Broyles: 12 grocery store bestsellers that weren’t in your cart 10 years ago Posted: 12:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 25, 2014 Email 0Facebook 0Twitter 0ShareThis New BY ADDIE BROYLES - AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF When was the last time you went to the grocery store and didn’t see the words “quinoa” or “gluten-free”? Ten years ago, this wasn’t the case, but it only takes a few years for a food product (or trend) to go from practically unknown to nearly ubiquitous. +Broyles: 12 grocery store bestsellers that weren’t in your cart 10 years ago photo KEITH HADLEY Energy drinks have been around for a while, but in the past decade, we’ve seen a push toward increasinly caffeinated drinks, ... Read More Finding new items in the grocery store has actually become something of a beloved pastime for supermarket nerds like me. (We’re easy to spot: Just look for the shoppers snapping photos of — or at least intensely reading the labels for — powdered peanut butter or locally made cocktail bitters as soon as they hit the shelves.) And when you shop for food with a scrupulous eye, you can watch food trends unfold week by week. Slowly but surely, Greek yogurt takes over precious real estate in the dairy case, just a few aisles over from the growing selection of shelf-stable, non-dairy milks, which were once relegated to the natural foods section. Quinoa-Polenta Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and White Bean Puree from “Meatless All Day” by Dina Cheney. Quinoa was not ... Read More We’re no longer surprised to find high-powered, locally brewed hops in the beer section, and no one bats an eye at chips made out of chickpeas. And pity the produce section that runs out of kale or organic apples before the Sunday afternoon grocery rush. So what products have gone from niche to normal in the past decade? With input from Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert, the California-based analyst who is the undisputed king of all us grocery store geeks, here are a dozen grocery store bestsellers that weren’t even on our radar a decade ago. Gluten-free cake mixes used to be hard to find, but now manufacturers including H-E-B and Betty Crocker are making them. Gluten-free: Shoppers are cutting gluten out of their diets for all kinds of reasons, not all of which are medically diagnosed. But no matter why people are avoiding gluten, the truth is that sales of gluten-free products have doubled in the past five years, and more manufacturers, including the stores themselves, are jumping on board. Lempert says that many people who jump on the gluten-free train without proper nutritional guidance often find themselves eating a diet that lacks fiber, which might lead them to alternative flours. Ancient grains: As we’ve started to reject plain old wheat, old-world grains are enjoying their turn in the spotlight. Those nutrient-dense grains, including quinoa, spelt, amaranth, farro, teff, wheat berries, kamut and millet, also have the cachet of being more “authentic,” Lempert points out. +Broyles: 12 grocery store bestsellers that weren’t in your cart 10 years ago photo YOPLAIT Greek yogurt is gaining ground on traditional yogurt, in part because of the higher protein content. Grocery executives couldn’t have predicted just how much farmers markets would change shoppers’ expectations, even those who don’t actually go to the farmers market, and a big part of that is a push for all things “heritage” or “heirloom.” Locavore culture has prompted even large-scale food manufacturers to put whatever artisan, heirloom or heritage spin they can on products, like Vlasic Farmers’ Garden pickles packed in a Mason jar, which I first noticed last year. Kale: The K word (not Keurig, another grocery trend that’s here to stay) — love it or hate it — is one of the decade’s most notable trends, even though Lempert is one of the many eaters who finds it inedible in its raw, mature form. (Grocery stores “used to use kale to line their deli displays,” he points out.) +Broyles: 12 grocery store bestsellers that weren’t in your cart 10 years ago photo LAURA SKELDING Dairy milk consumption has been declining for decades, and now shoppers can find substitutes made out of everything from rice to ... Read More Baby kale, however, isn’t just an offspring of a bigger leafy green trend, Lempert says. “I think we’re going to see other produce items that were not mainstream go mainstream but in their young form,” he says. Keep your eyes out for even more young lettuces, fruits and vegetables, such as grape tomatoes and microgreens, that grace so many restaurant menus now. Greek yogurt: Unlike probiotics, which were the driving force of yogurt’s most recent wave of popularity, the key to Greek yogurt’s incredible success in the past few years is another P: protein. With the help of every low-carb diet ever invented, we’re on a real protein kick right now, Lempert says. Greek yogurt doesn’t just have twice the protein as regular yogurt, it’s thick and creamy in a way that commercial yogurts used to taste, at least in our nostalgia for the pre-artificially colored and overly sweetened ones. “Everyone is looking at Greek yogurt and asking, ‘How can I do that with my category?’” he says. We’ll see a lot more products whose primary selling point it its “authenticity,” even if far-fetched. Non-potato chips: Chips used to be made out of one of two things: Potatoes and corn. But walk down the chip aisle today, and you’ll find chips made from beans (a breakthrough product from Austin company Beanitos) and other legumes, such as lentils, sprouted grains and even popcorn and egg whites. We’re also seeing non-chip snacks, like pretzels and Cheez Its, morphed into chip form. There’s even a whole segment of non-potato vegetable chips, some of which are freeze dried whole vegetables while others are ingredients, like kale, processed and seasoned to taste like something one might call a chip. Craft beer: Ten years ago, the beer aisle was dominated by the brewers with enough money to buy Super Bowl ads, but now you can walk into a store and find beer from local craft brewers that don’t even have a marketing department. Americans’ taste for fancy beer has grown faster than the big dogs can keep up, which has been a boon for the smaller breweries that can make once lesser-known beers, like a coffee porter or a double IPA, without a market study to justify the production. Superfoods: With our new “food is medicine” mantra, Americans want superhero foods that can keep them healthy or cure what ails them. Although there’s no official definition or regulation of the term superfood, you’ve probably heard about them sometime in the past 10 years and then saw those ingredients, including acai, goji berries, mangosteen, chia, hemp and flax seeds, or coconut oil, creep into other products on shelves, from granola and yogurt to juice and crackers. Blueberries, eggs and apples could be considered superfoods, but what we’re really talking about here are exotic ingredients marketed for their health benefits. “People, especially millennials, are searching for what’s new, what’s different,” Lempert says. “We’re on this frantic treasure hunt for the next big thing, but sometimes we forget about taste in doing that.” When a big name brand like LouAna releases its own coconut oil, you know some of these once obscure products have gone mainstream, but only a few of them will still be on everyday supermarket shelves in another 10 years. Culinary-forward helper products: Hamburger Helper paved the way for a quickly growing segment of the grocery industry: prepared sauces, pre-measured spices, pre-cut vegetables and marinated meats. Just as the first cake mix manufacturers found out, even though Americans want shortcuts in the kitchen, they still want to feel like they are cooking. (For cake mixes, it was the crack of an egg that made cooks feel like they were still cooking and not just opening a box.) Hundreds of new products have come out to help get dinner on the table but still take advantage of consumers’ desire to try new recipes and feel like they are in charge of what’s going on the dinner table. Organics: Thanks to dozens of documentaries, books and TV reports about the environmental effects of the modern agriculture industry, sales of organics have tripled in the past decade, but Lempert predicts that we’re in a bubble that is bound to burst. Even with more organic products on the market, Lempert says that there are signs that sales are starting to plateau, and with prices on organic meat and dairy expected to rise because of the ongoing drought in California, consumers will grow weary of the added expense. High-caffeine drinks: Kombucha, the tart, cultured tea that’s teeming with good-for-you bacteria, has had a great 10 years, but it’ll never come close to eclipsing the expanding caffeinated drink category. “We are such an overcaffeinated country,” Lempert says, we’ll continue to see unnaturally caffeinated drinks, ranging from high-powered teas to the countless energy drinks on the market. Mid-calorie sodas and snacks: Gone is the heyday for fat-free and zero-calorie. You’ll still find those products, of course, but customers are figuring out, sometimes the hard way, that fat-free doesn’t mean “won’t make you fat,” because those products are often bulked up with sugar to compensate for flavor. Innovations in food processing have given us more low calorie sweetening options, such as the plant-based stevia, which is showing up in products across the supermarket. Non-dairy milks: Dairy milk consumption has been falling since the 1970s, and soy and almond milk used to be the only options for people who couldn’t (or didn’t want to) drink regular milk. But now shoppers have dozens of non-dairy choices, including milks made from seeds, nuts and even those ancient grains. Quinoa-Polenta Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and White Bean Purée This healthful, satisfying dish (vegan if you use a soy cheese) was inspired by one of my favorite entrées at Le Pain Quotidien. If the quinoa is not prerinsed, be sure to rinse it thoroughly to remove the grain’s bitter taste. Roasting your own bell peppers will lend your sauce the best flavor; however, in a pinch, you can go with jarred. — Dina Cheney For the roasted red pepper sauce: 3 small garlic cloves 1 cup chopped roasted red peppers 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 1 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. fresh oregano leaves 1/2 tsp. coarse salt 3 grinds black pepper For the white bean purée: 1 small garlic clove One (15-oz.) can white beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 3 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed, strained lemon juice 1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar 3/4 tsp. coarse salt 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary sprigs For the quinoa-polenta cakes 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided 2 tsp. coarse salt, divided 8 grinds black pepper 1 cup polenta (or corn grits) 1 cup prewashed quinoa 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 cup grated carrots 1 cup grated zucchini, squeezed well to drain of excess water 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves About 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for cooking the cakes To make the pepper sauce: In a mini food processor, pulse the garlic until minced, about 10 seconds. Add the peppers, olive oil, tomato paste, honey, oregano, salt and pepper, and purée until smooth, about 20 seconds. To make the white bean purée: Clean out the mini food processor bowl, then add the garlic and pulse until minced, about 10 seconds. Add the beans, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and rosemary, and purée until smooth, 30 to 40 seconds. To make the cakes: Bring 4 cups of the broth, plus half of the salt and all of the pepper, to a boil in a deep, heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Once the broth has come to a boil, gradually stir in the polenta and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring vigorously and frequently, until the polenta is tender and the separate grains are no longer visible, about 23 minutes (expect a thin layer of the polenta to stick to the bottom of the pan). Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, bring the remaining 2 cups broth to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Once the broth is boiling, stir in the quinoa. Making sure the broth is still boiling, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the quinoa until it is cooked through (the white squiggles in the center of each grain will be visible, and each grain will be soft and larger in size) and all of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked quinoa, cheese, carrots, squeezed zucchini, flour, parsley and remaining 1 teaspoon salt to the large bowl with the cooked polenta. Stir very well. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 10-inch, heavy, nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, form seven 2-inch oval patties of the quinoa-vegetable mixture, and add to the oil. Cook until the first side is golden brown and a bit crispy, about 3 minutes. Using a nonstick spatula, gently flip the cakes and cook until the second side is similarly golden brown and a bit crispy, about another 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined baking sheet to degrease. Repeat with the remaining oil and patties, never letting the pan go dry. You should end up with about 19 cakes. For each serving, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the white bean purée onto the center of a plate. Place 3 or 4 cakes on top. Drizzle about 3 tablespoons of the red pepper sauce over the top. Serves 4. — From “Meatless All Day: Recipes for Inspired Vegetarian Meals” by Dina Cheney (Taunton Press, $19.95) Spelt Shortcrust Pastry This spelt shortcrust pastry really couldn’t be easier. It’s also delicious when you add different flavorings to it, like orange or lemon zest, finely chopped rosemary or thyme, or even lavender. This recipe makes enough dough to line one 10-inch tart pan or six 4-inch pans. 2 1/2 cups white spelt flour, sifted Pinch of salt 6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed 1/2 cup confectioners sugar (or pinch of stevia powder, optional) 2 large egg yolks Put the flour, salt and cubed butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture remembles fine bread crumbs. Add the sugar, if using, and egg yolks, and pulse again to combine. The mixture should immediately come together and leave the sides of the bowl. Remove from the bowl, shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a box grater, coarsely grate the pastry into a 10-inch tart pan (or six 4-inch pans), then press it evenly into the sides and base to form a tart shell. Prick the base of the tart with a fork and then chill again for 10 minutes. Cut a piece of parchment paper big enough to line the inside of the tart, scrunch it up into a tight ball, unscrunch it carefully, and lay it onto the pastry, then fill with baking beans. Place in the oven and bake blind for 12 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5 minutes or until the pastry is very lightly golden. — From “Love, Bake, Nourish” by Amber Rose (Kyle Books, $24.95) Smaller stores, more delivery After all this looking back, what will we see in grocery stores 10 years from now? It’s hard to say what specific new products will be capturing our attention (and money), but Phil Lempert has a clear vision of where the shopping experience itself is headed. After many years of “bigger is better,” led by Walmart Supercenters, Costcos and Sam’s Clubs, stores are going to get smaller and offer a more selective array of goods. “We as shoppers are going to win with more fun and better stores,” he says. “We won’t see 100 different bottles of olive oil and a lot of that kind of redundancy.” He predicts that we’ll get many weekly or monthly staples, such as paper towels, toilet paper, coffee or even ketchup, by delivery and that the shopping experience will be tailored to things you don’t buy every trip and that customers want to browse, especially fresh items such as meat, fish, produce and breads that are harder to ship. Stores’ house brands are getting better and better, Lempert says, and not just as copycats of the originals. Trader Joe’s sprawling house brand program has inspired plenty of other grocers to take more chances on their own offerings. What do you think the biggest changes in grocery have been in the past 10 years? Let us know what you’d add to the list at facebook/relishaustin. Smaller stores, more delivery After all this looking back, what will we see in grocery stores 10 years from now? It’s hard to say what specific new products will be capturing our attention (and money), but Phil Lempert has a clear vision of where the shopping experience itself is headed. After many years of “bigger is better,” led by Walmart Supercenters, Costcos and Sam’s Clubs, stores are going to get smaller and offer a more selective array of goods. “We as shoppers are going to win with more fun and better stores,” he says. “We won’t see 100 different bottles of olive oil and a lot of that kind of redundancy.” He predicts that we’ll get many weekly or monthly staples, such as paper towels, toilet paper, coffee or even ketchup, by delivery and that the shopping experience will be tailored to things you don’t buy every trip and that customers want to browse, especially fresh items such as meat, fish, produce and breads that are harder to ship. Stores’ house brands are getting better and better, Lempert says, and not just as copycats of the originals. Trader Joe’s sprawling house brand program has inspired plenty of other grocers to take more chances on their own offerings. What do you think the biggest changes in grocery have been in the past 10 years? Let us know what you’d add to the list at facebook/relishaustin.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 12:13:49 +0000
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