Cooking and Pasta Sauces and Marinades - US - December 2017
The diverse cooking sauces and marinades category, which is ideally suited to those consumers interested in food and flavor exploration, has generated stronger growth in recent years than many other center-store packaged food categories. Looking ahead, the category offers opportunities for products that combine the convenience of premade with the freshness and simplicity of homemade. Brands should also look to strengthen their associations with fresh foods sold in the store perimeter.
This report examines the following issues:
- Category maintains a modest pace of growth
- Packaged sauces usage near universal, homemade not far behind
- Vegetarian applications could expand use among young adults
What you get
What's included
- Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour
- Market data
- Competitive analysis
- Risks and Opportunities
- What’s Next
- Market Trends
This market report provides in-depth analysis and insight supported by a range of data. At the same time, introductory and top-level content is provided to give you an overview of the issues covered.
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Market
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Consumer
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Brand/Company
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Data
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* This is a sample representation of the report layout and does not reflect the research included in this report.
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Table of contents
Overview
- What you need to know
- Definition
- What you need to know
Executive Summary
- The issues
- Category maintains a modest pace of growth
- 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
- Figure 3: Sauce and marinade usage, October 2017
- Vegetarian applications could expand use among young adults
- 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
- Figure 5: Interest in new sauces/marinades vs sticking to familiar, by age, October 2017
- Ingredient list: keep it simple
- Figure 6: Purchase factors, October 2017
- Keep it fresh
- Figure 7: Interest in concepts, October 2017
- What it means
- The issues
The Market – What You Need to Know
- 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
- Category maintains a modest pace of growth
Market Size and Forecast
- Category maintains a modest pace of growth
- 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
- Category maintains a modest pace of growth
Market Breakdown
- A diverse category encompassing a wide array of products
- 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
- Figure 11: Total US retail sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by segment, at current prices, 2012-17
- A diverse category encompassing a wide array of products
Market Perspective
- Condiments provide at least indirect competition
- 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
- 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
- Figure 14: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of packaged red meat, at current prices, 2011-21
- Condiments provide at least indirect competition
Market Factors
- Cooking enthusiasts grow in number
- Figure 15: Share and approximate number* of Cooking Enthusiasts, 2014-17
- Shifting attitudes toward food support category growth
- Figure 16: Attitudes toward food and cooking, 2012-17
- Cooking enthusiasts grow in number
Key Players – What You Need to Know
- 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
- Many compete, but no single company dominates
Company and Brand Sales of Cooking and Pasta Sauces and Marinades
- Many compete, but no single company dominates
- Smaller competitors find space in fragmented category
- Sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades by company
- Figure 17: MULO sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Many compete, but no single company dominates
What’s Working?
- 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
- Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce extends lead
What’s Struggling?
- Store brands fail to keep up with category growth
- An opportunity for retailers to strengthen their culinary reputations
- Figure 18: Private label share of MULO sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by segment and subsegment, 2012-17
- Store brands fail to keep up with category growth
What’s Next?
- Refrigerated sauces poised for continued growth
- Refrigerated sauces poised for continued growth
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
- 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
- Usage of packaged sauces near universal, homemade not far behind
Sauce and Marinade Usage
- Usage of packaged sauces near universal, homemade not far behind
- Figure 19: Sauce and marinade usage, October 2017
- Use of packaged sauces highest among adults 35-54
- Figure 20: Sauce and marinade usage, by age, October 2017
- Hispanic consumers more likely to opt for homemade
- Figure 21: Sauce and marinade usage, by race/Hispanic origin, October 2017
- Usage of packaged sauces near universal, homemade not far behind
Correspondence Analysis: Reasons for Usage
- Methodology
- Help users expand beyond core uses
- Figure 22: Correspondence analysis – Reasons for using, October 2017
- Figure 23: Reasons for using, October 2017
- Methodology
Purchase Factors
- Ingredient list: keep it simple
- Figure 24: Purchase factors, October 2017
- Older consumers more attuned to low/no claims
- Figure 25: Purchase factors, by age, October 2017
- Ingredient list: keep it simple
Food Types
- Seafood trails other uses for sauces and marinades
- Figure 26: Food types, October 2017
- Vegetarian applications could expand use among young adults
- Figure 27: Food types – Any sauce or marinade, by age, October 2017
- Seafood trails other uses for sauces and marinades
Behaviors
- Cooks aged 35-54 a key target for new sauces and marinades
- Opportunity to tap into young adults’ enthusiasm for cooking
- Figure 28: Interest in new sauces/marinades vs sticking to familiar, by age, October 2017
- Young adults express interest in personalization
- Figure 29: Increasing use and customizing of premade sauces, by age, October 2017
- Cooks aged 35-54 a key target for new sauces and marinades
Interest in Concepts
- Keep it fresh
- Facilitate exploration and creativity
- Figure 30: Interest in concepts, October 2017
- 35-54 group most likely to show interest in sauce and marinade concepts
- Figure 31: Interest in concepts, by age, October 2017
- Keep it fresh
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Data sources
Appendix – The Market
- 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
- 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
- Figure 40: Total US retail sales of cooking and pasta sauces and marinades, by channel, at current prices, 2012-17
Appendix – Key Players
- 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
- Figure 43: MULO sales of other sauces and gravy, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
Cooking and Pasta Sauces and Marinades - US - December 2017