Appeal of Mediterranean foods continues to rise among consumers
Ziyad Brothers, a leading omni-channel provider of branded Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food and beverage products, reports sustained growth in consumer demand for 2023 and beyond.
Consumer appeal for Mediterranean and Middle East food products continues to grow, reported Ziyad Brothers, one of the nation’s largest food distributors on Thursday Feb. 16, 2023.
Rebecca Smith, Vice President of Marketing for Ziyad Brothers Importing, said Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods are expected to outpace the growth of dry grocery over the next few years. It is a significant trend that reflects the increasing popularity of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods among many American consumers.
Smith said that Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods showed a combined penetration of 25-30 percent of in-home meal preparation, reflecting the strength of these unique and exciting foods. A range of Middle Eastern flavors such as Harissa, Sumac, and Za’atar have been growing and can be seen increasingly at major retailers and on national restaurant chains’ menus, including Wingstop, Red Robin, and Red Lobster.
“While these foods have a strong base in the ethnic retail market, we are seeing an increasing attraction among major grocery stores nationally who are expanding their Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food sections,” Smith said.
The fact that more and more mainstream grocery stores are stocking Mediterranean and Middle East foods reinforces consumer interest, Smith added.
“A driving factor in this growth is the continued interest of many consumers to adventure into new cuisines, particularly cuisines from other regions of the world. The popularity of hummus, tahini, and falafel has opened the door for consumers to try the many other interesting and flavorful foods from the Middle East,” Smith said.
“There is also the recognition that foods from the Mediterranean and the Middle East are often quite healthy. With the continued popularity of plant-based diets, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine will continue to grow.”
Ziyad Brothers is proud to provide consumers with many plant-based products such as lentils, tahini and other products that can be used to prepare diverse and exciting recipes. As more and more families cook their own meals, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes offer an opportunity to add welcomed variety to at home meals.
“International flavors help consumers connect to new cultures and to journey to new places without spending a fortune. This trend will continue for many years,” Smith said.
ABOUT ZIYAD
Ziyad is a leading omni-channel provider of branded Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food and beverage products. Founded as a small bakery in 1966 in Chicago, Ziyad now owns numerous brands and partners with dozens of world-class companies on an exclusive basis to deliver their brands to the North American market.
For more information on Ziyad, visit us online at www.Ziyad.com.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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