Top 2014 Specialty Food Trends Unveiled at Winter Fancy Food ShowTop 2014 Specialty Food Trends Unveiled at Winter Fancy Food Show

The specialty food industry is once again leading the charge in new trends and flavors. A panel of trendspotters at the Winter Fancy Food Show named chocolate teas, seaweed chips and truffle ketchup as just a few of the products that are all part of a larger trend towards thoughtful indulgence. The trends were identified from a careful review of more than 1,350 specialty food producers who took part in the 39th Winter Fancy Food Show held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. Exhibitors showed off the latest in artisanal cheeses, chocolates, vinegars, sauces, healthful foods and more. This year’s panel of trendspotters, comprised of top food media and personalities, carefully explored the show’s thousands of products to determine the most promising trends of the coming year for this $86 billion industry. “These trends capture the creativity of specialty food producers, and the care they put into crafting exciting taste experiences, whether they are reinventing familiar products with unexpected flavors or opening an audience to lesser-known ingredients," said Denise Purcell, senior director of content for the Specialty Food Association, and one of this year's trendspotters. Here are the trends: Sriracha's Homecoming

Crunch Time

Low-Sugar Sips

Commit to Mint

Condiments Dressed Up

In addition to Denise Purcell, this year’s panel of trendspotters included Ashley Koff, RD, founder of The AKA List; Nancy Hopkins, Better Homes and Gardens; Kara Nielsen, food and beverage consumer strategist; Joanne Weir, host of PBS’s “Joanne Weir’s Cooking Confidence”; and Jerry James Stone, blogger at Cooking Stoned. The Specialty Food Association will be hosting a Foodie Chat with some of the trendspotters on January 27 from 8-9:30 PM EST that can be followed along via the #foodiechats hashtag.