NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Specialty Food Association (SFA) hosted 10 students from the Drexel Food Lab/Certificate in Food Entrepreneurship and Innovation programs as Junior Trendspotters at the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show, June 29-July 1 at the Javits Center in New York City.

Through an ongoing collaboration with these Gen Z food scholars, SFA has compiled their top observations from the trade show into this special report.

"We navigated the multiple floors, engaged with exhibitors, and sampled an incredible range of products while identifying the key trends shaping the future of specialty food," said Jennifer Zhang, one of the Junior Trendspotters. Also in attendance at the show were Drexel Food Lab staff Chef Rachel Sherman, Alessandra Mora, and Dr. Jonathan Deutsch.

"We were so pleased to have the Drexel Food Lab team return to the Summer Fancy Food Show," said Leana Salamah, SVP of Marketing and Communications at SFA. "The Junior Trendspotters provide an invaluable Gen Z perspective on hot flavors, companies, and products that adds important depth to SFA's reporting and analysis of trends on display at the show."

The SFA Junior Trendspotters noted five top trends at the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show:

• Pistachio: The New "It" Nut Pistachios were everywhere- showing up in snacks, spreads, cereals, and even savory dishes like pesto pasta. One Junior Trendspotter noted the Malaysian pistachio cereal snack (Enescorp International LLC), a unique combination of crunchy cereal and creamy pistachio. And for the second year in a row, several Trendspotters called out the popular Dubai pistachio chocolate. Their vibrant green hue is visually striking, and pistachio is moving far beyond the classic ice cream flavor to become a versatile ingredient across categories. The results are in: pistachio is the new "it" nut, displacing almond for the title.

• Yuzu Takeover Small but mighty, yuzu continues to dominate the flavor landscape by adding a tangy new twist to everyday food items. From the yuzu pizza we tried, to the yuzu ramen broth, and an unforgettable yuzu marmalade (Yuzuya Honten Co., Ltd.), we tasted the flavor combination of both sweet and savory applications. Popular in East Asia, this lemon-lookalike has brought its balance of tartness and floral citrus flavor appeal to both adventurous foodies and mainstream consumers.

• Protein Powered Protein packed products were impossible to miss along the aisles. Highlights included Rummo USA Inc.'s protein pasta with a satisfying al dente texture. In another category, it was impossible to miss the hype surrounding the David Protein bar. Named after the famed Michelangelo sculpture, the David Protein bar sits at a whopping 28g of protein for only 150 calories and 0g of sugar. Consumers less concerned about "healthy" attributes like low sugar can opt for some crunchy proteins on their cupcakes (SprinkleBites)!

• Sustainability in the Spotlight Sustainability extended beyond ingredients this year. We saw upcycled foods, sustainable packaging, and innovation around climate-sensitive crop alternatives. For instance, Baobab Foods source their baobab powder from rural African communities, where the crops create economic opportunities. Patagonia climbs into the spirit-free sphere with their non-alcoholic beer. Aligned with the clothing company's overall mission to protect the outdoors, Patagonia Provisions emphasizes non-GMO sourcing and regenerative organic farming practices in their products. Other notable innovations were around plant-based alternatives, cocoa-free chocolate, and low-water coffee substitutes - cutting environmental impact but preserving flavor. Across categories, we saw eco-friendly innovation from the vendors.

• Pretty-in-Pink Packaging As we walked down the aisles, it was impossible to miss the bright, bold packaging in booth after booth. Pretty Tasty's silky chrome packaging was alluring, even before we learned that each can also contained 10g of collagen–pretty tasty and pretty healthy. We noticed brands not only leaned into aesthetic branding, but also offered lifestyle appeals, such as free branded stickers for water bottles, laptops, and phones (like a green elephant from Bollygood, Blair's hot sauce flame logo, and a chrome-colored can of Pretty Tasty). It is smart marketing that aims at the younger generations, who typically value visual identity, community, and self-expression.

Honorable mentions:

• Functional Beverages Go DIY An easy and tasty way to get in more nutrients throughout your day without having to think much about it, functional beverages were also very popular. This year, we saw a number of products in "make at home" formats. The powered electrolytes offerings from Just Ingredients are made with just real ingredients (if you could not tell from the name). A probiotic alternative powder from INTÜ Kombucha offers a quick and easy way to make home kombucha at home. And in a continuation of a key beverage trend, multiple brands of low sugar sodas and non-alcoholic canned cocktails saturated the space.

Trends continued:

• Hot Honey It heated up last summer and is still burning bright in 2025. Our team once again saw hot honey in many facets of sauces, snacks, and marinades. Roberto's hot honey marinara offered a spicy-sweet fusion, and we also noted hot honey popcorn (Farmer Dan's LLC), hot honey HeluvaGood! Dip, and Create With Cura Hungryboy™ by The Boys hot honey sauce called "Sweet Sting", featuring an adorable pug in a bee costume as their logo.

• Sugar Substitute Blends were seen across all categories, with sugar intake concerns addressed from beverages to candy.

• Dill Pickle continues to grow as a popular flavor, with dill pickle flavored snacks, pickle juice shots, and powders like Hold the Pickle's "The Original Green Blend" pickle seasoning.

The following Drexel Food Lab undergraduate and graduate students and young alumni, under the guidance of Chef Rachel Sherman, Alessandra Mora, and Dr. Jonathan Deutsch, served as Junior Trendspotters: 

• Jennifer Zhang
• Noah Hershberg
• DeAndra Forde
• Alex Ly
• Zae'Onah Howell
• Dorothea West
• Matthew Schaffner
• Thea Bertneski
• Michaela Bockarie
• Gabriel Marchiony
• Grace Mailey

Hungry for more trends from the Summer Fancy Food Show? The full Trendspotter Panel report from the show can be downloaded from SFA.

These trends will be on display at Winter FancyFaire* 2026, SFA's new trade show experience, taking place January 11-13 in San Diego. WFF* is open to qualified members of the specialty food trade, industry affiliates, and media. For more information about Winter FancyFaire*, visit the show website.

About Drexel Food Lab
Drexel Food Lab in Drexel's College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University in Philadelphia is a food product design and culinary innovation lab that applies culinary arts and science to improve the health of people, the planet and economies. We do this through research and programming that help us understand consumers, develop new food products, and introduce new products to market. In doing so, we not only develop new food products and menu items with entrepreneurs, industry, non-profit, and government partners, but also develop our flagship "product," graduates across disciplines who are poised to improve the food system. Students in the lab also enroll in the Certificate in Food Entrepreneurship (undergraduate) or Certificate in Food Innovation (postgraduate) to develop the skills they need to bring their own ideas to market.

About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association (SFA) was founded in 1952 and is the not-for-profit trade association of the $207-billion specialty food industry. Representing more than 4,000 businesses worldwide, SFA champions industry participation and success for a diverse community of makers, buyers, importers, distributors, and service providers by producing events, programs, and year-round resources and education. SFA owns and operates the Summer Fancy Food Show, Winter FancyFaire*, and the sofi™ Awards, which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage annually since 1972. SFA also produces the e-newsletter Specialty Food SmartBrief, the Trendspotter Panel annual predictions, and Show reports. Find out more at Specialtyfood.com, and connect with SFA on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.

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SOURCE Specialty Food Association