Small Business Trends

The Wall Street Journal (requires subscription) brings us this latest trend report: fairs in the United States are going for unusual foods at the concession stands. Ethnic foods, especially, are hot sellers.

Mexican food, Middle Eastern lamb kabobs, sushi, Argentinean empanadas — these are just a few of the foods being served at state and county fairs in such traditional locales as the American Midwest and the South.

What’s driving this mini-globalization trend? Changing consumer tastes — and the increasing minority populations in many states.

For the $700 million North American fair industry, the new smorgasbord is partly a response to healthier diets and evolving tastes. But it also reflects shifting demographics. The number of Asian and Pacific Islanders in Iowa, for example, has grown by 28% since 1990, primarily driven by an increase in Vietnamese residents. The Ohio State Fair’s new “Fiesta Ohio,” a celebration of Mexican heritage, is an effort to reach that state’s fastest-growing minority group.

And here you thought being a concession owner at a country fair meant serving fried Twinkies and pickles-on-a-stick.