Are State Fair Food Tastes Changing?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- For years the appeal of the Great Minnesota Get-Together has been food on a stick, but as Minnesotans tastes change, so do the foods at the fair.

The Minnesota State Fair is known for its quirky foods, and about 20 years ago the trend of food-on-a-stick really took off.

"We started adding the- how do you do it? Why did you do it? How did you get deep fried candy bars on a stick? Mac and Cheese? Or a spaghetti dinner," says Dennis Larson.

Dennis Larson is the State Fair food guy. He says stick foods still have gawker appeal, but the foodie generation may be winning out.

"We still have a lot of foods on a stick. I think our last count was over 80. But this year I can safely say we didn't add any for the first time in a while," says Larson.

There are now more than 400 foods that aren't on a stick. Larson says millenials in particular are looking for for healther alternatives.

"Food trucks had a part in that", says Larson. "They came in with more gourmet foods and not necessarily butter-dipped, deep-fried with cheese on it or something. That's what the market is looking for so that's what we'll serve."

In some cases that means gluten-free and vegan friendly.