Condiments & sauces category propelled by natural colors and recognizable ingredients

26 Sep 2023 --- Sauces, dressings and condiments have long been a staple for foodservice and in the home. Every culture on the continent has its own unique sauce and condiment traditions, and now consumers are looking for new and innovative condiments with stand-out colors and diverse applications that inspire them.

Sense Colour, Givaudan’s natural color business unit, is exploring the use of natural colors in sauces, seasonings, mayos and dressings that can enhance their visual appeal and support the new flavor and food experiences that customers crave.

Global & social drivers
Speaking to Food Ingredients First ahead of its webinar entitled “Captivating Culinary: Natural colours for sauces, mayos & more,” Catalina Ospina, technical marketing specialist at the company, says culinary ingredients are subject to many of the same drivers that are moving other food categories. 

“Consumers look for cooking and eating experiences that involve guiltless indulgence, endorse ethical and environmental commitments, offer value beyond price and engage all the senses. Natural colors check all of these boxes by providing the enjoyment of ‘new and exciting’ or comforting feelings when consuming sauces and condiments and providing ingredients with simple, recognizable labels manufactured with sustainability and responsible practices in mind.”

Natural ingredients and colors in sauces, condiments and dressings are fast becoming the norm for many product developers.With the aftereffects of the pandemic, growing inflation rates and socioeconomic uncertainties, cooking and eating at home represent a way to regain control over life aspects that greatly need attention: mindful socialization, health and wellness and revindication of affordable hedonism. 

“Consumers are looking for sauces, seasonings and cooking preparations that uplift the at-home eating experience with gourmet-level flavors, a fusion of tradition and exploration of the exotic,” Ospina continues. “Complex and contrasting flavors and colors remain, while consumers adopt a reductionist approach to factors like sodium, fats and added sugars,” explains Ospina. 

Meanwhile, Katie Rountree, senior applications scientist at the company, adds that the use of natural colors has grown significantly in the past ten to fifteen years and will continue going forward. 

“Even with the current inflation, finding products with simple, recognizable ingredients is highly important to consumers, so formulating with more natural ingredients is the new norm for many product developers.”

On-trend flavors & colors 
Regardless of future flavors or regional trends, colors are important for setting taste and texture expectations, she flags. “They help create food experiences ranging from familiar and comforting to bold and exciting or unexpected.”

Rountree believes that now is “a great time for culinary inspiration to be explored” because consumers are more engaged with cooking at home due to inflation and an interest in mindful consumption. 

“This, coupled with current trends in multi-level fusion flavors and spicy flavors offer a great opportunity to introduce colors that can match up with these powerful flavors for memorable mealtimes with the family,” she underscores. 

Addressing technical gaps
Ospina highlights the latest innovations Givaudan Sense Colour has in the pipeline. 

“We are working on the existing technical gaps in the natural colors palette by exploring improved agricultural and biotechnological sources and processes to obtain higher pigment concentrations, which impacts our products’ cost-in-use and carbon footprint,” she notes. 

“We are also fine-tuning formulation technologies tailored for improved performance when subjected to challenging conditions.”

Also discussing her predictions for how the category will expand in 2024, Ospina reveals that “current explorations of sensorial stimulation will flourish, balancing unexpected and exotic influences with traditional and nostalgic recipes.”Products with recognizable ingredients are more appealing to consumers.

Meanwhile, the premiumization of brands and products will be seen as a personal status-boosting element, with Millennials and Gen Z’s proclivity to share their meals and habits on social media, she adds. 

“And as social media is all about visual input, the appearance and attractiveness of colors in sauces and condiments will be paramount for the virality of brands.”

In the webinar, which will be broadcast on October 10, viewers will be able to see how many colorful solutions are out there for the culinary segment while also learning various tips and tricks on how to best apply and test natural colors when developing new culinary applications. 

“We’ll also share ideas and inspiration where natural colors can be used to elevate the sensory experience in consonance with the current and incoming consumer trends,” summarizes Rountree. 

You can sign up for the webinar here. 

By Elizabeth Green