As the cost of living crisis continues, people are dining out less and using home cooking to explore world cuisines that are quick, easy and affordable.
New research by Lee Kum Kee revealed that 59% of Brits would like to make healthier and more affordable seasonal home-cooked alternatives to eating out / buying takeaways.
However, 53% admit they’re not confident doing so because they simply don’t have the right recipes, techniques or ingredients.
Consumers are looking for high-quality food ingredients and sauces to recreate restaurant-quality dishes, as well as tips on how to use them.
Maria Chong, Managing Director of Lee Kum Kee Europe Limited says: “More consumers are using social media to learn about how authentic ‘world foods’ actually are, which means their standards and demands for authenticity is increasing. That’s why it’s so important to highlight the authenticity of sauces like the ones produced by Lee Kum Kee. Authentic brands like Lee Kum Kee are being used by all kinds of influencers on social media, alongside Celebrity Chefs who love to explore ingredients of true flavour and provenance.”
Consumers are also becoming more mindful of what they eat, which has contributed to a significant spike in different diet preferences.
Many of Lee Kum Kee’s sauces cater to special diets. For example, the popular Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil, Lee Kum Kee Chilli Garlic Sauce, and Lee Kum Kee Hot Chilli Soy Sauce are all plant-based sauces, which are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
A few Lee Kum Kee products recently launched are also vegan. For example, the Lee Kum Kee Sichuan Stir-fry Sauce and the Chu Hou Sauce. Another new sauce suitable for vegetarians is the Lee Kum Kee Satay Sauce. There’s a growing appetite for seasonal eating too, with 51% of UK adults saying they’d benefit from learning about how seasonality of food can help create fresh, nutritionally balanced meals for less.
The nation’s love for Asian food, in particular, is undisputed. Recent research by Lee Kum Kee states revealed that 60% of Brits said they love Asian food due to the abundance of flavours. 82% eat Asian food once a week or more, with Chow Mein, Sweet & Sour and Special Fried Rice coming in as the UK’s top three dishes. The wide menu varieties and rich food culture of Chinese cuisines offers many choices to consumers.
“Highlight convenient ways for consumers to make affordable, easy, good quality dishes at home,” adds Chong. “One way to do this is to showcase sauces that are versatile, like the Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce – a magic sauce great for marinating, cooking, stewing, dipping, within all kinds of cuisines, including classics like Broccoli Beef Stir-fry, Cottage Pie and Roast Chicken.”
Lee Kum Kee launched the secret to simple, authentic Chinese cooking with its range of 12 ready-made sauces, available in handy sachets at supermarkets across the UK.
They’re a simple way to create mouth-watering Chinese dishes for any occasion, right in the comfort of your own home without the burden of having to use up the whole bottle across multiple meals, at a low pick up price. Flavours range from Black Bean Garlic and Kung Pao Chicken, perfect for whipping up a colourful stir-fry, to Honey & Soy and Spicy Garlic.
Lee Kum Kee has also recently implemented the idea of customising any meal “at the table” by introducing a new ‘drizzle and dip’ sauce range packaged in handy 120ml bottles, in the flavours: Hot Chilli Soy Sauce, Sweet Soy Sauce and Seasoned Rice Vinegar and the new Oriental Sesame Soy Sauce. They offer a convenient short-cut to adding authentic Chinese flavours to a variety of dishes and act as the ‘final touch’ which perfects any taste without the techniques of a professional chef. From starters (like cold cuts), dim sum and salads, to main dishes like meats, fish and noodles. The ultimate quick-and-easy solution to enliven mealtimes.
Chong says: “These convenient table top sauces allow consumers to customise their meals with the shake of a bottle. They offer versatility and innovation but also the authentic flavours that Lee Kum Kee is famous for. In our recent BBC Good Food Show participation at Birmingham, we experienced the visitors’ passion for our 120ml table sauce range through their fanatic purchase of the range. We had to replenish stock everyday! Nowadays, consumers truly appreciate good flavours, no doubt. I think we are fulfilling their implicit needs.”
Andrey Sokirkin, Brand Director for Cooking Sauces at Premier Foods, comments: “When it comes to world flavours, Thai and other East Asian cuisines have shown the biggest growth at +43% (IRI) versus four years ago. This category is also seeing growth from consumers choosing to switch from more established cuisines like Italian, Indian and traditional into new and exciting Thai and other East Asian flavours (IRI).”
With consumers keen to stick to brands that they love (Kantar), Sharwood’s East Asian sauces are the ideal choice for retailers looking to offer affordable and convenient cooking sauces. Available in eight variants – Thai Sweet Chilli, Thai Red Curry, Japanese Teriyaki, Japanese Katsu, Thai Green Curry, Thai Rendang, Thai Jungle Curry, Thai Massaman Curry – the range helps unlock delicious dining experiences for less skilful cooks who want to prepare and enjoy home-cooked meals with their families.
In addition, research shows that 31% of people think that plant-based food doesn’t taste as good as non-plant-based – and this is a barrier to purchase that Plantastic’s new Protein Boost pots look to overcome. They are available in three modern flavours: Satay Noodles, Bolognese Pasta and Cajun Rice.
Consumers are looking to make more health-conscious choices. When it comes to plant-based products, 50% of people are concerned they will miss out on key nutrients if they follow a plant-based diet (Consumer Concept) and 66% of shoppers want more protein from their plant-based quick meals. Plantastic Protein Boost pots meet this demand as they are high in protein, low in fat, full of veggie pieces and contain no artificial colours or preservatives. In fact, Satay contains 13.1g of protein per pot, Bolognese 12.7g and Cajun 12.9g. Plantastic Protein Boost pots are HFSS compliant, making them a great choice for health-conscious customers.
In addition, the stir fry category presents 9m occasions which is equivalent to £5.4M in retail sales value (Kantar) and Sharwood’s Reduced Sugar Stir Fry Sauces – available in Sweet Chilli, Sweet & Sour, Chow Mein, Oyster & Spring Onion, Teriyaki and Hoisin flavours – will help retailers meet demand. The sauces contain 30% less sugar than the category average and allow consumers to choose the same great taste they know and love from the brand, while appealing to health-conscious consumers.
“It is also important for retailers to ensure their accompaniments range caters for those looking for a traditional and healthy option without a compromise on taste,” adds Sokirkin. “For example, for a curry night, Sharwood’s Low Fat Mini Plain Naans and the new 60% Less Salt Poppadoms are ideal healthier additions. Sharwood’s has also recently launched 30% Less Fat Popped Crackers to accompany a wide range of Asian inspired dishes.”
With customers looking to make more health-conscious choices, Sharwood’s has expanded its range with the launch of 60% Less Salt Poppadoms and 30% Less Fat Popped Crackers. The healthier versions of Sharwood’s signature poppadoms and prawn crackers give consumers the chance to make better food choices without missing out on their favourite meal accompaniments.
The Sharwood’s 60% Less Salt Poppadoms and Sharwood’s 30% Less Fat Popped Crackers are both low in saturated fat and HFSS compliant. Sharwood’s 60% Less Salt Poppadoms are also a source of fibre. Aditi Hilgers, Head of Old El Paso, comments: “With the spotlight still firmly on health, shoppers are increasingly opting meal solutions designed to be cooked from scratch, using fresh fruit and fresh vegetables and protein such as lean chicken or meat alternatives (IGD). It’s therefore crucial for retailers to make health more accessible for shoppers, whether that be by evolving store layout to support health-focused missions, helping shoppers navigate stores and fixtures with signage or educating shoppers on healthier alternatives.
“At Old El Paso we’re continuously assessing and innovating around how we can offer consumers the best nutritional solution without compromising on taste. We’re also HFSS-proof, with most of our range exempt from the legislation.”
Key trends are not only about what we eat, but also how we eat. The trend of ‘togetherness’ is already huge and has only been amplified through the past couple of years. This works well with Mexican food and especially Old El Paso, which focuses on the magic of real connections that happen over good food.
For many consumers, world cuisine makes an occasion more special, but they still want it to be simple. Having friends over to cook a curry together or throwing a Mexican-themed fiesta is more about the connection and shared experience, rather than a super sophisticated result.
Old El Paso is greening its operations, with a 2030 goal to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions across its full value chain by 30%, and a further 2050 goal to achieve net zero emission levels.
“It’s clear to see consumer concern about the rising cost of living is starting to impact the way they spend their money,” adds Hilgers. “Communicating value to shoppers will be more important than ever and anything outside of everyday essentials will need to be worth the money.”
Much like in previous periods of economic uncertainty, the ‘lipstick effect’ is taking hold. Rather than big splurges, people are opting for small indulgences, with one in two choosing smaller treats to eat or drink instead and six in 10 saying everyday moments of happiness they can experience is the most common way that they treat and reward themselves (Innova).
We’re seeing this with socialising outside the home; restaurant spending in September 2022 saw a fall of 12.2% (Barclaycard), with special food and drink to prepare and eat from the comfort of our own kitchen becoming a spending priority instead (Innova). This has also seen many shoppers entering the world food aisle looking for exciting dinner options to enjoy with family and friends, that make them feel like they’re eating out.
In 2021, the brand extended its category leading Old El Paso Tortilla Pockets range with a new Smoky BBQ variant. The product combines innovative, first-to-market sealed bottom wraps with the classic and best-selling smoky BBQ flavour profile, the number one in Mexican (Nielsen).
Old El Paso Tortilla Pockets as a platform has seen outstanding success to date, hitting £8.8m RSV sales in its first 18 months (Nielsen).
“With the squeeze on household budgets due to the cost-of-living crisis, the need to be adventurous with in-home meal solutions has ramped up as people cut down on eating out and saving money is front of mind,” says Hilgers.
“This has led to many shoppers entering the world food aisle, looking for exciting dinner options that make them feel like they’re eating out. Category promotions, recipe ideas and meal bundles are key for helping them to this, in a way that’s still affordable. This year we have linked up with complementary brands across grocery, such as Coca Cola and El Jimador tequila, to offer enticing bundles and support in-home, occasion driven moments.”
Since the pandemic, there has been a huge shift in culinary habits and consumer confidence to try new cuisines at home, says leading Japanese brand Yutaka. With the ever-increasing trend for healthy living and mindful eating, consumers are looking to switch to healthier home-cooked dishes.
Japanese cuisine has continued to gain popularity thanks to its healthy reputation and fragrant and exotic tastes. The Tokyo Olympics was fantastic for further strengthening the appeal of Japanese food. Yutaka declared that its UK retail sales enjoyed a 52% year-on-year growth in 2020 and a further 24% growth in 2021. The growth rate slowed down to about 4% in 2022 due to the challenging supply situation.
In years gone by, Japanese cuisine in Britain was mainly enjoyed in restaurants in London but over the past decade Japanese food is becoming ubiquitous and is enjoyed up and down the country in restaurants, fast food outlets, and at home.
Thanks to the efforts of many brands and the expansion of the world food range at the major supermarkets, Japanese ingredients have never before been so accessible across the UK with consumers being able to pick up authentic Japanese ingredients such as a bottle of mirin or a set of sushi ingredients from their local supermarket whilst also shopping for their staple products such as bread, milk, and fruit.
Na Wang, Head of Marketing at Tazaki Foods, a leading Japanese food ingredients importer and developer that owns brand Yutaka, said: “During the pandemic we noticed that consumers were becoming much more experimental with their home cooking so the need for authentic ingredients was certainly on the increase. Home cooking became a simple pleasure that people embraced after being unable to travel to see friends or pop into their favourite restaurant.”
Now that the world has opened up shoppers are wanting to impress friends and families with their newfound love of cooking. The sales of Yutaka’s ingredients continue to grow year on year.
Yutaka has also accommodated for the consumers who are time poor so need a delicious dish that they can rustle up at home in less than 10 minutes. For that reason, Yutaka has introduced 13 new frozen products that include not only some Japanese essentials such as ramen, gyoza, edamame beans, but also popular Japanese street food products such as Takoyaki Octopus Balls and Yakitori Skewers.
Wang continued: “As the cost of living is rising and food prices continue to rise, brands are set to slow down premiumisation and NPD as businesses choose to focus on their core range and profitability. Brands and products which combine both quality and value look set to do better in difficult times.
“Yutaka products are accessible and affordable, and with a wide range of ambient and frozen products to choose from, there is something to suit everyone. I recommend shoppers to check the cost per 100g and shop around if they’d like to save money. For example, Yutaka 300g Organic Miso Paste is made in Japan and is a lot cheaper than others on a 100g basis. Our gyoza is also very good value for money.”
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