CONSUMERS WANT AUTHENTIC ETHNIC FARE

The popularity of ethnic foods with U.S. consumers has been on the upswing over the past few years, and diners are demanding authenticity when it comes to their favorite dishes, according to new market research from Mintel. In fact, two-thirds of respondents who eat ethnic food at home say authentic or traditional flavors is the most important factor when buying or eating ethnic food.

"If flavor fanatics are going to spend their hard earned money and time visiting an ethnic restaurant or buying international foods to prepare at home, increasingly, they want it to be the real deal," said David Browne, Mintel senior analyst. "Therefore, products positioned as such have a greater likelihood of finding favor with consumers."

Aside from an authentic flavor, ethnic foodies also place importance on all-natural (49%), premium/gourmet or artisanal (49%) and reduced fat (48%) positional claims, which round out the top characteristics overall that matter in the purchase decision.

When making ethnic fare at home, 70% of respondents say they made Italian food in the past 30 days. Nearly two-thirds (63%) made Mexican food, followed by 46% who made Chinese food. Interestingly, 29% of home cooks opted to take the fusion food route by mixing elements from various culinary traditions.

Meanwhile, a full 81% of respondents say they ate ethnic food away from home in the month leading up to the survey, a six percentage point increase from 2010. According to Mintel Menu Insights, the five most popular ethnic cuisine menu items in restaurants at the end of Q3 2011 were Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Pan-Asian and Japanese.

Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food saw robust growth in the past year and both are expected to continue to gain in popularity in the future, likely due to food provider Sabra, as well as a healthy and convenient positioning.

"Consumer interest in healthy eating and convenience food contributes to the growth seen in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern categories," Browne said. "The growing popularity of pre-packaged hummus and Greek-style yogurt mixed with the deli salad case offering chickpea, tabbouleh and orzo salads is giving this cuisine a healthful and easy edge on the competition."

In their native lands, many ethnic entrées are inherently healthy. Those foods that are more indulgent, such as cream-sauced pastas, are consumed moderately; however, the Americanization of ethnic foods often magnifies serving sizes and unhealthy attributes.