This year, innovation returned to the driver’s seat, but it arrived with a new sense of discipline. The flash is gone; the focus is back.
The Ancestral Appetite: Tallow & Avocado Oil
If you walked the “Hot Products” floor this year, you were walking through a sea of beef tallow. It’s rare to see a single ingredient capture a show’s zeitgeist so completely, but tallow—alongside avocado oil—has become the new gold standard for the “no seed oil” movement. While olive oil and ghee have had their moments, avocado oil is winning on versatility, while beef tallow is the new hero for the ancestral health crowd.
The Players: Jesse & Ben’s (with their standout grass-fed beef fries), Vandy Classic, Vaca Chips, Tips, Teddy’s, Masa, and Doughbrik’s Original Wavers, which officially announced a total pivot to avocado oil.
The New Flavor Architecture: Sour Sour Sour & Dates
The palate of the American snacker is undergoing a radical transformation. For years, “spicy” was the only lever brands pulled to create excitement. This year, the pucker took over. “Sour” has officially dethroned “heat” as the experimental frontier, fueled by a “social media spectator sport” mentality and the “Fruit Riot” effect.
And the humble date has been promoted to “it girl” status. It is no longer just a sweetener; it is the fiber-rich, low-GI backbone for a new generation of confectionery.
The Players: Joolies (Date Sours), Built Sour, Simply (sour mints), True Dates, Smood Sweets, Harken, Daddl and Datefix.
Protein & Fiber: The Disciplined Rebrand
Would you expect anything less from 2026? However, the “maxxing” era is over. Brands are moving away from 40g+ protein claims toward “dietary staples” (5-7g) that feel more balanced and less processed.
- The Players: Hippeas (new tortilla chips/puffs), Sweet Loren’s (Ready-to-Bake scones and oat bars), That’s It (fiber bars), Banza (wheat protein pasta), and Elmhurst 1925, which made a massive splash with their new Clean Protein RTD line.
- Meat Sticks: They were everywhere—I’ve at least tried 10 different brands.
Real Dairy’s Comeback
After years of watching brands try to “milk” every nut and grain, 2026 felt like a homecoming for the cow, and the sheep, and the goat. Real dairy is leaning into its natural advantages: provenance, fermentation, and gut health.
- The Players: Sourmilk, Bezi, Smearcase, Painterland Sisters (Skyr), Le Zette (LA-made sheep’s milk), Cotto, and a massive, show-stopping presence from Chobani.
The Vibe Shift: Show, Don’t Tell
Perhaps the most refreshing change was the lack of noise. The “loud” marketing of previous years—the overt political posturing and the hyper-niche nutritional “maxxing”—has been replaced by a “show, don’t tell” philosophy. Branding has gone retro, colorful, and fun.
As we pack away the sample bags—I hauled out four and promptly surrendered half to exhibitor friends who were too busy crushing it to leave their booths—and head back to our respective corners of the CPG world, the takeaway is clear. The “Better-For-You” movement has officially graduated from its awkward, experimental phase. It is no longer enough to be a “healthier alternative” to a legacy brand; you have to be a better version of it.
That’s it for this week.
If you’re building something in CPG and need the right supplier or co-manufacturer to make it happen, Chapter Foods can help. We match brands, brokers, distributors and retailers with partners who are ready to move.
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Can Koyuncu, Co-Founder & CMO