So, what’s hot in the world of food products? Here are some of the interesting trends popping up in the food industry.

Goodies Gone Green
The organic category keeps exploding. And this goes beyond fruits and vegetables. Recently we’ve encountered organic ice cream, various types of organic milk, and even organic dog food!

I Can't Believe It
15 years ago, TCBY was the busiest store on the block. Now this trend has come back with a vengeance. The lines outside of Pinkberry’s New York locations sometimes extend for an entire block. Other stores offer a choice of mix-ins that are blended—manually or by machine—into the yogurt or ice cream.

Time to "Mooove" On
Beef is getting more and more expensive. A shortage of cattle because of different diseases over the past few years has led to a decrease in imported beef. Restaurants that haven’t already will begin putting less beef on menus and emphasizing creative uses of chicken and lamb, as well as adding more seafood dishes.

Well, Maybe Just a Little
Cupcakes are still really strong, perhaps because they remind us of simpler days of childhood. In May 2007, The New York Times ran an article about the cupcake boom in Los Angeles (with Katie Holmes listed as a big fan), in spite of that city’s eternal health-consciousness and waistline-watching. This trend is quite evident in New York as well. One example is Burgers and Cupcakes in fashionable Chelsea, owned by Bill Liederman, formerly of Mickey Mantles.

In the Bag
There has been a huge expansion in the tea category on gourmet shelves. By far the biggest variety seems to have emerged in green teas flavored with fruit. This is a category that until recently was stagnant despite the stated health benefits. We are also seeing more tea salons, from the very low end to the very high.

Water Everywhere
In spite of the bad press it’s getting, the bottled water category seems to grow every day, with flavors and vitamin infusions. Whoever thought there would be a market for mint water with B-complex balancers?