New Culinary Trend Report Tracks Global Spices Heating Up America

New York, June 29, 2007 — Americans today are embracing the bold and aromatic spices that have been accenting global foods for centuries. Thanks to emerging ethnic cuisines, like North African and Vietnamese, as well as our continued quest for bigger flavors, consumers are turning to new spices, chiles and blends in homes, supermarkets, fast-food and fine dining restaurants across the country, according to new market research in Spices and Seasonings: Culinary Trend Mapping Report.

A collaborative effort of market research firm Packaged Facts, and San Francisco’s Center for Culinary Development (CCD), the latest issue of the bimonthly Culinary Trend Mapping Report chronicles how spices are infiltrating menus and specialty food products, and in the process differentiating them, attracting new customers and even adding health halos.

According to the report, as the cultural makeup of America has shifted and our national penchant for international flavors has grown beyond pizza and toward flatbreads, spices have become a key tool in marketers’ flavor arsenal. Mediterranean, Pan-Asian, Pan-Latin spices and seasonings can extend brands and build bridges to ethnic consumers, while myriad spice blends, like Chinese Five Spice, take consumers to new flavor levels.

“Beyond salt and pepper, the spice market has now reached $1.2 billion, truly pointing to an awakening American palate,” notes Kimberly Egan, Managing Director/Principal at CCD. “In this report we’ve tracked and profiled some of the most unique spices and blends, including emerging spices such as Peri-Peri peppers, Japanese Shichimi Togarashi, African Ras El Hanout and Harissa, and spices that are showing up more widely, such as Star Anise, Saffron and Ancho Chile.”

Culinary Trend Mapping Report: A Bimonthly Journal of Food and Ingredient Insight is available both by individual bimonthly issue and annual subscription from Packaged Facts by visiting: http://www.packagedfacts.com/Culinary-Trend-1282398.

About Packaged Facts
Packaged Facts publishes research reports on consumer industries including consumer goods, foods and beverages, and demographics. For more information visit www.PackagedFacts.com, or contact Tom Ehart at 240-747-3014, or tehart@marketresearch.com.

About the Center for Culinary Development
The Center for Culinary Development is a food and beverage development company that blends culinary creativity with strategic marketing expertise to help clients create food product solutions that satisfy consumer expectations. For more information, visit www.ccdsf.com, or contact Kimberly Egan at 415-693-8900, or kegan@ccdsf.com.