This report looks at the lunch food markets in the UK, using exclusive consumer research to examine the time spent on lunch, what is eaten at lunchtime and general attitudes towards eating at midday.

Exclusive Mintel research has found that the traditional lunch is under threat. In its place, a growing proportion of people are snacking, while a large proportion of people are seeking more convenient foods that are in keeping with their busy lifestyles. Consumers are also moving towards having healthier and lighter foods. As a result, it is often at the juncture where lunch foods are both healthy, quick and convenient where the market is showing growth opportunities.

In addition, there is a strong push in a number of the lunch foods segments towards supplying premium/added-value products. This shift may be attributed to an increasing PDI, and a better educated consumer who has been exposed to ‘gourmet’ foods while travelling overseas, as well as being exposed to TV celebrity cooks espousing the value of using quality products.

Mintel’s report examines these trends and all other salient issues, offering fresh insight into the market’s drivers, size & trends, segmentation, supply structure, new product briefs, advertising trends, distribution and consumers. For an entirely relevant and topical analysis, this report focuses on the hypothesis that: “With the overall size of the lunch foods market showing little growth in real terms, pressure will continue to mount on manufacturers to respond through further new product development (NPD) and continued promotional activities.”

For the purposes of this report, Mintel defines lunch foods as items that can be consumed at home without the need for further cooking and includes instant snacks that require only the addition of hot/boiling water. Specifically, this report includes:

bread and rolls

canned fish

cheese (including cheese spreads)

sliced cooked meats

instant soups

instant noodles

ready-to-eat pies

savoury spreads (including peanut butter).