Asia Pacific

The number of credit cards in circulation and credit card current value transactions are expected to increase in 2023, mainly driven by further improvements in mobility and economic conditions after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted at the end of…

Vietnam has been experiencing a higher number of cases of influenza in 2023, which is benefiting sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies. Due to prolonged home seclusion as a result of pandemic-related restrictions, Vietnamese consumers…

Cough, cold and allergy remedies face favourable growth in 2023, with the category boosted by the return to normal social lifestyles post-pandemic. The regular circulation of seasonal cold viruses is fuelling demand, which had previously fallen due…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies continued to enjoy healthy growth in current value terms in 2023. This was driven, to a large extent, by the revival of normal pre-pandemic patterns of behaviour, including the return of Thais to their…

In the Philippines, one interesting aspect of OTC products in general and cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies in particular is that consumers are generally very aware of the active ingredients that are contained within these products and the…

In line with rising health-consciousness, people in Taiwan are becoming more worried about the potentially hazardous side effects and contraindications of active pharmaceutical ingredients in standard OTC medications. This has continued to buoy…

Like analgesics, sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies continue to rise, benefiting from the “tripledemic” of rising COVID-19 cases, the stronger return of influenza due to greater mobility outside of the home and contact with others,…

The pandemic brought about a huge increase in sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies, especially from the end of 2021, with later COVID-19 variants being revealed to have unique symptoms resembling those of the common cold. In February…

As people become more aware of the importance of self-care, there is a growing demand for OTC medications to treat cough and cold. Access to healthcare is limited and as such it is easier to buy OTC medications. Therefore, despite the increase in…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies witnessed an improved performance in constant value terms in 2023. This was due, in a large part, to a return of pre-pandemic lifestyles, including the reopening of schools and workspaces, which…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies is experiencing a level of stabilisation in 2023. Following strong retail volume growth in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, almost all categories are projected to see slower retail volume…

Sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies in Japan have continued to recover in 2023. This is largely due to increased opportunities for consumers to go out and a shift away from the practice of wearing face masks on a daily basis. With…

Although the pandemic is considered over, this is not expected to immediately reduce sales of OTC cough and cold medicines in Indonesia in 2023, with both retail volume and current value growth set to continue across most categories. However, the…

In 2023, cough, cold, and allergy (hay fever) remedies in India is set to experience moderate single-digit current value growth, driven predominantly by the demand for decongestants. Decongestants is expected to demonstrate above-average growth due…

The removal of mask-wearing and social distancing measures in March 2023 led to rising demand for cough, cold and allergy remedies as respiratory infections increased. Since February 2020, local seasonal influenza in Hong Kong has remained at a low…

Even though cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies recorded over 40% current value growth in 2022, it is anticipated that the category will continue to achieve high single-digit growth in 2023. Starting from late 2022, the end of the zero-COVID…

As COVID-19 restrictions lift and society returns to face-to-face interaction, the regular seasonal sicknesses —colds and flus—are making their own return to Azerbaijan. More social mingling means not just handshakes and hugs on the rise; sniffling…

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shown the vulnerability of the current supply chain model and had an extensive impact on the manufacturing industry’s global supply and transportation networks. Global supply chains are forecast to become more…

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…

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…

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 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…

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.…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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, 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…

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, 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…

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…

After China scrapped its zero-COVID policy at the end of 2022, retail sales declined in this country in both volume and real value terms in 2023. As consumers’ lives returned to normal, this resulted in a shift from cooking at home to eating out at…