Condiments Insight Report 2026

What the report covers

The Condiments Insight Report 2026 looks at how UK university students use sauces, how loyal they are to a brand and where they shop. It draws on 1,237 student respondents across Dig In surveys in 2026, including the sweet chilli sauce (n=781) and hot sauce (n=440) surveys. These are stated habits and intent, not confirmed sales.

Key findings

• 64.8% of students use sweet chilli sauce at least weekly.

• 63.0% use hot sauce at least weekly, and 20.2% use it every day.

• 58.4% of hot sauce users use more than one brand.

• 46.6% of sweet chilli sauce users and 40.8% of hot sauce users buy supermarket own label.

• After sampling at Freshers 2026, 91.3% said they’d buy Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Sauce again and 83.2% said they’d buy Tabasco again.

Inside the report

• Usage habits

• Brand switching

• Meal occasions

• Where students shop

• Case study: Blue Dragon and Tabasco

• What it means for sauce brands

• 2027 opportunities

Who it’s for

Brand and shopper marketing teams at sauce and condiment brands, whether they lead the category or are just launching, and the agencies that plan for them.

How to cite it

Dig In, Condiments Insight Report 2026. Please credit Dig In and link to this page when you quote it.