Are your ready meals and ready sauces ready for what comes next?

Ready meals and ready sauces need to deliver on value, convenience and experience. As more people eat at home, seek “restaurant‑quality” shortcuts and watch every penny, brands, co‑packers and retailers must protect margins, differentiate and respond to health and sustainability expectations.

Shelf-stable formats are well placed to deliver – from single‑serve meals to flavour‑boosting cooking sauces. The challenge is how to modernise packaging and unlock innovation without adding complexity or cost. Moving from traditional formats to paper‑based Tetra Recart cartons opens new ways to grow and future‑proof your ready meals and ready sauces business.

Growing opportunities in ready meals and ready sauces

Facts 10,2 billion packs a year

Global ready sauces volumes already huge

Global ready sauces volumes already huge

Around 10.2 billion packages of ready sauces are sold annually around the world, and both value and volume are set to grow. This scale, combined with steady consumer demand, creates room for new flavour platforms, formats and price points in shelf-stable sauces. 

 

Source: GlobalData, 2024

Facts 15,5 bn revenue

Value and flavour fuel ready sauces growth

Value and flavour fuel ready sauces growth

The ready sauces market is worth EUR 15.5 billion and forecast to grow 3.6% in revenue and 2.1% in volume between 2025 and 2028. Consumers want convenient, good‑value sauces that also deliver excitement, opening space for tailored, premium and private‑label concepts. 

 

Sources: GlobalData, 2024

Facts 48% buy ready meals

Ready meals are part of weekly routines

Ready meals are part of weekly routines

48% of consumers globally purchase ready meals in some form, and more than half of them eat ready meals at least once a week. This entrenched behaviour gives producers a strong platform for ambient innovations that balance value, health and convenience. 

 

Sources: GlobalData / Global surveys, 2024

Facts 18 billion euro by 2028

Ready meals category keeps expanding

Ready meals category keeps expanding

The global ready meals category is projected to reach EUR 18 billion by 2028, with volumes up 1.9% and revenue up 5.5% from 2024 to 2028. As consumers seek time‑saving, portion‑right and better‑for‑you options, ambient formats can capture a larger share of this growth. 

 

Source: GlobalData, 2024