As a follow-up to my post about the Associated Press article regarding the gourmeting of America, there will always be the other food trend that's not going anywhere: the goal of converting any new food into a consumer product -- essentially, capitalizing on the idea of placing the food onto as many plates (or takeout containers) as possible.
The first part is to take the food and turn it into a packaged good. "Grilled chicken" that is frozen is not really grilled, "honey mustard-flavored" often does not contain honey, and anything with "vanilla" might actually contain vanillin, a component of wood and a byproduct of the paper industry.
Once there is widescale acceptance, the second part is to somehow add this food, taste, or ingredient to other, existing food products. Starbucks' Green Tea Frappuccino comes to mind.
The product could end up on a supermarket shelf, or find its way into the catalog of a large distributor like Sysco -- which would invariably end up on the menu at a quick-service, casual dining, fast-casual, or neighborhood restaurant.
Salsa, pasta, tortillas, brown rice, soy sauce -- even pizza -- were once considered gourmet -- and even exotic -- but are now widely available in a variety of retail or dining settings. Cuisines like Chinese, Mexican, and Italian have been mainstream for at least 50 years -- but were once thought of as ethnic or only available in a gourmet setting. Televison commercials and magazine ads still tout the wonders of "bistro classics," a "taste of Asia," or "like being in Provence."
ConAgra's brands: how many do you see here that are "American?"
Not to sound too mercenary, but why not? Everyone should have the opportunity to distribute and sell a product to the widest audience possible. And what's the result? We eat foods we didn't realize existed, made more accessible because they are available at Target or the local fast-food chain -- all at a rather attractive price.
There are also several peripheral industries that benefit from this surge in consumer interest in gourmet food: agribusiness companies, food distributors and suppliers to the restaurant industry, supermarkets and retailers, advertising agencies, cable TV networks.
What will be the next "breakthrough" gourmet, ethnic, or exotic food? Hey, we're in the Land of Opportunity.... stay tuned.
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