The Emerging BBQ Sauce Market
The global barbecue sauce market, or the BBQ sauce market, is projected to grow at CAGR 8.41%, obtaining a market size of US$1,753.205 million by the end of 2025. The origin of BBQ sauce can be traced back to 17th-century American households, when vinegar, salt, and pepper were used to make sauces for food. With the rise of European nation control and domination, the sauce recipe was carried from America to the European Countries, especially U.K., France, and Germany. There, the sauce underwent conversion and the addition of more ingredients. One such example is the South Caroline mustard sauce, a German BBQ sauce based on traditional recipe merged with German flavors.
Heinz Company, established in 1869, was the first-ever company to manufacture and sell bottled barbecue sauce, in early 1940. The company is a global leader and specializes in bottled sauces with ranging flavors. Soon after, major players in the Food and Beverages market commenced production of BBQ sauce in their portfolio.
The Increasing Popularity of BBQ Cooking Style
The prime factor leading to a surge in the consumption of BBQ sauce is the rising popularity of the BBQ cooking style. BBQ cooking involves smoke or backed cooking of food, which is, though time occupying, much healthier. With rising health consciousness and desire for a healthier lifestyle, consumers are inclining towards protein and vitamin-rich diet, from traditional carbohydrate sufficient diet. Deep frying of food destroys the protein content in the food, proliferates fats and cholesterol in the body. Hence, consumers today lookout for better alternatives, such as BBQ cooking, to nurture the original nutrient content along with secured taste.
Further, the BBQ cooking style has its health benefits. Of all, this cooking style involves the consumption of vegetables, restoring the required nutrients in the body. Smoke cooking decreases the fat content in the food and does not add cholesterol to the body. The cooked food is easy to eat and digest. Moreover, grilling can be performed outdoors along with other physical activities.
While most of the food goes along with smoke cooking, recent studies show that smoked meats may cause cancer, especially when a person has a family case. Hence, cautions need to be taken while considering baking and smoke cooking of food.
The Expanding Meat Market
With the shift of consumption trend from carbohydrates to the protein-rich diet, the meat production market is busting. The meat market reached a market size of 323 Mt in 2017 and is expected to soar at a significant rate in the coming years, as observed by OECD-FAO Agriculture Outlook Report, 2018 – 2027. Further with increasing trade of meat, especially driven by India, the U.S.A., Thailand, Canada, Ukraine, and Argentina, the market is expected to grow exponentially. Moreover, with the surging fitness enthusiasm, along with mushrooming gym trend, consumers, especially in North America and Asia Pacific region, demand for protein abundant diet, for which meat seems to be a perfect fit.
One might wonder what the meat industry has to do with the BBQ sauce market. Well, often meat is consumed along with coming eternal flavoring, BBQ sauce been a close compliment good. Especially when baked or grilled, meat is combined with BBQ sauce to amplify taste.
Increasing Cross-Cultural Influence
It’s not just the health-conscious consumers who consume BBQ sauce with their protein diet. Rising cultural influence is another prime reason for rocketing demand for BBQ sauce in the Asia Pacific region. BBQ cooking and BBQ sauce, which is considered a western culture in Asian countries, is gaining fame owing to its health benefits and differential taste. Further, the adaption of BBQ sauce is ready to serve meals and street foods have outpoured its popularity. Moreover, innovation and fusion of domestic cuisine with western flavors have skyrocketed the demand. One such fusion is South India’s Dosa with BBQ flavoring for enhanced taste. This experimental fusion food has been further developed upon with Covid pandemic and lockdowns, increasing by cooking trends and enthusiasm among the people.
Growing HoReCa Industry
The Hotel, Restaurants, and catering industry have a significant role in the BBQ sauce market. With the rising vogue of tourism and the growing travel and tourism industry, HoReCa businesses have experienced an increase in demand for quality and convenient products and services. Further, emerging dining-out and cafes trends, have witnessed the need for innovation and creativity, particularly in the dining business. Moreover, the rise in disposable income has also driven the fancy for better living standards. The growing social media influence also seems to increase the market.
With rising health consciousness, consumers desire healthy, quality food at low expense. Furthermore, the demand for unique cuisine has kicked the need for innovation and experimentation with food. And with the growing BBQ cooking style, the industry is adjusting its menu as per the progressing trends.
Geographical Insights
North America and European nations are the leading consumers of BBQ sauce. These are nations from where the sauce emerged and developed. Also, they are the chief meat and related products consumers. Other countries that fall in line are China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt. These are also the regions where consumption of BBQ sauce is predicted to grow at a substantial rate.
The Asia Pacific, as well, is estimated to hold a noteworthy market share, due to rising health consciousness and favorability of protein diet, particularly among the young generation. Also, the rising cultural influence and popularity of fusion food have led to considerable market growth.
Other insights
The ready to served bottled BBQ sauce is manufactures either organically or non-organically. The non-organic BBQ sauce contains artificial flavorings along with certain chemical infusions. This was of manufacturing enables the sauce to cater to different climatic conditions and last a longer shelf life. The organic BBQ sauce, however, is natural without artificial flavoring or chemical involvement. It is much healthier than the non-organic sauce, but has a shorter shelf life and cannot withstand certain climatic conditions.
The offline channeled sales of BBQ sauce dominates the market, in comparison with online sales. However, due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, and rising e-commerce, the online segment is forecasted to grow at a noteworthy rate. The current pandemic may result in a dip in the market size, with the decrease in demand due to lockdowns and the physical shutdown of Hotels, Restaurants, and other gathering places. The supply, as well, is affected withhold on production lines and shutdown of physical channels. But the market growth is expected to resume, at a reasonable rate, in the long run.
