The cooking ingredients and meals industry has returned to a level of stability after years of significant volatility. Growth over 2025-2030 is predicted to be slow but steady, shaped by the increasing importance of emerging markets, consumer shifts towards affordably-positioned products and channels, and a changing competitive landscape.
Delivery
This report comes in PPT.
Key Findings
Edible oils driving value growth
Recent years of poor harvest and logistics disturbances in oil crop supply chain led to major price hikes causing consumption in volume terms to contract. 2025 brought back relative stability in prices while many countries mitigated logistics risk by focusing on local and more affordable varieties.
Time constraints create demand for convenience
Throughout 2023-2025, more companies returned to offices. The move created higher demand for quick lunch options in meals and soups. Likewise, consumers switched from foodservice to ready meals as household budgets became tighter.
Focus on dietary restrictions
Demand for products with dietary claims are becoming more common and generating sales. Vegan and vegetarian options are especially notable in meals and soups but also expanding in sauces, dips and condiments. Gluten-free, high-protein or low in sugar products are gaining recognition throughout the majority of categories.
Viral content creating instant demand
Social media increasingly affects consumer buying patterns. Popular content can generate immediate global demand for niche sauces or sweet spreads. Reaction videos encourage trial and replication of recipes, especially if they require few and readily available pantry items.
Small brands and private label fulfil consumer needs
Large global corporations have seen a decline in shares in most regions. Smaller local brands are able to react to changing consumer needs in a more agile way. At the same time, private label has expanded its range to target more consumer groups and cater to varied diets, contributing to well-established brand decline in market share.
Our expert’s view of cooking ingredients and meals in 2025
Cooking ingredients and meals industry snapshot
Key findings
Cooking ingredients and meals faces a 2026 dominated by consumer cost concerns
Top five trends in cooking ingredients and meals
Top five trends uncovered
Drivers of consumer markets and impact on cooking ingredients and meals
Adjacent industries and how they impact cooking ingredients and meals
A tenuous recovery from years of turmoil
Edible oils trails in value sales, but is dominant in importance to global consumers
Asia Pacific widens its lead as the largest region
Price is exerting pressure on consumer shopping habits
The top companies in the industry are likely to shift soon
High levels of inflation in many markets distorts many companies’ performance
Private label gains in an otherwise largely stable market landscape
Sustainability claims slightly outperform the average
Value-orientated channels displace e-commerce as the most dynamic
E-commerce should return to the top spot in growth in the forecast period
E-commerce activity is distorted by the fortunes of the meal kit category
The top spenders in the industry will hold constant over the period to 2030
The US retains the growth leader title, as Brazil and India close in
Meals and soups will retain its spot as the top category
The industry is highly vulnerable to future economic shocks
Most global unmet market potential lies in Asia Pacific
Threats and opportunities abound on the horizon for the industry
Recommendations for cooking ingredients and meals for the forecast period
Our expert’s view of cooking ingredients and meals in 2030
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