Abstract
Changing consumer lifestyles are driving the market for ready meals in Europe
and the US; consumers are working longer hours, spending more time commuting
and have a growing desire to maximize their increasingly limited leisure time.
'Growth Strategies in Ready Meals: Consumer drivers, new meal opportunities,
innovation and format and flavor trends' is a new report published by Business
Insights that analyses the key trends in the ready meals market and forecasts
future growth and opportunities. The report breaks down opportunities in the
ready meals sector by region, food type and consumer to provide a unique
insight into the factors shaping the market now and in the future. It examines
key issues including the rise of ethnic cuisine and how ready meals innovation
and new product development are reflecting changes in consumer demand and
behaviour. This report will help ready meals manufacturers, distributors and
retailers anticipate future changes in the ready meals market and develop new
products and strategies to secure market share.
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Ready meals: Definitions and market sizing
- The disappearing mealtime
- Key trends in the ready meals market
- The rise of ethnic foods and flavors
- Innovations in ready meals
- Conclusions
- Chapter 1 Ready meals: Definitions and market sizing
- Summary
- How to use this report
- What is a ready meal?
- Definitions
- Canned ready meals
- Chilled ready meals
- Dried ready meals
- Frozen ready meals
- Ethnic ready meals
- Innovation
- Market overview
- Ready meals market sizing and analysis
- Canned ready meals market sizing
- Chilled ready meals market sizing
- Dried ready meals market sizing
- Frozen ready meals market sizing
- Chapter 2 The disappearing mealtime
- Summary
- Introduction
- Major trends in mealtime behavior
- Mealtime fragmentation
- Decline of the family meal
- Meals are eaten at the dining table less often
- The workplace is becoming an increasingly important eating location
- Consumers are moving away from three meals a day
- Chapter 3 Key trends in the ready meals market
- Summary
- Introduction
- Consumer attitudes towards ready meals
- Convenience
- Differences across cultures
- Differences across ages
- Seniors are an attractive consumer group
- Seniors dominate the chilled ready meals market
- Differences in gender
- Health
- The healthy eating attitude-behavior gap is closing
- Consumers are seeking more information on healthy eating
- The nutritional content of prepared meals influences purchase decisions
- The effect of stress
- Indulgence
- Consumers are looking for new, cosmopolitan, taste sensations
- Consumers desire authenticity
- Customization
- Home-made meals
- Chapter 4 The rise of ethnic foods and flavors
- Summary
- Introduction
- Market analysis
- Key trends
- Foodservice coming into ready meals
- New and exciting flavors
- Premiumization
- The range of new flavors is increasing
- Ethnic products tie in with consumer flavor trends
- Mainstream consumers pick up minorities tastes
- Key recommendations
- Marketing
- Target minority consumers
- Overlap of different ethnic groups
- Market to areas with high minority concentrations
- Make regional campaigns more specific
- Adapt national marketing campaigns to specific regions
- New product development
- Discover new cuisines among minority communities
- Lengthy time to mass market for ethnic food types
- Learn from foodservice trends
- Premium ready meals should adapt to emerging foodservice trends
- Promote ethnic products specific health benefits
- Emphasize ethnic ready meals natural qualities
- Create premium pre-packaged ingredients and meal kits
- Chapter 5 Innovation in ready meals
- Summary
- Introduction
- Healthy ready meals
- Continuing premiumization of ready meals
- Market context
- Leading types of ready meals
- Leading product tags
- Healthy ready meals
- Low-fat ready meals
- Private label ready meals
- Leading shelving types in ready meals
- Innovation in ready meals
- Innovation in formulation
- Innovation in packaging
- Innovation by region
- North America
- Europe
- Asia-Pacific
- Chapter 6 Conclusions
- Summary
- Introduction
- Develop meals that can replace a impulse snacks
- Flexibility of cooking options
- Offer components of ready meals in different trays
- Taste remains the key attraction for consumers
- Focus on promoting a balanced diet
- Develop trust
- Demonstrate your commitment to healthy eating to evoke trust
- Educate consumers
- Extend healthy brands into ready meals
- Develop free from meals
- Develop functional meals
- Avoid adopting a "general wellness" position
- Combine the mega-trends
- Provide information leaflets on product authenticity
- Index
List of Figures
- Figure 1.1: How has your purchase of convenience foods such as ready
meals and pizzas changed over the past year?
- Figure 2.2: Mealtime occasions are changing in Europe and the US
- Figure 3.3: Factors that discourage consumers from purchasing prepared
meals, based on consumer and industry opinion surveys
- Figure 3.4: Consumers changing attitudes towards health over time
- Figure 3.5: Time-saving products are important to consumers in Europe
and the US
- Figure 3.6: Seniors represent an attractive target for ready meal
manufacturers, 2004
- Figure 3.7: Men spend more than women on prepared meals, 2004
- Figure 3.8: European consumer attitudes towards health
- Figure 3.9: Birds Eye SteamFresh gourmet ready meals
- Figure 3.10: Consumers seek customized products and have increased their
purchase over the past year
- Figure 3.11: There is an attitude-behavior gap in cooking "inspiring
meals for the family 61
- Figure 4.12: The proportion of ethnic minority consumers is correlated
with the uptake of ethnic food
- Figure 4.13: Al Fez Salad Mix - Lebanese Style Taboule
- Figure 4.14: Tai Pei Carb Counter Frozen Entree
- Figure 5.15: Share of ready meals launched by type, 2003-2005 (%)
- Figure 5.16: Trader Joes Refrigerated Spinach Potato Frittata
- Figure 5.17: Hain Pure Foods European Recipes Soup
- Figure 5.18: Birds Eye and Heinz steamfresh ranges
- Figure 5.19: Retailers have a wide range of private labels
- Figure 5.20: NPD in ready meals by shelving type, 2003-2005 (%)
- Figure 5.21: Innovation in ready meals by type, 2003-2005 (%)
- Figure 5.22: Pagoda Asian Sensations
- Figure 5.23: Stouffers Lean Cuisine Frozen Panini
- Figure 5.24: Innovation in ready meals by region, 2003-2005 (%)
- Figure 5.25: Healthy Choice Frozen Meal - Asiago Chicken Portobello
- Figure 5.26: Captain Iglo Chicken Surprise Stuffed Chicken Filets
- Figure 5.27: Soybeans and root vegetables mixed with rice
- Figure 6.28: Linpac "easy snapable" ready meals packaging
List of Tables
- Table 1.1: $m value of ready meals market in Europe and US, 2004-2009
- Table 1.2: $m value of canned ready meals in Europe and US, 2004-2009
- Table 1.3: $m value of chilled ready meals in Europe and US, 2004-2009
- Table 1.4: $m value of dried ready meals in Europe and US, 2004-2009
- Table 1.5: $m value of frozen ready meals in Europe and US, 2004-2009
- Table 2.6: Change in workplace consumption occasions in Europe and the
US (CAGR), 2004 - 2009
- Table 4.7: US ethnic food retail market, by cuisine (US$ m), 1999-2009
- Table 4.8: Europe & US ethnic food retail market, by country (US$ m),
1999-2009
- Table 4.9: Europe ethnic food retail market, by cuisine (US$ m),
1999-2009
- Table 4.10: Europe ethnic food retail market, by cuisine and country
- Table 4.11: Growth in prevalence of food flavor claims
- Table 5.12: Top 25 product tags used on ready meals, 2004 versus 2005 (%)