Food fairs at all Quebec IGAs May 30 and 31 - A closer look at the 10 food trends for 2015

MONTREAL, May 29, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Are you familiar with the savoury fifth taste? Or who millennials are and what they like to eat? IGA is taking advantage of the one-year anniversary of its Joy of Eating Better approach to talk food trends and offer samples for consumers throughout Quebec during this first weekend.

From umami and snacking to traceability

Consumers are always looking for the latest food trends, and the media and experts announce their favourites each year. As a retailer committed to becoming the go-to destination for Quebec consumers, the IGA banner has put together a list of the 10 food industry trends mentioned most often in more than 20 different sources:

1. Superfoods: Coconut sugar is replacing white sugar, alternative proteins (peas, whey, nori) are on a roll, and matcha is supplanting coffee as a daily dose of energy.
2. The savoury or "umami" taste: A pleasant and mild flavour triggered by glutamates, which intensify our overall experience of taste. Smoked meats, mushrooms, and ripe tomatoes are packed with them!
3. The rise of online grocery shopping, a technology ripe with opportunities.
4. Millennials, the generation that reached adulthood at the turn of the 21st century, are more open-minded, confident, and informed, seek out what's new, and are excited about food and home cooking.
5. The Asian boom: Vietnamese, Japanese, and Korean dishes remain popular.
6. Vegetables are in the spotlight—even in sweets (fennel fruit paste).
7. Food transparency and traceability: Consumers are being more careful in their purchases.
8. Sustainable food: Consumers want to buy from responsible businesses with good practices.
9. Fermented products, including kombucha (a fermented tea beverage), kimchi (a Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings), kefir (fermented milk), tempeh (a fermented soy-based food from Indonesia), and miso.
10. Snacks high in nutrients, protein, fibre, and omega 3.

Samples and discoveries at all IGA stores May 30 and 31
To celebrate food trends and the joy of eating, Quebecers are invited to visit their IGA stores for two days of festivities and samples on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. All grocery sections will offer tantalizing opportunities to explore delicious tastes, with traditional-cooked ham, divine almond tarts, honeydew melon cocktails, and fruit dipped in chocolate to tempt shoppers—and special activities for the little ones.

These events top off a week of celebrations marking the first year of The Joy of Eating Better, an approach IGA launched in May 2014 to encourage Quebecers to make responsible choices, eat healthy, discover new flavours, and cook together.

About IGA 
IGA is the largest group of independent grocers in Canada and has been established in Quebec since 1953. Its 285 IGA merchants are constantly seeking new ways to better serve their customers. The banner includes IGA, IGA extra, IGA express, and IGA mini, and IGA is the only group of food retailers to offer customers the opportunity to collect AIR MILES® reward miles. 

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SOURCE IGA

Laurie Fossat, 514-324-1010, ext. 2158 , [email protected]