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Consumers and
Ready-to-Eat Meals:
A Global ACNielsen Report
December 2006
All about your consumers
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According to a Global Online
ACNielsen Consumer Survey
conducted in June 2006:
By far the biggest reason for
purchasing ready-to-eat meals is
convenience due to a lack of time
to prepare a proper meal 87 percent
claimed it as their main / second
reason for purchasing them.
Consumers the world over dont
have enough time to prepare meals
from scratch. A separate Global
ACNielsen Online survey asked
consumers in 41 countries whether
they had too much, enough or too
little of time, information, energy,
space and money. At the top of
the list, and not surprisingly, three
quarters of consumers said they
didnt have enough money. In
second place, just over half 56
percent said they didnt have
enough time.
Ready-to-Eat Meals:
Global Highlights
Beyond convenience, one third
cited cheaper than buying all the
ingredients and preparing from
scratch as their reason for purchasing
them.
One fth of the worlds Internet
consumers frequently purchase
ready-to-eat meals rather than
prepare traditional meals from
scratch, and close to half (45%)
do so occasionally.
The most common occasion for
eating ready-to-eat meals is for
Dinner, and Breakfast is the least
likely.
The most popular types of ready-to-
eat meal for a quarter of consumers
are Main Course substitutes or an
All-in-One Meal.
Overwhelmingly, the most popular
place to purchase ready-to-eat
meals for nearly half of the worlds
Internet users is in a Supermarket
(44%), followed at a distant second
by Grocery Stores (22%), although
North Americans are nearly as likely
to purchase them in a Grocery Store
as they are in a Supermarket.
Note: for the purpose of the survey
and this report, ready-to-eat meals
were dened as frozen or fresh, hot or
cold, fully prepared meals purchased
in a store to be eaten elsewhere.
They arent the same as take-away
and fast food, and they arent canned
food.
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What is your main and second reason for purchasing
ready-to-eat meals?
Global average
Second Reason Main Reason
It tastes better than if
I attempted to prepare
the same meal myself
The quality of ready-to-eat
meals is as good as me
cooking it from scratch
It is cheaper than buying
all the ingredients and
preparing at home
I cant cook
Convenience I have
no time to prepare
a proper meal
No other reason
13%
22%
10%
10%
7%
38%
74%
9%
6%
5%
6%
Base: Respondents who purchase ready-to-eat meals Note: No other reason is only included as a second reason
Overwhelmingly, and unsurprisingly,
the biggest single reason for buying
ready-to-eat meals is convenience!
A global ACNielsen survey of over
22,000 Internet users around the world
has conrmed that the biggest single
reason for purchasing ready-to-eat
meals is convenience! With less time
on their hands to prepare meals from
scratch, 83 percent of the worlds
consumers are in agreement that
ready-to-eat (RTE) meals come in
handy when theres no time to
prepare a meal from scratch.
While we can never have too much
Money, we certainly dont have
enough time to spare.
In a separate survey to the same
Internet users, ACNielsen asked, of the
ve main resources they had to deal
with their daily lives, which did they
have too much, the right amount or
not enough of: Time, Information,
Energy, Space and Money? The survey
found not surprisingly 74 percent
of consumers who claimed they didnt
have enough Money, with the other
quarter saying they had the right
amount. After Money, just over half
(56%) said they didnt have enough
Time.
Ready-to-Eat Meals:
The Full Report
Resources available to you: Time
55
57
57 66 56
38
37
35
28
37
7 7
8
6
7
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Asia Pacific Europe North America Global Average
The Right Amount Not Enough Base: All respondents Too Much
Other
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Asians embrace RTE, while
Europeans are more likely to
prepare meals from scratch.
Across the globe, 65 percent of the
worlds Internet users purchase RTE
meals either frequently (20%) or
occasionally (45%). The biggest fans
of the ready-to-eat meal concept,
comprising seven of the top 10
markets who claim to purchase them
frequently, hail from Asia, lead by
Thais (43%), Chinese (39%), Taiwanese
and Malaysians (34%). And of the
top 10 markets with consumers
purchasing them occasionally, seven
are also from Asia, led by the
Japanese (59%), Vietnamese (57%) and
Chinese (51%).
Across Asia, it is not uncommon for
people to purchase a pre-prepared
meal, in full or part, on their way
home from work, to be reheated and
consumed later. And as the range
and availability of RTE continues to
grow, this trend is likely to continue.
Across the region, some of the fastest
growing categories are in the RTE
sector. In Hong Kong, for example,
2005 volume sales of Frozen Ready
Meals and Frozen Dim Sum both
grew 17 percent compared to the
previous year. And in Japan, 2005
volume sales of Microwave Instant
Foods grew seven percent compared
to the previous year.
How often do you purchase ready-to-eat meals rather than
traditional meals made from scratch?
3
9
6
6
25
36
30
30
49
39
45
45
23
15
19
20
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Asia Pacific Europe North America Global Average
Seldom Never Base: All respondents Occasionally Frequently
How often do you purchase ready-to-eat meals rather than
traditional meals made from scratch?
Top 10 - Frequently
43
35
34 34
25
23
20 20 20
19
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Base: All respondents
Thailand China Taiwan Malaysia Greece Philippines UK
South
Africa
Hong
Kong
Singapore
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Additionally, Ready to Drink Teas
and Coffees are also experiencing
signicant growth, as multinational
FMCG companies launch new variants
such as fruit teas and chilled coffees,
and grow this segment.
The Danes lead the global rankings
in Seldom, or Never, purchasing
RTE.
Close to one third of consumers claim
to seldom purchase ready to eat
meals, and six percent never do. Most
likely not to - comprising eight of the
top 10 markets who seldom purchase
them - are Europeans, led by nearly
half the Danes (49%), Czechs and
Portuguese (45%). In fact, a further 19
percent of Danes also claim never to
purchase them.
Dinner is the most common RTE
meal occasion, and breakfast the
least likely. But when it comes to
entertaining friends or a special
occasion, theres nothing like good
old-fashioned, home cooking.
By far the most common RTE occasion
for consumers is Dinner for a quarter
of respondents - followed by a Snack
(19%) and Lunch (17%). Conversely,
over half (56%) would never opt for an
RTE breakfast. Particular exceptions
to this are the French and Swiss, with
91 and 76 percent of consumers
respectively, claiming they would
normally eat a RTE meal for breakfast.
How often do you purchase ready-to-eat meals rather than
traditional meals made from scratch?
Top 10 - Seldom
49
45 45
44
43
42
41
39 39
38
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Base: All respondents
Denmark
Czech
Republic
Portugal Sweden Korea Finland
New
Zealand
Switzerland Germany Belgium
When you purchase a ready-to-eat meal, when do you eat it?
Global average
18
23
56
32
46 45
56
59
31
49
39
41
26
17
13
19
15 14
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Dinner Lunch Breakfast
Entertaining
friends
Occasionally Never Base: All respondents Usually
Snack
Special holiday
or occasion
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The French also lead the global
RTE snack ranking, with 70 percent
claiming to eat RTE meals as a Snack.
When it comes to Entertaining Friends
and a Special Holiday or Occasion,
nearly half of consumers are unwilling
to substitute the real thing for a shop-
prepared, ready-to-eat meal option,
preferring to prepare their meals from
scratch. In the global ranking, however,
nearly two thirds of French and Swiss,
would use a RTE meal for Entertaining
Friends.
Main course or all-in-one meals are
the most popular RTE option.
Globally, a quarter of people purchase
either a main course or all-in-one RTE
meal. 74 percent of Thais top the
global rankings, purchasing RTEs as
an all-in-one meal, followed by the
French and the Swiss. And 59 percent
of Greeks opt for a RTE main course.
What kind of ready-to-eat meals do you most commonly purchase:
Global average
28
20
38
25
41
48
55
49
54
45
24
25
13
21
14
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
All in one meal Main course Starters Prepared salads
Occasionally Never Base: All respondents Usually
Desserts
What kind of ready-to-eat meals do you most commonly purchase:
Top 10 Usually all-in-one meal
74
55
50
39
37
33
30 30 30
29
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Base: Respondents who purchase ready-to-eat meals
Thailand USA Switzerland Taiwan Netherlands Malaysia
South
Africa
Philippines Singapore France
Where do you normally purchase your ready-to-eat meals:
Global average
49
11
38
50
49
47
64
34
45
41
36
35
40
30
18
44
22
13
17
13
7
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Hypermarket Supermarket
Grocery
Store
Convenience
Store
Occasionally Never Base: Respondents who purchase ready-to-eat meals Usually
Deli Restaurant Other
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Where do you normally purchase your ready-to-eat meals?
Top 10 Usually Supermarket
74
68
63
58
56 56
53 53
52
51
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Base: All respondents
China
New
Zealand
Netherlands Austria Germany Ireland Turkey Baltics Australia UK
Supermarkets the most convenient
channel for purchase globally.
Overwhelmingly, the worlds consumers
head for the Supermarket to purchase
their ready-to-eat meals, lead by the
Chinese (74%), British (68%) and Dutch
(63%)
The grocery store, however, remains
a popular option, particularly for the
French and Swiss, when it comes to
picking up a convenient RTE meal.
Implications for the Future.
Can we expect one day to see the
kitchen fully redundant in the family
home, as consumers opt to eat out
or take home and re-heat in a
microwave? While ready-to-eat meal
offerings have developed to meet the
need for ease of use and convenience,
as consumers increasingly focus on
fresh, healthier eating options, the
trend may well come full circle.
Just as we have seen with pre-washed
and cut salads, consumers will look
for other pre-prepared raw ingredients
they can take home and assemble
into a healthy meal.
Where do you normally purchase your ready-to-eat meals?
Top 10 Usually Grocery Store
75
59
43
41
35
33
30 30
26
23
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Base: All respondents
France Philippines USA Canada Belgium Norway Finland Russia Poland Switzerland
RTE Problem or Opportunity?
Raw Ingredients
Meal
Solutions
Snack
Meals
Frozen Ready
Meals
Chilled Ready
Meals
Pre-Prepared
Meals
Home Meal
Replacement
Hot Food
to Go
Ready meal offerings have developed to
meet consumer needs for ease of
use and convenience.
The trend is going full circle,
back to raw ingredients, but prepared ones,
balancing the convenience and health & freshness.
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The Survey
The ACNielsen Online Consumer
Condence and Opinion Survey is
the largest half-yearly survey of its
kind aiming at gauging current
condence levels, spending habits/
intentions and current major concerns
of consumers across the globe.
The ACNielsen Consumer Condence
Index is developed based on
consumers condence in the job
market, status of their personal
nance and their readiness to spend.
The latest survey, conducted in late
May/early June, polled about
22,780 internet users in 41 markets
from Europe, Asia Pacic, North
America to the Baltics.
About ACNielsen
ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the
worlds leading marketing information
provider. Offering services in more
than 100 countries, the unit provides
measurement and analysis of
marketplace dynamics and consumer
attitudes and behaviour. Clients rely
on ACNielsens market research,
proprietary products, analytical tools
and professional service to
understand competitive performance,
to uncover new opportunities and to
raise the protability of their marketing
and sales campaigns. To learn more,
visit www.acnielsen.com.
The 41 Markets covered in
the Global Online Survey
were:
Europe:
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
UK
Baltics:
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Asia Pacic:
Australia
China
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Japan
South Korea
Malaysia
New Zealand
Philippines
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
North America:
USA
Canada
Other:
Russia
South Africa
For further information, please visit:
www.acnielsen.com
Copyright 2006 ACNielsen.
Globally, ACNielsen and ACNielsen with globe design
are trademarks or registered trademarks of CZT/ACN
Trademarks, L.L.C. In the United States, ACNielsen
and ACNielsen with globe design are trademarks
or registered trademarks of AC Nielsen (US), Inc.