Sauces, Dressings and Condiments in New Zealand

2020 IMPACT

Pasta sauces and tomato pastes and purées experience strong demand

As consumers continue working from home in 2020, adjusting to the new normal of juggling personal and professional life, consumers are increasingly favouring convenient meal solutions which has resulted in an uptick of cooking sauces and condiments. Stockpiling behaviour early on in 2020 led to strong growth in pasta sauces as panic buying led consumers to stock up on staples such as pasta in fear of shortages.

Bold flavours continue to excite consumers

The impact of lockdown restrictions on consumer lifestyles and the increase in home cooking has led to growth in demand for sauces, dressings and condiments. As New Zealand faced stricter lockdown restrictions in the early part of 2020, foodservice closures led to consumers spending more time cooking at home for leisure and budget-friendly healthier diets.

Balancing healthy features with indulgence

Salad dressings has been in relative decline in the past few years as consumers increasingly tried to avoid sugar that is often found in these products. The shift in consumption stimulated by foodservice closures in 2020 caused salad dressings to experience positive growth as consumers made more meals from scratch at home.

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

Private label poised for strong growth

The pandemic is causing spending to shrink visibly as consumers are shifting to more economical purchasing choices where consumers have fewer preferences or sensitivity on tastes. Rapid growth of private label products is generally seen in this category when consumers become increasingly price sensitive.

Asian fusion popularity inspires sauces, dressings and condiments

The rising trend of Asian fusion cuisine in the foodservice sector is set to increasingly influence the food that New Zealand consumers cook at home, especially once lifestyles return to normal and consumers can once again enjoy eating out and enjoying increasingly diverse flavours. This is set to translate to an increase in sales and the level of new product development for more authentic ethnic sauces that replicate foodservice sauces for use at home.

Heinz Wattie’s Ltd continues to lead sauces, dressings and condiments

Heinz Wattie’s leads sauces, dressings and condiments in New Zealand with one-quarter of value sales. Heinz Wattie’s continues to dominate condiments, being present across multiple categories and being one of the top players for cooking sauces, pickled products, table sauces, tomato pastes and purees as well as other sauces, dressings and condiments.