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Attitudes towards Ready Meals and Ready-to-cook Foods - UK - June 2017

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Products covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Inflation expected for the market
Government sets new salt reduction targets
Consumer lifestyle trends could discourage sales
Companies and brands
Private label continues to dominate launches
Little health-led innovation in 2016
Continued growth for high-protein and gluten-free claims
Retailers look to compete with recipe box subscription schemes
Overall advertising spend rises in 2016
Retailers remain dominant in advertising, with a focus on quality
The consumer
89% eat ready meals or RTCs, a third eat chilled at least weekly
Figure 1: Usage frequency for ready meals and ready-to-cook foods, by type, March 2017
Families are the key users
Favourite dish is the primary deciding factor
New twists and in-store sampling could help to expand users’ limited repertoires
Figure 2: Ready meal buying factors, March 2017
Prepared meals at risk if incomes come under pressure, but premium versions could benefit
Influence of health considerations offers opportunities for healthier variants
Figure 3: Behaviours relating to ready meals and ready-to-cook foods, March 2017
Ethical claims could be a differentiator
Figure 4: Attitudes towards ready meals and ready-to-cook foods, March 2017
Low quality rating for ready meals suggests negative perceptions still linger
Figure 5: Perceptions of selected types of prepared meals as high quality, March 2017
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
Regular innovation could help premium varieties to succeed even as incomes come under pressure
The facts
The implications
Scope for expansion in healthier ready meals
The facts
The implications
Ethical claims offer promising means to stand out
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Inflation expected for the market
Government sets new salt reduction targets
Consumer lifestyle trends could discourage sales
MARKET DRIVERS
Inflation expected to put pressure on producers’ margins
Prepared meals at risk if incomes come under pressure
Opportunities remain for premium products as alternative to dining out
Government sets targets for industry to further reduce salt
EFSA rules make it difficult to make a low-salt claim
Consumer lifestyle trends could discourage sales
Potential competition from recipe box delivery services
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Private label continues to dominate launches
Little health-led innovation in 2016
Continued growth for high-protein and gluten-free claims
Retailers look to compete with recipe box subscription schemes
Overall advertising spend rises in 2016
Retailers remain dominant in advertising, with a focus on quality
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
Private label continues to dominate launches
Asda and Tesco tap into world food trends
Smaller retailers also step up activity
Figure 6: New product launches in the UK prepared meals market, by private label and brands, 2013-17
Little movement on health claims in 2016
Conflicting consumer views on health present a challenge and an opportunity
Supermarkets extend and relaunch diet ranges in 2017
Figure 7: New product launches in the UK prepared meals market, by top 20 claims (sorted by 2016), 2013-17
Continued growth in high protein
Canned food brands release high-protein lunch pots and pouches
No-allergen claims rise in 2016
Five-a-day claims rise as companies seek to latch onto vegetables’ health associations
Supermarkets emphasise ingredient provenance as they build up their premium ranges
Premium ingredients and restaurant-inspired descriptions used to build associations with fine dining
Retailers look to up competition with recipe box schemes
Weight Watchers offers subscription service for keen dieters
Retailers and brands explore Brazilian flavours to capitalise on Olympics
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING ACTIVITY
Wiltshire Farm Foods remains the largest advertiser amid a rise in overall spending
Pushing closeness to homemade foods
Promoting its international flavours
Figure 8: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on ready meals and ready-to-cook foods, 2013-17
Retailers put the focus on quality
M&S promotes feel-good aspects of its diet meals
Morrisons highlights its in-store preparation
Waitrose emphasises ingredient provenance
Iceland promotes its authentic flavours
Slimming World range portrayed as ideal for time-pressed healthy eaters
Spar puts particular emphasis on ready meals’ time-saving attributes
Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
89% eat ready meals or RTCs, a third eat chilled at least weekly
Families are the key users
Favourite dish is the primary deciding factor
New twists and in-store sampling could help to expand users’ limited repertoires
Prepared meals at risk if incomes come under pressure, but premium versions could benefit
Influence of health considerations offers opportunities for healthier variants
Ethical claims could be a differentiator
Low quality rating for ready meals suggests negative perceptions still linger
USAGE OF READY MEALS AND READY-TO-COOK FOODS
A third eat chilled ready meals once a week or more
Figure 9: Usage frequency for ready meals and ready-to-cook foods, by type, March 2017
Families are key users of ready meals…
…as are under-25s
Product labelling helps to boost RTC usage frequency
Frozen ready meals’ lower usage frequency largely stems from the limitations of the frozen aisle
Meal deals and in-store positioning could help to encourage more frequent usage
READY MEAL EATING HABITS
Most users microwave, but over a third oven cook
Promoting on-hob heating could help some dishes to be seen as closer to their homemade versions
Figure 10: How ready meals are typically heated, March 2017
Most users eat ready meals from a separate plate or bowl
Safe handling features could cater for those eating straight from the container
Figure 11: How ready meals are typically eaten, March 2017
READY MEAL BUYING FACTORS
A favourite dish trumps price for ready meal buyers
New twists and in-store sampling could persuade consumers to expand their limited repertoires
Figure 12: Ready meal buying factors, March 2017
Opportunities for expansion in healthier options
Products with high vegetable content should put this front and centre
BEHAVIOURS RELATING TO READY MEALS AND READY-TO-COOK FOODS
Prepared meals are vulnerable if incomes come under pressure, but opportunities for premium products
Premium ranges will need to keep innovating
Figure 13: Behaviours relating to ready meals and ready-to-cook foods, March 2017
Over half of eaters/buyers are influenced by health considerations
Healthier variants on classic dishes have strong appeal
Opportunities for expansion in healthy children’s meals
Scope for baby food brands to extend their offering to older children
ATTITUDES TOWARDS READY MEALS AND READY-TO-COOK FOODS
Ethical options have wide appeal
Opportunities for products putting animal welfare credentials front and centre
Charity pledges appeal most to under-25s
Figure 14: Attitudes towards ready meals and ready-to-cook foods, March 2017
Premium products should be particularly well placed to benefit from interest in organic
Resealable packets appeal particularly to parents
QUALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH SELECTED TYPES OF PREPARED MEALS
Few see any type of prepared meal as offering high quality
Products using ‘imperfect’ ingredients could be promoted as reducing food waste
Figure 15: Qualities associated with selected types of prepared meals, March 2017
Image of ready meals as processed means they could lose out from ‘clean living’ trends
Focus on ingredients could help to create a more ‘natural’ image
‘Deconstructed’ versions could help prepared meals to be seen as closer to home cooking
Consumer indifference suggests need for frozen foods to be marketed on taste grounds
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
APPENDIX – LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
Figure 16: New product launches in the UK prepared meals market 2013-17, by company (sorted by 2016)

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