Consumers look to add spices and flavorings to their meals, evident by figures from market data firms for dressings, marinades and sauces. Specifically, consumers are interested in products that not only offer better taste, but natural and healthy benefits.

Euromonitor International found a global 4.8 percent growth within dressings, marinades and condiments from 2015 to 2016, and according to Kimberly Kawa, senior nutrition researcher at SPINS, growth in the United States in the natural channel for 52 weeks ending Feb. 19, 2017, found a 7.7 percent growth for refrigerated condiments, dressings and marinades, meaning this segment offers opportunity for innovation.

According to Eurmonitor International’s data, the average U.S. unit price of sauces, dressings and condiments rose by 3 percent in 2016. “While manufacturers continued to increase prices, the 2016 unit price increase arose mostly as a result of growing shares for premium brands offering artisanal, organic, or other high-value options in response to consumer demand," said Dewey Warner, research associate at Euromonitor International. “The increasing prevalence of these high-value products was especially apparent in new product offerings for categories, such as salad dressings." SPINS data found shelf-stable garlic dressing increased by 13.6 percent in 2016, and refrigerated dressings containing avocado or avocado oil grew 30.4 percent.

A piece of information evident in the data is consumer preferences for healthy options in their dressings. Warner noted companies have responded to consumer demand for natural by offering health conscious options. For instance, a variety of mayonnaise producers promoted such products in 2016; both Kraft Heinz and Unilever’s Hellmann’s produced mayonnaise containing only cage-free eggs, setting goals to reach this achievement by 2025 and 2020, respectively. “Unilever’s cage-free goals date back to 2010, while Kraft Heinz began pursuing this in 2016," Warner commented. “In addition, efforts to produce egg-free mayonnaise that satisfies vegan diets also received greater attention in 2016."

Learn more about dressings, marinades and sauces in the Digital Magazine.