An abundance of new and tried and true frozen food products will be in the spotlight at the SIAL food fair, which runs from October 19-23 at the Paris Nord Villepinte Convention and Exhibition Center. The B2B extravaganza expects to attract upwards of 8,000 top buyers and 285,000 visitors who will walk the halls to see and sample what approximately 7,500 exhibitors have to offer.
For those unfamiliar with the acronym of the biennial SIAL that dates back to 1964, it stands for Salon International de l’Alimentation. That’s French for International Food Exhibition. Celebrating the show’s 60 years of innovation with added enthusiasm this year will be several frozen food producers that are SIAL Innovation Awards recipients. They, along with winners in non-frozen sectors, will be honored during a special ceremony from 4-6 PM on Saturday, October 19 in Hall 5A.
Yumgo of France took top prize in the Frozen Products Category for its new Vegetable Desserts range. After “reinventing” the egg as a plant-based alternative ingredient, the Paris-based company added the vegetable touch to its sweet treats portfolio with four finished and ready-to-use products: cookies (pictured above), brownies, brookies and runny-core cake distributed at below-zero degree temperatures. At the heart of each recipe is egg substitute that guarantees the specific texture of these products.
As the supply of plant-based desserts for out-of-home catering is quite limited to date, SIAL Innovation judges believe that the Yumgo line will provide an interesting solution for catering operators serving schools, companies and health facilities that must meet particular dietary demands of vegans, vegetarians and consumers with allergies.
The big winner in the Seafood Category is King Crab Meat from Vaag Seafood of Henningsvaer, Norway. Slated to be launched in November, it is processed with a technique that gets rid of the shell without diminishing presentation of the product. Even before opening the transparent packaging, the unique characteristics of the crab meat attracts one’s eye. Perfectly preserved through flash freezing, the high-end seafood retains all its organoleptic qualities.
Venlo, Netherlands-based Scelta, a frozen mushroom specialist, was victorious in the Intermediate Foods Products (IFP) category for its newly introduced Fungible fat replacer featuring Dutch white button mushrooms developed to mimic characteristics of fat with just 15% fat content. The low-fat alternative ingredient is promoted as “a perfect tool to improve your nutritional score without compromising the taste and experience of the product.”
Fat plays a crucial role in the development and characteristics of animal- and plant-based products. In traditional meat products, fat is naturally present within animal tissues. However, plant-based alternatives must incorporate fats to replicate similar textures, flavors, and mouthfeel. The primary challenges in developing these meat substitutes are achieving the right taste and texture (juiciness). Scelta’s Fungible fat replacer, which can be used to make blended products such as burgers and sausages, has met the challenge.
