Food Expo Part 1

Last year I started writing this blog right after Food Expo in Anaheim, and here it is one year later and the blog is still going strong. I just returned from the three day show. Evol Burritos (www.evolburritos.com), my son Phil's company, had a booth, and I was there to help with baby sitting. I came home Sunday night, exhausted. Taking care of a six month old is no easy task. Anyway, the show was amazing. How do they keep coming up with new and interesting products?

Food Expo in Anaheim is a natural food and product show. It is the fifth largest show of it's kind in the world. The four bigger shows are in Europe and Asia. I can't even imagine how big they are. This show had five huge halls filled with food, drink, vitamins, beauty products and homeopathic remedies. Today I will tell you about the yogurt products. If you're like me, you are wondering, how is there any more room on the supermarket shelves for more yogurt? I guess some of these products will fail, and others will limp along with limited distribution.

Last year I discovered Greek Gods yogurt. Thick, creamy and oh so delicious. I've been buying it all year. I have a new favorite this year. It is Siggi's (www.skyr.com), an Icelantic style yogurt you will love. What does Icelantic style mean? It means that they take skim milk, strain out the whey to make the yogurt extra thick, and add unique flaorings, including agave in place of sugar. The result is supergood. Flavors such as orange and ginger and pomegranete and passionfruit. This yogurt uses 2-3 times more milk to produce the product. The result is a yogurt with a much higher protein content than other yogurts. This is great for women trying to increase their calcium intake, yet it is only 120 calories per container. It can be bought in the San Diego at Sprouts in San Marcos and Whole Foods.

Another new product is Liberte yogurt (www.liberteus.com) from Montreal, Canada. Another delicious addition to the burgeoning yogurt business. They offer a full fat and a non fat product, nice and creamy, with fruit at the bottom. I loved the date and fig flavor. If your local supermarket does not carry it, ask and they may get it for you.

Fage is another great name in Greek yogurt. You can find their products everywhere, including Trader Joe's. Both flavored and plain, fat and skim milk varieties, it is great.

I have one final product to tell you about which is not yogurt, but a soy based pudding that was absolutely delicious. It is called So Yummi (www.soyummifoods.com)They have great flavors: dark chocolate, cherry, lime, rice pudding and tapioca. This product is also from Montreal. It is gluten free, lactose and dairy free, cholesterol free and Kosher. It is smoothe and creamy, and may be hard to find. Their website does not list their distributors. Jimbos, Whole Foods and Sprouts are possible places to find it, or ask and see if they will order it.

There was so much food at the food show I will write more about other products next week. I will tell you about new products, some of which will surprise you. Stay tuned.