Sauce and dressing
When consumers want to try the flavor, sauces, dressings and seasonings easily win.
In fact, when asked where to go to try new flavors, 42% of American consumers told Innova Market Insights’ 2024 Flavor Survey that sauces, seasonings and toppings were their first category choices. Desserts, ice cream and sweet bakery products (cakes, cookies, etc.) were second and third respectively.
This quest for novelty helped increase the introduction of new US sauces and seasonings by 12% in 2024 per inola. For the record, seasonings and table sauces (the two biggest subcategories of sauces and seasonings) increased by 11% and 20% in 2024, respectively.
Something hot!
Spicy flavors like harissa are aided by Heinz limited edition Harissa Aioli-flavored sauce and Wegman Harissa dressing. Interestingly, Heinz’s harissa flavoured aioli was one of six sauces tested at the restaurant’s first choice. We then introduced this limited time flavor along with a black garlic-flavored lunch sauce. Sauce Ventures LLC in Costa Mesa, California has expanded its truffle pantry staples line with its latest hot sauce variation, Truffle Buffalo Sauce. Officials say it features black truffles along with “vinegared tangs, cayenne kicks and lush silk in olive oil.”
Scorpion Peppers’ “fiery heat” fueled Walmart’s Scorpion Pepper and Truffle Street Taco Sauce, one of several launches under the Bettergoods Premium Private Lable brand inspired by Walmart’s new chef. Peru’s Alicorp SAA, Lima, has used Alicorp USA LLC business in Miami to introduce its popular Tali Hot Sauce to the US market. That two SKUs include Amarillo and Rocoto, respectively, based on those two pepper groups.
There’s a long innovation in BBQ sauce. Among the many new products here, Guy Fieri has been added to the Flavortown line. He partnered with country music star Kane Brown to handle Tennessee Style BBQ Sauce for Hula Boat Town x Kane Brown. Officials say the sweet heated sauce combines the flavors of brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, onion and garlic. Interestingly, one of the winners of the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) 2024 “Excellent to Salute” was Walmart’s new Better Goods Spicy Pineapple Habanero Barbecue Sauce. Last year, chef David Chang returned to the retail product scene.
Tomato sauce products have joined the law. Illinois Mizcan America Inc., Mount Prospect, Virus YouTube Show Sensation Hot, created three limited edition rug x hot ones: fiery garlic (hot), chipotle flame (hot), and chile inferno (hot). Even ketchup is taking part in this act. San Antonio’s Texas restaurant chain Whataburger first tested “secret sauce” in a restaurant in 2022 under the name “Spicy Ketchup Limited Batch #2.”
For the record, not all source innovation is going to raise the heat. The Louisiana McIlhenny Company actually lowered the heat last year with a Tabasco Buffalo style sauce. Entry debuted in a simple skates plastic bottle.
Perhaps one of the more interesting new sources from last year comes from Innovation Ventures LLC in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Well known for its 5-hour energy brand, Innovation Ventures has introduced an inspirational, energy-giving barbecue sauce. Offered with a peach mango flavor, this sauce delivers 60mg of caffeine per serving for an “energizing punch.” Elsewhere, Nestle USA in Solon, Ohio has introduced a limited edition “pocket-sized” barbecue sauce to mark returns for its Hot Pocket BBQ Recipe Beef Sandwich. Available only as an exclusive online gift, BBQ fans were invited to hotpockets.com/bbqsauce last summer to get the chance to get a free bottle.
I’ll wear clothes
Heat and spice also influenced dressing innovations. Last spring, Hidden Valley Ranch featured seven new products that often surround the boundary between dressing and dipping sauces. Four hotter, spicy products include garlic ranch, Nashville hot, creamy jalapeño and spicy hot honey. Other items include the Green Goddess, Parmesan Ranch (2024 Salad Dressing of the Year by the Association of Sauce & Dressing), and the hidden valley cheese ranch of Keranova’s Cheese It Cracker Brand and Co-branded.
Among the new Litehouse Inc. products in Sandpoint, Idaho were three new Litehouse loaded products: Fry Sauce
Taco sauce and buffalo sauce. In other news, Newman’s own foundation in Westport, Connecticut has expanded its line with Newman’s own Southwest Ranch Dressing. In another cross-category move, Tajín USA International partnered with Unilever to develop Tajín Clásico seasonings and co-branded Hermann’s new chilli lime mayonnaise dressing.
Vinaigrettes were also in the spotlight. Another PLMA salute to the winner of Excellence was Walmart’s Better Goods Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. Mooney Farms in Chico, California has expanded its Belasan Lucitaien Kitchen Line with two new vinaigrettes (Meier lemon and champagne), both of which are 100% olive oil without seed oil. California’s Health Nut Restaurant chain also took a health approach. In partnership with Litehouse, we bottled and distributed four healthy nut dressings nationwide: Original House, Spicy Asian, Sesame and Ranch. It is gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan-friendly, and is made in three varieties with apple cider vinegar.
What is another big “dill” in the dressing and sauce? Dil pickle flavor. It was featured in Ayoh Inc.’s new Dill Pickle Mayo Sando Sauce. This is part of a new source for YouTube star Molly Baz, loved by “Brash Flavors.” In January this year, Cleveland Kitchen introduced two new sauces, all of the Kimchi ranch and dill pickles buffalo. Last summer, Kraft-Heinz introduced a versatile craft pickle mayonnaise dressing.
What is the food?
Cooking, soaking and pasta sauces saw innovation in many directions.
Amsterdam’s Flora Food Group has introduced Country Clock Drizzle & Sizzle Sauce. This can be squeezed directly into vegetables, spread over toast, or added to the skillet instead of regular cooking oils or dairy-based butter (reportedly cooked with less scatter). Selected foods, other including San Diego. Primal Kitchen in Oxnard, California has launched a new dipping sauce that promotes avocado oil rather than seed-based oil. Newer choices of food are three dip and drizzle sauce sauce sauce, chicken, burgers and all bagels. Primal Kitchen featured four items: chicken dippin, avocad lime, special sauce and yam yum sauce.
For pasta sauces, Campbell’s Prego brand adds creamy pesto products and expands beyond pasta as it uses the line with vegetables, pizza, chicken, seafood, sandwiches and more. Campbell points out that the plague is the fastest growing sector in Italian sauce. The three flavors are basil, roasted garlic and parmesan. The Barilla Group in Northbrook, Illinois similarly expanded its pesto line with three products: creamy tomatoes, sweet and spicy peppers and vegan.
More new products have brought ideas to pasta sauces. After learning that over 92% of consumers are discarding unused pasta sauces, New York and New York’s rusau & Co, they launched five pasta sauces in an 8.8 oz pouch powered two servings. Varieties include classic marinara, delicious Probancal, creamy tanned tomato pesto, spicy pomodoro and tomato basil. In other news, Bionaturae, North Stonington, Connecticut, has introduced three imported certified organic pasta sauces. Mizkan also added two Ragu Hidden Heroes varieties to its line, containing more vegetables. Captain Marinara’s products offer 40% of the recommended daily intake, while the creamy tomato squad offers 30% of the recommended daily intake per meal.
