Head down the spread, sauce and condiment aisles at your local supermarket, and you’ll see hundreds of bottles, jars and containers. The variety can be overwhelming for consumers, and the challenge to stand out can be overwhelming for food manufacturers. However, product developers have one ingredient they can use to distinguish products in both function and flavor: walnuts.
In a 20-year study of health professionals, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found a possible link between higher walnut consumption and increase in life expectancy in older U.S. adults. Five or more one-ounce servings — amounting to a couple of handfuls — per week may help promote longevity. Researchers noted that, “Participants with a higher consumption of walnuts tend to be more physically active, have a healthier diet, lower alcohol consumption and take multivitamins.” Whether adding walnuts to the diet will achieve the results shown in this study or in the general population is not yet known.
Nutrition and flavor are main drivers in new product development, especially with eight in 10 Americans saying they’ve altered their food habits since COVID, according to the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) 2020 Food and Health Survey. Trends are rapidly changing, but recognizing and then capitalizing on them are two ways developers can make gains with their consumer base.
Food Master recently highlighted the newest spread, sauce and condiment trends, and they range from combining sweet and hot flavors to combining familiar ingredients with novel ingredients that aren’t commonplace for most consumers. And, of course any trend list wouldn’t be complete without including plant-based foods. IFIC’s survey noted that more than four in 10 Americans assume that a product with plant-based in the description is “healthier than one not described that way, even if the former has the exact same Nutrition Facts label as the latter.”
Walnut-based products are a particular driver in the spread, sauce and condiment categories, evidenced by these trend-worthy products that have caught our attention.
Sea Mosster, Astronut
Take familiar ingredients — walnuts and pink Himalayan salt — and combine them with spirulina, moringa, and wild-crafted sea moss and you have one of the most unique plant-based spreads on the market today.
Organic Just Walnut Butter, Old Dog Ranch
Old dogs can definitely learn new tricks, and a tried and true walnut butter straight out of Northern California-based Old Dog Ranch is made by using sustainable farming practices and recyclable packaging.
Chocolate Reishi Nut Butter, Butterfly Superfoods
Mix sweet with savory and you have award-winning walnut butter. Raw walnuts, reishi mushrooms and sea salt are combined with organic cacao, monk fruit and cinnamon for a juxtaposition of flavors that were New Hope Network’s Editors’ Pick in the sauces, spreads and nut butters category.
Salsa di Noci Bio Walnut Sauce, Sommariva
The global influence on walnut-based products is at an all-time high, and this delicious sauce is ideal for dressing pasta dishes, side veggies or salads. With a dash of salt and extra virgin oil, this walnut sauce has no cream, lactose or preservatives to maintain its creamy consistency.
White Pesto with Walnuts, Ascheri 1960
Bring the Italian Riviera, which is famous for Pesto alla Genovese, to your kitchen for a unique white pesto sauce with walnuts perfect for pansotti, ravioli, gnocchi, pasta or bruschetta. There are 8 grams of protein and 2 grams of dietary fiber in each delectable serving.
Walnut Butters, Crazy Go Nuts
Some of the most unique flavor combinations in walnut butters on the market come from Crazy Go Nuts in the form of Oatmeal Cookie, Banana, Coconut, Chocolate Espresso and Maple. Fun, eye-catching packaging gives way to the flavor burst of these delicious spreads, made with minimal ingredients — a clean label lover’s dream.
Maple Cinnamon Walnut Butter, Nutty Gourmet
Made with just a hint of sea salt, this tasty combination is smooth, sweet and a consumer favorite. With 2 grams of dietary fiber and 4 grams of protein per serving, Nutty Gourmet’s offering is a great addition to fruits, toast and more.
