“It’s not that they’re new cuisines, it’s just that they’re newer to the American palate,” Amanda Topper, Associate Director of Foodservice Research at Mintel, told FoodNavigator-USA.
Some growing trends that Topper noted, based on the frequency of their appearing in menu items in US restaurants, include Filipino Adobo, North African Harissa, and piri-piri from Eastern Africa.
Topper was part of the team that compiled Mintel’s Foodservice Trends 2017 report, which she said took about five months to compile across different teams within the market research company. “We collaborated with the food analysts, drink analysts, and foodservice analysts in the US,” she said.
Pairing with the familiar
These global flavors are infiltrating American everyday eating habits not in the same way they are eaten at their country of origin. “It’s not necessarily an entirely new menu or dish, but it’s the sense of having maybe a Middle Eastern flavor paired with a French fry, something more familiar to the US consumer palate,” Topper said.
A survey conducted by Mintel’s foodservice analytics team found that 35% of US consumers say unique flavors or ingredients in familiar dishes would entice them to try new menu items. How can does this tie to packaged food and beverages?
“It’s not always that these new flavor trends are happening in foodservice and going to retail,” she said. “I think just knowing that younger travelers are becoming more well-traveled, it influences what flavors they are looking for at home.”
If you’re interested to learn more, Amanda Topper will be on the panel of our upcoming, FREE Flavor Trends webinar June 14th
We’ve put together a panel of some of the best experts in the food and beverage industry to talk about the current flavor landscape in packaged food and beverage, what flavors have made it out of the trend report to store shelves to grocery carts, and guide brands on how to authentically execute on-trend flavors. Click HERE to Register!
Date: Weds June 14, 2017
Time: 11.30am EST
Duration: 60 minutes
In the first 45 minutes of the live, free-to-attend, online 60-minute Flavor Trends Forum sponsored by Synergy, FlavorHealth and Sweegen, we’ll address the following agenda points.
- Understanding the trend report: How data is collected, and how to translate this into what works for your brand
- This year’s forecasts: A deep dive into which flavor trends our panelists think have legs in 2017
- The global palate: Trendwatchers say US consumers are broadening their tastes. But how can manufacturers tap into these trends (and develop branding/messaging) in an authentic way?
Click HERE to Register!