Waitrose launches new authentic curry sauces
bid to cash in on the UK's number one cuisine.
Waitrose claims that the sauces have been developed by a chef with years of experience in India's most prestigious hotels using ingredients sourced from all over India. The sauces are also a healthier option involving no added colours or preservatives.
Flavours will include classics such as Korma, Kashmir ad Passanda and also regional recipies such as Goan and Patia.
Waitrose are taking advantage of growing trends towards packaged ethnic foods, Indian cuisine having been the nation's number one consumed world food for years. The European market for packaged ethnic foods is predicted to hit €7bn in Europe by 2009 according to a report from Datamonitor.
"As people demand better tasting, stronger flavoured and more authentic food, they are stepping up their consumption of Chinese, Mexican and Indian meals, both pre-packaged and homemade," says John Band, consumer markets analyst at Datamonitor.
The UK accounts for more than half the total European ethnic food market and is the only country where these goods account for more than 1 per cent of the total packaged food sales. However, palettes across Europe are warming to ethnic and in particular Indian cuisine with overall growth as high as 12 per cent.
Datamonitor predicts the UK market for ethnic food to increase by almost 4 per cent by 2009, with British shoppers spending £3.4bn (€5bn) compared to £2.1bn(€3bn) today on ethnic foods.
