Table sauces: sauce goes on a health kick to stay fresh

It’s not just soft drinks going on a reformulation drive. Table sauces have been on a health kick of their own. But rather than a sugar levy, consumer demand has proved the driving force for this category.

The fastest growing product by absolute value was Heinz Tomato Ketchup 50% Less Sugar & Salt, up £9.3m. Hellmann’s Lighter than Light mayo climbed 33.3% to £2m. A swathe of ever more ambitious health-focused NPD has hit the shelves, from Asda’s new Lighter than Light Mayo to Heinz No Added Sugar & Salt Ketchup, which uses just sucralose for added sweetness. It’s seems low sugar equals high sales.

“Healthier eating has become an important factor for many consumers, and sugar and salt content continues to be highly relevant,” says Kraft Heinz senior brand manager Martina Davis. “Shoppers are increasingly aware of what they’re putting in their bodies.”

Saying that, the big brands aren’t necessarily benefiting that much from their healthier offerings. Several have found these low-sugar or low-salt variants are cannibalising sales from their staple lines, most notably Heinz. The category giant’s original tomato ketchup sales dropped £4.9m (4.6%) this year. That meant it gained just £4.8m across all its ketchup and salad cream lines, making its burgeoning £19m mayonnaise line even more important. Speaking of mayonnaise, it’s a similar story at Hellmann’s. Amid fresh competition from Heinz and growing sales for its Lighter than Light mayo, its standard line has fallen 2.3% to £60.1m .

The story hasn’t all been around cutting sugar, salt and fat, however. “Traceability of ingredients and a product’s authenticity also remain at the forefront of shoppers’ minds this year,” says Jake Woods, sauces and condiments buyer at The Co-op.

Big brands may be nailing health, but challengers believe they are falling short on these credentials. Smaller startups like The Saucy Affair, which launched its raw sauces into Sainsbury’s in August, and The Foraging Fox, which introduced a three-strong range of mayos in October, are marketing themselves as an all-natural alternative to the mainstream sauces on the market. “Some of the leading mayo brand jars are over-processed and packed with preservatives,” says co-founder Frankie Fox. “We want to bring mayonnaise back to its natural roots.”

This emphasis on natural could prove the next frontier for the major sauce brands. As they face changing consumer expectations - and tough competition from startups in meeting those expectations - brands that fail to adapt just might find themselves left on the shelves.

TOP LAUNCH

Hellmann’s Vegan Mayo, Unilever

How do you respond when a rival powerhouse enters your home territory of mayo? In the case of Hellmann’s, one answer is to go vegan. It’s not a bad shout. Amid the boom in all things plant-based, this NPD (rsp: £2.15/270g) is firmly on trend, and has no artificial colours or flavours to boot. It joins a raft of innovation from Unilever since Kraft Heinz unveiled its own mayo back in February 2016, including Chilli Mayonnaise Fired by Tabasco. Your move, Heinz.