The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Santa Maria has launched a new range of salsas. The range is available in three flavours: Mexican salsa roja, featuring a blend of red bell pepper, tomato and onion; Salsa Rio Grande, offering a "tangy, medium-chunky" salsa with garlic and coriander notes; and Mexican salsa verde, made from tomatillos, green jalapeños and lime, with a light green colour and chunky texture. According to the company, the salsas are prepped for immediate serving, or they can be customised. Santa Maria’s taste creator, Barnaby MacAdam, said: “Customisation has increased across menus by 49% year-on-year – it’s absolutely huge. Consumers are looking for ways to elevate their food choices with twists and upgrades to their dishes. The hurdle for many operators is having the time to reengineer their menus and come up with new ideas and also have the skill and time amongst their teams to create the dishes. “This is where our new salsa range comes into its own – it’s ready to be served, no prep required, and incredibly versatile, so can be dolloped on top of nachos, smothered over burger patties, the perfect accompaniment to Mexican salad bowls or can be offered as a topping choice for loaded burritos, tacos or taquitos." “Equally, operators can use our salsa as a base to then build their own signature salsa sauce – offering completely unique flavours to their customers. This could be added to existing menu dishes or as a signature side dipping sauce for fries or chicken wings, enabling operators to move away from offering side sauces for free and drive an additional revenue stream.” The salsas are available in 2.3-litre formats.