My wife Jane and I were lucky enough to take the trip of a lifetime last month to Southeast Asia, spending most of our time in Thailand and Cambodia. Thanks to Jane’s travel bug, we’ve taken more than a few trips of a lifetime already, visiting places like the Galapagos Islands, Patagonia, Machu Picchu, Tierra del Fuego and Angkor Wat.

In between exploring the local sights, one of my favorite things to do while in these far-flung parts of the world is to pop into the local grocery store to see all the crazy stuff that’s available. Jane used to look at me quizzically when I would announce my intention to mount a brief grocery store expedition but I think I’ve won her over. On our recent trip, I actually had to drag her out of a mini-mart in northern Thailand. (“Joe look! Cuttlefish-flavored snack chips! Taro-flavored ice cream bars! Corn popsicles!”)

Food in general was much on our minds on the trip as the region was in the throes of the avian flu scare. We arrived in Bangkok the day before the fear really started to grow and were amazed at how quickly chicken dishes disappeared from the dull hotel lunch buffets our tours often deposited us at. The locals stopped eating chicken as well, necessitating a daily front-page newspaper photo of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra or some other celebrity polishing off a piece of chicken as a way to quell public fears.

Before I take you back to the world of marketing research, I have to get in a plug for Cambodian cuisine. We were only in Cambodia for three days but I don’t know if I’ve ever had a more satisfying series of meals. I’m not a food critic so I can’t put my finger on what made the dishes so great but they all seemed to be bursting with flavor, whether it was the rich tom yum soup or the citronella tinge of the steamed serpent-head fish or the ambrosial vegetable curry. We’re blessed here in Minneapolis and St. Paul with an amazing variety of good ethnic restaurants but I think I’ll bypass the Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai food for a while and go Khmer!

Progressing nicely

My culinary rambling is in keeping with my aim this month, which is to pass on some information on 2003 food product introductions from Chicago-based research firm Mintel. While I’m willing to wager that cuttlefish wasn’t a flavor in any of the new products the U.S. food industry launched last year, the Mintel data shows that the expansion of the American palate is progressing nicely.

According to Mintel, the food industry introduced over 11,500 new products in 2003, a 20 percent jump over 2002. For 2003, the strongest food category was sauces and seasonings, which accounted for nearly 14 percent of all food product introductions. Four categories within food (sauces and seasonings, bakery, beverages, and confectionery) accounted for over half of all food introductions in 2003.

In the sauces and seasonings category, subcategories cooking sauces and seasonings had the most growth from 2002 to 2003, accounting for more than half the introductions in this category. In 2002, the two accounted for about 41 percent of the total introductions. The category as a whole showed growth in ethnic flavorings. Cooking sauces made creating an exotic dish a lot easier for the home gourmet. Indian curry sauces, Asian stir fry sauces, and spicy Cajun sauces were popular. Dressings were particularly strong in the gourmet market sector, with flavors such as toasted sesame wasabi and fresh mango.

Sauce and seasoning makers also focused their attention on the appearance of their products, creating packaging with display value and functionality. One example is Boston Tea’s Boston World of Spice Garlic Powder, which is packaged in a “press-n-pop” can that seals nicely but also looks great.

Convenience foods are quite popular now, since none of us seemingly has any extra time. Prepared meals led the “meals and meal center” category in 2003, according to Mintel. But the nice thing is, those with special dietary needs aren’t being ignored. Vegetarians, low-carb dieters, and organic consumers can all find options in the prepared meals category. Fairfield Farm Kitchens created the Organic Classics line of dishes featuring certified organic meats, pastas and vegetables. Amy’s Kitchen and Eastern Essence added several organic Indian meals. Moosewood Pantry offered a line of prepared meals that was both organic and vegetarian, and Fantastic Foods added a line that was both vegetarian and low carb.

More options

Fans of frozen meals now have more options beyond standard American fare. ConAgra launched a new Healthy Choice sub-brand called Flavor Adventures mid-year, including premium flavors like Beef Merlot and Chicken Tuscany. ConAgra also spiffed up its Banquet brand with Crock Pot Classics, a line of meals designed to be prepared in a crock pot, which can be simmered in the pot for eight to 10 hours.

In the food categories, a few subcategories saw notable increases. Breakfast cereal introductions, for example, grew significantly from 2002 to 2003, posting an increase of 82 percent. The hottest segment was cold cereals. Most introductions were simply line extensions of existing brands from the two big cereal manufacturers, Kellogg’s and General Mills. The natural/organic sectors saw some healthful introductions. Health Valley released Empower cereal, which it claimed is the “most complete breakfast cereal.” It’s made with organic wheat and oats and provides 500mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 100 percent of 10 vitamins and minerals per serving. Nature’s Path Foods gave us Organic Spelt Flakes, which is low in gluten, yet high in fiber and protein. Nature’s Path also added Optimum Zen, an organic cereal blended with cranberries and ginger, which are said to aid digestion and offer nutritional balance with “inner harmony.”

Mintel singled out one innovation in the dairy category for mention. A product that shook things up in 2003 was Cadbury-Schweppes’ Raging Cow, which is still in test market nearly a year after launch. Raging Cow is a shelf-stable flavored dairy drink in flavors like Piña Colada Chaos and Chocolate Insanity. It ships shelf-stable, is sold chilled, and only needs refrigeration after opening. If as expected the product goes national in 2004, it will be the country’s first nationally-sold dairy drink. Perhaps a visitor from another country will some day happen upon it as he explores one of our vast grocery stores and marvel!