Ripe for innovation

Bananas crop up in a bunch of sweet and savory snacks seen at Winter Fancy Food. The fruit adds flavor and creaminess to a line of non-dairy frozen desserts from Hakuna Banana. Varieties include banana vanilla, chocolate chocolate chip, banana spice, blueberry, cashew cookie dough and strawberry. Each pint is made with at least two whole bananas, according to the company.

Bubba’s Fine Foods offers a line of ‘Nana Chips, made with green bananas and seasoned with such savory flavors as buffalo, garlic Parmesan and nacho. The snacks are paleo and vegan with no added sugar.

Another exhibitor, Hungry Elephant, makes a line of Nana Chips in spicy, salt and pepper, lightly salted and tomato varieties.

San Diego-based Barnana upcycles organic bananas that otherwise would have been wasted on Latin America farms to make chewy banana bites and crunchy banana brittles in various flavors. The company is unveiling a new dark chocolate variety of banana brittle.