CNN — NEW YORK (CNN) — Americans need to prepare for a heatwave, and not just because of rising temperatures.
Consumers are boldly awakening to bolder, spicier and more exciting tastes, and the food and beverage market is happy to respond.
Walk into a Walmart, Target, your local 7-Eleven or pretty much any grocery store that sells packaged foods these days and it’s hard to miss them: The snack aisle is getting spicier.
“The painful trends are likely to continue,” Sally Lyons Wyatt, packaged goods and foodservice industry adviser at market research firm Circana, told CNN in an interview.
From chips, popcorn and burgers to ice cream, frozen pizza, alcohol, Starbucks drinks and Coca-Cola, a growing number of food and beverage brands are enhancing the appeal of their products by adding spices, bold “spicy” flavours or just plain hotness.
“My motto over the last few years has been ‘the spicier the better’ because consumers love it. Traditionally this was driven by younger consumers but now bolder flavours are being embraced by most age groups, although it is still dominated by the younger consumer,” Lyons Wyatt said.
She said demographics seeing a rise in demand for spicy flavors include young millennials, Gen Z and the youngest generation, Gen Alpha.
While it may seem like spicy foods are everywhere in the grocery store these days, the trend dates back at least a decade to being established as a way to add heat to snack foods, she said.
“But the widespread adoption of heat across beverage categories is relatively recent,” Lyons said.
She’s right. In February, Coca-Cola launched its first classic soda flavor in years. The flavor it chose is “Coca-Cola Spiced.” The company told CNN that its research has revealed “increased consumer willingness to try spiced drinks” and “darker flavors and more complex flavor profiles” in both food and beverages.
The carbonated drinks giant said the new drink will combine traditional Coca-Cola taste with raspberry and spice flavours and will be available in both sugar-free and unsweetened varieties.
First comes the spice, then the swish
In April, Starbucks launched a spicy new line of spring lemonade drinks for a limited time only, with three flavors — spicy dragonfruit, spicy pineapple and spicy strawberry — inspired by the “sweecy” trend, which refers to creative combinations of sweet and spicy flavors.
Spiciness and sweetness come together to create “swissiness,” and brands are looking for ways to expand the spicy trend and make it a hit.
The refreshing drink, targeted at Gen Z and millennials, packs a punch with the addition of Starbucks’ spicy chili powder blend, according to the company.Last spring, Starbucks added limited-edition hot honey drinks, including Hot Honey Affogato and Hot Honey Espresso Martini, made with chili pepper-infused wildflower honey, to the menu at Starbucks Reserve roasteries and select U.S. stores.
“I think we’re going to see more of this trend,” Lyons Wyatt said. “Right now, we’re seeing both sales and revenue growth for spicy and spicy products.”
A younger, more diverse America is more exciting
According to Circana, sales of food and drink products with “spicy” in the description increased 9% year-on-year.
According to the latest data from Circana, 11% of 25-34 year-olds prefer bold and unexpected flavors, up 7 percentage points from 2019. Additionally, 11% of 18-34 year-olds prefer bold and unexpected flavors, up 4.7 percentage points from 2019.
Industry experts said demographic changes are a big driver for bolder flavor experimentation.
The US is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, which means greater access to ingredients and cuisines from around the world, Jennifer Creevey, food and beverage director at trend forecasting and analysis company WGSN, said in an interview with CNN.
“Younger generations – Gen Z and Gen Alpha – are much more globally minded than previous generations. To them, chili crisp and salsa macha are just as common condiments as mayonnaise and ketchup,” Creevey says.
With increasing globalization, more culturally diverse music, entertainment and games have become the norm, which in turn influences our food choices, she said.
“Take for example the rise of K-dramas and K-pop. Fans of this entertainment not only want to consume media, but they also want to taste Korean food. So the spicy gochujang has risen and is now used in everything from cooking to snacks, drinks and desserts,” she said. Gochujang is a red chili pepper paste and a popular condiment in Korea.
Interest in Vietnamese and African cuisines has also grown over the past four years, according to global market research firm Mintel.
The pandemic has also been a key accelerator in spices’ popularity.
“During the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, consumers were unable to travel and were keen to sample cuisines from far-flung lands,” Creevey said. “This, combined with consumers feeling more confident in the kitchen, is leading to more adventurous tastes.”
Can our taste buds tolerate spicy food as we age?
Spicy and Swishy’s longevity will depend on how much consumers continue to love these flavors as they get older.
“As we get older, our tastes change, so it’s hard to say one size fits all throughout our lives,” Lyons Wyatt says. “Younger generations are elevating wine, and all generations are enjoying it, but to different degrees.”
Expect spiciness to spread to other food categories in the future: “You’ll see sweeter and spicier flavors in confectionery, frozen foods, deli products and even in edibles used in pizza sauces,” she said.
PepsiCo, which owns spicy snack and beverage brand Flamin’ Hot, told CNN that North American shoppers will visit stores nearly 400 million times to buy Flamin’ Hot products in 2023, up 31% from the previous year.
“Flamin’ Hot is especially popular among younger, more adventurous consumers who want a big kick with every bite,” said Mustafa Shamserdin, category growth head and chief marketing officer, International Foods, PepsiCo. “We continue to grow the brand to meet the expectations of this group, always striving to create flavors that resonate with them, whether they’re looking for a rich taste with a hint of spice or something fiery.”
Nestle USA, which owns the DiGiorno frozen pizza brand, told CNN it’s jumping on the trend with product innovation. In the spring, Nestle launched DiGiorno’s Thin, Crispy Crust Pepperoni Pizza with Mike’s Hot Honey. Nestle also introduced a Tombstone Tavern-style pizza called “Primo,” with pepperoni, sausage, banana peppers and red onion.
Nestle has also recently introduced some spicy new products, including California Pizza Kitchen’s Hot Honey Croissant Crust Pizza, Stouffer’s Spicy Nacho Mac and Hot Pockets x Hot Ones.
“We want to challenge the perception that American palates are inherently bland. Red pepper flakes have always been a central part of the pizza experience,” said Vartyasvi Singh, foodservice analyst at Mintel.
“Americans have made condiments like Sriracha and hot honey into cult favorites, but the appetite for spicy foods and flavors is definitely growing, driven by a desire to try unfamiliar ingredients and dishes,” Singh says. “This craze is not a passing fad and is here to stay.”
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