What You Missed During NRA

The National Restaurant Association Show just wrapped, and Catersource's sister publication Nation's Restaurant News has the rundown on everything you missed! 

Eight interesting foods at the National Restaurant Show that were not plant-based protein

The conversations about new foods on exhibit at the National Restaurant Association Show have invariably been around the astonishing array of vegan replacements for animal products. The exhibition’s directory points to 51 suppliers of plant-based proteins, ranging from meatless versions of beef and chicken, to nut milks, dairy-free cheese substitutes, poultry-free eggs, porkless sausage, bacon made out of coconut oil and food starch, and analogs of fish including canned tuna and raw salmon. 

Fresh Origins Microgreens (shown herer on the Tradeshow Floor during Catersource + The Special Event in Anaheim) has been growing microgreens, edible flowers and tiny vegetables for some 30 years, but their exhibit during the NRA showed just how spectacular plants can be when presented as plants. Photo courtesy WASIO Photography

But that’s not all that was on offer on the show floor: There was also a vegan alternative to dashi (normally made with bonito flakes) and fish sauce.

Beyond that, however, there were numerous value-added and time-saving products for restaurants facing unprecedented labor challenges, including frozen and bagged products such as mac & cheese and sausage gravy from JTM, and fully cooked Brazilian beef from Sampco, a division of JBS.

There were also a variety of items featuring on-trend flavors or creative techniques to allow restaurant operators to expand their culinary horizons.

Take a look at some of the items that fell outside of the show’s most popular category.

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Sustainability takes the spotlight at the 2022 restaurant show

Seaweed pellets that can be transformed into straws to replace plastic. Emission-free electric cars specifically designed for delivery. Plant-based meat alternatives made of jackfruit. And water in aluminum bottles and cans that are both made of recycled material and are more likely to be recycled.

These are a few of the sustainability solutions restaurant operators could find at the National Restaurant Association show floor in Chicago this weekend. Check out five sustainability solutions spotted on the show floor.

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Five food and beverage innovations at the restaurant show

By Day 3 of the National Restaurant Association Show, most people were down, their feet sore and stomachs full. They began to walk slower as they took their second or third lap around the show, revisiting the buzziest booths. This year, the buzziest booths were filled with innovation in the food and beverage segment, from new technology using chickpeas to distilling new flavors like chilis and candy into beverages.

Check out some of the most talked-about items from the show floor that caused a stir amongst guests at the NRA show. That includes Yo!, a vegan sunny-side up egg, the world’s first condensed oat milk, and C4 energy drink’s newest flavor: Strawberry Starburst.

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Solutions to supply-chain woes shared at the National Restaurant Show

Supply chain disruptions are top-of-mind for restaurateurs, but the same issues that are making restaurant operations so challenging these days, including staffing shortages, rising prices, a fickle and unpredictable marketplace and, yes, supply chain issues, are affecting suppliers and distributors, too, according to Brian Warrener, an associate professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., who specializes in teaching food & beverage hospitality and management.

He recently shared his observations in a presentation at the National Restaurant Show and added that, although some of the challenges might be mitigated with the recession that is expected to occur later this year, which should include a loosening of the labor market, the economic contraction is likely to be short-lived and systemic problems could continue for months or years to come.

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