Speciality Food Magazine - May 2025

@specialityfood 32 BIO & ME SUPER NUTTY MUESLI Packed with almonds, cashews, brazil nuts and lightly toasted coconut flakes, this muesli is rich in fibre and contains no added sugar. bioandme.co.uk EATEN ALIVE CLASSIC KIMCHI Crisp Chinese leaf and crunchy shredded veg with heaps of ginger, chilli and garlic. Vegan, gluten-free, 100% natural, unpasteurised and biolive. eatenalive.co.uk BETTER FOR YOU With awareness of functional food on the rise, it’s time to cash in on Brits’ hunger for health T here can be no doubt about it – good health is trending. British shoppers are more conscious than ever about the impact that what they consume has on their overall health, and while a few years ago weight loss was the prime driver for healthy food choices, there’s now a plethora of health concerns that products are aiming to solve for shoppers. The market is awash with good- for-you products, but it’s not always easy to see the wood (genuine article) for the trees (products that shout about their trendy credentials without delivering). Natural wholefoods are a great way to go – no long ingredients lists to decipher, and potentially easy to source locally (therefore offering a low environmental hit), think SELLING GUT HEALTH As arguably the biggest trend in wellness right now, it’s well worth investing in gut health-boosting food and drink. With many of the products on the market ideal for fine food shoppers thanks to their quality credentials and eye-catching branding, with a little education – think POS and recipe suggestions – fermented food and drink could be a profitable way to welcome in new health-conscious consumers. Here, Annie Davis, clinical nutritionist at Body Fabulous Health Clinic, registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and member of British Association for Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) & CNHC recommends must-stock, health-giving products: Kefir: A fermented drink made frommilk. It’s like yogurt but with a thinner consistency and a tangy flavour and contains more strains of probiotics. Kefir is great for gut health and digestion. Kimchi: A Korean dish made from fermented vegetables (often cabbage and radishes) with spices and seasonings. It’s packed with probiotics and can support digestion and immune function. Sauerkraut: Fermented cabbage that’s rich in probiotics, fibre, and vitamin C. It’s great for gut health and can aid in digestion. Kombucha: A fermented tea beverage made with tea, sugar, and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). Kombucha is rich in probiotics and antioxidants, supporting both gut and immune health. Miso: A traditional Japanese seasoning made from fermented soybeans, rice, or barley. Miso is a good source of probiotics and can support gut health and digestion. Sourdough Bread: Sourdough is made through a natural fermentation process where yeast and lactic acid bacteria break down the flour. It’s easier to digest than regular bread, and the fermentation process lowers the glycaemic index, making it a better choice for blood sugar regulation. Dumplings LOVE SUM STOCK CHECK ROBOT ORGANIC HONEY COLA KOMBUCHA A healthy alternative to conventional cola drinks, this is made using premium organic ingredients including wild honey, natural kombucha, lemon, orange and cola nut. robotkombucha.co.uk simple and seasonal for optimum effect. ‘Eat the rainbow’ is a good rule of thumb for fibre hunters, and the smart indie retailer stocks slightly more unusual produce to stand out from the supermarkets, so look beyond the classics to impress health-savvy shoppers. Nootropics – natural or synthetic ingredients that claim to improve cognitive function such as memory and attention – have been creating a buzz for a few years now, but to keep things simple for yourself and your customers, think functional. Products that offer to aid sleep and gut health are particularly popular right now, and you can either opt for food and drink products that contain ingredients like magnesium, prebiotics/probiotics and added vitamins, or gen up on foods that naturally provide those benefits. Ultimately, stocking better for you foods could boost the health of shoppers and your bottom line. Suma’s new sparkling organic kombuchas are craft-brewed and traditionally fermented from natural ingredients. Suma kombucha offers a quality product and packaging and includes the traditional bestseller, ginger; a fruity option with strawberry and raspberry; and a more adventurous peach and turmeric. The kombucha market is still in its infancy with growth predicted as people look for alternative soft drinks that are natural, lower in calories, without artificial sweeteners and alcohol free. They RRP at £1.75 making them competitive in comparison to other kombuchas and other healthier soft drinks in the chiller. suma.coop Kombucha SUMA Don’t miss out on the little treats that make life worth living! HeyLO!’s handmade vegan and gluten-free brownie bars, crafted with pre mium cocoa powder and natural ingredients, deliver that chocolatey bliss you’ve been missing – witho ut derailing your day or your diet. What makes HeyLO! Browni e Bars magical? They contain just half a sugar cube worth of sweetn ess compared to regular brownies with a whopping nine sugar cubes! Yet they still deliver that rich, indulgent chocolate experience that feels like a proper treat. “Life’s too short to feel bad about your food,” says Heidi Norm anton, founder of HeyLO! weareheylo.com Brownie Bars HEYLO! Love Sum Dumplings are riding the wave of the trend for great Asian Food and recently the growth in awareness and appeal for authentic dumplings. With dumplings noted as one of the Top 10 2025 Food Trends by Whole Foods, their range of world inspired dumplings created by MasterChef finalist Sandy Tang include Smoky Korean BBQ Beef Mandu and Hoisin Duck Dumplings. Manufactured daily in London, all products are chilled and come ready to eat in under 8 minutes. Available from Cotswold Fayre, Cress, CLF and CN Foods. lovesum.co.uk With the continued popularity of seaweed and the increasing interest in harvesting readily available aquatic plants for more- sustainable sources of protein and nutrients, the tide is turning toward foods made with more sea and freshwater greens SOURCE: WHOLE FOODS MARKET UNCONFORM FLAT WHITE Vegan cold-brew coffee featuring nootropics Ashwagandha, Ginkgo Bilboa and Vitamin 12. impact-coffee.com