Spanish food and drink trade show Alimentaria this year celebrated its 50th anniversary. The biennial event takes place at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via and attracted 3,300 exhibitors from 70 different countries in 2026, making it “the most international edition yet”, according to its director Anna Canal.
As such, Alimentaria made the entirety of its Innoval awards, which spotlights exceptional innovation in the sector, open to global applicants for the first time this year; previously there was a separate category for international entrants. A dedicated space within the exhibition centre last week (23-26 March) showcased approximately 300 recent launches, developed in response to criteria including health, sustainability and pleasure.
Canal identifies Bagazitos, a Spanish brand which uses beer brewers’ spent grain as the base ingredient for its high-fibre chips, as a standout example of innovation from the fair. “It’s a product that used to be thrown away, but they’ve created a circular process.” What’s more, its high fibre and protein content mean it’s “on trend”, she says. No wonder, then, that it snagged an Innoval award for ‘sustainability’.
Bagazitos is just one example of clever innovation. From chocolate crisps to air fryer pizza snacks, Innoval and the wider Alimentaria show was bursting with unique food and drink products this year. Here are six standout trends picked out by The Grocer:
1. Crisps, but not as we know them
Bagazitos isn’t the only supplier doing savoury snacks differently. Xocoxips, a chocolate-dipped potato chips range by Spanish snack maker Alfonso Torres, also scooped an Innoval award for ‘innovative & convenient sweets’.
Meanwhile, the Innoval award for ‘alternative protein’ went to Ouegg, from Patatas Fritas Torres (of posh crisps fame), which claims to have produced the first chips made with dehydrated egg whites only. Apparently, it uses special technology to preserve the egg whites’ nutritional value, including their protein content.
Meanwhile, Ukranian entry Chick & Go aimed to meet shoppers’ growing demand for protein with dried chicken breast snacks (pictured above). Elsewhere in Alimentaria, Thai snacking brand Prinze Snack showcased broccoli chips.
Most of these companies should be applauded for trying to make crisps healthier, but Alfonso Torres’ Xocoxips sound the tastiest!
2. Big brands are prioritising protein
This trend is hardly shocking: the global protein market is currently valued at $12.2bn and is projected to reach $37.3bn by 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights. We’ve already seen a tranche of protein-packed innovation in the UK over recent years, and the products showcased at Alimentaria indicate there’s more to come.
Take Nestlé’s Lion Protein cereal, launched by Cereal Partners Toruń in January. Containing chocolate and caramel-flavoured waffle-shaped pieces, the innovation could be positioned to win back share from fast-growing challenger brands like Fuel10k in the UK.
Also showcased at Innoval was Alpro Meal To Go, which launched in Spain at the start of 2026, delivering 20g protein per 500ml bottle. Chocolate & Banana and Mango & Passionfruit flavours are available on the Spanish market, and Danone has this week announced plans to bring Chocolate & Banana to the UK in May, accompanied by Vanilla. It’s interesting timing given last week’s news that Danone has swooped to snap up meal replacement brand Huel.
3. Chocolate is packed with inclusions
Last year’s Dubai-style chocolate frenzy was not a flash in the pan, it seems. Chocolate suppliers, big and small, are still pushing chunky bars packed with creamy fillings and crunchy inclusions. Take Nestlé’s Extrafino range, showcased as part of Innoval, whose bars include the likes of cookie pieces, crunchy corn, soft caramel, whole almonds and whole hazelnuts. Then there’s Nestlé’s Kit Kat tablets with a marbled chocolate coating, which launched in the UK last January.
Spanish supplier Lacasa directly referenced the Dubai-style chocolate craze in its Innoval entry, showcasing pistachios covered in pistachio cream with kataifi and milk chocolate. Meanwhile, Torras displayed its HeyGo 0% added sugar tablets, packed with pistachios, hazelnuts and crunchy rice pieces.
Elsewhere in the show, Conguitas displayed its chocolate-coated corn snacks, while BeeMax and Eurochoc showcased matcha and strawberry chocolate bars. Lindt launched a similar ‘Tokyo-style’ chocolate bar in December on a limited run. Looks like it was onto something…
4. Air fryers are taking over
It’s unsurprising that brands are innovating to meet shoppers’ growing air fryer use. After all, almost two-thirds of Brits (61%) now own one of the appliances, a January 2025 survey by Leatherhead Food Research revealed. Even so, Alimentaria showcased some pieces of air fryer innovation that deserve mentioning.
Spanish manufacturers Fripozo and Maheso scooped a joint win in Innoval’s ‘ice cream and frozen’ category. The winning products, Fripozo’s Pizza Snacks and Maheso’s Churro Bites filled with Nocilla cocoa and hazelnut spread, were both developed specifically for air fryers. Fripozo also showcased its air fryer Street Nuggets in Bacon & Cheese and Red Chilli, while Maggi displayed its air fryer coatings.
Across the wider show, the likes of Carmencita and Ducros (which is Schwartz in the UK) displayed seasonings specifically designed for food prepared in an air fryer.
5. Football fixtures are influencing NPD
Summer sports events often present retailers with an opportunity to cash in on extra sales of snacks and alcohol. It’s no wonder, then, that suppliers are also positioning themselves to benefit from the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Spanish national team, La Roja, has inspired a swathe of innovations, spanning burgers to chocolate and energy drinks. For Innoval, Legado Ibérico showcased burgers containing a blend of beef and Iberian pork, which it claimed was “our team’s secret”. Meanwhile, Nestlé displayed a special-edition Extrafino chocolate bar. Available in three designs, each tablet is embossed with illustrations of six players from the national team.
Elsewhere in Alimentaria, Eneryeti showcased limited-edition energy drinks in an assortment of can designs, each featuring a member of the Spanish football team. Eyes peeled for England-themed fmcg launches in the coming weeks!
6. Snacking is getting gamified
With young shoppers spending more time on social media than ever before, snack brands are seeking to create ‘shareable’ moments through innovation. PepsiCo demonstrated this desire with the launch of its ‘Flamin’ Hot or Not?’ crisps packs in June, in partnership with Netflix’s hit show Squid Game. One in four crisps inside the limited-edition packs of Doritos Chilli Heatwave and Walkers Max Sticky BBQ were extra-spicy, challenging shoppers to take on a “bold game” of roulette.
Hot Chip, a supplier from the Czech Republic, is up to similar tricks. For Innoval, it presented Hot Nut Challenge, which “turns food in a game”. Packs contain chilli-coated peanuts of varying spice levels, designed to be shared among friends for purposes of “competition and fun”. Meanwhile, Trolli Iberica showcased Octopus Spicy, which launched in Spain this month. Packs contain an assortment of octopus-shaped, berry-flavoured jelly sweets in three heat levels for a “sweet to spicy experience”.
Elsewhere in the show, Polish brand Sour Madness presented its ultra-sour sweets, which feature an on-pack call-to-action, urging shoppers to “take the challenge”. These snacks aren’t for the faint-hearted!
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