Focus On Pasta & Pasta Sauce: 5 October

Focus On: Pasta & Pasta Sauces

By Harry Holmes holmesharry99@gmail.com 

Publishing: 5 October 2024

Advertising deadline: 20 September 2024

Submissions deadline: 13 September 2024

Print, digital and sponsorship opportunities

Fresh filled pasta is the pasta category’s top seller, and take-home values have risen a tidy 16.1% in the past year. Volumes are also up, with fresh filled pasta growing unit sales by nearly 7% – despite some of the largest price rises in the category. So why are consumers forking out for fresh? With the economy on the upswing again, is it likely to be a long-lived trend? How long can it continue to snatch sales from the out of home sector?

Fresh pasta: Which varieties are selling best? How are brands and own label tapping into the trend? Are they venturing into less traditional NPD? Are consumers jazzing up fresh pasta with their own sauces or toppings – what are they doing?

Regional flavours: As with that other great starchy Italian favourite, pizza, in pasta and sauces, regional specialties are on the rise. Which brands are embracing regional flavours? How important is the provenance narrative to consumers?

Own label vs brands: Own label is dominating pasta, with value growth more than double that of brands’ last year. Which mechanisms, besides competitive pricing, are retailers using to drive growth of their ranges? What are particularly successful ones getting right?

Dry pasta: While shoppers are gravitating toward fresh pasta, dry noodles retain the lion’s share of the category. Cheap, easy to store and make, it’s a kitchen staple. But which types are selling best? What are Brits cooking with dry pasta – are any dishes or recipes particularly popular?

Pasta sauces: With consumers saving money on pasta, they’re able to splash out on sauces and toppings. Which pasta trimmings are rising in popularity? Which flavours are coming to the fore?