Out of the Ordinary

For many years, ketchup in the United States was seen as a pretty “plain Jane” product. But much has changed in recent times, from giant H.J. Heinz releasing a ketchup flavored with balsamic vinegar to Kensington and Sons launching gourmet regular and spiced ketchups sweetened with organic cane sugar and packaged in fancy jars.

Trends with traction

Right now, Mike Hackbarth, vice president, private label with the Fremont Co. of Fremont, Ohio, sees significant growth opportunity for all-natural ketchup sweetened with stevia, which appeals strongly to consumers’ increasing demand for better-for-you products.

“Many national brands and select retailers are enhancing their product with this new all-natural sugar substitute,” he states. “Fremont has followed with all-natural ketchup sweetened with stevia that offers the consumer the same great ketchup taste with 25 percent less sugar.”

Speaking of better-for-you products, table sauces and seasonings with added health benefits are rather niche in North America, with less than 1 percent of launches in the overall category between June 2012 and June 2013 having a “plus” claim, says “Category Insight: Table Sauces and Seasonings,” an October 2013 report from global market researcher Mintel.

“However, this could be a future trend, with sauces that offer consumers the opportunity to dose their meals with specific healthy attributes likely to have widespread appeal,” the report explains.

But not all opportunity lies in health benefits. Hackbarth notes that a number of retailers are beginning to focus more attention on growing their selection of opening-price-point store brand products. In response, his company currently is working hard to improve and broaden its value-tier ketchup formulations and package size.

Trends on the horizon

To get an idea of what flavor trends could take hold in a category down the road, retailers often need to look outside the category — and outside of retail itself.

“A lot of the innovative product ideas we have been presenting to the trade evolve from insight we get from the foodservice trade and retail trends from other categories,” Hackbarth explains. “With condiments in general, consumers are looking for ethnic, spicy and international fare.”

For example, the growing Hispanic population and increasing acceptance of Hispanic foods by mainstream consumers are kicking up demand for Hispanic flavor profiles in many mainstream food products, including ketchup.

“Ethnic chili peppers like jalapeno and chipotle are very popular,” Hackbarth points out.

East Asian flavors are another area of opportunity for retailers looking to give their ketchup that exotic twist. For instance, Sriracha sauce could make an excellent flavor enhancer in ketchup, Hackbarth says.

Kazia Jankowski, an associate culinary director at Sterling-Rice Group, Boulder, Colo., agrees about the power of Asian and Hispanic influences on the ketchup categories, pointing to two national brands that have introduced ketchups with an ethnic twist: Melinda’s, with its habanero-flavored ketchup, and Sosu, with its Sriracha-flavored ketchup.

And looking at South Asia, Hackbarth notes that U.S. retailers should consider adding curry — popular in many Indian foods and as a ketchup ingredient in Western Europe — to their ketchup for an exotic twist.