COOKING sauces are falling out of favour with British consumers following health warnings about the amount of sugar and salt they contain.
The latest research shows that shoppers are turning their backs on the cooking sauces category, so-much-so that sales of pasta sauces have slumped by more than £30 million in the past year.
The dramatic shift in popularity came after the shock warning from global manufacturer Mars last April that certain Dolmio sauces should only eaten once every seven days because of the sugar and salt they contain.
A 500g jar of Dolmio tomato sauce, for instance, contains 8.6g of sugar – ten per cent of an adult's recommended daily intake.
Since the health warning, market leader Dolmio – which is owned by Mars – has lost £9.5 million of its value, with own-label brands overtaking it on growth.
The data from analysts Kantar Worldpanel showed that the overall market continues to go off the boil, falling 3.7 per cent in value and 4.1 per cent in volume.
Trade magazine The Grocer said: “In fact, 2016 marks the sixth consecutive year of decline and £30.1 million has evaporated from the sector’s value in the past year.
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“Declining shopper engagement, price pressure from the discounters, the health agenda, the scratch cooking trend and the rise of smaller households are all nibbling away at the sector.
“Value and volume has declined across all sub-categories in the past year. Italian and traditional sauces have shouldered over 70 per cent of the total value loss, reflecting the hefty losses of Dolmio, Schwartz and Homepride.”
As well as Brits avoiding pasta sauces because of their sugar and salt content, consumers are also increasingly making food from scratch.
A similar sauce to Dolmio's tomato sauce can be made from scratch with tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, herbs and salt and pepper.
Brits are also becoming more aware of their health and are looking for less processed options, which has led to the introduction of sauce kits and pots to add flavour.
A spokesperson for Dolmio said: “We want to help make it a little bit easier for people to cook convenient, healthy, tasty and affordable meals for their families and we’re proud of the commitments we’ve made.
"The vast majority of our products, like Dolmio Bolognese sauces, are absolutely ‘everyday’ meals that deliver on taste, convenience and health.
"Consumers know they can rely on our brands and they remain some of the UK’s most loved.”
Brian Walmsley at Schwartz said: “Whilst sales of wet cooking sauces have declined, this is not a segment that Schwartz focuses on and is a very small part of our business.
"As part of our commitment to health and wellness, Schwartz has decreased the salt used in eight of our most popular seasonings by an average of 40 per cent, without compromising on taste and flavour.”
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