Kraft Heinz has launched a new “pan-Asian” cooking brand.
Sosu from Amoy has debuted with two hero ranges, each inspired by Korean and Japanese cuisines.
These include four meal kits inspired by “popular restaurant dishes”: Yakisoba Noodle, Donburi Rice, Bibimbap Rice and Korean BBQ Noodle (rsp: £3.50/212g-237g).
The kits each comprise a cooking sauce, cooking paste and dry seasoning, alongside a base of rice or noodles. Shoppers add a protein and vegetables to complete the meal.
A 14-strong range of ingredients – including the likes of Furikake Seasoning, Teriyaki Cooking Sauce and Gochujang Cooking Paste – has also launched (rsp: 50g-340ml/£1.50-£3.50).
All 18 SKUs have rolled into Tesco stores.
Kraft Heinz New Ventures head of platform Sarah Drexler said consumers wanted “to cook adventurous recipes at home”.
However, they found the current offering to be “not on par with restaurant trends”.
Shoppers were also looking for meal solutions that were “well-balanced and nutritious”, Drexler added.
Kraft Heinz isn’t the only manufacturer hoping to cash in on the growing popularity of pan-Asian cuisine. Take world foods producer Surya Foods, which launched its own Korean-inspired brand Sun Hee into Tesco in July 2021.
Interest in home cooking, however, appears to be waning as shoppers resume life outside of lockdown. Cooking sauce sales slumped by 4.3% to £724.2m, while volumes plunged 10.1% in the 52 weeks ending 5 September 2022, Kantar data shows.
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