A 'Passage to Thailand' without leaving home

COLLINSVILLE, Conn. A line of simmer sauces designed to spice up a meal has made its market debut in the United States.

Passage to Thailand simmer sauces are a part of a simple, three-step meal solution that satisfies the needs of the time-starved consumer. Add the sauce to meat, seafood or vegetables, simmer and serve over rice for a gourmet meal in less than 20 minutes. The line consists of four different, all-natural sauces, each a recipe of traditional ethnic cuisines created to deliver authentic, restaurant-quality flavor and made only from fresh, natural ingredients. The line includes pad thai, thai basil and sweet chili, as well as tom yum and red thai curry sauces. With spices sourced directly from various regions of Thailand and southeast Asia, each product is gluten-, MSG-, preservative- and GMO-free.

"The growing ethnic diversity in our U.S. population, and a resurgence in cooking driven by chef-hosted programs, has grown the market for ethnic foods to a record high," said Passage Foods' Mark MacKenzie. "The ethnic food market is a $2.2 billion retail industry in the United States, and [is] expected to expand an additional 20% over the next four years, with Indian and Thai foods showing the largest increase in consumer demand."

In addition, the Asian/Indian restaurant segment has seen double-digit growth for the last four years, and although retreating some recently, the number of ethnic grocery offerings has expanded as more people try cooking Thai, Indian and other ethnic foods at home.