Multicultural influences are playing a large role in the development of new snack flavors
Seaweed, chickpea and lentil snacks as well as sweet and salty flavor pairings are being touted as the top consumer snack trends for 2012.
Multicultural influences, particularly from the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Asia, are playing a large role in the development of new snack flavors, says the National Confectioners Association which is playing host to the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago this week.
Increasingly worldly palates are also driving new snack trends that defy traditional flavors, putting seaweed, chickpea and lentil-based products on grocery store shelves. For instance, sheets of roasted, salted seaweed traditionally eaten with rice in Korea, have become increasingly popular in major urban centers with large Korean populations.
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