Spicy, 'Swicy' Trends for Summer

“The spicy trend is here to stay,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, packaged goods and foodservice industry advisor with Circana, in an interview with CNN. The snack aisle in particular has begun trending on the spicier side, according to the report.

Food and beverage products including chips, popcorn, burgers, ice cream, frozen pizza, alcohol, Starbucks drinks, and Coca-Cola continue to add spice to their offerings. Additionally, ‘swicy’ products, incorporating both sweet and spicy, are gaining ground.

“My whole motto for a couple of years has been ‘the hotter the better’ because consumers gravitate to it. Traditionally it was younger consumers that were driving this but now we’ve seen bold flavors being embraced by most age groups but the dominant are still younger consumers,” said Wyatt.

Starbucks recently debuted a line of spicy lemonade drinks which it said were inspired by the ‘swicy’ trend, aimed at appealing to Gen Z and Millennials, noted the report.

“I think we are going to see a lot more of this,” said Wyatt. “There is a push now and we do see both unit and dollar growth of spicy and swicy products.”

According to SFA Trendspotters, the ‘nuanced heat’ trend, which emphasizes the flavor that accompanies the spice, continues to persist.

“Consumers are getting a lot more nuanced when it comes to how they’re using heat,” said Drexel Food Lab’s Jonathan Deutsch “Do they want fruit-forward or roasted or spiced kind of heat? Now it’s more about the nuance and the right chili pepper for the right product. I’m so happy manufacturers aren’t dumbing down heat for mainstream Americans.”  Full Story