Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- COVID-19 drives a boom in pasta, rice and noodles sales
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- Figure 1: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on pasta, rice and noodles, 25 February 2021
- The market
- Pasta, rice and noodles enjoy a sharp uplift thanks to COVID-19
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- Figure 2: UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2015-25 (prepared on 26 February 2021)
- Dry pasta and rice sales soar, pot snacks grow despite scratch cooking
- Popularity of world cuisines supports demand for rice and noodles
- Economic uncertainty to challenge spending power
- Companies and brands
- Own-label continues to dominate the pasta market
- Uncle Ben’s loses market share, Ebro Foods acquires Tilda
- Batchelors leads in noodles, Unilever retains top post in pot snacks
- Sharp uptick in pasta launches in 2020
- Adspend lifted in 2020
- The consumer
- Overall pasta usage remains steady, but uptick in frequency
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- Figure 3: Usage of pasta, rice and noodles, November 2017, November 2018 and November 2020
- Two in five have stocked up on pasta, rice and noodles
- Pasta, rice and noodles are a staple for frugal meals but have premium potential
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- Figure 4: Behaviours related to pasta, rice and noodles, November 2020
- Rice-based recipes from new cuisines and wholesome noodle meals appeal
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- Figure 5: Pasta, rice and noodles concepts of interest, November 2020
- Three in five call for less packaging waste, two thirds are keen on cardboard
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- Figure 6: Attitudes towards pasta, rice and noodles, November 2020
Issues and Insights
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- COVID-19 drives up demand for pasta, rice and noodles
- New varieties hold potential for driving engagement
- Nutritional content is important for half of users
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- Pasta, rice and noodles enjoy a sharp uplift thanks to COVID-19
- Dry pasta and rice sales soar, pot snacks grow despite scratch cooking
- Popularity of world cuisines supports demand for rice and noodles
- Economic uncertainty to challenge spending power
Market Size and Forecast
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- COVID-19 drives a boom in pasta, rice and noodles sales
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- Figure 7: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on pasta, rice and noodles, 25 February 2021
- Pasta, rice and noodles enjoy a sharp uplift thanks to COVID-19
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- Figure 8: UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2015-25 (prepared on 26 February 2021)
- Sales will fall in the short term, but return to growth predicted
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- Figure 9: UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2015-25 (prepared on 26 February 2021)
- Figure 10: UK retail volume sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2015-25 (prepared on 26 February 20
- Market drivers and assumptions
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- Figure 11: Key drivers affecting Mintel’s market forecast, 2015-25 (prepared on 11 January 2021)
- Learnings from the last recession
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- Figure 12: UK retail value and volume sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2007-12
Market Segmentation
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- Dry pasta sales soar
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- Figure 13: UK retail value and volume sales of pasta, by segment, 2018-20
- Rice enjoys rapid sales growth
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- Figure 14: UK retail value and volume sales of rice, by segment, 2018-20
- Pot snacks enjoy boost in sales despite scratch cooking trend
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- Figure 15: UK retail value and volume sales of instant pot snacks and noodles, by segment, 2018-20
Market Drivers
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- Impact of the January 2021 lockdowns
- Popularity of world cuisines supports demand for rice and noodles
- Restaurant closures drive opportunities for trading up in retail
- Economic uncertainty to challenge spending power
- Brexit trade deal avoids tariffs on pasta
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Own-label continues to dominate the pasta market
- Uncle Ben’s loses market share, Ebro Foods acquires Tilda
- Batchelors leads in noodles, Unilever retains top post in pot snacks
- Sharp uptick in pasta launches in 2020
- Adspend lifted in 2020
Market Share
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- Own-label continues to dominate the pasta market
- Napolina outperforms the own-label dominated market in 2019/20
- Barilla buys majority stake in Pasta Evangelists
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- Figure 16: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK pasta market, by value and volume, 2017/18- 2019/20
- Uncle Ben’s loses market share
- Ebro Foods acquires Tilda
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- Figure 17: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK rice market, by value and volume, 2017/18- 2019/20
- Batchelors leads sales in the noodles market
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- Figure 18: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK noodles market, by value and volume, 2018/19-2020/212019/20
- Pot Noodle expands offering but loses market share
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- Figure 19: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK pot snacks market, by value and volume, 2017/18 and 2019/20
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Sharp uptick in pasta launches in 2020
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- Figure 20: Launches of pasta, rice and noodles products, by sub-category, 2016-20
- Environmentally-friendly packaging claims gain share of launches
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- Figure 21: Launches of pasta, rice and noodles products, by environmentally-friendly packaging and recycling claims, 2016-20
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- Figure 22: Pasta and rice product launches with environmentally-friendly packaging claims, 2020
- Shelf stable pasta continues to dominate NPD
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- Figure 23: Launches of pasta products, by storage type, 2016-20
- Napolina revamps brand identity and launches recipe boxes
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- Figure 24: Napolina product launches, 2020
- Le Stagioni d’Italia fast-forwards UK launch, Jamie Oliver launches chilled pasta range
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- Figure 25: Examples of branded pasta product launches, 2020
- Heinz revamps canned pasta packaging to avoid confusion
- Leading pot snacks players explore new areas
- Symington’s expands and updates Mug Shot…
- …pushing world flavours under Naked and Twistd and moving into DTC
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- Figure 26: Selected Symington’s pot snack launches, 2016-20
- Premier Foods expand Loyd Grossman and Sharwood’s to new instant pot areas
- Unilever launches Lost the Pot Noodles…
- …and new Asian-inspired range
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- Figure 27: Instant noodle snacks launched by Unilever, 2019-20
- Low/no/reduced fat claims leapt ahead in 2019
- Rice sees Tilda revamp recipes, Uncle Ben’s highlights Stand Against Hunger
- Tilda revamps recipes in 2019
- Uncle Ben’s highlights Stand Against Hunger in 2020, set to revamp packaging in 2021
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- Figure 28: Example of Uncle Ben’s product with Stand Against Hunger packaging, 2020
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Adspend lifted in 2020
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- Figure 29: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pasta, rice, noodles and couscous, and instant snack pasta/rice/noodles, by month, 2019-20
- Unilever supports new noodles and spotlights convenience
- Lost the Pot Noodle launched with TV ad campaign
- ‘Cook Less. Live More’
- Premier Foods brings Batchelors Super Noodles back on TV
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- Figure 30: Above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pasta, rice, noodles and couscous, by top 10 advertisers, 2019-20 (sorted by 2020)
- Uncle Ben’s partner with Twisted
- Tilda wants viewers to Elevate Your Plate
- …becomes Channel 4 sponsor…
- …and releases a user-generated cookbook
- Pasta Evangelists partnered with Age UK and Mind
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Brand Research
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- Brand map
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- Figure 31: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, December 2020
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 32: Key metrics for selected brands, December 2020
- Brand attitudes: Napolina leads the group on quality perceptions
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- Figure 33: Attitudes, by brand, December 2020
- Brand personality: Uncle Ben’s, Pot Noodle and Batchelors Super Noodles outperform others in perceived accessibility
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- Figure 34: Brand personality – Macro image, December 2020
- Pot Noodle attracts unhealthiest image
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- Figure 35: Brand personality – Micro image, December 2020
- Brand analysis
- Napolina scores the highest for authenticity
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- Figure 36: User profile of Napolina, December 2020
- Tilda leads the group in perceived healthiness
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- Figure 37: User profile of Tilda, December 2020
- Uncle Ben’s is widely seen as accessible
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- Figure 38: User profile of Uncle Ben’s, December 2020
- Barilla lacks strong connotations
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- Figure 39: User profile of Barilla, December 2020
- Batchelor’s Super Noodles joint top for comfort
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- Figure 40: User profile of Batchelor’s Super Noodles, December 2020
- Pot Noodle rated the joint most fun of brands analysed
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- Figure 41: User profile of Pot Noodle, December 2020
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Two in five have stocked up on pasta, rice and noodles
- Overall pasta usage remains steady, while other categories drop against 2017, but uptick in frequency
- Pasta, rice and noodles are a staple for frugal meals but have premium potential
- Rice-based recipes from new cuisines and wholesome noodle meals appeal
- Three in five call for less packaging waste, two thirds are keen on cardboard
Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviour
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- COVID-19 lockdown drives-up at-home meal occasions
- Visiting restaurants off the menu for many
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- Figure 42: Feeling comfortable about going to restaurants/bars indoors, 25 June-19 November 2020
- COVID-19 heightens consumer focus on health
- Two in five have stocked up on pasta, rice and noodles
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- Figure 43: Selected consumer shopping behaviours since the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, 3 September-16 December 2020
Pasta, Rice and Noodles Usage
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- Pasta usage remains steady, while other categories drop against 2017
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- Figure 44: Usage of pasta, rice and noodles, November 2017, November 2018 and November 2020
- Dry pasta and dry rice hold the lead
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- Figure 45: Frequency of eating pasta, rice, noodles and grains, by type, November 2020
- Usage drops among over-35s
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- Figure 46: Usage of pasta, rice and noodles, by age and household income, November 2020
Behaviours related to Pasta, Rice and Noodles
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- Pasta, rice and noodles are a staple for frugal meals
- Link-ups with other cupboard staples will chime
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- Figure 47: Behaviours related to pasta, rice and noodles, November 2020
- The category is well-positioned for a ‘trading up while trading down’ proposition
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- Figure 48: Examples of pasta, rice and noodles product launches with a premium claim, 2020
- Nutritional content is important for half of users
- Gut health warrants attention
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- Figure 49: Examples of pasta launches with a high/added fibre claim, 2020
Interest in Pasta, Rice and Noodles Concepts
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- A third interested in exploring rice-based recipes from new cuisines
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- Figure 50: Pasta, rice and noodles concepts of interest, November 2020
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- Figure 51: Examples of rice products with flavours inspired by world cuisines, 2020
- From basic to wholesome noodle meal ideas
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- Figure 52: Lost The Pot Noodle curry flavour instant noodle with meal idea, 2020
- British-made pasta interests a third
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- Figure 53: Examples of pasta products made in the UK, 2020
Attitudes towards Pasta, Rice and Noodles
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- PRN packaging is a concern for three in five
- Setback for dried goods refills from COVID-19
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- Figure 54: Attitudes towards pasta, rice and noodles, November 2020
- Strong demand for cardboard packaging
- Over half interested in new pasta varieties…
- …while flavoured noodles interest over a quarter
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- Figure 55: Examples of flavoured noodle products, 2020
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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- Figure 56: Best- and worst-case forecast of total UK retail value sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2020-25
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- Figure 57: Best- and worst-case forecast of total UK retail volume sales of pasta, rice and noodles, 2020-25
Appendix – Market Share
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- Figure 58: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK pasta market, by value and volume, 2017/18-2019/20
- Figure 59: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK rice market, by value and volume, 2017/18- 2019/20
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- Figure 60: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK noodles market, by value and volume, 2018/19-2020/21
- Figure 61: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK pot snacks market, by value and volume, 2017/18-2019/20
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Appendix – Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Figure 62: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on pasta, rice, noodles and couscous and instant snack pasta/rice/noodles, 2017-20
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Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 63: Pasta, rice and noodle launches with a premium claim, 2016-20
- Figure 64: Pasta, rice and noodle launches with a high/added fibre or digestive claim, 2016-20
- Figure 65: Pasta, rice and noodle launches with carton packaging, 2016-20
- Figure 66: Launches with an environmentally-friendly packaging claim, by pasta, rice and noodle categories, 2016-20
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- Figure 67: Share of pasta, rice and noodle launches with selected ethical claims, 2016-20
- Figure 68: Pasta, rice and noodle launches by top 10 claims, 2016-20
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