Meals and Soups

Meals and soups saw strong value growth in Austria in 2023, driven by inflationary pressures leading to high unit prices, while volume sales are also bouncing back into stronger positive growth. That said, challenges remain, as while inflationary…

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…

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…

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.…

Demand for frozen ready meals in Germany continued to grow in 2023, as consumers increasingly searched for convenient meal solutions that catered for busy lifestyles. As German consumers juggled work, family and social commitments, there was a…

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…

Since late 2022, the desire to travel has been seen amongst consumers in Hong Kong, due to the broader reopening of the country, with Japan emerging as a key destination. The revenge travel observed in 2023 has led to a significant reduction in the…

Meals and soups recorded a relatively robust sales performance during 2023 as retail volume sales increased across all categories. This can be partly seen as the natural response to the dramatic decline seen in demand for meals and soups in the…

Significant numbers of Swedish consumers continue to reach for ready meals when they need a convenient option for a quick meal or snack during their busy daily schedules. As the pace of life in Swedish cities continues to accelerate, busy urban…

Projected retail volume growth for some categories of meals and soups in 2023 is boosted by the total lifting of Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions since 2022. This has led to a return to the office for employees for whom many of these products…

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…

During 2023, ready meals in Ireland experienced a surge, stimulated by innovative product offerings. Among these, The Gym Kitchen's Beef Lasagne and Tesco's Beautifully Balanced Chicken & Sweet Potato Katsu Curry stood out for their unique selling…

Growth in retail volume sales of ready meals in Croatia in 2023 looks set to be up substantially on 2022, with all categories expected to post improved results in this respect. This is mainly explained by the return to pre-pandemic routines, in that…

Meals and soups in Cameroon accounts for minimal value sales. These products have limited presence on retail shelves and this means that consumer awareness is low. Ready meals and packaged soup are also considered to be unnecessarily expensive…

Meals and soups is rising in both volume and value terms in Slovenia in 2023. Increasingly busy lifestyles, work-from-home trends, a booming tourist season and persistent urbanisation are all contributing to overall growth for meals and soups thanks…

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…

Variety and freshness are proving key in the further development of ready meals. Efficient supply chains that promote freshness as well as greater attention to ingredients are enabling more appetising ready meal products. Flash freezing and day fresh…

Sales of ready meals are declining in retail volume terms in 2023, with people returning to their normal routines and spending more time outside of the home thanks to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. This is seeing a shift back towards…

Meal kits are becoming increasingly popular among Italian consumers. This trend is winning over more and more people because it offers many advantages. First, meal kits are very convenient and practical because they save time and effort. There is no…

Meals and soups is set to see a noticeable slowdown in its retail current value growth rate in 2023 compared with 2022, and is expected to turn to retail volume decline. The primary reason for this is the removal of the zero-COVID policy, which has…

Value sales continues to be low for meals and soup and in 2023, there is expected to be significant volume decline. High inflation continues to hamper demand, with soup and meals mainly bought by higher income consumers. Soup accounts for most volume…

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,…

In the post-pandemic era, many Serbians have resumed their busy lifestyles and this has stimulated demand for meals and soups. Frozen ready meals is witnessing the fastest retail volume growth thanks to its convenience and the diverse choice of…

Many Moroccans perceive ready meals to be less healthy and not as tasty than freshly cooked food, while they also see them as more expensive options. With consumers more appreciative of taste, sensitive to price and, to a lesser extent, health and…

In a cross-category trend, meals and soups is seeing falling volumes in light of the skyrocketing unit prices which are supporting high value growth. Contributing factors include the rising costs of raw materials, ingredients, and energy, alongside…

Dry soup is a prominent category within the packaged food industry in Ecuador. Nestlé Ecuador is the leading player due to its popular and affordable Maggi brand, which has an extensive portfolio focused on cream and traditional soups and newer…

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…

Despite tightened budgets and ongoing price increases, ready meals has continued to experience steady volume growth in 2023 as consumers seek convenient and fast meal solutions. Interestingly, the increase in food prices has benefited the category,…

Health and wellness trends have been on the rise since the pandemic in Mexico. According to Euromonitor International's Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey 2023, 55% of consumers actively seek products containing healthy ingredients in their…

Ready meals has been experiencing price increases across the board over the past year, due to the increased costs for manufacturers in the light of global inflationary pressures, and with socio-political unrest leading to supply chain issues. On the…

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…

All soup brands in Tunisia are imported, with Calfort, Ideal and Knorr dominating sales. These brands invest significantly in advertising campaigns, particularly on Middle Eastern television channels, which are widely viewed by Tunisian consumers.…

Ready meals continues to benefit from the convenience trend in Israel, reflected in healthy current value growth in 2023. The enduring popularity of pizza has enabled it to register the strongest current value growth. Still, many local consumers…

While retail volume sales of meals and soups in Australia continue to grow in 2023, another increase in the average unit price ensures that current value growth is more dynamic. Unit price growth is being driven by inflation and labour shortages.…

In 2023, meals and soups maintained its robust performance. This can be attributed to the establishment of hybrid work formats, such as the prevalence of working from home for two days a week, resulting in increased home-cooked meals. Convenience and…

Demand for ready meals in 2023 is significantly impacted by the weakening purchasing power of Slovak households, which is causing consumers to cut back on spending. All category members are seeing volume sales declines. However, economy-priced ready…

Noodles and pasta pots are experiencing positive growth thanks to their convenience and budget-friendly prices. Affordable ready meals, like these, have witnessed a surge in consumption, leading retailers to expand shelf space and introduce new…

Meals and soups declined in volume terms in 2023 following a strong negative decline in 2022. This remains a relatively niche category in Nigeria and is widely considered non-essential. Consequently, as consumers focused on essentials and sought to…

Meals and soups in Georgia in 2023 is seeing the frozen ready meals segment maintaining its dynamic and robust presence, holding a substantial volume share of over 60%. This segment's dominance is a significant propellant for the broad spectrum of…

In 2023, the ready meals category is showing growth in both retail volume and current value terms, mirroring the trends seen in the broader meals and soups category. Demand patterns are returning to normal cycles as employees embrace everyday life…

After several years of decline, soup in Argentina saw overall retail volume sales return to positive territory in 2022. While it looks set to record an improved performance in this regard in 2023, growth remains modest, partly due to strong…

Economic uncertainty in 2022 impacted access not only to high-value products in Brazil but also to basic items for various consumer groups in the country. The inflationary process triggered by macroeconomic policies, combined with external shocks to…

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…

Players are capitalising on the particularly strong demand for healthy ready meals as these combine the desire for a nutritious meal with convenience and consumers’ now entrenched habit of consuming ready meals whilst at work. At the end of 2022, new…

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…

Meals and soup is expected to register double-digit current value growth, though constant value growth will be muted, as continuing high inflation eats into profit margins. All the same, there will be some volume growth. Growth is not expected to be…

There has been a growing demand for soups among consumers in Kenya. The landscape has quickly become one of the few industries that have witnessed a surge in demand after the outbreak of COVID-19. However, there is an overall perception in the…

In 2023, meals and soups witnessed a moderate lift in retail volume sales as consumption of dry soups increased. Standard brands, including Maggi, Malher and Knorr, continue to characterise soup in 2023 with similar products, flavours and unit…

The Bulgarian market for meals and soups in 2023 remained nearly stagnant, with a slight negative trend, primarily driven by the increased frequency of dining out. The categories most affected by this shift were shelf-stable ready meals and dried…

Recent years have witnessed a surge in sales in ready meals and soups in Poland, thanks to innovative product launches. Dobrowolscy, renowned for high-quality delicatessen products, introduced a line of ready meals, Dobrowolscy od Kuchni, featuring…