DSM on July 3, 2014, released the third of its Global Insight papers, stating that its savory consumer perception survey shows that spiced food is now the preference around the world in countries.
The paper reveals that when asked to rank typical food tastes they prefer to eat or prepare at home, 66% of respondents listed ‘spicy’ as one of their top three choices out of a list including ‘spicy’, ‘salty’, ‘sweet’, ‘sour’, ‘sweet & sour’, ‘plain or mild’, ‘bitter’ and ‘other’.
US consumers responded in line with the average score with 66% saying they prefer spiced food, whereas 81% of respondents in Nigeria and 37% in Brazil said they prefer intense and hot flavors in their food.
Where once people may have primarily eaten spicy foods in particular settings such as ethnic restaurants, the survey demonstrates that consumers are increasingly expecting the same richness and intensity of flavors from their home menus, making spicy tastes a vital area for food manufacturers to explore.
In addition, spicy snacks have surged in popularity.
As spiced foods become part of people’s daily diets, they will demand the same qualities from their ready-to-eat dishes: fresh and authentic tastes with complex flavors that are free from unfamiliar additives and represent good value for money.
Frank Meijer, application expert at DSM Food Specialties’ Savory business, shares with Food News International how results of the survey can help in new product development.
FNI: Could you share the demographics of the survey respondents?
Meijer: We interviewed a total of 5000 people of between 18 years and 45 years from Brazil, China, Nigeria, Poland and US.
For this survey, we focused on an even number of male and female respondents living in urban areas.
The survey was conducted in a form of an online questionnaire with multiple choice and open questions.
FNI: From the survey findings, why do more respondents prefer to consume spiced foods?
Meijer: The survey focused primarily on consumers’ taste preference in home-cooked meals and can therefore only provide limited insight into the reason behind their choices.
Nevertheless, it can be assumed that globalization has increased consumer exposure to spicy foods, resulting in a greater variety of local foods (including spiced varieties) in supermarkets.
This is an interesting insight for the savory food industry as it could impact their decisions with regards to the development of new products.
FNI: There has been an encouragement of consuming spices and flavoring foods for zero calorie spices for weight management and natural flavorings by nutritionists and the media. How has affected the demand for spiced foods by consumers?
Meijer: There are foods that focus on the removal of taste-enhancing ingredients such as fat and salt, which require a combination of taste building ingredients to maintain an appealing taste profile.
For instance, creamy soup that is low in fat and salt benefits tremendously from an increase in meaty and spicy flavor notes.
It is a combination of several layers of taste and aroma that will result in consumer satisfaction.
FNI: How can food and beverage (F&B) manufacturers capitalize on this report for growth?
Meijer: The report provides valuable information for F&B manufacturers with regards to taste preference and/or differentiation, enabling them to grow their existing market share by developing new products.
With the report, they can investigate the spiced foods category and identify the various expectations consumers have.
Manufacturers might also be encouraged to market these products more strongly considering this clear consumer preference.
We can help build the complexity of taste layer by layer to respond to this consumer preference.
It is great to see that producers are again looking to make great tasting products.
The report confirms that this is the way forward in this competitive industry.
FNI: What should food formulators consider when creating spiced/spicy foods?
Meijer: There is not just one golden rule.
Overall, it is important to always keep your target group in mind and adapt your recipes to local food traditions and preferences for more traditional food products and cooking styles.
On the other hand, more popular spices and multi-dimensional flavor sensations can be used when developing products that need to be different and appealing to the more adventurous consumer segment.
Finally, well-balanced layers in the taste triangle, such as profound meaty and spicy profiles or the combination of processed flavors (like roasted spices and roasted meat), as well as unprocessed spices (fresh onion in combination with a well-encapsulated roast onion taste) can bring the necessary complexity and taste authenticity to spicy foods.
It is important to deliver not just a singular spicy sensation, but a lingering and intense taste experience.
FNI: How will the use of spices help in producing clean, natural food labels?
Meijer: The application of spices and spice extracts with a natural origin can help manufacturers achieve a natural positioning without compromising on quality or taste.
It reduces the need for non-natural ingredients and brings authenticity to convenient meals so they taste as if they were made in your grandmother’s kitchen.
FNI: In your view, how much market growth can F&B manufacturers realize if they were to produce spicy/spiced versions of existing products, such as biscuits and crisps? Â
Meijer: Our data suggests that repeat sales are primarily driven by great taste, followed by price and convenience.
Consumers also identify spicy as a taste they would like to see in their home-cooked meals.
We believe that there is a great opportunity for innovation, in particular when looking at the trend for convenience in emerging markets such as China and Poland.
Combined with consumers’ preference for spicy foods, it opens up opportunities for substantial market growth.
FNI: Are there new innovations that can be as promising?
Meijer: We are currently investigating the effect of dosage on consumer preference.
One promising insight is, for instance, that using vegetable and spice extract at lower dosages creates a form of complexity that consumers prefer.
Surprisingly, many consumers considered this as a positive in a wide range of applications with lower dosages.
We are further examining these results as we speak.
