Seasoning and Dressing Manufacturers

Industry Profile Report

Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters

Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.

Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.

Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.

Industry Profile Excerpts

Industry Overview

The 709 seasoning and dressing manufacturers in the US produce condiments, sauces, spices, and seasonings that enhance the flavor of food. Major product categories include prepared sauces; dry mix food preparations; spices, flavorings, and food colorings; and salad dressings, mayonnaise, and sandwich spreads. The category does not include ketchup.

Variable Raw Ingredient Costs

Raw ingredients are agricultural products, which are subject to price fluctuations that are dependent on underlying commodity costs and global market conditions.

Plant-Based Foods Growth

Americans are increasingly incorporating plant-based foods into their diets, a change that favors the salad dressing category.

Industry size & Structure
Industry Forecast
Seasoning and Dressing Manufacturers Industry Growth
Source: Vertical IQ and Inforum

Recent Developments

Feb 23, 2024 - Producer Prices Climb in 2023
  • Producer prices for seasoning and dressing manufacturers rose 4.6% in December compared to a year ago, extending an upward trend that began in early 2021, data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Industry labor costs also continued to climb last year with employment by miscellaneous food manufacturers, which includes seasoning and dressing manufacturers, growing 3.4% to a new high in December, according to the BLS. Moreover, wages at food manufacturers hit a record high of $22.85 per hour in December, a 4.1% change compared to a year ago, per the BLS.
  • Spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces prices rose 4.6% in January compared to a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. More specifically, salt and other seasonings and spices rose 3.2%, sauces and gravies spiked 6.7%, olives, pickles, and relishes rose 2.5%, and other condiments rose 4.1%, all outpacing the rise in the CPI for food at home of 1.2% in January. Salad dressing prices rose 2% in January year over year, per the January CPI report.
  • US food inspectors have detected “extremely high” levels of toxic lead in cinnamon at a plant in Ecuador that made applesauce pouches tainted with the metal, the Food and Drug Administration announced in December. The recalled pouches have been linked to dozens of illnesses in children in the US. Cinnamon tested from the plant had lead levels more than 2,000 times higher than the maximum level proposed by the FDA, officials said. The head of the FDA’s human foods program, Jim Jones, told Politico in an interview that the lead contamination appeared to be “an intentional act.” Contaminated spices are “incredibly common,” Dr. Diane Calello, executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center, told CNN. Some contamination occurs in natural products, including rice and apples, because they’re grown in soil that contains metals. Calello mentioned turmeric as a spice that can be contaminated with lead.
  • Prices for spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces are about 350% higher in 2023 than in 1978 (a $69.94 difference in value), according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Between 1978 and 2023, spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces experienced an average inflation rate of 3.4% annually. As such, spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces costing $20 in the year 1978 would cost $89.94 in 2023 for an equivalent purchase. However, compared to the overall inflation rate of 3.47% over the same 45-year period, inflation for spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces was lower, according to BLS data.
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