The Changing Meat Palate

Players in the protein category are catching up to the flavor curve.

Demand is growing for more multicultural meat flavors, such as those from the Philippines, Korea, Brazil, Peru and Southeast Asia.1 From 2014 to 2015, new product launches with global flavors increased 69 percent in the United States, according to Innova Market Insights.2

“Across the globe, we are seeing more and more ‘new’ dish flavors emerge outside of their home countries and standard flavor ranges for individual cuisines are extending to include specific regional dishes and authentic street food offerings,” says Natalie Tremellen, Market Analyst, Innova Market Insights in Australia.3

A Changing Consumer Palate

“There are many factors at play here, but generally, consumers are wanting more flavor from food and are craving hotter, spicier foods in which many [internationally-inspired] foods do deliver on,” says Tremellen.4

Indeed, younger generations—Millennials and Gen Zers—are already asking for spicier menu offerings at restaurants.5 “These generations grew up with the most ethnically diverse consumer set and are the most adventurous eaters,” says Lizzy Freier, Managing Editor of Menu Analysis at Chicago-based Technomic, Inc.6

More recently, pop-up restaurants and food trucks are dining trends that have expanded multicultural food introductions to consumers, such as Korean barbecue taco trucks that feature a fusion of Korean spicy barbecue and Mexican street food.7

Flavor Demand

“Palates are always changing,” notes Freier. “While some like their standard fare, diners as a whole are becoming much more adventurous and willing to try spicier ingredients.”8

Korean cuisine has made a smooth entrance in part because it lends itself to a variety of applications already familiar to Americans, such as barbecue, tacos and fried chicken.9 The flavor combination of sweet, salty, sour, acidic and spicy often found in Korean cuisine10can be introduced to meat-based offerings through marinades and general flavoring.11

“[The global, authentic flavor] trend is particularly evident for Asian cuisine, with dishes such as Malaysian Laksa, Indian Beef Keema, Indonesian Nasi Goreng, Korean Bulgogi Beef and various curry dishes gaining momentum,” says Tremellen.12 The growth of product offerings, including meat products, featuring these exciting, multi-cultural flavors is expected to continue.13

Grilling and barbecuing are techniques by which new flavors are being introduced in meat.14“Filtering down from leading chefs is the popularity of various grilling and barbeque methods used around the world,” notes Tremellen.15 “Charcoal grilling in particular is definitely on trend, with Japanese Yakitori (grilled skewered chicken) being a dish/flavor with more potential. Churrasco—Brazilian-style BBQ flavoring—could gain traction outside of South America for big and bold flavors for meat,” adds Tremellen.16

Inspiration From Foodservice

A continued trend in restaurants is the use of traditional Latin peppers to amplify meat dishes.17 “These are your jalapeños, habaneros, chipotles and anchos, which are being featured as a whole or infused into sauces or seasonings atop proteins,” says Freier.18

Also gaining a following are several emerging peppers, which provide further flavor diversity.19 “Calabrian peppers, for example, have been showing up in select restaurants,” says Freier. “Other less-familiar chili peppers trending include pasilla, guajillo and piquillo peppers — showing up in dried and fresh forms.”20

Looking Forward

As new flavor offerings for meat continue to increase in popularity in restaurants, consumers may look for these same multicultural flavorings in grocery stores. There is an opportunity for meat manufacturers to move beyond traditional seasonings to accommodate this growing consumer interest.