The Specialty Food Association Junior Trendspotter program recently partnered with 13 graduate students from the University of Nevada Las Vegas William F. Harrah College of Hospitality to identify on-trend products from specialty food exhibitors at the 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show. SFA's event ran from Jan. 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and featured nearly 1,100 companies and thousands of products from around the world.

Guided by SFA's 2025 Trend Predictions, graduate students explored trends and products over the three days of the show. According to industry research, Millennials and Gen Z will make up 75% of tradeshow attendees by 2030. SFA has been running its Junior Trendspotter Panel initiative since 2020, inviting and elevating the insights and vision that Gen Z attendees bring to the event.

"We appreciate the opportunity to participate in the Winter Fancy Food Show held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Serving as Junior Trendspotters is a valuable learning experience that provides insights into the latest specialty food and beverage products. Our graduate and doctoral students take part in networking opportunities with a wide variety of businesses and organizations. The exchange of ideas through events such as the specialty food show provides a novel experience in developing new innovations, synergies, and to advance research in the area. The size and scale of the event is very impressive, with well-organized activities," said Joseph Lema, professor.

The Winter Fancy Food Show Junior Trendspotters identified Alle Processing vegan nuggets and vegan pepperoni as standout products, and spoke to their trend-relevance. "The vegan food trend continues to evolve with fusion flavors and new food forms ... Alle Processing showed its novel vegan food, such as vegan nuggets and vegan pepperoni. These dynamic variations in form and flavor reflect the growing trend of groundbreaking vegan foods, showcasing how the industry should expand its business to the promising vegan market of the future," said Sooyeon Lee, Ph.D. candidate.

The graduate students also identified instant global gratification as a 2025 trend to watch. "Worldwide consumers are increasingly looking for options that fit their diverse cultures and customized eating habits. These changes are driving the trend of innovative food offerings such as vegan ramen, plant-based seafood, and citron spread. Especially inspiring for me personally, is the elevation of Korean inspired foods introduced at the Fancy Food Show and loved by internationals," said Inyoung Jung, Ph.D. candidate.

The SFA 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show Junior Trendspotter Panel was composed of Angelika Bazarnik, Yuze Ji, Miyoung Seo, Sooyeon Lee, Inyoung Jung, Xinyue Hu, Victoria Cho, Cheok Kei Wong, Leah Im, Mah Jabeen, Amirah Baruzayq, Maher Aloweishek and Liza Das.

"Being a part of this special event is a very informative and valuable experience, as it provides opportunities for us to network with business professionals, share innovative concepts, and gain a firsthand understanding of future food trends," said Ji.

The next Fancy Food Show will be held June 29-July 1, 2025, in New York at the Javits Center and feature thousands of specialty food products from around the world, educational and event programming and networking opportunities. The event is open only to qualified members of the specialty food trade, industry affiliates and media.

Source: Specialty Food Association