CHICAGO - Young Americans
and those with children like to spice things up in the kitchen, according to
new research from Mintel on the ethnic foods market. Nine in 10 adults between
the ages of 25 and 34 say they prepared ethnic food at home in the past month
versus only 68% of those age 65 and older. In addition, 91% of Americans with
children under the age of 18 cooked ethnic food compared to 78% of those
without children.
"The ethnic food category
has had a very strong performance during the recession, followed by a still
positive but slightly lower growth trend, likely driven by a return to
restaurants. However, the category is forecast to grow in the future due to its
heightened popularity," said John N. Frank, category manager for CPG food and
drink at Mintel. "As Americans, especially younger people, have palates that
are becoming more adventurous and sophisticated, they are also eager to explore
lesser-known cuisines with unique flavor combinations."
The ethnic food category
experienced solid yearly sales performance, especially during the recession,
with an overall growth of 12% from 2007 to 2009. This performance was likely
driven by a migration from restaurant eating to increased food store purchases
for at-home dining due to restricted budgets.
However, starting in 2010,
sales have increased by only 4.5% from 2010 to 2012, a much lower rate than
what has been seen during the recession. Nevertheless, according to Mintel, the
ethnic food market is forecast to grow by 20.3% from 2012 to 2017, likely
driven by continued consumer interest and more focused product development.
While households with
children continue to over index on consumption of all types of ethnic food
prepared at home, Hispanic food is the most popular, with 72% of respondents
from households with children preparing this cuisine at home in the past month
compared to only 50% of those without children. In addition, Hispanic food is
the most popular with all home cooks as 58% say they prepared it within the
last month versus 55% who have whipped up Italian fare and 44% who have gone
for Asian food.
"The popularity of
Hispanic food is likely due to how mainstream it has become in the U.S. and the
ease and convenience of preparing it," said Frank. "The endless supply of
Mexican, Cuban and other Hispanic-based restaurants have given home cooks
infinite possibilities for re-creating these restaurant-style meals at home."