FoodEx Japan 2025: A Roundup

GourmetPro’s head honchos Polina Oba and Ugo Bataillard headed out to FoodEx Japan in Tokyo last week and came back full of interesting products and insights. We’re doing a round-up of the ones that caught their attention.

Don’t forget to check out all the photos they took at the event! The link’s at the end.

We don’t often talk about honey in this newsletter... because it’s kind of a boring category (hot take - honey is a tad overrated) and very little happens (ooh, look, ANOTHER floral honey - how exciting). 

But French company Panacea – whose primary business is honey – changed that, bringing a whole new level of innovation to this rather bland category. Their colorful range of Honey Soufflés reminded me of jars of paint and that we do indeed still eat with our eyes. This range is technically whipped honey with superfoods like spirulina, dragonfruit, turmeric, matcha, ginger, and so on. The texture is more in line with spreads rather than the flowing syrup we’re used to. 

Whipped honey had its hot minute last year when people were dumping honey into their stand mixers to get that airy, creamy texture. But very few brands have managed to commercialize this. 

And it was good enough to get Ugo’s patriotic fervor on, with him remarking that it was nice to see a French company that wasn’t showing up with the same old wines and cheeses. 😉

Kobayashi Noodles had its range of gluten-free noodles that have become a hit in the US, where gluten continues to be on the list of no-no ingredients. The noodles are made from non-GMO Japanese rice flour. 

The global gluten-free food market was worth US$6.64 billion in 2024 and is expected to more than double to US$14.12 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 8.75% during 2025-33. This market is being driven by a growing recognition of gluten sensitivities and the need for allergen-free foods. Clean eating is also a major trend giving this category a boost. The largest markets for gluten-free products are North America and Europe, but other regions are also showing a fair bit of interest.

This range of noodles is also interesting for a couple of other reasons. 

1. You can eat the Snack Ramen range dry as a crunchy snack.

2. You can pour hot water into the pouch and eat them directly from that, an interesting packaging option compared to the standard hard cup.

Danish company Northern Greens organic spices came in a liquid format, unlike the standard dried or fresh. The company chops up the herbs and mixes them with organic vinegar and sea salt. The idea is that these products will last longer than fresh spices but taste fresher than dried spices. These are definitely convenient as a format, but isn’t it easier to transport dried spices? And wouldn’t dried spices last longer? And what if someone doesn’t want a vinegary flavor to their food? I’m a little confused by this one, I’ll admit.

The branddaddy of Thai fish sauce, Squid Brand, had on display and to taste its range of different fish sauces, including a vegan one. This product remained true to the taste of the original fish sauce, mimicking the umami-ness by combining dried kombu and shitake extract. 

The global fish sauce market is expected to reach US$29.4 billion by 2032, up from US$17.8 billion in 2023, driven by an increase in the demand for authentic Asian cuisine around the world. With online channels expanding, consumers today also have far greater access to such ingredients.

At the same time, there’s a growing recognition from brands that while people want to enjoy authentic flavors, they don’t or can’t consume animal products. Hence, companies like Squid Brand are giving them multiple options.

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And of course, it wouldn’t be a trade show without some protein.

Fire+Ice Functional Foods is a Canadian company that produces nutritional and protein powders from nutrient-dense plant sources, like hemp, faba bean, and flax seed. In addition to being nutritionally loaded, these ingredients also have significantly reduced carbon footprints. 

Faba bean also featured in Danish company Organic Plant Protein’s new alt protein ingredient, SunbeanPRO, along with pea protein and sunflower seed flour. We saw sunflower seed protein make an appearance at Gulfood as well, in the form of milk, oil, spread, and protein powder. Will seed protein be the next big ingredient in the face of the (government) backlash against seed oils? Looking at you, US!

Let’s not forget non-alcoholic drinks. 

Canadian company Token Bitters had a couple of wine-like cocktails (alcohol-free, of course) made from haskap berries (a.k.a. blue honeysuckle or honeyberries) – Haskap Citrus Chili Sangria and Mulled Haskap Mocktail. These berries are locally sourced from Alberta, Canada.

Another non-alcoholic wine alternative was from Australia.  Non has been made to look, smell, and taste like wine – made with grapes, but without the alcohol. The range has a salty finish that made things interesting.

The no/low-alcohol trend is one of the most important trends to play out in the alcoholic beverages category in recent years. The global low/no-alcohol market was worth US$1.4 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$2.36 billion by 2033. This is being driven by younger consumers increasingly adopting healthier drinking habits and more mindful drinking. 

The global wine market has been seeing a decline in consumption over the last decade, as consumers change their lifestyle and look to moderate their consumption more. Millennials and Gen Z are decreasing or giving up drinking alcohol altogether, and when they do are looking for premium experiences rather than just getting drunk. This has opened up significant opportunities for the zero-alcohol wine space, which is why there are a number of new products looking to replace wine across different occasions.

This is an area that we will be exploring in greater detail, so watch out for our series on non-alcoholic drinks!

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