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5 Top Trends at the Fancy Food Show

With 180,000 foods and beverages from around the world in one place for three days, the Fancy Food Show is the perfect place to discover what trends and products will be the next big thing. At the recent Summer Show, July 10-12, in Washington, D.C., a group of food writers, myself included, assembled for a trendspotting panel and hit the aisles. Here are the top five food trends we found, plus some related products, that you can expect to see in stores soon.

By Denise Purcell

Beer Brittle

1. Booze-Infused Foods

Wine-, beer- and alcohol-laced foods were everywhere at the show, in crackers, chocolates, snacks and even olives.

Anette's Beer Brittle (right)
Gil's Gourmet Chardonnay Olives
Happy Goat's Scotch Caramel Sauce

2. Cherries

Cherry is the it flavor of the moment, thanks in part to its antioxidant value. Everything from teas to jams was touting the fruit and in Bada Bing Cherries we even found a natural makeover of that less-than-healthy childhood classic--maraschino cherry.

Tillen Farms Bada Bing Cherries (left)
The Gracious Gourmet Spiced Cherry Spread
Honest Tea Cocoa Nova Cherry Cacao

My Cup of Cake

3. Give it a Try Kits

Assembly kits for baked foods and the like are forever popular with time-pressed home cooks. But there's a new batch of DIY kits that allow the adventurous a chance to make their own cheese, or even grow their own mushrooms.

Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing Kit
Roaring Brook Dairy Mozzarella Cheesemaking Kit
My Cup of Cake Make Your Own Souffle Kit (right)

479 Popcorn

4. Popcorn Pops Up Everywhere

Amid aisles of snacks at the Fancy Food Show, popcorn was a standout whether mixed with chocolate as a sweet treat or in savory flavors such as wasabi, ginger or truffle.