As one of the world’s top 10 food and beverage flavor companies, T. Hasegawa stays ahead of emerging trends and analyzes what consumers are looking for in packaged foods, beverages and foodservice.
This month, the company shares its insights and emerging flavor trends in the Dips & Sauces category. Here are just a few appetizing fun facts and readers can download T. Hasegawa’s larger “Flavor Flash” report for more details.
• Versatility wins for consumers and brands. Dips and sauces are a convenient, trusted and relatively inexpensive way to boost flavor at home. Versatility should remain a priority, both in terms of flavors and how product applications are positioned.
• Quality ingredients define “better” formulations. Consumers are looking for “real” ingredients in dips and sauces. Recognizable ingredients like vegetables, fruits and olive oil win out over niche ingredients and claims while also carrying a premium connotation.
• Economic factors are limiting flavor exploration across categories. Fewer than 20% of U.S. adults in a Mintel survey indicated they don’t have room in the budget for flavor exploration. But a category like dips and sauces – which historically enhance taste while easing the cooking process – are a prime opportunity to encourage low-cost flavor trial.
• Older consumers still dominate the dips and sauces category. Gen X and Baby Boomers over-index in nearly every category such as condiments, dressings and salsas, according to a Mintel survey. The only dips and sauces categories led by Millennials and Gen Z are cheese dips and protein-based dips.
• Consumers are eager to try new dip and sauce flavors. More than half of all U.S. consumers in a recent Mintel survey stated interest in trying new flavors in the dipping condiment, sauces, snack dips and topping sauces subcategories. More than one-third also expressed interest in new flavors for dressings, topping condiments, spreads and marinades.
• Dips and sauces inspire versatility. More than 45% of dip/sauce consumers are using products interchangeably and nearly half are interested in ideas to make dips and sauces more versatile.
• Healthy ingredients lead interest in dips and sauces. A recent Mintel survey found that nearly half of U.S. consumers are interested in “healthy ingredients” in dips and sauces, even ahead of natural flavors, decadent flavors or organic ingredients.
• Win over Gen Z and Millennials with bold, global flavor profiles. Flavor profiles relying on spice and heat from around the world, such as sriracha, curry and peri-peri, are capturing attention of younger demographics in recent years. Historically these demographics are open to flavor experimentation and interested in global flavors as a source of excitement that breaks tradition.
• The growth of Asian flavors in dips and sauces. Consumption of Asian cuisine is moving beyond the ‘classics’ such as Chinese and Japanese. Powered by the influence of flavor, familiarity and popularity, Asian cuisine is influencing dips and sauces through fusion offerings and new applications. Specific flavors are clear winners, such as Bulgogi, a Korean barbecue flavor that was cited by more than 37% of consumers in a Mintel survey as a key flavor of interest.
