"In 2020, this doesn't feel like the way people interface with these cuisines anymore," Vanessa Pham, one of the cofounders of direct-to-consumer startup Omsom, a maker of Asian meal starter kits, told Business Insider.

The word "ethnic" has always existed in American culture as a way to categorize things that weren't considered Black or white, Ray said.

Kim Pham, Vanessa's sister and the other cofounder of Omsom, told Business Insider that the ethnic aisle actually reinforces "othering.".

"We're kind of dumped in it," Sana Javeri Kadri, the founder of spice company Diaspora, Co., also told Business Insider.

Turmeric is one "ethnic" spice that has recently gained mainstream popularity, especially in wellness circles and high-end coffee shops, Kadri said

And while the "ethnic" aisle provides founders with opportunities to "authentically express their cultures," it also means the "ethnic" food companies end up competing for very little shelf space, Miguel Garza, the CEO of Siete Family Foods, told Business Insider