Griffith Foods: Buzz for Honey

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QSR/FOODSERVICE:

To generate craveable dishes, operators are largely relying on spicy honey tastes, particularly when combined with chicken. Honey is often utilized as a healthier taste enhancer in desserts.

PROTEIN TRANSLATORS:

Honey is an excellent ingredient for balancing savory and spicy flavors, particularly when used in sauces with proteins. In that environment, honey is occasionally used to substitute processed sugars, hence emphasizing the health benefits of honey in goods is critical.

A Hint of Sugar

Honey’s flexibility in combining with other ingredients makes it a genuine back-of-house mainstay. In our latest video, Chef Jaime Mestan uses honey as both a brine for tea-smoked duck breast and the foundation of a honey-lemongrass finishing sauce.

Honey consumption has reached an all-time high. Honey is one of the world’s most versatile ingredients, adding delicate sweetness to everything from salad dressings to cocktails to potato chips. And, with over 300 varieties in the United States alone (National Honey Board, 2022), there’s a honey for every product and menu use.

So, what’s all the fuss about? Let’s take a peek at honey’s health halo to find out. 38% of global consumers

So, what’s the big deal? To address this question, consider honey’s health halo. A remarkable 38% of worldwide consumers indicate they are actively attempting to limit their sugar intake (GlobalData, 2022), and many people prefer honey over refined sugar. Product makers are taking notice. Because of the naturally sweet power of honey, snack and energy bars across North America, South America, and the Middle East are advertising simple ingredient labels with no processed sugars or additives (Mintel, 2023). Even candy businesses are combining honey with ingredients like fair-trade dark chocolate, toasted almonds, and citrus to create products that fit the “permissible indulgence” trend (Candy Industry, 2021).

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From sweet to salty to spicy, honey is one of the most popular tastes to mix with protein. Honey garlic, honey barbecue, honey sriracha, and honey chipotle are just a few of the sauces, glazes, and marinades that spice up wings, chicken sandwiches, plant-based sausages, and meal packages. Honey is commonly used to flavor chicken and pig items in China, Thailand, and Japan, however it is typically combined with spices such as yuzu, fingerroot ginger, and miso to give depth of flavor. The hot honey craze, which began in Brazilian pizzerias before spreading around the world (Mintel, 2023), continues to capitalize on customers’ enjoyment of taste mashups.