Nestlé taps diverse food trends with ready-to-prepare Asian and Mexican culinary products

Nestlé is combining R&D with in-house culinary expertise to create new recipes, prototypes and innovative F&B. The Swiss multinational’s chefs collaborate with external experts, hospitality schools and culinary students to tap into gastronomical trends.

An example is Nestlé’s joint program with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL Group), which helps harness scientific learnings into prototypes and new recipes for R&D projects.

Sheldon Fernandes, head of Nestlé Global R&D Chefs, says, “The expertise of our chefs is an essential ingredient in the development of our innovations. Their gastronomy expertise and ability to tap into global food trends help to bring new flavors that inspire our R&D experts and product developers.”

“They play a crucial role in translating science and culinary expertise into tasty, nutritious and affordable food.”

Tapping a growing cultural foods market

Nestlé recently collaborated with celebrity chef Ming Tsai to launch a range of frozen meals in the US. The line includes ready-to-prepare meals such as Spicy Dan Dan Noodles coated in a Szechuan-style red sauce. The meals also respond to the growing air fryer trend, offering Crispy Chicken and Broccoli with a savory ginger and garlic sauce.

“Mings was created in partnership with the chefs and culinary experts at Nestlé to bring bold, authentic Asian flavors to consumers wherever and whenever,” says Chef Ming Tsai.

“Through culinary innovation, Mings blends cooking techniques and ingredients from both eastern and western cultures, offering convenient and delicious meals for all to enjoy.”

The F&B giant is eyeing European markets for its Asian-inspired flavors with the launch of Maggi Magic Asia range of sauces. Chefs from Germany and Singapore developed the sauces, incorporating insights into local cuisines and cooking methods. The sauces can be used to cook popular Asian dishes in home kitchens, with variants like Tikka Masala, Teriyaki and Sweet and Sour sauces.

Another range of frozen Mexican meals is made with the Tapatío hot sauce. The company experts teamed up with the Tapatío family to create beef and chicken enchiladas and chicken and steak bowls.

In other news, Nestlé reset its 2024 organic sales growth to 2% this October after adjusting it to 3% in July amid “weakened” consumer demand.

Among product categories, coffee emerged as the most significant growth contributor, supported by the company’s leading brands, Nescafé, Starbucks and Nespresso. Confectionery sales grew moderately, with KitKat, Shark Wafer and key local brands being the main contributors.