Manufacturers Working To Fulfill Growing Demand For Ethnic Foods, Even Among Non-Ethnics

As the buying power of Latino and Asian consumers expands, big food manufacturers are turning to an array of new marketing tactics – packaging innovation, fruit flavors, hotter spices, different textures and grains – to attract an ever more diverse audience, including white millennials. Sales have jumped 4.5 percent between 2010 to 2012 to $8.7 billion, and one researcher predicts ethnic food sales – especially Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods – will grow by 20 percent through 2017 in grocery stores. A clear example: sales of a Mexican fruity soda in garish colors are through the roof, though sales of carbonated drinks are generally declining. The drinks, already popular among Hispanics, have caught on among non-Hispanics.