Asian Dining Arising (1/4)

The Asian Market The Asian market, like the Hispanic group, is comprised of many nationalities, ranging from Chinese, the largest group, to smaller population segments such as Japanese, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese. It is the immigrants who create the initial demand for their home-country products. Immigration accounts for 86% of the Asian population growth. The top three fastest growing Asian ethnic groups are Filipinos, Chinese and Vietnamese. The aggregate Asian food category enjoys annual sales of over ﹩340 million nationwide, and its growth is definitively influenced by restaurant trends, predictors of food-at-home product development. Asian-based restaurant expansion is also a good indicator of future grocery category growth. Nationally, all areas of Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Indian foodservice have increased at a rapid pace. Parallel with this pattern, Asian food sales have experienced strong increases in both conventional supermarkets and specialty ethnic stores. Retailers are aware that the Asian category is important to their overall product mix, especially in those regions where the Asian population is high, and where Asian cuisines have become trendy and mainstream. A basic in Asian, Thai, and Indian cuisine, rice is available in many exotic varieties, which complement these diverse international cuisines. Changing Times According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asian Americans account for 4.2 percent of the U.S. population, or about 11.9 million people. However, the Asian population within the United States, fueled primarily by immigration from Asian countries, is expected to reach 19.6 million by 2020 – about a 65 percent growth rate from current levels. What that means for foodservice industry is a growing desire for products to replicate the dishes consumers are finding in the growing number of Asian restaurants. As with many food trends, restaurants serve as an introduction to a cuisine, which customers then want to replicate at home. It is said that consumers interested in exploring new cuisines are able to find Asian ingredients in ethnic markets, gourmet stores and via the Internet. Also, around Chicago ethnic grocery stores provide ready access to ingredients for Korean, Filipino, Chinese, Indian and Japanese dishes. But for those outside the major metropolitan areas, where the highest concentrations of Asian immigrants can typically be found, online shopping is often the solution. New Trends A broad spectrum of food products from an increasingly wide range of Asian cuisines is fast finding a place on the mainstream American menu. The ﹩400 million market for shelf-stable, refrigerated, and frozen Asian foods embraces not only the growing number of Asian-American consumers, but also Americans of diverse and flavorful cuisines. Chinese, Japanese, and Thai foods have gained wide acceptance. A quick tour around most supermarkets or a scan of menus at many “American” restaurants reveals the growing presence, and influence, of Asian cuisines on the American palate. And, increasingly, shoppers can choose from a wider variety of Pan-Asian flavorings, ingredients and prepared foods. What’s behind these trends? Changing demographics, for one: a more diverse mix of Asian peoples are now living in the U.S., still concentrated in coastal and certain metropolitan areas, but starting to make their presence known in the marketplace. Another influence is the popularity of celebrity chefs and “Ameri-Asian” restaurants (Martin Chan, P.F.Chang’s ) that are making Asian ingredients mainstream. Finally, you can’t ignore the convenience factor: Asian food products can be easily packaged and quickly prepared, playing right into the desire that more and more consumers have expressed for faster, more convenient meal preparations. Ethnic flavors catching on