Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-
- The market
- Processed meat weathering negative publicity
- Flat sales forecast for next five years
-
- Figure 1: UK retail value sales of bacon, sausages, burgers and coated poultry, 2014-24
- Mixed fortunes for bacon, sausages and burgers
- Meat reduction trend poses a challenge for the market
- Strong demand for convenience and world cuisines
- Breakfast habits changing
- Companies and brands
- Own-label dominates in frozen main meal components
-
- Figure 2: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK frozen meat/poultry/meat-free meal components market, 2018/19*
- L/N/R fat claims rare but an opportunity given fat concerns
- Meatballs get the meat and veg treatment
- Premium own-label launches raise the bar in burgers
- Tapping popularity of fried chicken takeaways
- The consumer
- Eight in 10 people eat processed meat cooked from raw
-
- Figure 3: Types of processed meat products eaten in the last three months, cooked from raw, August 2019
-
- Figure 4: Types of cooked/ready-to-eat processed meat products used in the last three months, August 2019
- Meat content, fat content and ingredients each checked by a third
- Meat origins also need communicating on front of pack
-
- Figure 5: What people check when buying processed meat products, August 2019
- Number of factors hold back volume sales
-
- Figure 6: Behaviours relating to the eating and buying of processed meat products, August 2019
- Emphasis on naturalness will appeal
- Added vegetables can combat health concerns and meat reduction
- World cuisine flavours interest a quarter of buyers
-
- Figure 7: Interest in buying different processed meat products with different features, August 2019
- Six in 10 buyers struggle to judge the quality of processed meat
- Positive sentiment towards cooked/cured meats as ingredients for meals
-
- Figure 8: Attitudes towards processed meat products, August 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
-
- Focus on ingredients will help to keep processed meats on the menu
- The facts
- The implications
- Talking about provenance offers a way of adding value in processed meats
- The facts
- The implications
- More flavours and recipe suggestions will help to boost the appeal of processed meats
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Processed meat weathering negative publicity
- Mixed fortunes for bacon, sausages and burgers
- Sausages slip back from 2018 increase
- No barbecue-friendly heatwave for burgers in 2019
- Coated poultry sales growing
- Meat reduction trend poses a challenge for the market
- Strong demand for convenience and world cuisines
- Breakfast habits changing
- Growing population will benefit market
Market Size and Forecast
-
- Processed meat weathering negative publicity
- 2018 heatwave a boost to market
- Coated poultry benefits from popularity in foodservice
- Flat sales forecast for next five years
-
- Figure 9: UK retail value sales of bacon, sausages, burgers and coated poultry, 2014-24
- Figure 10: UK retail value sales of bacon, sausages, burgers and coated poultry, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
-
- Mixed fortunes for bacon, sausages and burgers
- Bacon sales on a downward path
- Sausages slip back from 2018 increase
- No barbecue-friendly heatwave for burgers in 2019
-
- Figure 11: Value sales of red meat meal components, by segment, 2014-19
- Coated poultry sales growing
-
- Figure 12: UK retail value sales of frozen and chilled coated poultry, 2014-19
Market Drivers
-
- Rising costs of production look set to push retail prices of processed meat up
- Meat reduction trend poses a challenge for the market
- Many people limit meat consumption for health and environmental reasons
- Growing availability of meat-free foods contributes to meat reduction trend
- Conflicting health studies on red meat’s links to cancer
- Changing in-home meal choices
- Strong demand for speed/convenience
- World cuisines gain ground on the menu
- Breakfast habits changing
- Growing population will benefit market
-
- Figure 13: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2014-24
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
-
- Own-label dominates in frozen main meal components
- L/N/R fat claims rare but an opportunity given fat concerns
- Meatballs get the meat and veg treatment
- Launches tap interest in animal welfare
- World cuisine flavours add differentiation
- Premium own-label launches raise the bar in burgers
- Tapping popularity of fried chicken takeaways
- Hot summer of 2018 contributes to increase in advertising
Market Share
-
- Own-label dominates in frozen main meal components
-
- Figure 14: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK frozen meat/poultry/meat-free meal components market, 2016/17-2018/19
- Growth for Mattessons and Morliny in cooked sausages
-
- Figure 15: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK retail chilled cooked sausages market*, 2016/17-2018/19
Launch Activity and Innovation
-
- L/N/R fat claims rare but an opportunity given fat concerns
-
- Figure 16: Examples of new launches of processed meat products making L/N/R fat claims, 2019
- Meatballs get the meat and veg treatment
- Tesco aims to offer one of five-a-day
- Ella’s Kitchen targets family market with chicken nuggets with veggies
-
- Figure 17: Examples of new launches of meatballs with a high added vegetable content, 2019
- Products tap interest in provenance and animal welfare
- The Jolly Hog puts the provenance story in focus
-
- Figure 18: Examples of new launches in processed meat products referencing provenance and animal welfare, 2019
- Emphasis on naturalness includes low/no nitrite claims
-
- Figure 19: Examples of new launches in processed meats making low/no nitrite claims, 2019
- World cuisine flavours add differentiation
- Nachos and piri piri flavours in chicken
- Frankfurters look to jalapeño and Gouda
-
- Figure 20: Examples of influence of world cuisines in new launches in processed meat products, 2019
- Different shapes also add more variety
-
- Figure 21: Examples of different shapes in processed meat products, 2019
- Premium own-label launches raise the bar in burgers
-
- Figure 22: Examples of new launches with a premium positioning in processed meat products, 2019
- Tapping popularity of fried chicken takeaways
-
- Figure 23: Examples of new launches of takeaway-style products in processed poultry products, 2019
Advertising and Marketing Activity
-
- Hot summer of 2018 contributes to increase in advertising
-
- Figure 24: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on processed poultry and red meat products*, 2015-19
- Birds Eye remains the biggest advertiser
-
- Figure 25: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on processed poultry and red meat products*, by advertiser, 2015-19
- Birds Eye supports new takeaway-style Chicken Shop range
- Richmond Sausages celebrates most dedicated football fans
- M&S and Iceland push premium own-label burgers
- Finnebrogue launches £1 million nitrite-free campaign
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Eight in 10 people eat processed meat cooked from raw
- Vast majority of people eat cooked/ready-to-eat processed meats
- Meat content, fat content and ingredients each checked by a third
- Meat origins also need communicating on front of pack
- Number of factors hold back volume sales
- Emphasis on naturalness will appeal
- Added vegetables can combat health concerns and meat reduction
- World cuisine flavours interest a quarter of buyers
- Six in 10 buyers struggle to judge the quality of processed meat
- Positive sentiment towards cooked/cured meats as ingredients for meals
Usage of Processed Meat and Poultry Products
-
- Eight in 10 people eat processed meat cooked from raw
-
- Figure 26: Types of processed meat products eaten in the last three months, cooked from raw, August 2019
- Sausages and bacon need to stay on younger people’s menus
- Vast majority of people eat cooked/ready-to-eat processed meats
-
- Figure 27: Types of cooked/ready-to-eat processed meat products used in the last three months, August 2019
- Some products suffer from an old-fashioned image
What People Check When Buying Processed Meat Products
-
- Meat content, fat content and ingredients each checked by a third
-
- Figure 28: What people check when buying processed meat products, August 2019
- Meat origins also need communicating on front of pack
- Animal welfare standards matter to a large minority
- Ethical claims need tangibility
Behaviours Relating to the Eating and Buying of Processed Meat Products
-
- Strong demand for recyclable packaging
-
- Figure 29: Behaviours relating to the eating and buying of processed meat products, August 2019
- Number of factors hold back volume sales
- Health concerns pose a threat to consumption
- Environmental concerns also impacting on processed meat
- Meat reduction trend leads to more choice in meat substitutes
Interest in Buying Different Processed Meat Products
-
- Emphasis on naturalness will appeal
-
- Figure 30: Interest in buying different processed meat products with different features, August 2019
- Added vegetables can combat health concerns and meat reduction
- …with scope to appeal to parents
- World cuisine flavours interest a quarter of buyers
Attitudes towards Processed Meat Products
-
- Six in 10 buyers struggle to judge the quality of processed meat
-
- Figure 31: Attitudes towards processed meat products, August 2019
- Focusing on provenance offers a way of adding value for large minority
- Traditional origin chimes for cured hams/sausages
- Positive sentiment towards cooked/cured meats as ingredients for meals
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
-
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
-
- Forecast methodology
-
- Figure 32: Best- and worst-case forecast of total UK retail value sales of bacon, sausages, burgers and coated poultry, 2019-24
Appendix – Market Share
-
-
- Figure 33: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK frozen meat/poultry/meat-free meal components market, 2016/17-2018/19
- Figure 34: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK retail chilled cooked sausages market*, 2016/17-2018/19
-
Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
-
-
- Figure 35: New product launches in the UK unprocessed/processed meat and poultry market, by claim (sorted by 2018), 2015-19
-
Back to top