The location of cooking/pasta sauces in other aisles away from the cooking/pasta sauces aisle offers potential to drive more sales, 40% of people finding this appealing. This could include the location of cooking sauces and marinades in the meat/poultry or fish aisle (ie pairing products), as well as the location of products alongside meat substitutes or vegetables for those looking for plant-based meal options.
44% of people agree there is little difference between cooking/pasta sauces of a particular type between different brands. Intensely flavoursome premium pasta sauces that strongly communicate their bold flavours will help add much-needed differentiation. 60% of buyers of non-chilled sauces and 71% of buyers of chilled cooking sauces agree that premium pasta sauces are a good way to elevate the taste of a pasta meal.
28% of users of cooking/pasta sauces would like to see more cooking/pasta sauces with new flavour twists, increasing to 36% of those keen on more cooking/pasta sauces for making dishes from well-known cuisines. Given the growth seen for Heinz in pasta sauces, this highlights ‘familiar with a twist’ as an opportunity in other well-established areas of the cooking sauces market, such as traditional, Indian or Chinese sauces.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Key trends in recent launch activity and product development opportunities.
- Frequency of usage of different types of cooking/pasta sauces.
- Interest in more sauces for dishes of different cuisines, as well as more flavour variety, including intense flavours, new flavour twists and limited editions.
- The importance of versatility and appeal of brands’ suggestions on using cooking/pasta sauces for various meals, including using to make plant-based meals.
- Visibility of cooking/pasta sauces and potential to drive more sales through locating in other aisles away from the cooking/pasta sauces aisle.
- Interest in cooking/pasta sauce brands guiding nutritionally-balanced meal choices, as well as seeing more sauces with added nutritional benefits.
Tapping interest in more variety of cuisines and flavours can support sales growth, as can more usage suggestions and a focus on in-store product visibility.
Richard Caines, Principal Analyst, UK Food & Drink Research
Market Definitions
This Report examines the UK retail market for cooking and pasta sauces.
- Cooking and pasta sauces are defined as sauces used during the preparation of food and those used in the kitchen, rather than at the table. They fall into three categories.
- Cook-in sauces (including cooking pastes) are added to ingredients at an early stage of cooking, such as chilli con carne or Bolognese. Stir-fry sauces and stir-fry pastes are a style of cook-in sauce primarily intended for use with a wok or quick frying style of cooking.
- Pour-over sauces are added to the meal just before the end of cooking, or poured over the top just before serving, such as parsley sauce, some pasta sauces and pesto sauce.
- Oven-bake sauces are added to other ingredients part way through cooking before the dish is placed in the oven.
The cooking and pasta sauces market may also be divided into wet sauces and dry sauces.
- Wet sauces are packaged in jars, cans, pouches or cartons and may be ambient or chilled.
- Dry sauces come in packets or cartons and require the addition of water or other liquid to rehydrate them before
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the cooking sauces and pasta sauces market
- Dial up flavour intensity messages in cooking/pasta sauces
- Messages about versatility have strong appeal
- Opportunity for brands in guiding nutritionally balanced meal choices
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- Further growth in value sales forecast for next five years
- Ambient liquid pasta sauces the biggest segment and still growing
- Graph 1: retail value sales of cooking/pasta sauces, by segment, 2022-24
- Increasingly competitive market, with those expanding presence in pasta sauces making gains, and Schwartz and own-label performing well
- Graph 2: retail sales of leading brands in ambient cooking/pasta sauces, by value, 2021/22-23/24
- Price rises for food have come down, and prices for sauces started to fall
- Graph 3: consumer price inflation for sauces, condiments, salt, spices and culinary herbs, and all food, 2022-24
- Flexitarian trend firmly mainstream
- Graph 4: meat eating habits, 2018-24
- Population growth buoys demand, but shrinking under-35s population poses a challenge
- Graph 5: population, share of total by age, 2004-44
- Volume sales of dry pasta showing growth
- Graph 6: retail value and volume sales of dry pasta, 2019-24
- What consumers want and why
- Usage of cooking/pasta sauces remains unchanged
- Graph 7: usage of cooking and pasta sauces, by type, 2021-24
- A quarter use ambient cooking sauces at least once a week
- Graph 8: frequency of usage of cooking/pasta sauces, by type, 2024
- Strong interest in more variety of cuisines and flavours
- Graph 9: interest in different concepts in cooking/pasta sauces, 2024
- Usage suggestions and in-store visibility top priorities for brands
- Graph 10: behaviours related to cooking and pasta sauces, 2024
- Opportunity for brands in guiding nutritionally-balanced meal choices
- Graph 11: attitudes towards cooking and pasta sauces, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Heinz, Filippo Berio and Mutti extend ranges, while Sacla’ adds fresh Italian twist
- Sharwood’s launches two-step kits, and Schwartz and Waitrose forge new partnerships
- Ease of cooking and flavour central messages in advertising
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market size
- Further growth in sales of cooking and pasta sauces in 2024
- Slowdown in sales growth for cooking/pasta sauces as inflation eases
- Graph 12: retail value sales of cooking and pasta sauces, 2019-24
- Market forecast
- Further growth in value sales forecast for next five years
- Sales forecast to reach £1.32 billion by 2029
- Market segmentation
- Ambient liquid pasta sauces the biggest segment and still growing
- Slowdown in growth across all segments as inflation eases
- Graph 13: retail value sales of cooking/pasta sauces, by segment, 2022-24
- Market share
- Numerous brands competing in ambient sauces with low brand loyalty
- Graph 14: retail sales of leading brands in ambient cooking/pasta sauces, by value, 2021/22-23/24
- Newer competitors in pasta sauces have made gains
- Strong performance for Schwartz and own-label increases share
- Market drivers
- GDP growth weak since bounce back from H2 2023 recession
- Graph 15: GDP, 2021-24
- Falling inflation has reduced pressure on household finances
- Graph 16: CPI inflation rate, 2021-24
- Price rises for food have come down, and prices for sauces started to fall
- Graph 17: consumer price inflation for sauces, condiments, salt, spices and culinary herbs, and all food, 2022-24
- Ultra-processed foods in the media spotlight
- Natural ingredients claims help address UPF concerns
- Flexitarian trend firmly mainstream
- Graph 18: meat eating habits, 2018-24
- Population growth buoys demand, but shrinking under-35s population poses a challenge
- Graph 19: population, share of total by age, 2004-44
- Volume sales of dry pasta showing growth
- Graph 20: retail value and volume sales of dry pasta, 2019-24
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Usage of cooking/pasta sauces by type
- Usage of cooking/pasta sauces remains unchanged
- Graph 21: usage of cooking and pasta sauces, by type, 2021-24
- A quarter use ambient cooking sauces at least once a week
- Graph 22: frequency of usage of cooking/pasta sauces, by type, 2024
- Non-chilled cooking sauces still most popular, but cooking pastes/recipe bases increasing usage
- All types of cooking sauces used more by younger people and parents
- Graph 23: usage of different types of cooking sauces once a week or more, by age, 2024
- Concepts of interest in cooking/pasta sauces
- Strong interest in more variety of cuisines and flavours
- Extend range of sauces for different dishes and cuisines
- Graph 24: interest in different concepts in cooking/pasta sauces, 2024
- Keep adding elements of newness to core ranges under established cuisines
- Sainsbury’s adds regional sauces under premium own-label range
- Heinz tapping interest in new flavour twists in pasta sauces
- Opportunity for more limited edition sauces
- Chinese and Indian still most popular…
- Graph 25: overall usage of world cuisines, by cuisine type, 2019, 2022 and 2024
- …but less established cuisines gaining
- Use ‘restaurant quality’ cues and celebrity link-ups to help build usage of less well-known cuisines
- Dial up flavour intensity messages in cooking/pasta sauces
- Hot and spicy one part of intense flavours….
- …but intensity not just about elevating heat levels
- Pasta sauce delivering intense umami experience
- Behaviours related to cooking and pasta sauces
- Usage suggestions and in-store visibility top priorities for brands
- Graph 26: behaviours related to cooking and pasta sauces, 2024
- Strong interest in more usage suggestions
- Messages about versatility have strong appeal
- Promote different ways of using pastes and marinades
- Emphasise the cost effectiveness of being versatile
- Suitability for plant-based meals adds to being versatile
- Plant-based meal suggestions highly relevant to meat reducers
- Graph 27: interest in more suggestions on how to use cooking/pasta sauces to make plant-based meals, by age, 2024
- Bringing wider product offer together to maximise spend with the same brand
- Using the sauces aisle to help products stand out
- Good visibility, but potential to drive more sales through locating sauces in other aisles
- Locating cooking sauces in different aisles in stores offers more potential to drive sales
- Opportunity for more cooking sauces in the frozen aisle
- In-store screens warrant consideration for showcasing ease of cooking in real time
- Attitudes towards cooking and pasta sauces
- Opportunity for brands in guiding nutritionally-balanced meal choices
- Graph 28: attitudes towards cooking and pasta sauces, 2024
- Nearly half of people interested in help from sauce brands on making nutritionally-balanced meals
- Increase in consumer interest in healthy eating
- Graph 29: how often people try to eat healthily, 2018-24
- Recommend what to use with sauce to make a nutritionally-balanced meal
- Opportunity for sauces with added nutritional benefits
- Graph 30: interest in more sauces with high-fibre ingredients or added protein powder, 2024
- Call out fibre or protein contributions from vegetables/pulses in sauces
- Sauces can take inspiration from soups and ready meals
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Launch activity and innovation
- Pasta sauces maintain a big share of total launch activity
- Graph 31: new launches in cooking and pasta sauces, by sub-category, 2019-24
- New varieties/range extensions account for the largest share of launches
- Graph 32: new launches in cooking and pasta sauces, by launch type, 2019-24
- Heinz, Filippo Berio and Mutti extend ranges in pasta sauces
- Heinz launches TikTok inspired pasta sauces
- Saclà and Cirio add more variety to Italian sauces
- Schwartz and Pizza Express partner for recipe mixes
- Premium launches far outstrip those with an economy positioning
- Graph 33: new launches in cooking and pasta sauces with premium or economy positionings, 2019-24
- Premium own-label adding variety to product offer
- Premium and restaurant quality references in branded launches
- Cooking sauces part of Ottolenghi exclusive to Waitrose range launch
- Natural and handmade claims featuring on premium sauces
- More launches of Korean sauces/pastes
- Pastes being launched in a wider range of cuisines and flavours
- Premier Foods launches Sharwood’s two-step kits for less experienced cooks
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Total advertising on cooking sauces falls back from 2023 increase
- Graph 34: above-the-line, online display and direct mail adspend on cooking sauces, 2020-24
- Mars, Premier Foods and AB Word Foods the biggest advertisers
- Graph 35: above-the-line, online display and direct mail adspend on cooking sauces, by advertiser, 2020-24
- Ease of cooking and flavour a continuing focus of TV advertising
- Outdoor adverts part of campaigns by Saclà and Heinz
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APPENDIX
- Market segmentation
- Retail value sales of cooking/pasta sauces by segment
- Market share
- Ambient cooking/pasta sauces – value brand sales
- Ambient cooking/pasta sauces – value manufacturer sales
- Launch activity and innovation
- Share of new launches by sub-category
- Share of new launches – branded vs private label
- Share of new launches by launch type
- Share of new launches by claim
- Share of new launches by claim (continued)
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Main media advertising by advertiser
- Main media advertising by media type
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Value market size and forecast
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (value)
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Excluded from this report
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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