Fine Foods Quarterly - Fall 2019

There are some things that you can never recreate in the home kitchen because we don’t have the equipment found in a professional food preparation environment.  Fortunately there are many great companies out there utilizing freezing technology to craft perfectly prepared foods, and then flash freezing them to maintain their freshness and presentation.

The frozen food isle, for me, was the place that I didn’t often venture down because it was the place where I would expect to find foods that were further down the scale of nutrition.  Well, the land of chicken “nuggets” and Salisbury steak has changed a whole lot, and for the better, I have recently discovered.  The frozen foods that I have tried recently have drastically changed my impression on what is possible, and the quality of what is available.  I suppose I can thank those Millennials out there that demand better, more nutritious foods, and yet have little time in the busy lives to prepare them.  The frozen isle is a blessing to such a group I would imagine, and food producers have responded and met the challenge of creating foods that taste great, are simple to prepare, and provide a healthy balanced meal created with perfectly clean labels that can satisfy the most demanding diets like Vegan, Paleo and Keto.  In my regular feature “My Favorite Things” this month I write about a buttermilk biscuit that blew my mind and tickled my taste buds, and has changed my outlook on frozen foods for the better.

While on the topic of the eating habits of Millennials, we dive into another strong trend that relates to how this generation eats during the day.  Snacking is very prevalent today, and food marketers are stepping up their efforts in creating protein packed snacks that are portable and nutritious.  As it turns out, one of the traditional snacking category, jerky, is receiving a brand new makeover to reposition these products as the perfect snacking alternative.  In this issue we present to you the most recent introductions in the category, and discuss the rise of Biltong.

At the Sweets & Snacks Expo earlier this year, I also discovered a new batch of snacking products that, like jerky, are easy to carry and provide a wholesome, low calorie, treat to carry one through the day.  Each year, the choices seem to taste better and better, and the labels even more clean.  Just when you think that you couldn’t taste better, someone else steps up to the plate another intriguing snack opportunity.

We are certainly becoming one healthy country thanks to the efforts of these food magicians, and we hope they keep up the good work.