The savoury spreads market has increased by 5% in real terms, reaching the value of £293 million in 2000. Have new product innovation and developments within the chilled spreads sector contributed to this increase?

Manufacturers are beginning to make their products to appeal to more healthy conscious consumers by removing additives and GM ingredients. Are savoury spreads becoming a more healthy and nutritious food?

Are demographic factors influential in the savoury spreads market?

The savoury spreads market has increased by 5% in real terms, reaching the value of £293 million in 2000. Have new product innovation and developments within the chilled spreads sector contributed to this increase?

Manufacturers are beginning to make their products to appeal to more healthy conscious consumers by removing additives and GM ingredients. Are savoury spreads becoming a more healthy and nutritious food?

Are demographic factors influential in the savoury spreads market?

Mintel last covered the subject of savoury spreads in Market Intelligence, March 1998. The savoury spreads market has been relatively static over the last five years, with the exception of the year 2000, which showed a 5% rise in the market at constant prices, reaching a value of £293 million. The cheese spreads sector, worth some £93 million in that year, has remained fairly flat, as has the meat, vegetable and yeast extract sector, valued at £37 million in the year 2000.

The ambient spreads sector has been declining for the past ten years at a rate of 10% per annum, due to lack of product innovation within the market. However, during the last two years, this decline has decelerated to 2-3% per annum. This can be attributed to some new product development (NPD) within the sandwich filler and paste and pâté sectors. The only real growth areas within savoury spreads are in the chilled pastes, spreads and pâté sectors and chilled sandwich fillers, due to product innovation and product extension.

In this report Mintel will discuss the hypothesis: "The only real way forward for the savoury spreads and pâté market is to upgrade the quality of ingredients and ensure that the products are not only perceived as healthy and nutritious, but are healthy and nutritious".

Other Mintel reports of relevance are:

- Bread, Market Intelligence, February 2001

- Morning Goods, Market Intelligence, March 2001

- Sandwiches, Leisure Intelligence October 1999

- Cheese, Market Intelligence, August 1999

- Sweet Spreads, Market Intelligence, April 2001

- Cheese, Market Intelligence, August 2001.