Jane Leydon, Global Graduate Dublin, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board
This FoodAlert, which is the first in a series of five, will look at innovations and manifestations of the Health & Wellbeing trend within the pasta sauce category as it continues to shape the lives of consumers across the globe. (Bord Bia, 2018). It will then conclude with implications for Irish suppliers.
Why trends matter:
The Consumer Lifestyle Trends are an important tool because they help Irish suppliers to look forward, ensuring that their strategies remain proactive in the changing landscape. Trends can also act as a catalyst for new thoughts and ideas, providing inspiration for profitable growth.
The Health & Wellbeing Trend:
The Health and Wellbeing trend is about the consumer’s desire to eat, drink and live to optimise their body’s systems, to feel better than well today and tomorrow. (Bord Bia, 2018)
Mintel research affirms the relevance of this trend for pasta sauces. 73% of consumers surveyed in the UK found that pasta sauces made from natural ingredients appeal to them. Whilst 49% of consumers said that they use pasta sauces which contain health boosting herbs and spices, and 36% say the pasta sauces they use are high in protein. (Mintel, 2018)
The health and wellbeing trend has encouraged pasta sauce brands to improve the nutritional profile of their sauces and seasonings, and align recipes with on-trend diets. (Mintel, 2019)
Manifestations of Health & Wellbeing in Pasta Sauce NPD:
- Improved Nutritional Profile and homemade quality
To compete with the higher nutritional value and natural ingredients of homemade sauces, ready-made sauces need to maximise their health appeal. This can be achieved by enhancing the ‘homemade quality’ of the pasta sauce with high quality ingredients, authentic recipes and traditional production methods. (Mintel, 2019).
To illustrate, there is a high consumer interest in the US for sauces that are freshly made, supporting the notion that fresh ingredients can deliver superior taste. (Mintel, 2019) This growing focus among pasta sauce brands to adopt clean and simple ingredients to convey artisanal and fresh quality produce can be seen in the example of Do Anything Sauce Kale Pesto. This is a ‘veggie-rich meal-maker sauce’ which is made with only real, organic ingredients and it has been cold pressure processed to preserve the nutrients of ingredients. (Mintel, 2019)
2. Dietary Trends
To meet the expectations and needs of consumers in a market that is significantly shaped by dietary trends, pasta sauces must cater for the copious dietary requirements that are emerging among consumers. Between vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian diets the demands appear endless, but Mintel (2019) indicates how this can be an opportunity for suppliers of pasta sauces. Vegetarians and vegans are looking to add rich ingredients to their diet to replace what has been eliminated. A convenient solution to this could be flavoursome vegetarian and vegan pasta sauces that offer rich flavour and vibrant, wholesome ingredients. Bold flavour profiles are being explored in vegan sauces to ensure plant based meals will not lack tastiness. (Mintel, 2019) The European growth in sauces with a vegan claim has more than tripled over the last five years which is illustrated in the image below.
For example, Waitrose has engaged with this change in consumer preference and they are now offering vegan sauces by Saclà Italia. This is an Italian brand that has been producing pesto and pasta sauces since 1939. Recently, Saclà Italia have responded to the vegan trend and introduced a plant based sauce range which includes dairy-free cheese and white sauces. (Webber, 2019) They launched a vegan Bolognese sauce with added pea protein which shows how they are tapping into the opportunity to provide rich and nutritious sauces to suit the needs and fill the gaps in a vegan diet. Check out this new range on their website here.
Implications for Irish suppliers:
Despite this ripe opportunity, suppliers must be cognisant of how meeting the dietary needs of consumers is a challenging feat. It is a difficult task to find a way to compensate for the elimination of certain core flavoursome ingredients and continue to produce great tasting sauces.
For example, producing pasta sauces for consumers who are looking to lead a low FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and Polyols. These are carbohydrates which include commonly used pasta sauce ingredients such as onions, garlic, milk, beans and honey. Fody Foods Inc. is a cross category manufacturer of “low FODMAP” products for people suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Steve Singer, founder and CEO, emphasises the difficulty in developing great tasting sauces without onions and garlic which are the major contributors to IBS. (Fedder and Joy, 2019)
However, as seen with Saclà, brands have successfully launched sauces which cater to ‘free from’ diets. Brendan O’Neill, owner of KC Natural crafted a complete line of first to market nightshade-free products. (Fedder and Joy, 2019) He focused on using ingredients that had similar flavour profiles and textures that were common and easily sourced. (Fedder and Joy, 2019) KC Natural’s ‘No Tomato’ pasta sauce is their most popular item and O’Neill claims that even people who can eat nightshades can’t tell its without tomatoes. (Fedder and Joy, 2019)
It is also crucial for suppliers to effectively communicate their clean label status. Consumers want to know what’s in the products they buy and where they come from. (Bord Bia, 2019) Utilising certain words has been popular, for example Ragu Simply Pasta Sauce relies on the word “simply” to communicate its Non-GMO Project Verified status and absence of artificial flavours. (Vierhile, 2019)
Health & Wellbeing - What does a successful business look like in 2025?
It innovates alternatives to unhealthy products. Brands that invest in R&D to solve for particular dietary problems and public health concerns will win (Bord Bia, 2018).
The worldwide market for Pasta Sauce is expected to reach +50 USD billion by 2026 with a +6 % CAGR. (Flores, 2019) Opportunities for growth are ripe.
Irish suppliers who want to play & win in this category should embrace the Health & Wellbeing trend and apply it to their strategic thinking and innovation for success.
The next food alert in this series will look at how the Engaging Experiences trend is manifesting for pasta sauces.
References
Health & Wellbeing - Bordbia. (2018). Retrieved 10 October 2019, from https://www.bordbiaconsumerlifestyletrends.ie/trends/health-wellbeing/
Bord Bia Consumer Lifestyle Trends (2018). Retrieved 10 October 2019, from https://www.bordbiaconsumerlifestyletrends.ie
Bord Bia. (2019). What does 'Clean' mean. Retrieved 10 October 2019, https://www.bordbia.ie/globalassets/bordbia.ie/industry/marketing-reports/consumer-reports/what-does-clean-mean-2019.pdf
Flores, N. (2019). Global Pasta Sauce Market 2019- Trends, Opportunities, Growth Rate and Prominent Key Players. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@noaflores94/global-pasta-sauce-market-2019-trends-opportunities-growth-rate-and-prominent-key-players-ff46d306d652
Webber, J. (2019). Sacla has Vegan Cheese and White Pasta Sauces now. Retrieved from https://www.livekindly.co/sacla-has-vegan-cheese-and-white-pasta-sauces-now/Mintel. (2019). A Year of Innovation in Cooking Sauces & Seasonings.
Mintel. (2019). What's trending: Sauces, Dips, and Spreads.
Mintel. (2018). Cooking Sauces and Pasta Sauces - UK.
Vierhile, T. (2019). Flavor Innovation, Clean Ingredients Boost Spreads, Sauces & Dressings. Retrieved from https://www.preparedfoods.com/articles/122629-flavor-innovation-clean-ingredients-boost-spreads-sauces-dressings
Joy, M., & Feder, D. (2019). Creative Condiments and Sauces are Making a Splash. Retrieved from https://www.preparedfoods.com/articles/121947-creative-condiments-and-sauces-are-making-a-splash