More than one in four Kiwis declared they liked tomato sauce on their steak, according to ground-breaking research conducted by Wattie's and Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

The research, which is believed to be a first of its kind, canvassed the preferences of close to four thousand Kiwis delivering insights which are likely to shape the industry for decades.

Interestingly, more than a thousand participants (29 per cent) choose to reach for the sauce bottle to enhance their steak experience, with the other 71 per cent stating that sauce on steak was something they side-stepped.

'For a data junky like myself, this research is absolutely fascinating. I always held the belief that New Zealand-grown, grass-fed beef was simply too tasty to require sauce. However, what we are seeing is a fundamental shift in the Kiwi palate," says Rod Slater, Head of Steak, Sauces and Other Meaty Matters at Beef + Lamb New Zealand's top-secret R+D facility based on the North Shore.

'Gone are the days when Wattie's Tomato Sauce's sole celebration with steak was on a sausage or the classic Kiwi pie.

"Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that, as New Zealand demands wider flavour profiles, Kiwis are reaching out for an iconic brand like Wattie's Tomato Sauce.”

However, for Amy Vu, who oversees marketing for Wattie's Tomato Sauce, these results come as no surprise:

'Of course we know many New Zealanders love our tomato sauce on their steak – It's a Kiwi Thing! Whether it's a squirt at the sausage sizzle, a free-pour on their fish and chips or even a small measure on their ice cream, New Zealanders have been turning to Wattie's Tomato Sauce since the end of the War.”

For anyone wanting to find out more about the saucy study and the methodology behind it can head HERE for more information.