UK

UK: Ready meals remain a staple as consumers crave convenience

Their convenience means that ready meals continue to make up a large portion of the red meat market, despite consumer concerns around ultra-processed foods rising, informs AHDB.

Posted on Jun 02 ,00:25

Meat convenience meals which include ready meals and chilled main meal accompaniments (CMMAs – prepared meals without carbohydrates e.g. a curry without the rice element or a stew where you have to add your own mash) have grown 1% in the last year according to Kantar (52 w/e 20 April 2025). This is despite a reduction in media advertising spend from on ready meals and media noise around ultra-processed foods. More than 3 in 10 consumers now eat ready meals on a weekly basis (AHDB/YouGov, May 2024), which has increased by 4%pts versus 2022. Nearly two-thirds of households have purchased a ready meal with red meat in the last year (Kantar, 52 w/e 20 April 2025). This correlates with research showing consumers want to spend less time cooking.

Chicken convenience meals have the highest volume sales at 38% (total meal volume – not meat only volume) followed by beef (26%).

Duck is the protein which most reliant on convenience meals, with 37% of spend from ready meals and CMMAs. Chicken has 18% and beef convenience meals account for 16% of total spend (Kantar, 52 w/e 20 April 2025). Pork has a much smaller share of sales coming from convenience meals, which could be an opportunity, but also, pork features in other convenient foods, like pies and sausage rolls, which consumers lean towards. 

Duck convenience meals saw the strongest growth followed by lamb (+6%). Pork saw a small growth of 1%, while turkey saw declines alongside beef (-2%).  

The decline in beef ready meal volumes was primarily driven by a reduction in volume sales per shopping trip. However, we see the number of units purchased by shoppers remains flat. This indicates that shrinkflation may be the main driver of declines – rather than proactive consumer reductions.

While health is not a main driver of ready meal consumption, it is still a factor which shoppers consider. When looking for healthy ready meal/ready-to-cook options, ‘high in protein’ is the number-one quality shoppers are looking for at 34% (Mintel, Ready Meals and Read-to-Cook Report UK May 2024), which is good news for red meat. However, 78% of shoppers are also drawn to ready meals with visable healthy ingredients like vegetables and pulses. Getting the balance right on ready meals between these ingredients and between health and taste is important.

Levels of meals cooked from scratch are lower than they were five years ago (Kantar usage), and convenience meals have been increasing in share of meals to fill the gap. While ready meals are already a convenient option, consumers are looking for them to be even quicker and more convenient. Being able to cook ready meals/ready-to-cook foods in an air fryer is appealing to 47% of consumers, and 77% of shoppers would like to have meals where all components can be cooked or heated together easily (Mintel, Ready Meals and Read-to-Cook Report UK May 2024). Making these options easier for consumers by having accompaniments and side dishes which cook at the same temperature and for the same length of time can make cooking even easier for consumers.

Shoppers over the age of 65 account for 44% of red meat ready meal volume sales, and they have grown their sales by a minimal 1% over the last year (Kantar, 52 w/e 20 April 2025). These older shoppers over-index on lamb ready meals, but they tend to buy pork less often than we would expect.

Shoppers under 35 have declined their purchasing of red meat ready meals by 14% over the last year. Research shows that this group tends to favour chicken and the under 28s have been switching into poultry over the last year. With the increased convenience of takeaways and delivery options over the last few years, a meal which arrives already cooked ticks the convenience box for these shoppers, perhaps, over a ready meal solution. Over half of this group claim to have takeaways on a weekly basis compared to only 21% of consumers aged over 55 (AHDB/YouGov May 2024).  

The majority of red meat ready meals are private label, with 89% of beef and lamb ready meals own label and 90% for pork. There is more variation between frozen and chilled, with 90% of lamb ready meals being chilled, whereas 74% of beef ready meals are chilled and 71% for pork. This shows a tendency towards fresh lamb meals over frozen – perhaps due to the perceived value of freshness and also the lack of availability of frozen lamb options.

The types of meals which consumers pick for each red meat are very different, but there is a general trend towards world cuisines.

Beef

Lasagne is the most popular beef ready meal, accounting for 40% of all volume sales according to AHDB analysis of Kantar data (52 w/e 20 April 2025). Cottage or Cumberland pies come in second and Bolognese takes third place, but they have much smaller market shares. All of these meals are declining in volume sales, while smaller cuisines which have more variety are in growth, such as Asian and other Italian dishes, specifically pasta. Overall British cuisines are down 3% but some classics are making a comeback, including roasts, stews and casseroles.

Lamb

Shepherd’s pie is the top lamb ready meal, with 39% share of volume sales according to AHDB analysis of Kantar data (52 w/e 20 April 2025). Moussaka and lamb hotpots are close second and third options. All of these meals are in growth for lamb. However other British options including lamb shank or lamb liver ready meals are in decline.

Pork

Carbonara is the number-one ready meal for pork at 25%, with other pasta dishes (particularly ham and mushroom) accounting for a similar volume. Sausage and mash is also a popular option, as well as other British options such as toad in the hole or roast pork. Pulled pork had a strong performance within ready meals, perhaps appealing to those shoppers who want food fast.

English breakfast ready meals make up only 2% of the volume share and are seeing steep declines, as are Asian ready meals. This is potentially due to a reduction in the offering for pork with a number of ready meals being delisted.

Opportunities and outlook

• Ready meal growth has come from spend increases due to inflation, while volume increases have been harder to come by. This will likely be a trend which continues in the medium term
• Further expansion of government HFFS rules could impact ready meals in the future. Manufacturers could look at how to include healthier options shoppers are looking for, such as vegetables and pulses alongside meat, to boost appeal with shoppers and meet regulations for lower fat and higher fibre content
• We have seen less marketing of ready meal products over the last few years, which could be a long-term trend if the HFFS regulations restrict marketing opportunities
• Within in-home cooking, we see shoppers becoming more adventurous, and this will likely be a trend we see in ready meals too. Going forward, we expect consumers will look to world cuisines and increase variety in their choice of ready meals

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