KANSAS CITY — Growing interest in adventurous flavors is setting supermarket shelves aflame with spicy innovation. New soups, sauces and snacks seasoned with heat-inducing ingredients are trending.
The Campbell Soup Co. is launching Campbell’s Chunky Spicy Chicken Noodle, a hot new take on the company’s classic chicken noodle soup. The offering is made with chicken raised without antibiotics, carrots, celery and enriched egg noodles in a chicken broth infused with capsaicin, paprika, spices and vinegar. Each can contains 280 calories, 16 grams of protein and 7 grams of fat.
Tajín International Corp. is entering the hot sauce category with two new offerings: Tajín Mild Hot Sauce and Tajín Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce. Tajín Mild Hot Sauce is made with a blend of chilies, lime juice and sea salt, while Tajín Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce is made with the same ingredients plus apricots. The sauces contain no added sugar or coloring.
“Not all people have a palate for very spicy hot sauces,” said Javier Leyva, US director for Tajín. “In fact, a substantial number of category users actually prefer a mild-to-medium heat level. These Tajín flavors range from fruity and tangy to mildly spicy, always with the distinctive touch of lime that differentiates the Tajin brand. As a result, consumers will be drawn to these high quality, innovative product options to dip, top, mix and enjoy the snacks they love.”
MegaMex Foods is adding two new varieties to its Herdez Taqueria Street Sauce line: cilantro lime and avocado cilantro.
The cilantro lime sauce is made with tomatillos, jalapeños, cilantro, garlic, onion and lime juice.
The avocado cilantro offering is made with Hass avocados, tomatillos, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, garlic, onion and lime juice.
“Following the successful introduction of the Herdez Taqueria Street Sauce product line in 2018, we've been hard at work perfecting the next additions," said Giselle Olson, brand manager for Herdez. “We're playing into crave-worthy ingredients that are reminiscent of an authentic taqueria experience and have bottled it up in our latest sauces. They taste incredible on tacos and so much more.”
Spudsy is launching a line of sweet potato fry snacks that includes a Hot Fry flavor, Wenzel’s Farm is adding Sweet & Spicy beef jerky to its meat snack portfolio, Bachan’s is introducing Hot & Spicy Japanese Barbecue Sauce and Rudolph Foods’ Southern Recipe Small Batch brand is rolling out new limited-edition Hatch Chile Pork Rinds.
“This flavor in particular has really allowed us to cater to the expansive and adventurous tastes of today's consumers,” said Mark Singleton, vice president of sales and marketing at Rudolph Foods. “As a true first of its kind, it was important to us that we nailed this flavor down authentically and deliciously, balancing two of the kitchen's strongest seasonings: chili powder and garlic.”