7 Takeaways from the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City

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I don’t know if it was New York City, the bright and open light at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, or the enormous presence of international vendors (exhibitors from 59 countries, spread across six continents and 25 international pavilions), but there was a palpable sense of joy permeating throughout last week’s show.

Here are my 7 Takeaways from the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show.

1) A LOT TO GET SAUCY ABOUT

In 2018, CEO and co-founder Brian Bentow was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, and after just 2 months on a low-inflammation elimination diet (autoimmune protocol – AIP), he became symptom-free without medication by simply avoiding the foods that triggered him.

Understanding how difficult it was to commit to this diet — from a time, financial and cooking skill perspective — he knew that he had to come up with a solution for both himself and others in a similar, autoimmune situation.

The result was Get Saucy™, which has introduced a certified organic tikka masala that is free from the top 9 allergens, seed oils, gums, preservatives, nightshades, corn, gluten and refined sugars, in addition to being paleo, Whole30®, AIP, Mediterranean and plant-based compliant.

Soon, the company will be introducing other sauces and seasonings, including a tomato-free marinara, and there is a very smart plan in place to scale this business.

Brian Bentow has had three successful exits as a CTO, and his co-founder and head chef, Suhan Lee, worked at Per Se and Daniel, two of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country.

Get Saucy™ has massive star potential written all over it.

2) SEED OIL-FREE ONLY GETTING STRONGER

Speaking of seed oil-free, this MAHA-influenced trend has taken hold and was on full display at Fancy Food.

3) :INCLUDED MADE AN IMPACT

:INCLUDED — a collective of founders and CEOs of color in the natural products industry — had some outstanding booths, and two, in particular, stood out.

NYC-based hrb•vor hit it out of the park with its line organic sparkling and non-sparkling herbal teas. Some very compelling flavors as well, such as Calm — a mix of lemongrass, chamomile and passionflower.

The coconut kefir (original flavor) from Toronto-based KEFIRKULT tasted ridiculously pure, fresh and clean, and you just knew you were consuming something healthy and of high quality.

Also, the company claims that its original flavor contains a whopping 42+ trillion CFU (colony forming units) per serving, dwarfing its mango or guava flavor, which each came in at 10 billion CFU per serving. USDA organic certification is in the works.

4) MAKER PREP

I was very impressed that the Specialty Food Association (SFA), which puts on the Fancy Food Shows, offers the Maker Prep Course, a six-month launchpad for doing business in the food industry, comprising both immersive in-person sessions at the shows and self-paced online learning with expert coaching support. Students who complete the coursework are then eligible to graduate at the next show and exhibit at a discounted rate in the Maker Prep pavilion.

“What really sets our program apart is the depth of experience our speakers bring, from seasoned makers to retail buyers,” said Mary Beth Vultee, senior vice president of membership at SFA. “New and aspiring food and beverage companies have so much to learn, from food safety and product development to marketing, sales and distribution. Our goal is to nurture and shape the future of specialty food, one great brand at a time.”

5) SOBERING NEWS FROM GEN Z TRENDSPOTTERS

One of the more interesting things that SFA did was to engage Gen Z trendspotters from Drexel University to get their take on the Fancy Food Show.

So, I asked Matthew Schaffner, a graduate assistant at the Drexel Food Lab, about the show’s trends through the lens of organic. What he had to say was extremely sobering.

“Regarding organic, I think that the specific, regulated label has lost some importance, and at least in my circles, there has also been more discussion of the shortcomings of the organic label and how it isn’t doing enough for sustainability. I think a newer trend is descriptors like ‘regenerative,’ which is being used to really emphasize the environmental responsibility of a product.”

“Regenerative” has been a known threat to organic for several years, but the things that are much more under our control — such as the allowance of hydroponics and factory farms in organic, in addition to the serious issue of fraudulent imported grains — are having a devastating impact on how young people perceive our industry. This is tragic.

6) FAST & ORGANIC…..FROM THE EU

While the U.S. organic industry continues to have no national advertising campaign, our peers from Poland landed at Fancy Food with their “Fast & Organic” branding initiative.

“We want to educate American and Canadian consumers about the quality of the EU organic logo and the organic products we are selling from Poland,” said Jolanta Samulik, project manager for the campaign. “In the EU, the organic rules are very strict, and the EU organic logo on each product provides a code, which enables traceability and allows consumers to validate the authenticity of the product.”

Unlike the U.S., the EU prohibits hydroponics in organic. The “Fast & Organic” campaign runs through 2028.

7) NOTEWORTHY ORGANIC PRODUCTS

The following organic products made a real impression on me.

The biggest compliment I can give the organic farm fries from Folkland is that I tried not to embarrass myself at the booth, as I wanted to eat every sample on the table.

They are available in three varieties — Himalayan salt, garlic rosemary and cajun spice — and made from regenerative organic potatoes on a farm that had been converted from conventional. No seed oils, gluten-free and made with olive oil.

The organic halva spreads from Eden’s Sweets — coffee, pistachio and chocolate — have the potential to be a serious standout product in the industry.

Its tagline — “unsinful pleasures” — is an apt description, given its phenomenal taste and texture. USDA certified organic, 2g of sugar per serving, vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly and paleo.

Iconic organic cheese brand, Rumiano, recently unveiled its organic pepper jack queso dip, and it did not disappoint. The flavor and texture were right on point.

It’s a blend of pepper jack and cheddar cheeses, diced jalapeño and a touch of cumin and garlic. Made with organic milk from from small family farms where cows are pasture raised and grazed year-round. 5g of protein per serving.

Edward & Sons, a stalwart in the industry, introduced something completely novel — Pad See Ew, organic brown rice wide noodles and organic brown & black rice wide noodles.

The Republic of Tea — one of the true leaders in the organic tea category — continues to raise the bar with its expanding and excellent line of Regenerative Organic Certified® teas — Assam black iced tea, Assam and tulsi.

As someone sober for 26 years, I would definitely drink these delicious, organic non-alcoholic drink mixes from This Girl Walks Into a Bar — on their own, sans alcohol. Available in margarita, bloody mary and pineapple mint varieties.

Farmwell is actually a repeat nominee, as I named them as one of my Top 10 Organic Products from the 2024 Fancy Food Show.

However, the company, which used to be called Naturao, did a rebrand and reformulation, now offering four flavors — cucumber and ginger, hibiscus and rosehip, mango and lime, and pineapple.

What remained the same was the extremely satisfying taste and usage of its core ingredient in each drink, organic aronia berries, something that the owners grow on their farm in upstate New York.

Dashi is a foundational Japanese soup stock, essential for adding umami flavor to a wide range of dishes, but finding an organic version of it (which means no MSG) is not the easiest thing to do.

Enter the organic dashi broth from Muso from Japan.

Since Fancy Fancy Food, I have been using it in my miso soup, and it has vastly added to the flavor — and my enjoyment.

Caulitos was the very first booth that I visited at the show, and the company impressed with its organic lentil, rice and cauliflower chips.

Vegan, made with avocado oil, baked (not fried) and gluten-free, it comes in two varieties — sea salt and dairy-free nacho. A great snack for kids.

Since water cannot be USDA certified organic, neither can ice.

Nevertheless, the premium craft ice from IceBlox was an absolute showstopper and elicited more feedback on my Instagram Stories than any other product at Fancy Food.

The ice comes in spheres and cubes, is slow-melting, and is made with the highest level of purified, reverse-osmosis water.

With gratitude, Max Goldberg, Founder