Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Products covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Growth rate slowing down
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- Figure 1: Value sales forecast of ready meals market in China, 2011-21
- Figure 2: Volume sales forecast of ready meals market in China, 2011-21
- Market segmentation
- Frozen meals dominate the market
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- Figure 3: Ready meal retail value market share, by segment, China 2011-16
- Companies and brands
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- Figure 4: Companies’ value market share in the China retail ready meals market, 2014 and 2015
- ‘No additives/preservatives’ is the rising product claim
- More vegetables
- The consumer
- Frozen dumplings and wontons dominate the ready meals market
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- Figure 5: Penetration of different ready meals, January 2016
- ‘Prefer preparing on their own’ and ‘food additives concern’ are the primary barriers for Chinese-style ready meals
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- Figure 6: Top five consumption barriers for different types of ready meals, January 2016
- Western-style ready meals perceived as ‘premium’ and congee as ‘nutritional’
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- Figure 7: Correspondence analysis – Perception towards different types of ready meals, January 2016
- Opportunities in breakfast occasion
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- Figure 8: Ready meal consumption occasion, January 2016
- Taste above all
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- Figure 9: Purchase factor of ready meals, January 2016
- Consumers want more vegetables
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- Figure 10: Aspects consumers would like to see in the ready meals category, January 2016
- Mintropolitans eat more ready meals than the non-MinTs and high earners
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- How to respond to the competition from food delivery services?
- The facts
- The implications
- Opportunities for Western-style ready meals
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 11: Product examples of better-for-you Western-style ready meals, UK, 2015-16
- Figure 12: Product examples of Western-style ready meals with localised flavour, Japan, Korea, and India, 2015-16
- Beyond convenience: Customisable and experiential
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 13: Product example of Western-style meal kit, 2015
- Shelf-stable could venture into the ‘hot cereal’ concept to boost uptake
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 14: Product examples of hot cereal, US, Germany, and Norway, 2016
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Growth rate slowing down
- Consumers’ increasing in-home food expenditure
- Frozen meals dominate the market
Market Size and Forecast
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- Growth rate slowing down
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- Figure 15: Retail market forecast of ready meals market in China, 2011-21
- Figure 16: Value sales forecast of ready meals market in China, 2011-21
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- Figure 17: Volume sales forecast of ready meals market in China, 2011-21
Market Drivers
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- Consumers’ increasing in-home food expenditure
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- Figure 18: Chinese in-home food expenditure, 2010-15
- Increased microwave and oven ownership
- Threat of food delivery service
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- Figure 19: The percentage of consumers who don’t eat the following types of ready meals due to considering food delivery more convenient, January 2016
Market Segmentation
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- Frozen meals dominate the market
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- Figure 20: Ready meal retail value market share, by segmentation, China, 2011-16
- Chilled ready meals grow at double-digit rate
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- Figure 21: Value sales and growth rate of chilled ready meals, 2011-16
- Figure 22: Percentage of consumers who have bought chilled prepared meals from convenience stores, by city, January 2015
- Shelf-stable segment struggles to grow
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- Figure 23: Value sales and growth rate of shelf-stable ready meals, 2011-16
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Fragmented market
- No additives/preservatives is the rising trend
- Ready meals targeting kids
- More vegetables
Market Share
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- Fragmented market
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- Figure 24: Companies’ value market share in the China retail ready meals market, 2014 and 2015
- New players joining the category
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- Figure 25: Product example of CP Foods’ frozen ready meals, China 2016
- Figure 26: Product example of Western-style ready meals from local manufacturers, China, 2016
- Shrinkage of gift box market
Competitive Strategies
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- Sanquan launched ‘fun box’ vending machine
- Synear launched premium frozen dumpling line in 2015
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- Figure 27: Product example of premium ready meals, China, 2015-16
- Goubuli and TongFu Porridge went public
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- Figure 28: Ready-made congee from TongFu Porridge, 2014
- Nestlé discontinues frozen dumpling business in Taiwan
Who’s Innovating?
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- ‘No additives/preservatives’ the rising trend
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- Figure 29: Top 10 claims in new ready meals market in China, 2013-16
- Traditional categories still driving the innovation
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- Figure 30: New ready meals products in China, by sub-category, 2013-16
- Ready meals targeting kids
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- Figure 31: Percentage of new ready meals targeting kids, China, 2013-16
- Figure 32: Product example of kids-oriented ready meals, China, 2016
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- Figure 33: Highlighted aspects consumers would like to see in the ready meals category, by presence of children in the household, January 2016
- Figure 34: Product example of kids-targeted breakfast ready meals, US and Mexico, 2016
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- Figure 35: Synear Food’s cartoon character-shaped buns, 2016
- More vegetables
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- Figure 36: Percentage of new vegetarian ready meals, China, 2013-15
- Figure 37: Examples of vegetarian ready meals or real meals featuring the vegetable ingredients, China 2015-16
- Self-heating ready meals
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- Figure 38: Self-heating ready meal, China, 2014
- Increase brand awareness through vending machines
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Taste and food additives are the primary concerns
- Western-style ready meals are perceived as ‘premium’ while ready-made congee are ‘nutritional’
- Taste above all
- Consumers want more vegetables but not totally vegetarian
Penetration of Different Ready Meals
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- Frozen dumplings and wontons dominate the ready meals market
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- Figure 39: Penetration of different ready meals, January 2016
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- Figure 40: Frozen dumplings/wontons consumption, by region, January 2016
- Rising star: Frozen processed meat
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- Figure 41: Product example of processed meat products, China, 2015-16
- Men eat more Chinese-style chilled RTE meals; females eat more frozen dimsum
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- Figure 42: Penetration of different ready meals, by gender, January 2016
- Families with children consume more ready meals
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- Figure 43: Penetration of different ready meals, by presence of children in the household, January 2016
- Western-style ready meals are welcomed by high earners and those with higher education
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- Figure 44: Penetration of different ready meals, by highlighted demographics, January 2016
Consumption Barriers
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- Taste and food additives are the primary concerns
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- Figure 45: Consumption barriers for different types of ready meals, January 2016
- Western-style frozen meals need more competitive pricing and consumer education
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- Figure 46: Top four consumption barriers for Western-style ready meals, January 2016
- Meal kits could be positioned as a ‘cooking aid’
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- Figure 47: Top three consumption barriers of meal kits, January 2016
Attributes Associated with Different Ready Meals
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- Western-style ready meals own the ‘premium’ image
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- Figure 48: Correspondence analysis – Perception towards different types of ready meals, January 2016
- Figure 49: Attributes associated with different types of ready meals, January 2016
- Nutritional is the key feature of ready-made congee
- ‘Taste’, ‘safe’ and ‘fresh’ are the attributes that need to improve
Consumption Occasions
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- Opportunities in breakfast occasion
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- Figure 50: Ready meal consumption occasion, by meal occasion, January 2016
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- Figure 51: Example products targeting breakfast occasions with satiating product/brand image, US, 2015-16
- Rooms for consuming at work and on the go
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- Figure 52: Ready meal consumption occasion, by location, January 2016
- Figure 53: Percentage of ready meals products positioned for on-the-go consumption, US, UK, and China, 2014-16
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- Figure 54: Example product that can be eaten with one hand, US, 2015
- Equal amount of people eat ready meals alone and with family
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- Figure 55: Ready meal consumption occasion, by accompaniment, January 2016
Purchase Factors
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- Taste above all
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- Figure 56: Purchase factor of ready meals, January 2016
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- Figure 57: Percentage of new ready meals products with nutrition-related claims, China, 2013-16
- Higher awareness of food additives
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- Figure 58: Percentage of new ready meals products with ‘no additives/preservatives’ claims, China, 2013-16
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- Figure 59: Example of ready meal brands featuring the naturalness and simplicity of their ingredients, US, 2015
General Attitudes towards Ready Meals
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- Familiar flavour helps
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- Figure 60: Consumers’ attitudes towards current ready meal usage, January 2016
- Consumers want more vegetables but not totally vegetarian
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- Figure 61: Aspects consumers would like to see in the ready meals category, January 2016
- Figure 62: Percentage of consumers who would like to see more vegetables in ready meals, by age, January 2016
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- Eat more ready meals than the non-MinTs and high earners
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- Figure 63: Ready meals consumption, by consumer classification, January 2016
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- Figure 64: Highlighted statements towards unsatisfied aspects in the ready meals category, by consumer classification, January 2016
- More often eating on the go or at the workplace
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- Figure 65: Consumption occasions where Mintropolitans eat more ready meals than the non-MinTs or high earners, January 2016
- More willing to try meal kits delivery services
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- Figure 66: Percentage of consumers interested in meal kits delivery services, by consumer classification, January 2016
Appendix – Market Segmentation
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- Figure 67: Value sales of ready meals in China, by segment, 2011-21
- Figure 68: Value sales forecast of frozen ready meals in China, 2011-21
- Figure 69: Value sales forecast of chilled ready meals in China, 2011-21
- Figure 70: Value sales forecast of shelf-stable ready meals in China, 2011-21
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- Figure 71: Segment share of ready meals in China, by volume, 2010-20
- Figure 72: Volume sales of ready meals in China, by segment, 2011-21
- Figure 73: Volume sales forecast of frozen ready meals in China, 2011-21
- Figure 74: Volume sales forecast of chilled ready meals in China, 2011-21
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- Figure 75: Volume sales forecast of shelf-stable ready meals in China, 2011-21
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Appendix – Methodology and Definitions
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- Methodology
- Fan chart forecast
- Abbreviations
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