From boeuf Bourguignon to croque monsieur and tarte Tatin, France is celebrated for its cuisine.
Yet not all of the country’s food talents lie in Michelin-starred restaurants and traditional family recipes. Across the country, food businesses – both big and small – are investing in NPD to launch exciting innovation into retail.
In late 2020, 86 innovations from food businesses in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine – in South West France – were shortlisted as part of the region’s food agency’s (AANA) third annual ‘So Innovation’ event.
Four key trends were observed in the selection: ‘Healthy’ is categorised by nutritious products made from natural products and sporting clean labels. ‘Pleasure’ refers to new flavours and exciting offerings for foodies, ‘Easy’ foods are convenient, well-designed, and sold in smart packaging, and ‘Terroir’ refers to regional products and updated traditional recipes.
Scroll through the photo gallery for a selection of new innovations from the region. Bon appétit!
GettyImages/Rohappy
From soybean pulp tempeh to ancient grain flour and Nutri-Score ‘A’ snacks, the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in France’s South West is bringing exciting food innovation to the masses.
From boeuf Bourguignon to croque monsieur and tarte Tatin, France is celebrated for its cuisine.
Yet not all of the country’s food talents lie in Michelin-starred restaurants and traditional family recipes. Across the country, food businesses – both big and small – are investing in NPD to launch exciting innovation into retail.
In late 2020, 86 innovations from food businesses in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine – in South West France – were shortlisted as part of the region’s food agency’s (AANA) third annual ‘So Innovation’ event.
Four key trends were observed in the selection: ‘Healthy’ is categorised by nutritious products made from natural products and sporting clean labels. ‘Pleasure’ refers to new flavours and exciting offerings for foodies, ‘Easy’ foods are convenient, well-designed, and sold in smart packaging, and ‘Terroir’ refers to regional products and updated traditional recipes.
Scroll through the photo gallery for a selection of new innovations from the region. Bon appétit!
GettyImages/Rohappy
A new line of ‘healthy’ snacks for kids has been developed by father-of-three Cyril Rouffet.
Having worked for 12 years in the food industry, Rouffet was frustrated at the lack of healthy snacks available on the market to serve his children at afternoon tea, on picnics, or during the Friday evening apéro en famille.
His start-up, Pap’s, currently sells three flavours of organic crisps: Red Lentil & Tomato, Parsnip & Onion, and Split Pea & Parsnip. Each SKU has a Nutri-Score of ‘A’.
Further, according to Rouffet, they are made from ‘simple’ and ‘natural’ ingredients, and contain no preservatives or additives.
The ingredients are sourced locally where possible, with red lentils, split peas and tomatoes from the South West, and whole wheat from France. Where Pap’s is unable to source locally – the start-up imports its spices, for example – suppliers must adhere to a challenging selection process based on the quality of their products and values.
Concerning Pap’s packaging, the crisps are sold in aluminium and plastic packaging. While both materials are recyclable – both together and separately – they cannot easily be recycled all over France. Pap’s said it is continuing its quest to find more readily recyclable packaging.
Image source: Pap's
Teff is an ancient, gluten-free grain grown in Ethiopia. A source of protein, fibre, iron, and phosphorous, French start-up Bekele Hube Adama (BHA) is bringing this nutritious cereal to consumers in l’Hexagone.
BHA founder Biruk Bekele was born in Ethiopia, and today resides in South West France. Back in Ethiopia, teff is grown by more than 6.5 million farmers, and eaten by the vast majority of the population.
Bekele sources the ancient grain from farmers, before transporting the ingredient to France by boat. Once back in his adopted country, Bekele sells the teff as flour: a red teff flour and a white teff flour.
The start-up stressed its commitment to the sustainability agenda: BHA pays its workers fairly and offers long-term contracts to help create regular and stable work environments.
GettyImages/Michelle Lee Photography
French chocolate milk company Cacolac has brought out a new product for youngsters aged 5-8 years: ‘Mon Premier Cacolac’.
Sold in a 200ml Tetra Pak carton, the new SKU has been described by its maker as an ‘ideal nutritional supplement’, a source of calcium, low in fat, and suitable for children’s snacks and breakfast. It contains 30% less sugar than other flavoured milks on the market.
Mon Premier Cacolac has a Nutri-Score of ‘B’, is low in fat, contains zero colouring or preservatives, and is made from milk produced in France. Its ingredients list is made up of semi-skimmed and reduced lactose milk (designed to make the product easier to digest), cocoa powder, sugar, natural flavours and gellan gum.
Image source: Cacolac
In South West France, the Sojami company has developed an industry first: a tempeh product made from soybean pulp.
Otherwise known as okara, the pulp is a side stream from the production of soy milk and tofu. At Sojami, the okara is processed using lacto-fermentation to produce the tempeh product.
Sojami was founded over 20 years ago in 1997 by Jean James Garreau. A researcher in microbiology, economy, ecology and dietetics, Garreau invented – and secured a patent for – the lactic-fermentation method used in Sojami products.
The method produces something of a ‘soy cheese’ by transforming the sugars present in soymilk into lactic acid. Sojami sells a whole range of products made using the lacto-fermentation method, from soy-based spreads to flavoured tofus and soy-based ice cream.
Its Tempeh d’Okara product, sold in 126g packets, is made from organic okara, cider vinegar, water, salt, and fermenting agents. It is gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and according to Sojami, tastes not dissimilar to mushroom.
Image source: Sojami
French start-up 4ULTRA has developed a line of vegetable-based purées aimed to boost sports performance.
The range is made up of five flavours so far: Pumpkin & Carrot, Potato & Carrot, Chickpea, Beetroot, and Butternut & Sweet Potato.
All vegetables are organic and produced in France. The smooth purées are designed to ease digestion either during physical effort or in recovery. Further, the pouches are low GI, so as to avoid dramatic spikes and drops in blood sugar levels.
Thanks to the Terracycle programme, used pouches can be disposed at organic stores participating in the CollectBio scheme for recycling.
Image source: 4ULTRA
Oviatis has developed sachets containing dried, organic stevia leaves to make a sweet herbal tea.
The biodegradable sachets are made from corn starch and can be used alone, or to add a subtle liquorice flavour to hot drinks. They can also be added to cold drinks to ‘enrichen their flavour’ and add a sweet note.
For the perfect infusion, Oviatis recommends steeping the sachet in 45-degree water for five minutes.
Image source: Oviatis
