What is Trending in Spicy Flavors?
When it comes to spicy flavors, the options can be daunting. From spicy flavors like piri piri to sriracha, consumers are becoming more aware of specific pepper varietals. Could this be attributed to pop culture with YouTube shows like Hot Ones? Consumers are definitely paying attention to spicy flavor trends, and that goes beyond being able to sustain the hottest heat level. Consumers want spicy and specificity. There are regional and personal preferences to heat level, flavors and consumer behaviors. We provide global consumer, sensory and analytical research to explain consumer perceptions of heat in food products.
This month we are reading articles discussing the trend for heat in meat, new products highlighting spicy flavor trends on the shelves, and original hot and spicy research.
What we are reading:
Donna Berry, Food Business News [Published October 2, 2019] Regardless of whether you refer to food products containing capsaicin as hot, spicy, or another heat-encompassing term, keeping these products relevant for adventurous meat consumers can be challenging. Consumers have more options than ever before with flavors from around the globe. Popular flavors are inspired from regions like Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Spicy specificity is also an important trend for these consumers who want specific pepper varietals. |
Colman Andrews, USA Today [Published November 21, 2019] DoorDash, the U.S. leading food delivery service, released their 2019-2020 Trend Report with many of the top 15 most popular delivery items being spicy in nature. Items from the list include Tex-Mex influenced chili and numerous Mexican dishes. As the most enjoyed spicy cuisine in the world, according to recent Kalsec research, it is not surprising to see Mexican dishes topping the list for food delivery. DoorDash’s list includes 5 Mexican inspired dishes on the 15 top items – dominating the list. |
Oliver Morrison, Food Navigator [Published November 11, 2019] It is not just in the U.S. that trend reports are showing spicy flavors as trending. Recently, Waitrose & Partners, a chain of British supermarkets, came out with their 2019-2020 Food and Drink Report based upon consumer research of 2,000 consumers. In this report, one of the top trends reported is ‘Brits are spicing things up’. As a trend, the report discusses how spicy food consumption is increasing as well as Britons using chili sauce or flakes to replace salt in table-side seasoning. |
Food Business News This slideshow details new products to hit the shelves, indicating trending flavors in product development. According to these slides, intense spicy flavors are trending in snacks, like ‘reaper ranch’ tortilla chips from Taco Bell, or ‘buffalo’ and ‘jalapeno cheddar’ Ritz crisp and thins. |
Asia Pacific Food Industry [Published November 2019] This global hot and spicy consumer, sensory and analytical research provides insight into consumer trends for hot and spicy food products. Additionally, it analyzes ‘mild,’ ‘medium,’ and ‘hot’ heat levels from different countries across the globe, then compares them to sensory and consumer research to test what these heat levels really mean globally. |
Read the latest hot and spicy flavor trend research in our eBook: Spicy Perceptions: Hot and Spicy Food Industry Insights.
To read more about recent hot and spicy trends and insights within the food industry, we recommend this page: hot and spicy food trends.
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