Asia Pacific

Retail prices of staple foods in the Vietnam continued to rise in 2023. While inflationary pressures began to ease, the ongoing war in Ukraine had a major impact on the prices of key raw materials, due to the disruption of the global supply chain.…

After a very turbulent period for staple foods in 2022, with geopolitical changes in the region driving up prices on most grocery products, volume sales have picked up in 2023. The Uzbek economy has improved with retail prices in a number of…

Retail sales of staple foods and alternatives in the Philippines recorded moderate growth in volume terms in 2023. This was in spite ongoing inflationary pressures, with food prices posting an upward trend, thanks to energy price hikes and…

Staple foods in Thailand is seeing an overall positive performance, in both value and volume terms. That said, the category continues to be affected by inflationary pressures which are pushing up prices, alongside the cost-of-living crisis which is…

In 2023, staple foods in Taiwan was affected by the resumption of travel and eating out as key trends with the lifting of Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. Thus, demand shifted back from retail to foodservice as a result of less time spent at…

In 2023, staples in Sri Lanka witnessed a shift in consumer preferences. Baked goods like fresh bread and pastries have gained popularity as more prepare their meals at home. Health-conscious are consumers seeking diverse breakfast cereals.…

Staple foods, closely associated with economic conditions in South Korea, is experiencing slower growth rates in many categories due to recent external economic factors. Elevated inflation rates have led to an upward trend in retail value sales…

Staple foods in Singapore continued to experience marginally higher average unit prices from the lingering effect of the inflationary wave in 2022. Climate change and geopolitical risks further impacted global food production and supply chains,…

Pakistan’s economy continues to struggle and the government secured a further USD3 billion bailout from the IMF in July 2023, avoiding an impending default. Inflation continues to be very high and is being driven by several factors, including…

Political and economic repercussions, such as regional conflicts, inflation, and currency depreciation, resulting from the 2021 coup have cast a shadow on Myanmar's staple foods in 2023. Retail prices have persistently surged across various…

Retail sales of staple foods in Malaysia recorded continued growth in volume terms in 2023. This was in spite of rising food prices, thanks to the weakening of the local currency, the ringgit, against the US dollar, which brought about higher import…

In 2023, Laos is facing a new set of economic challenges attributed to the global surge in fuel prices, the devaluation of the Lao Kip, and rising inflation. As of April 2023, inflation increased significantly, primarily driven by the devaluation of…

Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia and its war in Ukraine is negatively impacting the economy and leading to high inflation. While skyrocketing international oil and gas prices is boosting the local economy, its usual outflow to the global…

Staple foods in Japan is set to grow in current value terms in 2023, largely driven by unit price increases due to inflation and increases in production costs. Although many manufacturers had already implemented price increases in 2022, the costs of…

Staple foods overall benefited from consumer purchasing power beginning to rise in 2023 as Indonesia’s economy started to rebound following difficult years during and immediately after the pandemic. Sales volumes were boosted by broadening consumer…

Staple foods saw high retail current value growth in India in 2023, on the back of favourable macroeconomic factors and changing consumer preferences regarding food choices. Favourable macroeconomic factors such as high GDP growth and rising median…

Staple foods has faced a challenging year in 2023, as many consumers in Hong Kong have shifted their spending from retail to foodservice. After three years impacted by the pandemic, consumers have been eager to dine out and experience travel, which…

Pandemic restrictions were lifted in China at the beginning of 2023; thus, production, logistics, and product availability have gradually resumed in staple foods. However, after a year of exceptional growth in 2022, retail volume sales are set to…

In 2023, staple foods will see an improved performance in comparison with the previous year. In line with the full reopening of the economy and the resumption in tourism, demand has improved. Likewise, packaged food is becoming more popular in…

Consumer purchasing power fell in 2023 due to devaluation of the local currency against the dollar. This has made many staples unaffordable to a large swathe of the population. Most middle income demographics tend to do a minimum shop to cover their…

Staple foods is expected to register healthy current value in 2023, despite continuing economic uncertainty because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, the rise in inflation and tightening monetary policy. While inflation is…

Retail prices of rice, pasta and noodles in the Vietnam continued to rise in 2023. While inflationary pressures began to ease, the ongoing war in Ukraine had a major impact on the prices of key raw materials, due to the disruption of the global…

Dried pasta and rice remain two of the most important staple sources of starchy carbohydrates for much of the population of Uzbekistan. Rice in particular is a key category of staple foods and it is the key component of the country’s most famous and…

Volume sales of rice, pasta and noodles in the Philippines recorded moderate growth in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. This was in spite ongoing inflationary pressures, thanks to energy price hikes and disruptions to the supply…

Sales of rice, pasta, and noodles benefit from such products being affordable staples, especially during a time of economic uncertainty, when consumers are cooking at home regularly. In particular, rice is seeing the highest growth as rice continues…

Rice, pasta and noodles in Taiwan aligned with the trends influenced by the resumption of out-of-home lifestyles in 2023. As consumers returned to the office and travel and social norms they were more likely to dine out. As in other categories of…

In 2023, there continues to be a noticeable revival in retail and foodservice volume sales of rice in South Korea. While the latter channel was negatively impacted by foodservice closures and restrictions during the pandemic, a declining trend in…

While retail demand for rice, pasta and noodles marginally increased as a whole in 2023, as consumers continued to cook more frequently at home amid the high cost of living pressures, growth patterns differed across the category. While retail volume…

Rice is a key staple in Pakistan and in 2023 is expected to register healthy volume growth, as its affordability, as well as continuing population growth support volume sales. Local farmers are also in a position to supply local demand and this keeps…

Retail sales of rice saw continued growth in volume terms in 2023. This was in spite of the rising price of imported rice, thanks to the depreciation of the local currency, the ringgit, and disruptions to the global supply chain. Malaysia imports a…

Instant noodles continues to account for significant value sales in Kazakhstan and in 2023, is expected to outperform pasta and rice, registering very healthy volume growth. Russian company Mareven continues to lead, with its popular brands Rollton…

Rice, pasta and noodles in Japan is set to see a positive retail current value performance in 2023, due to unit price increases led by inflation and rises in production costs. Although many manufacturers increased the prices of their products several…

Unit prices in overall rice, pasta, and noodles increased more dramatically in 2023 compared to 2022, with this being attributable to the dominant subcategory of rice seeing a steep unit price spike in 2023 that resulted from weather-induced harvest…

Despite its already high base, rice, pasta and noodles in India saw dynamic double-digit retail volume and current value growth in 2023, with strong increases across all categories. With increasing digital penetration, the usage of OTT platforms such…

Rice, pasta and noodles is expected to see total volume growth in Hong Kong in 2023, with the anticipated volume decline in retail expected to be offset by growth in foodservice. In 2023, rice and pasta in Hong Kong are set to experience slight…

The performance of rice, pasta and noodles is expected to show a mixed picture in China in 2023, reflecting changing consumer preferences and market dynamics. Retail volume declines are expected for the main categories, rice and noodles, mainly due…

Overall, rice, pasta and noodles is expected to register moderate constant value and volume growth. Rice continues to account for most volume sales and it is a key ingredient in local dishes. Pasta registers lower volume growth in 2023 than rice, as…

In 2023, total volume demand for processed meat, seafood, and alternatives to meat is set to experience solid growth in Hong Kong, primarily driven by the strong rebound in the foodservice channel, thanks to the return of foot traffic and tourism…

Retail volume sales of processed meat, seafood and alternatives saw modest growth in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. Products such as chilled processed meat have a low level of demand in Malaysia, due to an overwhelming consumer…

In spite of continuing soaring inflation, processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat is expected to register both healthy constant value and volume growth. Urbanisation and busier lifestyles are boosting demand. Processed meats, seafood, and…

Retail demand for processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat marginally increased in 2023, following a slight drop the previous year when demand was affected by high inflationary pressures from supply chain disruptions and geopolitical…

In 2023, the prices of commodities, including animal feed, remained elevated due to global supply chain issues resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While there was some improvement during the second half of the year, stubbornly high input…

While current value sales are expected to increase, constant value sales are expected to fall. Rising costs hit profitability, as inflation is still an issue, though the rises in prices is easing. That being said, volume sales are expected to…

In 2023, similar retail volume and current value growth rates are expected for processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat compared with 2021, after seeing a stronger performance in 2022. COVID-19 restrictions were lifted from the beginning of…

Retail price increases in the processed meat category began to slow in 2023, relative to the previous year. Population growth in Uzbekistan is supporting the underlying demand for processed meat. Overall, it is very common for people in Uzbekistan to…

Amid the growing climate change crisis, local interest in eco-friendly practices has risen significantly, aligning with value-based consumption. To reflect this trend, players in processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat in South Korea are…

Average unit prices in processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat saw another year of rises in 2023. This was for several reasons, including the increasing costs of energy and animal feed, with Indonesia being import-reliant for some raw…

In 2023, the overall retail demand for processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat dropped in Taiwan as consumers resumed pre-COVID-19 pandemic lifestyles. The category had seen a surge in demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by…

Processed meat, seafood, and alternatives to meat benefits from lower prices compared to its fresh variants. Additionally, due to inflationary pressures overall and the cost-of-living crisis, many consumers prefer to cook at home instead of dining…

Despite ongoing inflationary pressures, volume sales of processed meat, seafood, alternatives to meat saw moderate growth in 2023. This was due, to a large extent, to the continued recovery of foodservice, thanks to the normalisation of consumer…