Minyard Food Stores will be distributing the Latino Nutrition Coalition's "Camino Mágico," a free bilingual guide promoting healthy food and lifestyle choices for Hispanic consumers. It has long been suggested that Hispanics have a different genetic make-up that makes them more sensitive to certain diets and prone to health conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

For functional food manufacturers, bridging a quest to improve products for Hispanic consumers could have retail rewards if this segment of consumers are actively seeking out new and healthier options that are in line with what may be their traditional dietary preferences.

The market for Hispanic food and beverage is swelling in the US, with manufacturers increasingly targeting it with their products. According to a recent report by Packaged Facts, growth within the $5.7bn market is driven not only by the growing US Hispanic population, but also by the expanding tastes of non-Hispanic Americans.

"Traditional Latin American foods are nutritious, and we want the North Texas Hispanic community to rediscover their amazing culinary traditions through the 'Camino Mágico' booklet," said Liz Mintz, director of the Latino Nutrition Coalition (LNC).

Compared to the US Department of Agriculture's pyramid, the LNC's dietary guidelines for Latinos recommend less sweet goods and more of foods such as corn, potatoes and beans, together with more fruits and vegetables specific to the consumer group, including tomatoes, onions and chili peppers.

While it has not been scientifically proven what diet works best for the Hispanic population, marketing-wise it is clear this segment purchases based on certain cultural dietary habits that manufacturers should take into account when developing their products.

Indeed, Latino buying power - forecast to reach around $1 trillion by 2010 - is nothing to shy away from.

Estimates by Hispanic Telligence, based on an analysis of US Bureau of Economic Analysis figures, reveal that the Hispanic purchasing power between 1994 and 2004 showed a compound annual growth rate of 7.7 percent- nearly three times the 2.8 percent total US rate of disposable income.

Aloecorp this year took a step in the Hispanic functional direction by announcing a move into functional water with aloe geared to Hispanic consumers.

According to the company's own market research, Hispanic consumers have traditionally used herbal ingredients and are therefore a prime market for innovative products, such as waters, that make use of botanical ingredients.

By means of its research, the company has highlighted Hispanics in particular as an ethnic group more likely to hand down the traditional use of herbals from one generation to the next. By contrast, it identified non-Hispanic whites as being more likely to follow recent trends or fads in this market.

LNC was founded in 2005 by Oldways, the non-profit think tank on food issues, and is an educational program dedicated to improving Latino health through traditional foods and lifestyles.