“Authenticity is crucial to the ethnic food and beverage purchasing decision,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice-president with Technomic. “Sixty-five per cent of consumers say food that tastes authentic is one of the most important factors in deciding which establishment to visit for ethnic foods and beverages. Operators have an opportunity to create innovative and globally inspired menu items reflected through preparation, taste and flavor. Consumers also say dishes prepared by someone from that region are given greater credibility as authentic.”
Technomic also found 77% of consumers buy ethnic foods and flavors away from home at least once a month, with this strongly driven by Asian and Hispanic respondents.
Foods do not necessarily need to be from another country to be considered ethnic as 9 out of 10 consumers believe regional U.S. cuisines such as Cajun and Creole to be ethnic. In addition, Southeast Asian flavors are moving into the mainstream with the development of familiar foods that have a Thai, Vietnamese or Indonesian influence on sauces, dressings and ingredients.
