BREAKING: SFA Announces Return to California With Winter FancyFaire*
The Specialty Food Association announced today the launch of a new trade show. Winter FancyFaire* will make its debut in San Diego in January 2026 over three days, centered at the San Diego Convention Center but also spreading beyond it, creating a culinary campus of discovery, connection, and trendsetting.
SFA developed Winter FancyFaire* with an eye towards the future, seeking to offer participants first-to-market opportunities and a first look at the future of specialty food by expanding the ways that makers can bring their products to market and how they are experienced by attendees. The trade show will offer multiple engagement opportunities, welcoming emerging and established makers alike, while putting a spotlight on key consumer trends and the products that fulfill them.
“Innovation is the lifeblood of the CPG industry, and the mission of SFA is to help that innovation come to market,” said Bill Lynch, president of the Specialty Food Association (SFA). “However, we recognize that the industry has changed and starting, growing and sustaining a CPG brand is more challenging than ever. Winter FancyFaire* was designed with this reality in mind, providing brands of all sizes a unique platform to connect with the buying community, gain valuable insights, and explore opportunities for growth.”
Following its 2026 debut in San Diego, WFF* will move to San Francisco in 2027. The two California cities, renowned for their food cultures, enhance the value of the show for participants by providing access to an abundance of retailers, restaurants, and suppliers that’s nearly unmatched anywhere else in the United States.
The current schedule for Winter FancyFaire* is:
-
2026 Winter FancyFaire* – January 11-13, San Diego
-
2027 Winter FancyFaire* – January 17-19, San Francisco
WFF* will also take advantage of these locations by offering activations and experiences that go beyond the convention centers to immerse participants in the local retail and culinary scenes. “The trade show world – and its attendees – are rapidly evolving,” said Phil Robinson SFA svp of member development. “According to a recent Freeman Trends Report, Millennials and Gen Z will make up 75% of the U.S. workforce by 2030. The expectations of these generations regarding trade shows include more experiential product discovery; identification of trends before they hit the mainstream; immersion and inspiration from local culture; and more data-driven, real-time wayfinding, matchmaking, and socializing. Winter FancyFaire* has been developed from the ground-up to meet these expectations.”
Further reinforcing the centrality of innovation at the new trade show, SFA has also announced that it will celebrate the 2025-26 sofi™ Award winners during WFF* 2026. This reflects a shift in schedule for the sofi Awards, which recognize specialty food’s best and most innovative products, to the start of each new year.
With the launch of Winter FancyFaire*, SFA has also announced the sunsetting of the Winter Fancy Food Show after 2025.
The Summer Fancy Food Show will remain unchanged, with the 2025 trade show taking place June 29 – July 1, 2025, at the Javits Center in New York City.
As with all SFA trade shows, Winter FancyFaire* will be open only to qualified members of the specialty food trade, industry affiliates, and media. To learn more about the event and to subscribe for email updates, please visit winterfancyfaire.com.
For more news of interest to the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Anheuser-Busch, 1st Phorm Team to Make Energy Drinks
Anheuser-Busch and 1st Phorm, a premier sports nutrition and supplements company, announced plans to form a new partnership aimed at fueling new innovations within the rapidly growing energy drinks and related beverage segments.
Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch,stated, “Building on our commitment to consistently deliver quality and innovation, Anheuser-Busch is excited to partner with 1st Phorm, a company and brand that shares our vision and passion for creating products that meet the evolving needs of consumers. This brings together two American manufacturers with proud St. Louis roots and complementary expertise.”
Sal Frisella, CEO of 1st Phorm, stated, “1st Phorm brings over 20 years of category experience and deep relationships in the sports nutrition industry and fitness community. By combining our strengths with Anheuser-Busch’s experience in beverage innovation and scale, we look forward to creating a new wave of energy and other beverages.”
The partnership will also include sports and entertainment mogul Dana White who has built some of the world’s most recognizable brands.
All the partners value hard work and share the same commitment to community, quality, and delivering for the consumer. The partnership’s initial energy product is expected to come to market by summer 2025 and to be distributed by Anheuser-Busch’s best-in-class network of wholesaler partners.
At Anheuser-Busch, our purpose is to create a future with more cheers. We are committed to earning our place in the moments that matter to our consumers and making a meaningful impact in our communities across the country. For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations.
Today, we own and operate more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities, and packaging plants, and have a dedicated network of more than 65,000 hardworking Americans across the United States who bring our beer to life.
We are home to several of America’s most iconic beer and beyond beer brands, including Michelob ULTRA, Cutwater Spirits, Stella Artois, Budweiser, and Bud Light as well as regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From our industry-leading efforts to support American farmers and our nation’s military, veterans, and first responders to emergency drinking water donations and responsible drinking programs, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home – that’s who we are. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.
1st Phorm is a leading sports nutrition brand committed to delivering high-quality products made from premium ingredients sourced from across the world. Founded on Midwest values and strong work ethic, 1st Phorm ensures that each product is crafted to perfection and rigorously tested to meet our best-in-class standards. 1st Phorm’s mission is to support individuals in achieving their fitness goals with the best supplements and sports nutrition products on the market. Our dedication to empowering people on their fitness journeys is matched by only by our unwavering commitment to exceptional quality and unparalleled customer service. For more on 1st Phorm, you can visit 1stPhorm.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok for the latest news and announcements.
For more news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
FDA Bans Use of FD&C Red No. 3 in Foods
The FDA is revoking the authorization for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 as a matter of law, based on the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). The FDA is amending its color additive regulations to no longer allow for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs in response to a 2022 color additive petition.
The petition requested the agency review whether the Delaney Clause applied and cited, among other data and information, two studies that showed cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3 due to a rat specific hormonal mechanism. The way that FD&C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans. Relevant exposure levels to FD&C Red No. 3 for humans are typically much lower than those that cause the effects shown in male rats. Studies in other animals and in humans did not show these effects; claims that the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and in ingested drugs puts people at risk are not supported by the available scientific information.
The Delaney Clause, enacted in 1960 as part of the Color Additives Amendment to the FD&C Act, prohibits FDA authorization of a food additive or color additive if it has been found to induce cancer in humans or animals. This is not the first time the agency revoked an authorization based on the Delaney Clause. For example, in 2018, the FDA revoked the authorization for certain synthetic flavors based on the Delaney Clause in response to a food additive petition.
FD&C Red No. 3 is a synthetic food dye that gives foods and drinks a bright, cherry-red color. The FDA estimates that the dye is not as widely used in food and drugs when compared to other certified colors based on information available in third-party food product labeling databases, food manufacturers’ websites and other public information, and the FDA’s certification data. FD&C Red No. 3 has been primarily used in certain food products, such as candy, cakes and cupcakes, cookies, frozen desserts, and frostings and icings, as well as certain ingested drugs.
Manufacturers who use the dye in food and ingested drugs will have until Jan. 15, 2027 or Jan. 18, 2028, respectively, to reformulate their products. Other countries still currently allow for certain uses of FD&C Red No. 3 (called erythrosine in other countries). However, foods imported to the U.S. must comply with U.S. requirements.
For more news of interest to the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
