Shake Up Your Spices

Shake Up Your Spices

It's well-known that the lousy economy has forced many Americans to dine out less frequently and cook at home more often. And whether they're preparing a stew from scratch or adding some zest to microwavable lasagna, these folks are turning to store brand spices and seasonings.

Trends with traction

In the spices and seasonings category, bacon-flavored items are hot. Since Seattle-based J&D Foods introduced Bacon Salt in 2007, a number of brands have followed suit, introducing their own savory spices and seasonings enhanced with bacon, explains Mary Chapman, director, product innovation with Chicago-based research firm Technomic Inc.

"Bacon has gained a lot of momentum and is still going strong," adds Mario Mastalerz, certified research chef and R&D manager with Excalibur Seasoning Co., Pekin, Ill. "This popular trend has carried its way over into the spices and seasonings sector very well."

Also answering the wave of demand for savory spices and seasonings are coffee rubs. Although coffee rubs are not new, they are becoming more mainstream, Mastalerz points out — especially with lighter proteins.

"Coffee gives just the right amount of bitterness and uniqueness to rubs and marinades," he says. "For example, Excalibur's Coffee Citrus Rub has just the right amount of sweetness and spice to complement more mild types of protein such as chicken, but it also has a depth and strength to give game birds and beef proteins just the right amount of balance."

Trends on the horizon

In 2012, spices that can be used in fusion cuisine will continue to grow in demand, Mastalerz says. He notes the increasing popularity of "Urban Asian" cuisine.

"Urban Asian Cuisine of today is created from youthful energy [and] ethnic diversity and has clean, vibrant flavor," Mastalerz says. "The Urban Asian fusion of today is a more natural fusion and delivers to a wider audience due to the increase of globalized urban environments."

In response to Urban Asian cuisine's growing popularity, Mastalerz says Excalibur now offers a Green Tea Citrus Seasoning for retailers' store brand programs that complements a variety of dishes — including pasta, rice, fish, poultry and pork.

"The U.S. economy has a way to go to recovery, and people want to experience the sense where they have traveled," he points out. "What better way to do that than through culinary experiences?"

Mastalerz adds that retailers likely will be searching for ways to reduce the size of packaging for private label spices and seasonings in 2012 — especially with packaging material costs on the rise. However, this situation ultimately will benefit the consumer.

"With the ever-increasing costs of raw materials, [using smaller package sizes] allows Excalibur to reduce the unit cost to retailers and, in turn, the retailer can pass on these reductions to consumers," he says.

To meet the demand for smaller package sizes, Excalibur introduced spice and seasoning blends in stick packs — similar to the packaging used for single-serve drink mix powders. The products are available under the Tasteful Sensation brand or for retailers' own-brand programs.

"[The product] allows the customer to use their choice of seasoning blends for a single meal without the need to purchase an entire shaker of a product," Mastalerz says.