Asia Pacific

The per capita consumption of ready meals in India in 2023 remained fairly low compared to the average in Asia Pacific. This modest figure can be attributed to limited market penetration and association of limited consumption occasions. Ready meals…

The meals and soup category experienced another year of positive growth in 2023, both in total volume and value terms. Ready meals was a key contributor to the category’s development during the year, specifically frozen ready meals. The growing urban…

In May 2023, COVID-19 was reclassified as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same level as influenza. The restrictions on group activities that had been in place since the first pandemic in February 2020 were therefore finally relaxed in…

Ready meals is recording further double-digit value growth in 2023, driven by an increase in the price of raw materials and logistics; however, growth is more moderate than it was in 2022. Retail volume sales are also growing steadily as consumption…

Around the world, a rising number of consumers are looking to cut down on their consumption of meat due to concerns about health, the environment and animal welfare, and manufacturers are increasingly targeting this trend with new product…

With the increasing pace of life in urban areas, consumers, including a significant population of working women, are seeking meal and soup options that can be prepared quickly and with minimal effort. Products that offer easy preparation, such as…

Retail demand for ready meals has improved in 2023 following several years of decline in Singapore, as local consumers are attempting to adjust to spending increasing time outside of the home. Therefore, demand is being driven by convenience factors.…

Category players are customising their products to cater for various formats demanded by consumers sensitive to new lifestyle trends, such as South Korea's millennials and Generation Z, to maximise convenience. For instance, one of the habits among…

The resurgence of travel and dining out in 2023, following the post-COVID-19 era, has redirected consumption from off-trade to on-trade channels in Taiwan. With increased time spent on travel and dining at restaurants, there has been a noticeable…

Meals and soups benefit from consumers’ return to busy out-of-home lifestyles in the post-pandemic landscape – particularly so in the large cities. Such options provide convenience to consumers who are seeking quick and easy meals. Added to which,…

The performance of meals and soups is being supported by consumers’ return to busy lifestyles, thus leading to a higher demand for convenience. Indeed, at the end of a busy workday, people seek easy, quick, and convenient ways to prepare their meals…

In 2023, the meals and soups category showed sales growth in volume and value terms, spurred by the return to normal lifestyles post-pandemic and the return of employees to the workplace. The general increase in the number of working women in…

Ready meals is seeing healthy retail sales in both volume and value terms. Overall, sales are being driven by consumers’ demand for convenience, as people have returned to their busy lifestyles – especially so in the large cities – whereby they have…

Flexible plastic is the most widely used pack type in meals and soups packaging in China. This is due to this packaging type being lightweight and durable, making it easy to transport and store, which is particularly important for busy urban…

Flexible plastic is the leading pack type in meals and soups packaging in Hong Kong. This can be attributed to several factors, with convenience playing a significant role. Flexible plastic packaging offers ease of use, storage and portability,…

Total meals and soups packaging volumes maintained dynamic growth in 2023, as increasingly time-strapped Indian consumers with busy lifestyles drove demand for meals and soups, boosting packaging unit volumes of the main pack types in the category –…

Flexible plastic is the most popular packaging type for meals and soup in Indonesia due to its versatility. Its lightweight nature reduces transportation costs and carbon footprint, aligning with the country’s logistical challenges and environmental…

Total meals and soups packaging volumes declined in 2023. Although flexible plastic packaging also saw falling sales, the decline was below the average for meals and soups, and it continued to account for the highest share of packaging volumes in…

While metal food cans remained the most significant pack type in unit volume terms in 2023, folding cartons, the second most widely used packaging format, continued to gain share in overall meals and soups in this year. Folding cartons are used for a…

Despite gradually losing share to rigid plastic and flexible packaging, metal food cans remained the leading pack type in meals and soups packaging in Singapore at the end of the review period, primarily due to their ability to preserve the quality…