VOA文化艺术2024--New Food Flavors Coming to Stores

New Food Flavors Coming to Stores

In New York, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream brings people in with classic flavors like vanilla¹ and pistachio. But, sometimes, the ice cream maker² adds what it calls a "shock flavor," like Hidden Valley Ranch³ or pizza, to the treat.

Recently, chocolate maker Hershey added pink lemonade, a summer drink flavor, to its candy Kit⁴ Kats. And Frito-Lay introduced potato chips that taste like strawberries with a little bit of bacon.

Not to be outdone, Britain's food company Little Moons produced fish-and-chip mochi ice cream flavor while Walkers celebrated⁵ the holidays with a potato chip flavor of Brussels sprouts⁶.

Usually, these flavor combinations are introduced for a limited time. But sometimes the flavors are so popular that they become permanent additions. That is what happened with Frito-Lay's Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle⁷ chips in 2019.

While it would be easy to say the new and surprising flavors are produced to get attention on social media, experts say there is more to the story.

They say food companies are reacting to people's changing and expanding tastes while also trying to stay current and win over space in stores.

Kristen Braun works for Chicago-based food and drink company Mondelez International. She says people now want more than just one flavor and "companies are finding the freedom to explore a little bit more and get more creative."

Mondelez plans to release Sour Patch Kids Oreos - a kind of sweet vanilla cream-filled cookies combined with sour candies. The flavor is one of more than ten different Oreo flavors being sold this year for a limited time of nine weeks.

Mark Lang teaches food marketing⁸ at the University of Tampa in Florida. He said that manufacturers and their suppliers have increased their ability to create such products. That has made it easier for them to experiment and put out limited editions more often.

Kyle Shadix is a research chef for the drink company PepsiCo. He said members of Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, are also fueling new ideas.

Shadix is currently experimenting with Mexican, Korean and Japanese flavors. "Gen Z is going to drive us faster. We're going to start to see even more exploration quicker than in the past because they're just so open to it."

Experimenting with new flavors can increase sales in several ways. Sometimes they bring in new buyers to a product. And sometimes they also influence buyers to pick up more of the original flavor.

Russell Zwanka is director of the food marketing program at Western Michigan University. He said, "Sour Patch Oreos sound interesting, but nobody wants to risk buying Oreos that don't taste good, so people buy both."

When companies combine products, they are trying to build a link in people's minds. For example, Lang said when Pepsi combined its drink with Peeps candy flavor, it sent a message that Pepsi is current and fun.

But new flavor combinations do not always work.

Ben Van Leeuwen, the founder⁹ of the ice cream company bearing his name, said he could not eat more than a few bites of his company's Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream. It contained onion and garlic powders. And the "shock flavor" did not become a permanent part of his company's offerings because of their lower "eat-ability," he said.

But Lang thinks the more time people spend in restaurants or trying out new foods, the more they seek out unusual flavors.

He said as humans, "We like to experiment."

Words in This Story

shock - adj. used to describe something that surprises and usually upsets people

flavor - n. the quality of something that you can taste

edition - n. a particular version of a product

chef - n. a professional cook who usually is in charge of a kitchen in a restaurant

original - adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning

1 vanilla   

n.香子兰，香草

参考例句：

• He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
• I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

4 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 sprouts   

n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨，麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 pickle   

n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡

参考例句：

• Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
• Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。