At Natural Products Expo West, Brutal Foods launched a new line of puffed snacks made with chocho, a nutritious regenerative crop that boasts more protein per serving than salmon, chickpeas or tofu. Also known as the Andean lupin, chocho is packed with calcium and the nine essential amino acids. Thanks to its neutral flavor profile, chocho has the potential to be used in a variety of products. Already, the company has prototyped a pasta featuring the ingredient.
Some of the other ingredients that go into making the stackable puffs include rice flour, avocado oil, cassava starch and seasonings such as onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt. These snack puffs are ready to be savored in varieties like Churro, vegan-friendly Cheeky Cheeze and Créme de la Sour.
Regenerative Snack Puffs
Chocho is the Primary Ingredient in Brutal Foods' Puffed Snacks
Trend Themes
1. Regenerative Crop Ingredients - The use of nutrient-dense, regenerative crops in snack foods can disrupt traditional ingredient sourcing methods and appeal to health-conscious consumers.
2. Plant-based Snacking - An increased focus on plant-based ingredients in snack foods can disrupt the traditional meat-based snack industry and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
3. Neutral Flavor Profiles - Ingredients with neutral flavor profiles, like chocho, have the potential to disrupt traditional ingredient pairings and allow for more versatile product development.
Industry Implications
1. Snack Foods - The use of regenerative crop ingredients and plant-based options in snack foods can disrupt traditional snack food markets.
2. Food Manufacturing - The utilization of nutrient-dense, regenerative crops introduces new possibilities for ingredient sourcing and product development in food manufacturing.
3. Sustainable Agriculture - Increasing the use of regenerative crop ingredients in food products can promote sustainable agriculture practices and positively impact the environment.