Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Category maintains a modest pace of growth
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, at current prices, 2012-22
- Packaged sauces usage near universal, homemade not far behind
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- Figure 3: Sauce and marinade usage, October 2017
- Vegetarian applications could expand use among young adults
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- Figure 4: Food types – Any sauce or marinade, by age, October 2017
- The opportunities
- Cooks aged 35-54 a key target for new sauces and marinades
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- Figure 5: Interest in new sauces/marinades vs sticking to familiar, by age, October 2017
- Ingredient list: keep it simple
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- Figure 6: Purchase factors, October 2017
- Keep it fresh
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- Figure 7: Interest in concepts, October 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Category maintains a modest pace of growth
- Modest growth through premiumization for pasta sauce
- Convenience, freshness, versatility drive growth for other sauces and gravy
- Popularity of grilling, versatility, and loyalty drive barbecue sauce sales
Market Size and Forecast
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- Category maintains a modest pace of growth
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- Figure 8: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 9: Total US retail sales and forecast of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, at current prices, 2012-22
Market Breakdown
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- A diverse category encompassing a wide array of products
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- Figure 10: Share of total US retail sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by segment, 2017
- Modest growth through premiumization for pasta sauce
- Convenience, freshness, versatility drive growth for other sauces and gravy
- Popularity of grilling, versatility, and loyalty drive barbecue sauce sales
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- Figure 11: Total US retail sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by segment, at current prices, 2012-17
Market Perspective
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- Condiments provide at least indirect competition
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- Figure 12: Total US retail sales and forecast of condiments, by segment, at current prices, 2012-22
- Growing sales of fresh fish represent opportunity for category
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- Figure 13: Total US retail sales and forecast of fish and shellfish, by segment, at current prices, 2012-22
- Red meat sales decline but remain substantial
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- Figure 14: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of packaged red meat, at current prices, 2011-21
Market Factors
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- Cooking enthusiasts grow in number
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- Figure 15: Share and approximate number* of Cooking Enthusiasts, 2014-17
- Shifting attitudes toward food support category growth
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- Figure 16: Attitudes toward food and cooking, 2012-17
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Many compete, but no single company dominates
- Smaller competitors find space in fragmented category
- In long-term marketing battle, Prego closes in on Ragu
- Store brands fail to keep up with category growth
- Refrigerated sauces poised for continued growth
Company and Brand Sales of Cooking and Pasta Sauces and Marinades
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- Many compete, but no single company dominates
- Smaller competitors find space in fragmented category
- Sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades by company
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- Figure 17: MULO sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
What’s Working?
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- Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce extends lead
- In long-term marketing battle, Prego closes in on Ragu
- Moving beyond competitive taste tests to focus on ingredients
- Rao’s success shows potential for premium products
What’s Struggling?
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- Store brands fail to keep up with category growth
- An opportunity for retailers to strengthen their culinary reputations
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- Figure 18: Private label share of MULO sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by segment and subsegment, 2012-17
What’s Next?
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- Refrigerated sauces poised for continued growth
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Usage of packaged sauces near universal, homemade not far behind
- Help users expand beyond core uses
- Ingredient list: keep it simple
- Seafood trails other uses for sauces and marinades
- Cooks aged 35-54 a key target for new sauces and marinades
- Keep it fresh
Sauce and Marinade Usage
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- Usage of packaged sauces near universal, homemade not far behind
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- Figure 19: Sauce and marinade usage, October 2017
- Use of packaged sauces highest among adults 35-54
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- Figure 20: Sauce and marinade usage, by age, October 2017
- Hispanic consumers more likely to opt for homemade
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- Figure 21: Sauce and marinade usage, by race/Hispanic origin, October 2017
Correspondence Analysis: Reasons for Usage
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- Methodology
- Help users expand beyond core uses
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- Figure 22: Correspondence analysis – Reasons for using, October 2017
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- Figure 23: Reasons for using, October 2017
Purchase Factors
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- Ingredient list: keep it simple
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- Figure 24: Purchase factors, October 2017
- Older consumers more attuned to low/no claims
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- Figure 25: Purchase factors, by age, October 2017
Food Types
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- Seafood trails other uses for sauces and marinades
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- Figure 26: Food types, October 2017
- Vegetarian applications could expand use among young adults
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- Figure 27: Food types – Any sauce or marinade, by age, October 2017
Behaviors
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- Cooks aged 35-54 a key target for new sauces and marinades
- Opportunity to tap into young adults’ enthusiasm for cooking
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- Figure 28: Interest in new sauces/marinades vs sticking to familiar, by age, October 2017
- Young adults express interest in personalization
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- Figure 29: Increasing use and customizing of premade sauces, by age, October 2017
Interest in Concepts
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- Keep it fresh
- Facilitate exploration and creativity
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- Figure 30: Interest in concepts, October 2017
- 35-54 group most likely to show interest in sauce and marinade concepts
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- Figure 31: Interest in concepts, by age, October 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 32: Total US retail sales and forecast of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 33: Total US retail sales and forecast of pasta sauce, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 34: Total US retail sales and forecast of pasta sauce, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 35: Total US retail sales and forecast of barbecue sauce, at current prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 36: Total US retail sales and forecast of barbecue sauce, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 37: Total US retail sales and forecast of other sauces and gravy, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 38: Total US retail sales and forecast of other sauces and gravy, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 39: MULO sales of other sauces and gravy, by subsegment, 2012-17
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- Figure 40: Total US retail sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by channel, at current prices, 2012-17
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 41: MULO sales of pasta sauce, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 42: MULO sales of barbecue sauce, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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- Figure 43: MULO sales of other sauces and gravy, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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