Asia Pacific

Cooking ingredients and meals is witnessing greater stability in 2023 following the price shocks of 2022, which created much upheaval for the category. There was a significant increase in prices across the cooking ingredients and meals category in…

In 2023, a surge in living costs has driven price increases of 20-60% in cooking ingredients. As a result, demand has declined, especially among lower-middle-income consumers. To combat this, manufacturers have been focusing on smaller packs. On a…

In 2023, cooking ingredients and meals will see an improved performance in comparison with 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic finally coming to an end and inflation finally stabilising. In line with the economic reopening and tourism resuming, demand…

In 2023, overall cooking ingredients and meals is expected to see retail volume and current value declines. This is primarily due to the Chinese government’s removal of the zero-COVID policy at the end of 2022. With no more lockdown measures in…

The broader reopening of Hong Kong since late 2022 has unleashed a wave of travel enthusiasm amongst consumers in Hong Kong, with Japan emerging as a key destination. The revenge travel trend has continued into 2023, resulting in a significant…

In 2023, retail value sales of cooking ingredients and meals in India displayed high growth following the stabilisation of edible oils, the high value growth of ready meals, and a stable performance by mature categories such as sauce, dips and…

Discounting activities, consumers’ busier lifestyles and demand for more convenient, practical cooking solutions, especially amongst middle to upper income consumers, spurred growth in cooking ingredients and meals in Indonesia in 2023. Considerable…

In May 2023, COVID-19 was reclassified as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same level as influenza. Therefore, the restrictions on group activities that had been in place for a long time, since the first emergence of the pandemic in…

The cooking ingredients and meals market in Kazakhstan has almost fully recovered from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, inflation in the country slowed and prices declined in a number of categories compared to 2022, including…

The COVID-19 pandemic has more or less come to an end in 2023, however, the country and economy faces a new set of challenges due to the international fuel hikes and inflation. As a result, most categories within cooking ingredients and meals have…

Consumers continued to dine out more often in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis in 2023 as the return to busy lifestyles left them with limited time to cook from scratch at home and drove down in-home consumption. However, consumers continued to…

Retail volume sales of cooking ingredients and meals stabilised in 2023 due to recovery of foodservice, which had declined as a result of the pandemic and the post-coup economic downturn. However, total volume sales declined as prices rose due to…

The cooking ingredients and meals industry in Pakistan is navigating a challenging landscape shaped by inflationary pressures. As inflation rises, consumers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive, prompting a shift towards more cost-effective…

Cooking ingredients and meals continues to offer marginally higher average unit prices from the lingering effect of the inflationary wave in 2022, as climate change and geopolitical risks further impact global food production and supply chains,…

There have been surges in raw material prices for cooking ingredients and meals in South Korea, primarily attributed to climate change and geopolitical issues, which are further pushing up the average unit price. This has created an upward trajectory…

With Sri Lanka facing its worst economic crisis in 74 years, product shortages and price hikes have recalibrated consumer demand and supply patterns across all categories of cooking ingredients and meals. Manufacturers are struggling due to the…

The post-pandemic era in 2023 has ushered in changes in consumption and dining habits, marked by a greater emphasis on the quality and unique presentation of dishes when dining out. The trend of ordering delivery has continued to gain traction.…

Cooking ingredients and meals is showing an overall positive performance in 2023, in both value and volume terms, and in both retail and foodservice. Whilst consumers remain somewhat price-sensitive and continue to seek value for money, we are also…

Inflationary pressures continue in 2023, however, we are seeing an overall resilience in cooking ingredients and meals in the Philippines – in both value and volume terms, variably. Shortages in raw materials continue to affect some categories, such…

Cooking ingredients and meals has almost completely recovered from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023. At the same time, it is being affected by geopolitical changes in the region caused by the war in Ukraine. In 2023, inflation in…

Retail value growth is stronger than volume in cooking ingredients and meals in Vietnam, due to inflationary pressures pushing up unit prices. That said, despite these economic pressures, volume growth is also relatively stable. We also note that…

In 2023, sunflower oil is witnessing moderate growth in retail volume terms compared to 2022 as unit prices fall. By some distance, it is the largest type of edible oil and is traditionally the cheapest oil per unit in Azerbaijan. The decrease in…

In 2023, overall demand for retail edible oils in China has weakened compared with 2022, with the expected volume and current value declines in this year primarily driven by the resumption of normal activities post-pandemic. Towards the end of 2022…

The broader reopening of Hong Kong since late 2022 unleashed a wave of enthusiasm for travel amongst consumers in Hong Kong, with Japan emerging as a key destination. Revenge travel has continued into 2023, resulting in a significant reduction in the…

Retail volume sales of edible oils in India suffered in 2021 and the first half of 2022 due to disrupted global supply chains and high global inflation. Since India imports more than 50% of its edible oil requirements, there were spikes in retail…

The edible oils category experienced another year of decline in 2023, both in volume and value terms, following contraction in the previous year. The fact that the CPO (crude palm oil) price had not yet fallen was a key reason for this performance.…

Edible oils in Japan is set to see declines in both retail current value and volume terms in 2023, mainly due to a sharp increase in unit prices. The unit prices of various edible oils in Japan have been increasing rapidly, and overall edible oils is…

Sunflower oil dominates edible oils and consequently determines the overall market performance. Following price increases for sunflower oil in 2022 due to a rise in the cost of raw materials and logistics, prices declined in 2023 in the global…

Olive oil saw retail volume sales decline in 2023 at the same time as witnessing current value growth as unit prices continued to rise significantly. Most of the brands operating in the category, including Bertolli, Colavita, Naturel, and Filippo…

Consumers in Pakistan are gradually shifting towards premium and branded edible oils. This trend is driven by the perception of higher quality and safety associated with branded products. Premium oils, such as extra virgin olive oil, are becoming…

Edible oils in Singapore continues to face significant disruptions in 2023, caused by climate change and geopolitical risks. While there has been an improvement in demand compared to 2022, the higher average unit price of edible oils continues to…

In 2023, the global supply chain of edible oil raw materials has faced significant disruptions due to climate change and geopolitical complexities, impacting availability in South Korea. The country's reliance on external sources has made it…

In 2023, the sales volume of edible oils experienced a decline, partially offset by the return to normal routines and a growing demand in the foodservice channel. The normalisation of dining in and travel activities during 2023 boosted demand from…

Olive oil is seeing a return to popularity, with a rebound in robust retail volume growth, thanks to ongoing health and wellness trends and the fact olive oil is perceived to be a healthy product. The increasing popularity of Western cuisines, which…

Edible oils continues to face challenges connected to inflationary pressures and supply chain restrictions, which are affecting different edible oils in different ways. For example, inflationary pressures are boosting value growth due to an increase…

On aggregate, edible oils continued to record strong growth in Uzbekistan during 2023, despite the turmoil that has been seen in edible oils at regional and global levels, and the threat of inflation that has put pressure on spending power at local…

Edible oils continues to face challenges caused by shortages of raw materials and supply chain disruptions, along with climatic impacts. As such and added to inflationary pressures, this is pushing up prices and supporting value sales, while retail…

In 2023, the ready meals category is showing growth in both retail volume and current value terms, mirroring the trends seen in the broader meals and soups category. Demand patterns are returning to normal cycles as employees embrace everyday life…

Meals and soups is set to see a noticeable slowdown in its retail current value growth rate in 2023 compared with 2022, and is expected to turn to retail volume decline. The primary reason for this is the removal of the zero-COVID policy, which has…

Since late 2022, the desire to travel has been seen amongst consumers in Hong Kong, due to the broader reopening of the country, with Japan emerging as a key destination. The revenge travel observed in 2023 has led to a significant reduction in the…

The per capita consumption of ready meals in India in 2023 remained fairly low compared to the average in Asia Pacific. This modest figure can be attributed to limited market penetration and association of limited consumption occasions. Ready meals…

The meals and soup category experienced another year of positive growth in 2023, both in total volume and value terms. Ready meals was a key contributor to the category’s development during the year, specifically frozen ready meals. The growing urban…

In May 2023, COVID-19 was reclassified as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same level as influenza. The restrictions on group activities that had been in place since the first pandemic in February 2020 were therefore finally relaxed in…

Ready meals is recording further double-digit value growth in 2023, driven by an increase in the price of raw materials and logistics; however, growth is more moderate than it was in 2022. Retail volume sales are also growing steadily as consumption…

Around the world, a rising number of consumers are looking to cut down on their consumption of meat due to concerns about health, the environment and animal welfare, and manufacturers are increasingly targeting this trend with new product…

With the increasing pace of life in urban areas, consumers, including a significant population of working women, are seeking meal and soup options that can be prepared quickly and with minimal effort. Products that offer easy preparation, such as…

Retail demand for ready meals has improved in 2023 following several years of decline in Singapore, as local consumers are attempting to adjust to spending increasing time outside of the home. Therefore, demand is being driven by convenience factors.…

Category players are customising their products to cater for various formats demanded by consumers sensitive to new lifestyle trends, such as South Korea's millennials and Generation Z, to maximise convenience. For instance, one of the habits among…

The resurgence of travel and dining out in 2023, following the post-COVID-19 era, has redirected consumption from off-trade to on-trade channels in Taiwan. With increased time spent on travel and dining at restaurants, there has been a noticeable…

Meals and soups benefit from consumers’ return to busy out-of-home lifestyles in the post-pandemic landscape – particularly so in the large cities. Such options provide convenience to consumers who are seeking quick and easy meals. Added to which,…