Health, convenience and value-seeking behaviour steer industry development
In the United Arab Emirates, cooking ingredients and meals is seeing rising retail value sales in 2025, driven by demand for natural, minimally processed products, functional and plant-based options, and convenient formats such as ready-to-use sauces and meal kits. Consumers are increasingly cost-conscious, trading into private label, smaller pack sizes and promotional offers, yet still opting for occasional premium flavours and organic or ethically sourced items. IFFCO maintains overall leadership through its strong edible oils portfolio, while rivals compete with health-oriented and premium innovations and expanding private label lines. Looking ahead, health and clean-label trends, together with sustainability and climate-related cost pressures, will remain central to performance, with hypermarkets retaining its distribution lead and e-commerce continuing to record the fastest growth from an expanding base.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Cooking Ingredients and Meals industry in United Arab Emirates with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to a comprehensive range of core packaged food categories.
If you're in the Cooking Ingredients and Meals industry in United Arab Emirates, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Cooking Ingredients and Meals in United Arab Emirates report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Cooking Ingredients and Meals in United Arab Emirates?
- Which are the leading brands in Cooking Ingredients and Meals in United Arab Emirates?
- How are products distributed in Cooking Ingredients and Meals in United Arab Emirates?
- How is the rise of e-commerce and/or the expansion of modern grocery retail impacting traditional retail?
- What are the key health and wellness concerns driving, or challenging, sales in Cooking Ingredients and Meals?
- How significant are vegan and vegetarian dietary requirements in determining sales growth in United Arab Emirates?
- How has COVID-19 impacted consumer demand? To what extent have lockdown, home seclusion and stockpiling boosted sales? Will the longer term economic repercussions of the pandemic stimulate or suppress future growth?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
- How significant will values-based claims, such as sustainability and ethical labelling, be in supporting future growth and brand equity?
Cooking Ingredients and Meals in the United Arab Emirates
Health, convenience and value-seeking behaviour steer industry development
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Current trends drive industry growth in 2025
Sustainability concerns inform product innovation
Cost-conscious behaviour becomes more visible in 2025
Health trends to support further expansion for cooking ingredients and meals
Climate change may present challenges to stronger growth
Hypermarkets will remain on top, but e-commerce will rise fastest among distribution channels
IFFCO maintains overall leadership in 2025
Players compete through differentiation
Hypermarkets leads distribution
E-commerce and foodservice channels enjoy further growth
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
Edible Oils in the United Arab Emirates
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Premiumisation, health positioning and resilient supply chains drive value gains
Price rises and premiumisation support strong value growth for edible oils
Olive oil benefits from health profile
Rising value sales forecast amid increased focus on sustainability
Health trends will continue to inform innovation
Building resilient and responsible supply chains
IFFCO leads with a focus on accessibility and innovation
IFFCO launces carbon-neutral olive oil
Hypermarkets dominates distribution in 2025
E-commerce outpaces all other channels in terms of growth
Meals and Soups in the United Arab Emirates
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Convenience demand, health priorities and private label expansion support value growth
Convenience demand spurs growth in meals and soups as consumers seek quick and easy solutions
Alliance Food Company enters ready meals
Health to remain major trend impacting progress for meals and soups
Private label set to gain further share in chilled ready meals
Sustainability to take centre stage
Nestlé maintains overall leadership
Meal kits brand Hello Chef receives B-Corp certification
Hypermarkets remains favoured channel for meals and soups purchases
E-commerce sees fastest expansion in 2025
Sauces, Dips and Condiments in the United Arab Emirates
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Health-led reformulation, flavour innovation and online expansion support rising demand
Health and wellness trends shape demand in 2025
Diverse population drives flavour innovation
Further growth anticipated as leading brands hold strong and private label expands
Sustainability trend to have greater impact on development
E-commerce likely to gain ground, driven by convenience
Heinz continues to lead overall category in 2025
Local fermented pickles and sauerkraut launch in Spinneys and Waitrose
Hypermarkets dominates distribution
E-commerce benefits from broad product array and fast delivery
Sweet Spreads in the United Arab Emirates
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Health-focused innovation meets indulgent demand in a value-conscious category
Consumers continue to shift towards healthier variants
New laboratory tests quality of honey in the United Arab Emirates
Further growth for sweet spreads, driven by health trends and the rise of e-commerce
Nut and seed based spreads set to expand
Sustainability concerns will continue to impact packaging and sourcing
Nutella holds on to number one spot
Al Shifa benefits from natural honey offering
Sweet spreads purchased primarily in hypermarkets
E-commerce sees fastest expansion among retail channels in 2025
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Cooking Ingredients and Meals
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- Olive Oil
- Corn Oil
- Palm Oil
- Rapeseed Oil
- Soy Oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Other Edible Oil
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- Dried Ready Meals
- Shelf Stable Ready Meals
- Chilled Ready Meals
- Frozen Ready Meals
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- Dry Soup
- Shelf Stable Soup
- Chilled Soup
- Frozen Soup
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- Chilled Pizza
- Frozen Pizza
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- Meal Kits
- Quick Recipe Kits
- Chilled Lunch Kits
- Prepared Salads
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- Liquid Stocks and Fonds
- Stock Cubes and Powders
- Gravy Cubes, Powders and Pots
- Monosodium Glutamate
- Herbs and Spices
- Tomato Pastes and Purées
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- Liquid Recipe Sauces (excl pasta sauces)
- Dry Recipe Sauces
- Pasta Sauces
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- Barbecue Sauces
- Fish Sauces
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Oyster Sauces
- Salad Dressings
- Soy Sauces
- Chili Sauces
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- Dips
- Yeast-based Spreads
- Pickled Products
- Other Sauces and Condiments
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- Honey
- Chocolate Spreads
- Jams and Preserves
- Nut and Seed Based Spreads
Why buy this report?
- Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
- Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
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This report originates from Passport, our Cooking Ingredients and Meals research and analysis database.
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