Top Trends in Meals and Meal Components: Exploring the latest trends in meat, fish, and seafood; pasta, noodles, oils and fats, soups, savory and deli foods, seasonings, dressings and sauces, meat substitutes, prepared meals

Top Trends in Meals and Meal Components: Exploring the latest trends in meat, fish, and seafood; pasta, noodles, oils and fats, soups, savory and deli foods, seasonings, dressings and sauces, meat substitutes, prepared meals

Summary

Busy lifestyles, along with a recessionary mindset, drive consumers towards convenience and affordable items when shopping. However, producers operating in meals and meal components have had to face another disruptive factor over the last few years. Easy access to information and new technologies has enabled consumers to adopt a more conscious attitude when choosing products from supermarket shelves.For example, consumers are more aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and balanced nutrition for their health and as such they are rejecting artificial ingredients in favor of more natural options.

Social media also drives consumer knowledge of different and more experimental cuisines. As such, manufacturers have to keep pace with these major challenges in order to stay competitive in the industry. While consumers like to opt for trustworthy brands, they are also heavily driven by the Health & Wellness mega-trend. It indicates that there are opportunities for well-established brands to develop products that cater to consumers' health needs.

The meals and meal components sector represents a highly dynamic scenario for growth and innovation, with consumer demand continually evolving towards products with nutritional, indulgent, and convenient attributes.

The report "Top Trends in Meals and Meal Components", focus is on the latest key consumer and innovation trends impacting the core segments: the premiumization opportunities in the sector, the plant-based craze, the inclusion of a fourth meal in consumers’ eating habits, the search for healthy options, and the appeal of new and exotic flavors.

Scope

• Include high-quality ingredients to create a premium image.


• Keep ingredient lists short and avoid artificial ingredients.


• Get inspired by foreign cuisines to bring novelty into the category.

Reasons to buy

• Identify the reasons underpinning the consumers' orientation towards specific meals and meal components products.


• Gain insight into the key consumer trends that are most likely to be a driver for innovation.


• Put innovative products into context by connecting them to specific consumer trends and preference.