International trends towards globalisation are continuing to influence dietary tastes and habits – and sauces are no exception. Through their travels, TV viewing and social-media habits, consumers are now exposed, directly or indirectly, to a huge range of flavours inspired by local traditions from every corner of the world.
People are not averse to trying something new in the kitchen; on the contrary. Yet, according to a recent study by Mintel, involving consumers in the USA, Canada and the UK, sauce producers could be doing more to promote their products. Some consumers are reluctant to buy a sauce if they don’t know exactly how to use it. Providing more information on the pack about how the product can be used, especially in more original ways, can inspire even the most timid shoppers to give it a go.
Today’s consumers don’t really care whether a sauce is supposed to be put in the pan or on the plate, for they use it as they please. Sauce brands can play on this progressive blurring of boundaries to transform their own wares into multi-use products in consumers’ eyes by suggesting ingenious and delicious new uses.
The sauce sector surely still has ample scope for growth, but it is up to producers to exploit the current trends and to communicate better, to lead consumers on a journey of discovery of new flavours and suggest an array of new uses for each sauce.
Source: “Sauces could be used more often than consumers realize”, Mintel, July 2018
