Spectacular colors, new textures, functional foods, ever more convenient formats… With one month to go before SIAL Paris, the international food exhibition, which will take place from October 17 to 21, 2026, at Paris Nord Villepinte, the SIAL Innovation contest is unveiling its winners and gaining insights into the trends that are transforming the way we eat.
SIAL INNOVATION CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A RECORD-BREAKING EVENT
For 30 years, SIAL Innovation has served as a showcase for global food innovation, highlighting the products and solutions that are shaping new consumer trends. Organized in partnership with ProtéinesXTC, the competition has become a benchmark for the food industry.
For this anniversary edition, more than 2,750 products were submitted and 775 were selected—a record number that shows innovation is back after several years of slowdown and demonstrates a genuine catch-up effect. This 30th anniversary edition also features an enhanced experience at the show: SIAL Taste will offer visitors the chance to sample more than 100 products from the SIAL Innovation selection during sessions led by a culinary expert, while SIAL Live will offer a new space for presentations and discussions on food innovation.
WHAT THE 2026 SELECTION SAYS ABOUT OUR DIET
Already available—or expected to hit the shelves soon—the hundreds of new products selected this year offer a very concrete glimpse into the trends shaping the food industry.
The pleasure of eating takes center stage. Less focused on traditional notions of gourmet or premium products, it is more about the intensity of flavor, color, textures, originality, and the presentation of the product. Food should surprise and create an experience—sometimes even to the point of being spectacular and particularly photogenic. It’s a quest for sensations that aligns with the rise of the sensory experience seen in SIAL Insights 2026. When it comes to global flavors, Korea continues to make inroads, while India is beginning to emerge more clearly through new recipes and offerings inspired by its culinary repertoire.
Health takes two complementary paths. The first is driven by a desire for reassurance, with foods perceived as simpler and less processed. The second trend goes much further in the functionalization of food, with products that make a specific claim linked to a profile, life stage, or clearly identified benefit. This trend sometimes blurs the lines between food and the nutraceutical industry, without sacrificing enjoyment. This year, the phenomenon has reached new heights: while a typical year in the past would see around ten products related to the dietary supplement industry showcased, there are nearly a hundred of them in 2026. Functional products that were once offered in the form of capsules or supplements are now available as actual food that is more enjoyable and familiar.
Practicality alone is no longer enough. It must now be combined with another benefit, such as a functional, environmental, or plant-related benefit. Another key trend is the rise of bite-sized portions, taking snacking one step further to encompass new occasions for consumption.
Environmental concerns remain, but they are increasingly reflected in products in tangible ways: lighter packaging, shorter shipping distances thanks to more local sourcing, consideration of the carbon footprint, and new manufacturing processes. The challenge is to turn environmental commitment into a tangible and easily understandable benefit.
Finally, three star ingredients stand out in particular in this edition: collagen, riding the wave of functional foods; ube, a purple tuber whose spectacular colour aligns with the trend toward visually striking and vibrant products; and adaptogenic plants, which illustrate the growing connection between food, functionality, and well-being.
PULSES, GRAINS, FRUITS, AND VEGETABLES CATEGORY
Wheat, spinach, and spirulina finger
Launch: June 2026 in France
With its finger-food format, this plant-based product caters to the growing snacking trend and the demand for practical, delicious, and easy-to-eat options. Its recipe combines wheat, spinach, and 7.4% Edo, a processed form of spirulina, while its legume-based breadcrumbs boost its protein and fiber content. Pre-fried and frozen, these fingers feature a crispy exterior and a melt-in-the-mouth center, with a short list of ingredients and no flavorings or additives. It perfectly illustrates the diversification of the plant-based world, which is now associated with great taste rather than dietary restrictions.
BEVERAGES CATEGORY
AMZ Amazonic Negroni
With its ready-to-drink Amazonic Negroni, AMZ Tropical puts a new spin on a classic cocktail, infusing it with the flavors of the Amazon. This cocktail is made with artisanal gin, red vermouth, amaro, and orange essential
oil, and is infused with jambu, an iconic plant of the region that creates a unique sensation of tingling and slight numbness on the palate. It’s an innovation that combines convenience with the chance to explore Amazonian biodiversity and a new sensory experience. This is the first time in 30 years that an alcoholic beverage has won the SIAL Innovation award.
MEAT CATEGORY
Charcuterie chips
Launch: September 2026 in Italy
Salami, spicy salami, speck, and bacon take on a new form—extra-crispy Italian charcuterie chips. Baked rather than fried, they bring traditional salumeria expertise into the contemporary world of snacking: a convenient, on-the-go format that’s ready to eat. The innovation lies in this new way of enjoying charcuterie. Instead of being served on a platter, it’s eaten directly like a chip, opening up new opportunities for consumption.
HOT BEVERAGES CATEGORY
Vegan matcha latte capsules—compatible with Nespresso®
Launch: January 2026 in France
GREEN simplifies the matcha latte ritual by offering it in a Nespresso®-compatible capsule that combines matcha and coconut milk powder. No more measuring out the powder, whisking it, or preparing the milk separately: the drink is ready in just a few seconds using equipment already found in many homes. This innovative format makes a trendy beverage more accessible, while combining convenience with plant-based options.
SAVORY GROCERY CATEGORY
Aged soy flakes
Launch: November 2026 in Germany, South Korea, France, Japan, Turkey, and North America
Chef Seasons is reinventing the use of aged soy sauce by transforming it into crystallized flakes using sea salt. Whether used as a seasoning or a topping, this solid soy sauce adds crunch and a new visual dimension to dishes, while allowing for a simple, creative touch. It’s an innovation in form and function that transforms a traditional condiment into a new sensory experience.
OUT-OF-HOME DINING CATEGORY
Pom’Aligot de l’Aubrac
Launch: February 2025 in France
Pom’Aligot puts a new spin on an iconic Aubrac specialty by transforming it into a crispy, savory bite made with aligot and fresh Tome de l’Aubrac IGP cheese. Frozen and ready in just 2 minutes in the deep fryer, this convenient format opens up new opportunities for serving aligot in restaurants—whether as a main course, a snack, an appetizer, or a dish to share. It’s a user-friendly innovation that combines regional expertise, practicality, and new consumption patterns.
SNACKING AND CATERING CATEGORY
Water-fried potato chips
Launch: October 2026 in Switzerland
Nükt is reinventing potato chips using a water-based cooking process—without oil or air—that produces a crispy texture without resorting to traditional frying. The product line applies this process to potatoes, as well as apples, beets, and sweet potatoes, offering a variety of recipes and flavors. It’s an innovation that rethinks how potato chips are made while preserving what makes them so enjoyable: their crunch.
ORGANIC & WELLNESS CATEGORY
Fermentík, a fermented plant-based snack
Launch: April 2026 in the Czech Republic
Fermentík offers a new way to enjoy fermented foods, in a fresh, ready-to-eat format. Made with 60% vegetables, fruits, and gluten-free sprouted oats, and containing live cultures, it comes in three flavors: pumpkin and mango, beet and blackcurrant, and carrot and apple. It’s an innovation that combines the nutritional benefits of plants, fermentation, and convenience, in line with growing interest in the gut microbiome and its role in digestion and overall well-being.
DAIRY PRODUCTS CATEGORY
Ube goat cheese bites with coconut
Launch: August 2026 in Austria
These bites combine fresh goat cheese, white chocolate, and shredded coconut in a treat that’s both indulgent and full of surprises. Their intense purple color, derived from the ube—a tuber known for its naturally vibrant hue—creates an unexpected contrast with the traditional characteristics of cheese. It’s an innovation chosen for its strong visual impact, which transforms cheese into an experience that is colorful, playful, and sensory.
FUNCTIONAL FOOD & NUTRACEUTICAL CATEGORY
Yogurt-coated fruit bites
Launch: October 2026 in France
Strawberries, berries, peaches, and mangoes are transformed into yogurt-coated bites—a delicious and convenient treat. The innovation lies in a “ three-biotic” concept that combines prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics in a single snack, developed to support gut health.
The product illustrates the growing convergence between food and nutraceuticals, with targeted functional benefits incorporated into a delicious, fruity product tailored to new snacking trends.
FROZEN PRODUCTS CATEGORY
Magic Soba
Launch: June 2027 in South Korea
Magic Soba is reinventing the way cold soba noodles are prepared, using technology that allows them to be enjoyed ice-cold—even after being microwaved. The frozen tray contains a slow-melting ice pack that remains intact while the noodles cook, then cools them and keeps them at a low temperature when it’s time to eat. It’s a technological innovation that makes it convenient to prepare a dish that is traditionally eaten very cold—in the microwave.
SEAFOOD PRODUCTS CATEGORY
Protein-rich surimi noodles
Launch: December 2026 in Europe
VIČI is reinventing surimi with an unexpected noodle shape, available in plain or shrimp-flavored varieties. Beyond its format, the product boasts multiple functional benefits: it’s high in protein and enriched with omega 3 and also includes marine collagen. A dual innovation—in both its form and its composition—that positions surimi as part of the protein trend and the rise of functional foods, while expanding its range of uses.
SWEET GROCERY CATEGORY
Sweet crêpe chips
Launch: April 2026 in France
With its crêpe chips, Bret’s made its debut last spring in the sweet grocery world by transposing the principles behind potato chips onto an iconic Breton specialty. Made locally from fresh Breton crepes, these thick, crispy treats come in several flavors: plain, salted butter caramel, red
berries, and lemon butter. Somewhere between a crêpe, a cookie, and a chip, this hybrid innovation challenges traditional categories and opens up new possibilities for the Breton crêpe in the world of sweet snacks.
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS CATEGORY
Plant-based steak
Launch: April 2026 in the Netherlands
Rival Food offers a plant-based alternative to beef steak that relies on a fibrous texture to replicate the experience of eating meat. High in protein and made with a short list of ingredients, this frozen plant-based steak combines a simple recipe with careful focus on texture. It’s an innovation that aims to remove barriers to adopting plant-based alternatives, offering a product that is familiar in its format, high in protein, and less complex in terms of its ingredients.
START-UP CATEGORY
Tepache, a fermented fruit drink
Launch: June 2026 in France
After kombucha and kefir, will tepache be the next fermented beverage to make its mark in the refrigerated section? Labo Dumoulin puts a new spin on this Mexican pineapple-based drink with a vibrant, unpasteurized, slightly sparkling version that contains no added sugar and retains live cultures. It’s an innovation that combines
fruity flavor, fermentation, and functional benefits, while introducing consumers to a new option in the rapidly growing world of fermented beverages.
PACKAGING CATEGORY
Sei di Coccio—cheese aged in a clay shell
Launch: November 2024 in Italy
Sei di Coccio is reinventing cheese packaging with a shell made of raw clay that serves as both a natural aging chamber and final packaging. Clay is breathable; it regulates humidity and micro-oxygenation, allowing the cheese to mature slowly at room temperature and thereby reducing the need for refrigeration. But the innovation also lies in the experience: consumers must break the shell themselves to discover the cheese, turning the act of opening the product into a true tasting ritual. It’s a solution in which packaging is functional, more energy-efficient, and an integral part of the product experience.
INTERMEDIATE FOOD PRODUCT CATEGORY
Raspberry seed flour
Launch: December 2024 in Poland
Produced by repurposing byproducts from fruit processing, this flour gives new life to raspberry seeds, which are recovered after juice production. Gluten-free
and naturally rich in nutrients, fibre, and unsaturated fatty acids, it can be used in baking or added to smoothies and yogurt. It’s an innovation that exemplifies a circular approach to raw materials by transforming waste from the fruit industry into high-value-added ingredients.
EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY CATEGORY
Water-cooking technology
ZEEN Tech has developed a patented technology that uses water instead of oil to perform processes such as frying, drying, roasting, and sterilisation. It can be used to make chips, popcorn, and dried fruits, vegetables, and herbs without adding fat, while preserving their crispness, natural properties, and flavour. Developed and manufactured in Switzerland, the technology opens up new possibilities for the food industry and the restaurant sector with a new way of creating crispy products, without using oil in the manufacturing process.
FRANCE AWARD
Room-temperature pan-fryable gnocchi
Launch: September 2026 in France
Known for over 60 years for its mashed potato flakes, Mousline® is taking a new step forward by entering the panfried gnocchi market, while remaining true to its expertise by continuing to use 100% French potatoes. The innovation lies mainly in the fact that they can be stored at room temperature for up to 12 months—no need for a refrigerator. Instead, the gnocchi go straight from the cupboard to the pan and are ready in just a few minutes. It’s an innovation that brings convenience and easy storage to a product that has become a staple in French households, while opening up new horizons for an iconic potato brand.
SIAL PARIS 30TH ANNIVERSARY AWARD
Soy steak
Launch: January 1998 in France
Launched in 1998, the Sojasun soy steak is considered a pioneer of plant-based alternatives in France, well before the category’s boom in the 2010s. 100% plant-based, high in protein, and ready to cook in a pan in 5 minutes, it was available in several varieties. Sojasun, a company with a long history of commitment to innovation, has regularly chosen SIAL Paris to showcase its new products. This pioneering product demonstrates how innovation can pave the way for new food categories.