Latin flavors and aromas are here to stay: the growing Hispanic population of the United States influences the country's eating habits

Food & Drug Packaging, March, 2005

The demand for Latin food in U.S. restaurants is growing at a rate of about 10% per year--almost as fast as the Hispanic population in this country, which is nine times higher than the growth rate of non-Hispanic communities, according to research firm Infoamericas.

In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, between the years 2000 and 2020, Hispanics will be responsible for 44% of the total U.S. population growth. Furthermore, Hispanics recently became the largest minority group, with 40 million living throughout the 50 states.

This growth is especially reflected in influencing food consumption in the country. It is now common for the largest supermarkets in the United States to have shelf-space for dulce de leche and goat cheese from Argentina, for Peruvian yellow aji and Inka Cola, for arepas and Guayanes cheese from Venezuela, for cassava and guava bocadillos from Colombia, and for blue-corn tortillas from Mexico.

This situation has led to the creation of the first Latin American food fair in the U.S. Organized by Fispal Latino, the fair will take place next May at the Miami Beach Convention Center, with the attendance of Hispanic gastronomic masters and renowned innovators of North American cuisine like Robin Hass and George Berger, who have introduced typical Latin American products in their most sophisticated creations.

From French Fries to Criolla Mama

Oscar Dominguez, president of Fispal Latino, claims that as a result of this Latin influence "American consumers are enjoying a more diverse daily diet to the degree that in the past 20 years mango consumption has increased over 800% while 80% of bananas consumed in the United States come from Ecuador."

This culinary event--the first of its kind in South Florida--will be the ideal platform for Anglo-Saxon and Hispanic cultures to find new affinities, at least as far as taste and food are concerned. In addition, it will enable producers and importers to expand their business relationships.

According to Luis Lauredo, former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) and business consultant between Europe and the U.S. with Latin America.: "The Fispal Latino Fair will strengthen the export capacity from Latin American countries to the United States. This fair will be important in promoting an understanding of Latin America's strategic value in this market."

Data recently released by Simmons Market Research indicate that the Hispanic community's purchasing volume in America reached US $581 billion in 2002 and, according to projections released by Infoamericas, by the year 2009 this figure will grow closer to US $930 billion.

"This means that Latin Americans living in the United States consume more than the 100 million Mexicans or the 170 million Brazilians do in their own countries," added Oscar Dominguez. Thanks to this trend there is a "culinary crossover".

For more information on Fispal Latino Food Fair & Forum 2005, call 305-779-3045; e-mail o.dominguez@cefapusa.com; or visit www.fispal.com/fispallatino/.