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Summary of our market study
In France, the ready-cooked meals market is estimated at over one billion euros.
Annual growth is around 1%
Meat-based dishes lead the way, adopted by almost 85% of the population, while potato-based dishes are clearly lagging behind.
Consumers are showing a preference for variety, both in terms of recipes and food sizes, moving beyond traditional meats to include vegetables, seafood and fish. This shift has been driven in part by the sharp fall in horsemeat prices that has rocked the market.
Manufacturers are launching new vegetarian and gluten-free options with biodegradable packaging solutions.
The market's dominant players are Sodebo and Fleury Michon
Over 80% of consumers turn to these products at lunchtime for convenience and to save time.
Fresh, canned and frozen ready meals are all gaining in popularity with French consumers.
Players in the ready-to-eat meals market
Caterers
- Fauchon
- Lenotre
Manufacturers :
- Sodebo: a family-run company particularly known for its sandwiches, pastaboxes and pizzas
- WWW France (formerly Weight Watchers)
- Fleury Michon
- Bjorg (Ecotone): An organic-focused brand
- Marie: Positioned in the chilled and frozen meals segments
- Sushi Shop Restauration: Specializes in the supply of sushi and other Japanese dishes
- William Saurin: A long-standing player in the canned prepared meals market
Distributors :
- Food retailing companies
- Picard: Leader in the frozen food segment
to understand this market
Detailed content of our market study
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Market definition
Ready-to-eat meals are fast-moving consumer products that must only be reheated or prepared as little as possible before eating. They can be found in various forms: canned, vacuum-packed, or frozen. According to the INSEE definition, ready meals are prepared dishes that are ready to eat (prepared, seasoned, or cooked).
These ready-to-eat products are distributed in supermarkets or small local stores and enable employees or families to eat quickly without the hassle of cooking at home.
Today, we are witnessing a diversification of recipes - quantitatively and qualitatively - and of the foods used - meat, vegetables, seafood, fish - to suit new market segments with higher quality requirements, particularly after the scandals that hit the market in 2013 with the horsemeat fraud.
The production chain is also becoming more complex, with distributors starting to manufacture their products and with the emergence of these young ready-made meal companies seeking to challenge the control of a few large corporations.
The global market for ready-made meals is growing, and according to specialists, it will grow by an average of around 5.1% a year between 2022 and 2030.
However, the French market is more mature and less dynamic. Ready-made meals are considered unhealthy by some sections of the population, and the market will have to overcome this view if it is to continue to evolve. However, the market's many innovations are paying off. Most manufacturers offer new vegetarian and gluten-free ranges, and some even invest in biodegradable packaging.
Players in this market include ready-to-eat manufacturers such as Sodebo and Fleury Michon and the supermarkets and hypermarkets where most ready-to-eat products are sold. These include Carrefour and Auchan and smaller outlets such as Franprix and grocery stores. Sometimes, retail chains can also be manufacturers: this is the case with Carrefour, Franprix, and Marks and Spencer. Digital players, such as Weight Watchers, also deliver individual ready-to-eat meals for consumption both at home and away from home.
1.2 A growing global market
Frozen meals represent the largest market share in **** and are set to maintain their lead over the forecast period thanks to a wide range of products with long shelf lives and consumer convenience. Frozen pizza is the most popular frozen-ready meal, significantly contributing to global revenues. Also, due to their convenience, ...
1.3 France: a major market for ready-made meals
In France, the ready-cooked meals market is estimated at over €* billion in ****, up +*.*% in ****. Between **** and ****, the market was relatively stable before increasing in ****.[***]
French ready meals market France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****
The majority of French people say they consume ready-made meals on an occasional or regular ...
1.4 France's foreign trade
French exports of ready-made meals:
Main export destinations for ready-made meals France, ****, millions of euros Source: French Customs The vast majority of French exports in **** were destined for * countries: Belgium, the UK, Spain, and Germany. These four countries represent a total export value of over ***.* million euros in the same year, ...
1.5 The impact of Covid-19 on the ready-made meals market
Against all expectations on the part of market players, the coronavirus crisis has boosted sales of ready-made meals in France. Ready-made meals have the advantage of being cheap, easy to store, and easy to cook. Against a backdrop of economic crisis linked to the pandemic and the waves of fear that ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Consumer profile
Ready meal consumption by time of day
According to a study published in **** by the Institut National de la Consommation, **% of those surveyed would consume ready-made meals more frequently at lunch than at dinner. The main reasons cited are time-saving and convenience.
Consumption occasions for ready-made meals France, ****, in Source: ****
Ready ...
2.2 Demand for prepared meals by product category
Aggregated demand:
Data from France Agrimer's latest **** study published in **** shows that the hierarchy of prepared dishes from most consumed to least consumed has not changed over the ****-**** period. We can, therefore, imagine a stable trend over the years, which continues today despite possible changes in proportions. Over the entire ...
2.3 Demand drivers
According to the French Ministry of Agriculture'sprêt à manger report , urbanization is one of the factors driving the consumption of ready-made meals. Housing is being concentrated on the outskirts, while jobs are increasingly located in city centers (***). The commuting involved in this double concentration reduces the amount of time French people ...
2.4 An increasingly demanding market
Rapid consumption
Increasingly, consumers are turning to home and office delivery services for their lunch and dinner needs. With a market capitalization of just under $*.* billion, Deliveroo is a potential threat to the market for ready-made meals consumed by workers who prioritize speed and consumed ready-made meals until now[***].
Product ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Market organization and distribution
The market can be broken down into two main categories:
Manufacturers (***). Distributors (***).
The manufacturers ' market is an oligopoly, with a few companies controlling the market (***).
Ready meal distribution:
There are no exact statistics on the distribution of ready-made meals in supermarkets. However, it is possible to give an overview using ...
3.2 A market dominated by large companies
A handful of major companies dominate the French market with brands distributed in large and small stores.
Breakdown of the total number of ready-to-heat microwave meals France, ****, in % Source: ****
Several insights can be gleaned from this data. First, we can segment the market into * roughly equal parts regarding market share.
The ...
3.3 The French production fabric
As can be seen from the graphs below, the number of players in the ready meals market is growing. The market is becoming slightly denser, with new players entering the market at a rate of around *% per year.
Number of companies in NAF code **.**Z - Manufacture of prepared meals France, ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Product typology and production processes
Product classification:
The ready-made meals available on the market are numerous. We can begin by classifying them according to the type of products used in their manufacture:
meat-based ready meals ; pasta-based ready meals ; fish-based ready meals; potato-based ready meals; pizzas/quiches/pies/pies.
They can also be classified according to the ...
4.2 Offers in all price ranges
Ready-made meal prices
Prices for ready-made meals vary little - most are between €*.* and €*. However, it is possible to note a few differences depending on the nature of the products available on the websites of the major retail brands:
The "classic" range, whose products are nothing special - famous chefs neither ...
4.3 An offering undergoing a complete makeover
Moving upmarket with certain ready-made meals:
At a time when the range of ready-made products is expanding with distributors' brands, companies that have been present on the market for a long time, or new entrants, are seeking to distinguish themselves by offering upmarket products. This trend is reflected in the development ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Current regulations
Health scandals regularly make the headlines (***), despite the rules in force, the main points of which are[***]:
In the case of heat preservation
Raw materials: must be fit for consumption and show no signs of deterioration; Packaging - storage: As soon as cooking is complete, food must be packaged and stored ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Fauchon
- Picard Surgelés
- William Saurin (Cofigeo Groupe)
- Marie (LDC Groupe)
- Fleury Michon
- Weight Watchers
- Bjorg (Ecotone)
- Auchan groupe
- Marks & Spencer
- Feed
- Foodcheri
- Nestor
- Lesieur (Avril Groupe)
- Rivière Maison
- Guyader Gastronomie
- Euralis
- Le Graët Groupe
- Raynal et Roquelaure (Cofigeo Groupe)
- Cofigeo
- Armor Cuisine (Dupont Restauration Groupe)
- Dupont Restauration
- Maître Coq (LDC Groupe)
- Gendreau Groupe
- Clarelia / Natâma
List of charts presented in this market study
- Estimated growth in the global ready meals market
- Distribution of ready-made meals
- Breakdown of French households' annual purchases of ready-made meals
- Breakdown of ready-made meal sales by category
- French ready meals market
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Latest news
Picard creates an observatory dedicated to the food of tomorrow. - 21/06/2024
- - 68% of French people believe that eating seasonal produce is the key to healthy eating.
- - 42% of French people see homemade food as a solution to eating better.
- - 48% of French people prefer seasonal fruit and vegetables.
- - 46% of French people prefer fresh, local produce.
- - Over a third of French people use frozen foods to eat more fruit and vegetables every day.
- - 50% of French people adopt a more balanced diet for weight reasons.
- - Only 22% of French people make the connection between their diet and their level of immunity, and 11% with their psychological state.
- - 22% of those surveyed consider that eating well means eating organic or pesticide residue-free products.
- - 17% prefer Nutri-score A and B or label products.
- - 46% of 18-24 year-olds cite lack of time as an obstacle to eating well.
- - 53% of French people see frozen products as a quick and economical way to eat a balanced diet.
- - 20% of those surveyed perceive frozen products as being of lower quality than fresh.
- - 57% of French people want brands committed to products from local agriculture
- - 44% of French people want brands to pay producers well.
Fauchon announces acquisition by Breton Galapagos - 29/05/2024
- - Owner of Fauchon: the Ducros family since 2004.
- - Acquisition by the Galapagos Group
- - Number of countries where Fauchon is present: over 15.
- - Number of Fauchon sales outlets: 85.
- - Number of 5-star hotels managed by Fauchon: 2 (in Paris and Kyoto).
- - Opening year of the Fauchon gastronomy school: 2022.
- - Number of new hotels planned: Around ten by 2030. - Next hotel in Riyadh.
Picard, the best recipes from the king of frozen foods - 20/05/2024
- - Freezers in over 90% of homes today
- - Picard's EY Parthenon ranking: fourth place, behind Action, Décathlon and Leroy Merlin.
- - Number of Picard outlets: over 1,000.
- - Percentage of Picard capital held by the Zouari family since 2019: 49%, with a call option to increase their stake to a further 51% held by British fund Lion Capital.
Fleury Michon, the king of ham, bets on plant-based products with vegetable slices - 28/03/2024
- - Fleury Michon sales: 795 million euros.
- - Products offered: three legume-based products (coral lentils, chickpeas, white beans)
- - Target market: 50% of consumers in France claim to be flexitarians.
- - Annual decline in the pork ham market: 2% to 3% in volume since 2015
- - Estimated supermarket delicatessen market for plant-based products: close to 150 million euros, up by around 3% in volume.
- fleury Michon's "nitrite-free" market share: 62% of sales.
Auchan faces another "difficult" year in 2023 - 22/02/2024
- -Auchan net loss in 2023: 379 million euros
- - Previous year's profit: 33 million euros
- - Auchan's position in the French retail sector: 5th
- - Revenue in 2023: down 1.7% to 32.9 billion euros
- - Share of hypermarkets in Auchan's store base: 21%
- - Acquisition of Casino stores by Auchan and Intermarché: 70 supermarkets, 26 hypermarkets, including five larger than 9,000 m2, and two drives
Auchan: New Beginnings - 06/12/2023
- Gérard Mulliez founded Auchan in 1961.
- Auchan hypermarkets account for 80% of the company's sales.
- Auchan's market share has fallen from over 10% five years ago to 8.4% today.
- Failed attempt by the Mulliez family to take over Carrefour in October 2021.
- Auchan and Intermarché are looking to form a product purchasing alliance, which would give them a combined market share of 30%.
- Auchan and Intermarché have been trying to share nearly 300 hypers and supermarkets that Casino is due to sell.
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the ready meal market | France
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