NEW YORK CITY – Retailers should consider marketing traditionally Hispanic snacks to non-Hispanic customers because of an increased interest among non-Hispanics in hot and spicy food, FoodNavigator.com reports. While currently 53 million Hispanics live in the United States — and that number is predicted jump three-fold by 2050 — the number of non-Hispanic shoppers who are picking up Mexican- and Latin-inspired snacks is rising.

“The ethnic snack category potential is much larger than just the Hispanic market,” said Terry Soto, president/CEO of Marketing Solutions. “The preference for Latin and Mexican [among non-Hispanics] is tremendous. The appetite has grown in leaps and bounds and is expected to grow as a segment by 2% over the next two years. It is absolutely a category that is growing.”

Overall, consumers are developing a taste for strong, authentic flavors. The desire for ethnic foods has been “brewing for years,” said Soto. Ethnic foods rang up sales of $3 billion two years ago, with Mexican/Hispanic foods capturing 50% of that number.

Non-Hispanic customers want complex and interesting flavors in Hispanic snack foods. “This year alone, heat and authenticity are operative words,” said Soto. “There is just this amazing like and appeal for very, very spicy flavors from non-Hispanic consumers.”