Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-
- The market
- Turnaround in fortunes for cooking sauces
- Cooking sauces well placed to increase sales
-
- Figure 1: Forecast of UK retail value sales of cooking and pasta sauces, 2014-24
- All segments of ambient and chilled sauces see growth
- Companies and brands
- Mixed fortunes for brands in cooking sauces
-
- Figure 2: Leading brands’ value shares in the UK retail ambient cooking and pasta sauces market, 2018/19*
- No added sugar a bigger focus for healthier recipes in 2019
- Natural ingredients claims in a good position to appeal
- The consumer
- Widespread usage of shop-bought cooking/pasta sauces
-
- Figure 3: Frequency of using different types of cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- Younger bias to usage of cooking/pasta sauces
- Low price and favourite brand are biggest choice factors
- Plenty of space for more healthier sauces
-
- Figure 4: Most important factors when buying cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- Regional recipes help add more variety to product offer
- Cooking/pasta sauces cater for different convenience needs
-
- Figure 5: Behaviours and preferences relating to cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- Focus on naturalness will help sales of cooking sauces
- A third of users are interested in using with plant-based meals
-
- Figure 6: Interest in different product attributes in cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- Consumers want to recreate the restaurant experience
- Premium own-label a threat to brands in cooking/pasta sauces
-
- Figure 7: Attitudes towards cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
-
- Elevating convenience will help increase usage frequency
- The facts
- The implications
- Meat-free trend an opportunity for cooking/pasta sauces
- The facts
- The implications
- Authenticity a good focus for adding value in cooking sauces
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Turnaround in fortunes for cooking sauces
- Cooking sauces well placed to increase sales
- All segments of ambient and chilled sauces see growth
- Strong demand for speed/convenience in cooking
- Need to position cooking sauces as scratch cooking
- World cuisines a big driver of sales of cooking sauces
- Pasta, rice and noodles are key accompaniments
- Cooking sauces must respond to strong interest in healthy eating
- Cooking sauces need to respond to meat-reduction trend
- Decline projected in some core younger user groups
Market Size and Forecast
-
- Turnaround in fortunes of cooking sauces in 2019
-
- Figure 8: UK retail value sales of cooking and pasta sauces, 2014-24
- Cooking sauces well placed to increase sales
-
- Figure 9: Forecast of UK retail value sales of cooking and pasta sauces, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
-
- All segments of ambient and chilled sauces see growth
-
- Figure 10: UK retail sales of cooking/pasta sauces, by segment, 2017-19
- Italian and oriental sauces add the most to sales
-
- Figure 11: UK retail sales of ambient wet and dry cooking and pasta sauces, by cuisine, 2016-18
Market Drivers
-
- Strong demand for speed/convenience in cooking
- Need to position cooking sauces as scratch cooking
- World cuisines a big driver of sales of cooking sauces
- Pasta, rice and noodles are key accompaniments
- Cooking sauces need to respond to meat-reduction trend
- Have Britons really moved so far from the “meat and two veg” template?
- Cooking sauces must respond to strong interest in healthy eating
- Calorie reduction target for cooking sauces and pastes
- Decline projected in some core younger user groups
-
- Figure 12: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2014-24
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
-
- Mixed fortunes for brands in cooking sauces
- Own-label dominates in growing chilled sauces segment
- No added sugar a bigger focus for healthier recipes in 2019
- Significant interest in more vegetables in cooking/pasta sauces
- Natural ingredients claims in a good position to appeal
- Brands should make more of time-saving claims
- Focus on authentic recipes one way to win over shoppers
- Emerging cuisines still slow to take off in cooking sauces
- Above-the-line advertising continues to decline
Market Share
-
- Mixed fortunes for brands in cooking sauces
-
- Figure 13: Leading brands’ value sales and shares in the UK retail ambient cooking and pasta sauces market, 2017/18 and 2018/19
- Own-label dominates in growing chilled sauces segment
-
- Figure 14: Value sales and shares in the UK retail chilled cooking and pasta sauces market, by brands and own label, 2017/18 and 2018/19
Launch Activity and Innovation
-
- No added sugar a bigger focus for healthier recipes in 2019
-
- Figure 15: New product launches in the UK cooking and pasta sauces market making L/N/R fat, no added sugar and L/N/R sodium claims, 2015-19
-
- Figure 16: Examples of new launches in cooking and pasta sauces making no added sugar and reduced sugar claims, 2018/019
- Figure 17: Examples of new launches in cooking and pasta sauces making L/N/R fat claims, 2018/019
- Significant interest in more vegetables in cooking/pasta sauces
-
- Figure 18: Examples of new launches in cooking and pasta sauces spotlighting vegetables, 2018/19
- Natural ingredients claims in a good position to appeal
-
- Figure 19: New product launches in the UK cooking and pasta sauces market making claims relating to naturalness, 2015-19
-
- Figure 20: Examples of new launches in cooking and pasta sauces, 2018/19
- Vegan claims increasing
-
- Figure 21: New product launches in the UK cooking and pasta sauces market making vegetarian and vegan/no animal ingredients claims, 2015-19
- Brands should make more of time-saving claims
-
- Figure 22: New product launches in the UK cooking and pasta sauces market making convenience claims, 2015-19
-
- Figure 23: Examples of new launches in cooking and pasta sauces making ease of use and time/speed claims, 2019
- A focus on authentic recipes one way to win over shoppers
-
- Figure 24: Examples of new launches in cooking and pasta sauces describing themselves as authentic, 2018/19
- Emerging cuisines still slow to take off in cooking sauces
-
- Figure 25: Examples of new world cuisines launches in cooking and pasta sauces, 2018/19
Advertising and Marketing Activity
-
- Above-the-line advertising continues to decline
-
- Figure 26: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cooking sauces, 2015-19
- Mars and Unilever dominate spending
-
- Figure 27: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on cooking sauces, by advertiser, 2015-19
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Widespread usage of shop-bought cooking/pasta sauces
- Younger bias to usage of cooking/pasta sauces
- Low price and favourite brand are biggest choice factors
- Plenty of space for more healthier sauces
- Regional recipes help add more variety to product offer
- Cooking/pasta sauces cater for different convenience needs
- Focus on naturalness will help sales of cooking sauces
- A third of users are interested in using with plant-based meals
- Consumers want to recreate the restaurant experience
- Premium own-label a threat to brands in cooking/pasta sauces
Usage of Cooking/Pasta Sauces by Type
-
- Widespread usage of shop-bought cooking/pasta sauces
-
- Figure 28: Types of cooking/pasta sauces used in the last three months, September 2019
- Minority of users have sauces on the weekly menu
-
- Figure 29: Frequency of using different types of cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- Younger bias to usage of cooking/pasta sauces
Factors Influencing Choice of Cooking/Pasta Sauces
-
- Low price and favourite brand are biggest choice factors
-
- Figure 30: Most important factors when buying cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- Healthier and authentic recipes also important
- Plenty of space for more healthier sauces
- Different elements to promoting authentic recipes
Cooking Sauces Behaviours and Preferences
-
- Regional recipes help add more variety to product offer
-
- Figure 31: Behaviours and preferences relating to cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- Cooking sauces should help build familiarity with emerging cuisines
- Cooking/pasta sauces cater for different convenience needs
Interest in Different Product Attributes
-
- Focus on naturalness will help sales of cooking sauces
-
- Figure 32: Interest in different product attributes in cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- A third of users are interested in using with plant-based meals
- Strong demand for multipurpose sauces
Attitudes towards Cooking/Pasta Sauces
-
- Consumers want to recreate the restaurant experience
-
- Figure 33: Attitudes towards cooking/pasta sauces, September 2019
- Premium own-label a threat to brands in cooking/pasta sauces
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
-
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
-
- Forecast methodology
-
- Figure 34: Best- and worst-case forecast of total UK retail value sales of cooking and pasta sauces, 2019-24
Appendix – Market Share
-
-
- Figure 35: Leading manufacturers’ value sales and shares in the UK retail cooking and pasta sauces market, 2017/18 and 2018/19
-
Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
-
-
- Figure 36: Top claims in new product launches in the UK retail cooking and pasta sauces market, 2015-19
-
Back to top