With consumer appetite for new flavours continuing to rise, research has revealed more than one in three now opt for exotic sauces over British when trying something new, with 35-54 year olds more likely to be adventurous in their sauce choices than millennials.
The research conducted by Mizkan, the business behind Branston, Haywards and Sarson’s, as part of its Annual Condiments Survey1, also showed consumers are now turning towards more natural accompaniments, with one in four actively looking for organic sauce choices compared with one in five in 2017 and 22% now requesting gluten free options up from 19%.
An experimental nation, the survey of over 1,000 consumers revealed a staggering 89% would be willing to try a new sauce if given the opportunity – an increase of 6% on 2017 - with this number rising to a remarkable 93% among 16-34 year olds. Although without the staples, operators will fail to impress; 30% will be put off a restaurant if it doesn’t have a wide range of sauces, with ketchup (58%) and mayonnaise (52%) the most requested sauces for a second year in a row.
New to the results was malt vinegar (40%) in third place. However, despite a love of traditional sauces, interestingly, consumers aren’t ruling out spices. The research showed 39% of consumers listed piri-piri sauce as their favourite to be served alongside chicken, closely followed by chilli sauce (32%).
With a focus now on more environmentally friendly packaging, the amount of sauces served in bottles has increased by 7% y-o-y, as consumers drive a change away from old-fashioned sachets.
An impressive 59% of consumers admitted they would prefer their bottled sauces to be on the table, whilst 52% agreed it is important that operators stock branded sauces over own label. The rising popularity of this category is clear with 82% of consumers using a condiment during lunch and dinner, rising to an astonishing 92% among 16-34 year olds.
Jenny Tran, Brand Manager for Branston Foodservice commented, “Our research has revealed that condiments are becoming a huge staple from consumers when dining out, with a clear demand for new and exciting flavours. Operators should be looking to capitalise on this, utilising trends from around the globe.
'With that said, it is still important for restaurants to be stocking more traditional sauces such as tomato ketchup and a broad variety will help to keep all consumers happy. With this in mind, Branston has recently launched a brand new range of table sauces including tomato ketchup, brown sauce, BBQ sauce and salad cream.”
