KANSAS CITY — With consumer concern about sugar intake at a peak, many food and beverage manufacturers are turning typically sweet items to the savory side.
For example, Grainful is bringing a commonly sweet breakfast dish to dinnertime with its new savory Steel Cut Sides. Made with steel cut oatmeal, these meal mates come in four varieties: Cheesy Oats, Tomato Risotto, Madras Curry, and Jambalaya.
“These sides mix up your dinnertime routine beyond the same old rice or potato and give oatmeal a facelift,” said Jeannine Sacco, Grainful’s co-founder and chief recipe developer. “Steel cut oats, mixed with a colorful palette of spices and fresh ingredients, bring a hearty and nutty flavor to any meal.”
This breakfast-to-dinner, sweet-to-savory trend is not a new concept. In 2013, Blue Hill Yogurt unveiled a line of savory yogurts, featuring carrot, sweet potato, beet, butternut squash, tomato and parsnip varieties.
The sweet-to-savory movement also has permeated the nutrition bar category, as evidenced by last year’s release of Kind Healthy Snacks’ Strong and Kind bars. The protein bars feature savory flavors like hickory smoked, roasted jalapeño, honey smoked barbecue, Thai sweet chili and honey mustard. Mediterra also makes savory nutrition bars in varieties like sundried tomato.
The Packaged Facts report, Nutritional and Cereal Bars in the U.S., 4th Edition, recognized the trend.
“Consumers engaged in sports and fitness activities are starting to shy away from sweet flavors and are increasingly being drawn to savory snacks,” the report said. “Savory bars also provide flavor options for different times of the day, reflecting the fact that consumers often look to sweet flavors earlier in the day and savory flavors later in the day.”