More processors are injecting marinades into meat and poultry to create higher-margin items with added flavor, but operators must adhere to strict guidelines if they are to sustain quality and shopper interest. 

Consumers want sweet and spicy marinades with interesting flavor profiles, but clean ingredients.

Half the benefit of pre-marinated meat is consumers know what they are going to get: embedded taste and convenience. Processors are utilizing new technologies with injections and marinades, so everything tastes the same but with less sodium and sugar, and fewer food-safety concerns.

At-home and restaurant chefs alike are employing age-old methods of food preparation techniques to create globally influenced marinades and cuisines.

Sales of cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades grew 12 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to Chicago-based Mintel International’s Cooking and Pasta Sauces, Marinades – US report from December 2015.

Barbecue used to be so much simpler: pick up a bottle from the condiments aisle for a home marinade or pick the standard Southern or Midwestern sandwich off the menu.