pulled Pork and an Angus burger with gouda.

Here’s a look at some of the trends and hot new products from the 2013 NACS Show.

More and more suppliers to traditional restaurants are showing up at the NACS Show. For its part, General Mills is bringing more items from its foodservice business to the show along with its typical packaged snacks. Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and Yoplait bulk yogurt--in pastry bags for easy parfait prep--both made their NACS debuts. The company offers kits of to-go cups, Yoplait yogurt and Nature Valley granola for complete parfait construction.

Another sign of the evolution of c-store foodservice, Manitowoc brought its Convotherm combi ovens to the show for the first time. Combi ovens cook using convection cooking, steam or a combination of the two. It reduces shrink, keeps food moist, decreases cook times and is ideal for batch cooking. Ovention’s Matchbox--the new dual-surface oven that launched at last year’s NACS and was recently purchased by Hatco--was also at the show with a larger presence.

Reflecting retailer demand for hot-sandwich options, AdvancePierre Foods continues to focus on its popular Fast Fixin’ program with a new shelf insert for a retailer’s existing warmer that holds one tray of Fast Fixin’ sandwich meat and one row of buns. It’s meant for stores that don’t have the space or velocity for an entire Fast Fixin’ program. The company also featured its Fast Bites breakfast line--including Maple Sausage Biscuits with maple flavoring in the biscuit--and the successful BIG AZ BaconAddict Cheeseburger.

Curious about the latest flavor trends? Look to the dispensed-beverage category. Insight Beverages was showing off its Frozen Hot Chocolate at the show, and f’real announced its 2014 LTOs: S’mores and Pumpkin Cheesecake. And retailers can now capture the smoothie trend in the high-margin dispenser category with V8’s V-Fusion smoothie mix. Parent company Campbell’s partnered with Island Oasis for the product, available in Peach Mango, Watermelon Raspberry and Strawberry Banana.

More dispensed-beverage trends, this time from Coca-Cola. The company showcased a vitaminwater dispenser in the Cool New Products room, and also announced plans for a Diet Coke Frost Cherry frozen carbonated beverage.

Piccadilly Circus Pizza refreshed its messaging and graphics with food photography reflecting fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch products. It also launched breakfast varieties of its Day ‘N Night Bites calzones.

Freshness was also on display at the Southern CaseArts booth, where new open-air coolers mimicked farmer’s-market and specialty-grocery aesthetics.

Looking to capitalize on the growth of dispensed iced coffee, Scotsman was showcasing a smaller-footprint ice machine that makes its “Nugget” chewable ice to be placed next to iced-coffee dispensers. Typically, customers have to go to the fountain first to get their ice before traveling back to the iced-coffee dispenser to top off with liquid. A smaller ice machine would eliminate that step, and using chewable ice would further differentiate the offer.

Among the suppliers providing turnkey foodservice solutions (another among them, Donper’s new frozen-yogurt kiosk), Hunt Brothers unveiled a new line of pizza shop models at the NACS Show. Models include the Roma (102 inches), the Venetian (80 inches), the Tuscan (60 inches) and the Sicilian (42 inches). A user-friendly ordering system includes an “Order Here” station with forms, pencils and takeout menus.

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