The wrap trend that emerged several years ago shows no sign of waning, especially as manufacturers add more healthful varieties to supermarket shelves.

“Even though they've been around for a while, they're still something that restaurants are still focusing on, because you can still deliver a lot of flavor in a wrap. There's a health appeal to that,” Nielsen explains. “Also, it's a very good snack, and Americans are snacking more — take for instance the McDonald's snack wrap, which was introduced recently.”

Buying behavior seems to confirm consumers are turning to tortillas for a healthful snack, even though sales figures show the flatbread has not been immune to the economic slump.

“We've seen a slight shift in consumer preference to smaller package sizes in some areas,” says Norma Rojas, senior director of marketing for Mission Foods, Irving, Texas.

Juv Marchisio, senior marketing manager for B&G Foods Inc., Parsippany, N.J., agrees that healthfulness remains a top priority for tortilla shoppers.

“The trend has been toward better-for-you tortilla products,” he says. “Besides our whole wheat tortillas, there has been everything from 6-in., corn-based jalapeño-cilantro tortillas and fat-free tortillas to 12-in. flour-based spinach or tomato tortillas.”

It's clear that now the tortilla has broken through, it's here to stay — in seemingly limitless varieties.

“What's exciting from a baking point of view is customers' broadening interest in flatbreads and in using them in more authentic ways,” Nielsen adds. “The tortilla has also become a building block for new creations. It's a sign of appropriation and a sign of creativity, and it indicates the openness of folks to what they are eating these days.”

TOP10 Brands: Dollar and Unit Sales (millions)

Source: Infoscan Reviews, SymphonyIRI Group, July 11, 2010

Source: Infoscan Reviews, SymphonyIRI Group, July 11, 2010