Ready meals 2024: brands blaze NPD trail in ready meals

Brits love chilled ready meals. They’ve spent £71.2m more on lines from Charlie Bigham’s, Rustlers, Wasabi and the like, plus an extra £37.2m on own-label dishes.

This appetite for convenient, affordable alternatives to pricier takeaways and meals out led to 14.1 million more packs going through tills. It’s also inspired supermarkets to up their game in own label.

Waitrose, for instance, expanded its Easy to Cook range of chilled meals in June, adding 19 lines such as Smoked Haddock & Cod Gratin, Spicy Pork Shoulder Curry, and Middle Eastern Inspired Spiced Beef Kofta. All are aimed at handy “meals for tonight”, says the upmarket grocer.

Similarly, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference added 10 “hearty meals”, including Lemon & Thyme Chicken Risotto and Teriyaki King Oyster Mushrooms.

However, unit sales of chilled own-label meals have dipped 0.4%. It’s brands that are making the volume gains, growing 9.7%.

In a category driven by “missions”, brands have been able to maintain their edge by adding “new innovation” and offering choice, says Olly Pinder, founder of meals solutions consultancy The Meals Collective.

Take Rustlers, which launched its first branded microwave unit into Co-op in March to allow shoppers to heat its core burger range, and Cook in the Box ranges in store. The brand has grown unit sales by 3.8%.

More recently, babyfood brand Little Dish followed up on a successful relaunch of its babyfood range in more sustainable new packaging with a Big Dish spin-off range of ready meals. Unveiled in October, the 400g lines – Spaghetti & Meatballs and Chicken Tikka – are aimed at children aged five to 10 and are available from Morrisons.

The supermarket was also the route to market for Albert Bartlett & Sons in June, which expanded its Scotty Brand into chilled potato sides. Eight SKUs in Scotland stores include a Colcannon, Spicy Baby Potatoes and Cheddar Mashed Potato.

In pot snacks, it’s a similar story, with branded volumes up 3.7% versus own label’s 20.4% decline – albeit from a smaller base.

HFSS-compliant reformulations over the past couple of years have helped brands bring health-conscious shoppers back to the sector, says Aastha Tripathi, senior analytics executive for grocery at NIQ. A notable example being Kabuto, which reformulated its core range in May 2022.

“Consumers are increasingly seeking snacks that are lower in sugar, high in protein, and made with natural ingredients, prompting brands to offer healthier options,” Tripathi adds.

Other pot snacks brands have found growth by tapping world flavours. Market leader Pot Noodle, for instance, rolled out Korean BBQ Beef and Chicken Fajita variants in June.

That Korean launch is especially worthy of note, as the cuisine has really grown in popularity among shoppers, says Ashley Davis, chief commercial officer at Cook.

Frozen ready meals are booming

Available in its 100-plus shops, via a thriving delivery service, and in 1,000 independent shops, Cook continues to enjoy strong growth, again boosted by innovation (including a Parmesan Crust Chicken and frozen cooking sauces). And its success has helped boost frozen ready meal sales by £36.3m and 3.2 million kilos.

But Cook is the exception in this category. In contrast to the chilled ready meal market, the star of the sector is own label. With longer shelf life, reduced food waste and being “generally cheaper than fresh options”, Tripathi notes, it’s a market tailor-made for own label. Volumes are up 5.8% versus a 4.3% fall for pricier brands. Top 10 names Kershaws, Bisto and Young’s are among those to have sold fewer units.

But there’s hope for a revival of frozen brands, led by a surprising new entrant to the market. Jamie Oliver caused a stir in the summer when he announced the launch of a range of frozen ready meals and sides into Iceland and Waitrose.

The move makes sense given the battering his ambient meals range has taken. It’s seen volumes plunge 25.4% in a sector down 5.9%. But Jamie Oliver is not alone. Ambient meals, says Tripathi, are experiencing “a stagnation in consumer interest”.

There are pockets of growth, however, such as lines made with pulses. Notable NPD from category leader Merchant Gourmet has included a 5 Bean Medley, with extra virgin olive oil and salt.

The brand’s up 10.3% by volume, so likely feeling pretty chilled.

Read more: Ready meals 2023: Asian options benefit from at-home shift