Chilled Food Category Overview in Republic
of Ireland and Great Britain
Growing the success of Irish food and
horticulture
June 2014
1
Table of Contents
• Introduction & Research Objectives
3
• Research Method
4
• Executive Summary
5
• Gaps & Opportunities per category
6
•
•
•
•
•
•
Category Overview - Snapshot
Chilled Soup
Chilled Ready Meals
Chilled Desserts
Prepared Salads
Sandwich Fillers
11
12
22
39
49
59
• Packaging
69
2
Introduction & Research Objectives
This report looks at the Chilled Foods sector (or Ready Meals as they are more
commonly known) in the Republic of Ireland and in the United Kingdom.
The growing consumer trend of convenience has accelerated the opportunity for
chilled ready meals. At the same time, there are challenges this food sector is
confronted with, namely: increasing costs of ingredients and rising utilities and
distribution costs. Shelf life is also a challenge for the sector particularly when
exploring export options.
We were particularly interested in exploring the opportunities for chilled food
manufacturers both in Ireland and the United Kingdom under the following
components:
• Ready meals
• Chilled soup
• Prepared salads
• Sandwich fillers
• Chilled Desserts
And to understand the relationship with the category and its role in consumer lives and
identity differences between the Irish and UK consumer.
3
Research Method
The research was two-fold with both quantitative and qualitative elements attached.
The quantitative research took place from the 4th to the 15th of April 2014 which
comprised of the following:
• A detailed and comprehensive 20 minute questionnaire across both markets (519
respondents in ROI and 522 in the UK)
• The research was conducted via online methodology
The qualitative research took place in April and May. An online forum in the form of
Ideablog was conducted from April 14th – 18th which comprised of the following across
both ROI and the UK:
• 25 respondents per region
• Aged between 25-55 years
• The forum lasted 5 days
The second phase of the qualitative research was accompanied shops – three shops per
region whereby the moderator accompanied the consumer on a weekly shop and
conducted a one-to-one interview in consumer’s own home after the shop to uncover
actual behaviour versus claimed behaviour.
The research was carried out on our behalf by Millward Brown.
For further information on this study please email info@bordbia.ie or telephone 01
6685155.
4
Executive Summary
Chilled Food Category Overview
From a consumer perspective ‘Chilled’ means anything that goes in the fridge when
you get home, including dairy and eggs. The category largely benefits from consumer
trust and has broadly positive associations. Freshness is the most top of mind benefit.
Consumers do recognise the strong advantages of chilled ready foods over frozen foods
in particular taste. Expectations can be high as a consequence making quality,
nutrition and health important underlying factors when choosing chilled good.
From a shopper perspective, the levels of engagement across the chilled subcategories do differ and frequency of purchase and occasion can determine consumer
interest. The chilled food aisle is shopped by consumers who are typically shopping by
meal or occasion or generally ‘shopping the aisle’. In general, this food category is
found to be easy to shop with some level of browsing occurs at certain fixtures. This is
usually as a result of price reviewing and for food safety purposes i.e. best before
dates.
For consumers it is evident that the chilled category is an evolving category, with the
range and choice within chilled expanding greatly. New types of cuisines, ingredients
and preparation methods are constantly changing within this food category and as a
result adding dynamism and engagement to the category.
Consumers see retailers improving their own offering in this market i.e. consumers are
seeing an improved shopper experience in the chilled arena from the supermarkets
they shop. Own Label brands are highly visible and appear to offer the best value for
many consumers. As a result there are high levels of promotion evident meaning
products are frequently purchased on promotion.
5
Gaps and Opportunities – Ready Meals
• Establishing a standalone brand that will be considered superior to that of the midrange/premium own brand offerings will be very challenging for manufacturers. The
need to gain visibility or shelf space versus private label will be difficult but
important in attracting consideration from consumers. Typically consumer
experience and preference is weighted towards the private label offering. What can
your brand provide that is unique and different to the supermarket own brands?
• Mandatories for ready meals must include ease and convenience – this has to be
right and on a par with those of competitor offerings. For consumers taste is critical
and underpins preference and repeat purchase. Delivering on range and variety for
ready meals is key, along with strong taste credentials – all touch points need to dial
up the taste aspect. Price and quality are interchangeable and consumers expect a
certain standard of ready meal at varying price points.
• Focussing on Irish ingredients rather than cuisine will present more of an
opportunity. Irish ingredients, as a core component, will communicate quality,
transparency and health/good food choice.
6
Gaps and Opportunities – Chilled Soup
• There is an opportunity for dialling up “Irish” credentials in the chilled soup arena.
The category benefits from many positive associations (e.g. hearty, comforting,
flavoursome) that overlap with Irish food. A distinct Irish positioning may be
motivating for consumers e.g. Irish ingredients that cue to freshness and quality
rather than specific Irish cuisine.
• There is also scope to explore chilled soup as a meal replacement. A more
wholesome offering to substitute for different meal occasions, with the potential to
include hearty filling ingredients that offer more of a mini meal solution.
• Less barriers are apparent in the chilled soup category, the product is seen as the
best “quality” version of the category (i.e. better version of soup versus ambient or
pouch variants etc). This creates an expectation on taste that must be met as a
category mandatory.
• A branded offer can achieve stand-out, however the competitive set are strong in
this arena too and well established. Delivering on taste and good range will be
critical, while also supporting a brand in a cluttered fixture.
• The blended nature of soups means that innovative flavours and different cuisine
types can be tolerated more. Explore how unusual ingredients or soup types can be
developed to meet more adventurous tastes and tap into popular trends?
7
Gaps and Opportunities – Chilled Desserts
• A branded opportunity may be limited in larger retailers, where both Private and
established branded offerings are strong. A competitive and cluttered brand
landscape exists here and your brand needs to strongly deliver on the core drivers
to cut through to the consumer. Developing more complicated dessert ranges that
are difficult to replicate at home can be a strong trigger to purchase.
• The Republic of Ireland presents more of an impulse purchase opportunity. Being
disruptive at the point of purchase with engaging ranges, strong packaging and an
appetising product will appeal.
• A key driver for the category is ‘Looks appetising’ so a result packaging and
presentation should and need to deliver on this.
• Puddings and desserts have a strong heritage in the UK – “re-invention” of classics
or traditional pudding may offer a potential opportunity to stand out. The UK have
more solus/partner occasions and ensuring that SKU’s and packaging formats are
tailored to these occasions will be important.
8
Gaps and Opportunities – Pre-Prepared Salads
• Look to innovate on pack size for prepared salad leaves may present an opportunity
for single serve portions to combat wastage and optimise freshness.
• It is important to dial up and enhance the health components of pre-prepared
salads. Is there scope to include seeds and superfoods to further boost health
benefits? It is vital that the health credentials of pre-prepared salads is not
undermined by overuse of dressing or mayonnaise.
• Convenience (speed of preparation) is more of a driver in the UK suggesting on pack
communications and packaging/ format will be important here. Is there scope to
review “on-the-go” packs and serves that facilitate speed in this arena?
• Taste and Quality are more to the fore in the Republic and leveraging the proximity
of the ingredients to consumers, thereby enhancing freshness cues, is key. There
could be an opportunity to leverage “interesting” ingredients and different leaf
types / grains / seeds etc… to boost the taste credentials of your brand’s offer?
9
Gaps and Opportunities – Sandwich Fillers
• An important question is ‘How can your product deliver advantage over the deli
counter variety and range?’ as this is a strong competitor in situ at most stores. A
need to dial down processed elements by packaging that cues to freshness or artisan
cues.
• Good to address family needs and explore more dedicated offer to children in the
Republic e.g. less salt, preservative, additives and create flavours that will appeal
to younger palates. There is also potential to specifically offer “lunchbox” that
caters to busy family lifestyles.
• Consumers look for variety and choice so developing new flavours beyond
traditional offerings can add a point of difference in what can be a static category.
Move beyond traditional ranges and explore different grains, vegetables, seeds and
herb mixtures.
• Look to increase occasionality of the category by exploring more ‘snack’ solutions
with accompanying ingredients. Provide consumers with a more multi-faceted offer
that can deliver as a “mini-meal” solution with appropriate accompaniments e.g.
baked potatoes, salads and breads that will “bulk-up” the sandwich filler potential.
10
Category Overview – Chilled foods at a glance…
The Salad and Sandwich Fillers categories reflect more frequent purchase habits –
not surprising due to their ‘fresh’ credentials. There is habitual frequent purchasing
across chilled food in general with growth in salads and fillers identified.
11
Chilled Soup
12
Chilled Soup – the best soup in consumers
eye’s
Chilled Soup is perceived as ‘fresh’ by consumers and fits with people’s desires for
nutrition, naturalness and substance. The chilled soup variety changed the rules of the
soup market and put dry and ambient soups in the shade essentially. Relative to other
sub categories of Soup – Chilled Soup is seen as the superior offering.
Consumers see the chilled variety as the same if not better quality than what most
consumers can prepare from scratch themselves. The consumer understanding of how
it is produced at home (‘just blitzed, liquidised vegetables’) mean they see the
production process as less processed than the Ready Meal category. As a result, it is
seen as a largely healthy meal option for multiple meal occasions or as a meal
substitute.
Chilled Soup is a regular, frequent purchase – one in five purchase these more than 2-3
times a week. Future purchase intent for chilled soup is strong – with approximately
eight in ten claiming that they will continue to purchase a similar amount. One in ten
say they intend to buy more than they currently do presently.
Purchasing for ‘myself’ is the key target in the Republic whereas buying for ‘myself and
family’ is the key target in the UK. Supermarkets are the main outlet for purchasing
behaviour. Over half of all respondents plan to purchase chilled soup on their shopping
trips (higher in ROI – 66% plan purchase). Those in the Republic typically paying more
for chilled soup at €3.28 per soup whereas in the UK consumers, on average, spend
£2.13 per chilled soup (paying slightly less on average when looking at current
conversion rates).
It is the branded variety of chilled soup that are coming through most strongly at the
awareness levels for chilled soup. Tesco does best out of Own Label for prompted
awareness – similar trend for recent purchase (i.e. Last 4 weeks). Taste and quality are
the key drivers for preference in the chilled soup category.
13
Who buys Chilled Soup?
Strong female, 30+ years of age bias towards Chilled Soup in both markets. An
opportunity presents itself for the 45+ age group in the UK. Soups are potentially used
as a meal replacement in small households.
14
Who are they buying for?
Chilled Soups are frequently bought for own personal consumption and can be used
across more than one food occasion. More family bias in the UK is evident – a question
for soup brands “how can your serve size meet these needs?”
15
Frequency of purchase
In the Republic of Ireland there is greater tendency for more frequent purchasing and
soup is more likely to be part of a pre-planned purchase in this market. There is a
lower price threshold in the UK. There is little concern over the amount of Chilled
Soup purchased as it is seen as a ‘good/healthy’ choice.
16
Purchase Behaviour
Soup is very much a regular part of shoppers purchasing on a weekly basis.
Approximately one in five purchase more than once a week. Those under 35 in the UK
are more likely to purchase chilled soup more than twice a week.
17
Occasions: When do people eat Chilled Soup?
Lunch is the key occasion for Chilled Soup consumption. Although eaten frequently
with bread it is seen as a convenient alternative to pre-made sandwiches.
Approximately one in ten consume it as part of a weight management plan – It’s
healthy ‘filling’ credentials see it positioned as a credible alternative for those who
diet.
18
Brands and Chilled Soup
Avonmore’s early entry in the Chilled Soup category see’s it emerge as one of the key
players in the Republic. Cully and Sully also experienced by two in five consumers. In
the UK it is Covent Garden which is widely experienced across consumers who shop this
category.
19
What’s important when buying Chilled Soup?
Convenience, quick preparation and taste are key drivers to purchase frequency. The
dominance of the lunchtime occasion means that speed and ease of preparation is a
must.
20
What's important for the consumer when
choosing Chilled Soup?
Similar to Ready
Meals –
convenience is
key. With the
dominance of the
lunch occasion;
speed and ease of
preparation is
important
Less of a
driver/issue – as
chilled benefits
from positive
health
perceptions
Is it
Convenient?
More price sensitivity
– as it is not the main
meal – price
thresholds will
prevail. Also seen as
less suitable for
‘feeding ‘ the family
Is it (un)
healthy?
Is it
affordable?
Is it of
good
quality?
Is it Tasty?
Branded offerings are
strong in the category
which denote quality
and taste advantage
over some shops own
varieties
Does it
look
appealing?
Taste descriptors,
ingredients, colours,
size of food
pieces/chunks all
create strong triggers
to purchase
21
Taste, flavours and
ingredients are key
drivers.
Consumers are drawn
to the category due to
the freshness of the
product
Ready Meals
22
Chilled Ready Meals
Ready meals generally are a regular, frequent purchase, with two in ten purchasing a
couple of times a week – an ingrained habitual purchase. Males and those under 35’s
over-index on frequency. It seems ready meals are here to stay as three in four say
they will continue to buy ready meals as part of their shop and one in ten saying they
will purchase more of them in the future. There is a higher propensity in the UK to
purchase chilled ready meals with one in three buying these 2-3 times a week
compared to one in five in the Republic.
Generally ready meals are a pre-planned purchase for dinner with salad as a popular
accompaniment. Tesco shoppers typically tend to over index as regular ready meal
purchasers – most likely a consequence of the range and variety offered by Tesco in the
ready meals arena.
Prompted awareness of ready meals, unsurprisingly, skews to well known brands (not
all typically known for a ready meal offer and some more salient for frozen meals).
Not surprising to see Own Label perform well in this space as Own Label dominates on
recent purchases vs. branded offers, with Tesco to the fore.
What drives preference is clear – the ready meal needs taste and/or flavour. That said
the core drivers that underpin purchase frequency of ready meals are ease and
convenience.
23
Category understanding – What is a Ready
Meal?
•
•
•
•
•
Ready Meals
can have a
broad
definition
Frozen meal
TV dinners
Microwavable/Oven Ready
Meal for 1/Meal in one pack
Pre-prepared dinner for I
immediate consumption
• Ready meals are now an established category which has evolved significantly
over the last 10 years
– Moved on from microwaved/TV dinners to more sophisticated restaurant
style offerings
• The category has shed some of its negative associations
– More healthy and fresh options has nullified such negativity. But users are
aware of some negativity among non-users towards the category ‘they get a
bad rap sometimes’
• Evolution and improvement of products in this category means consumers still
want speed and convenience without sacrificing quality (but the price has to be
right)
– Consumers are more food literate, discerning and interested in food;
despite the convenience nature of the category, consumers still have high
expectations
24
Who buys Ready Meals?
The profile in the Republic of Ireland is spread across the demographics. Looking to
the UK market ready meal purchasers skew to those aged 45+ and without dependent
children.
25
Who are they buying for?
Ready Meals are not just the preserve of single unit/couple households. Ready Meals
are purchased for family consumption. There lies an opportunity to develop new serve
size and packaging SKU’s for family orientated Ready Meal occasions.
26
Frequency of purchase
The type of purchase experience suggests that Ready Meals can be positioned across all
store types from convenience, multiples and discounters. There is a relatively narrow
window of acceptable price – a price too low is deemed as questionable quality by the
consumers. In the UK region there appears to be more promotional activity which
results in more price sensitivity among the consumers.
27
Purchase Behaviour
‘Stocking up’ behaviour is evident, among the respondents, with freezing for later use.
Consumers acknowledge a threshold of consumption and this is primarily due to health
concerns. Looking to the demographics and who is buying more chilled ready meals it
is males who have a higher propensity to purchase across both regions.
28
Occasions
People tend to eat chilled ready meals the most at dinner occasions during the week
and they are quite frequently eaten with other accompaniments. For that reason there
is a clear opportunity to develop serving suggestions by offering a more complete meal
solution enhancing their convenience even further.
29
Occasionality and Frequency of Purchase
As part of a grocery shop it’s a regular purchase, with some stocking up behaviour
occurring.
Among users –1-2 ready meals per person are typically purchased and consumed
weekly.
Consumers acknowledge they would not consume more frequently, this is mainly due
to health concerns.
As expected dinner consumption dominates but other meals times also experienced.
Lunch: Occasionally eaten for lunch, particularly amongst men looking
for a more substantial meal. Also seen as a cost efficient replacement
for sandwich's
More likely to be part of a calorie controlled diet for females
More time pressed thereby convenience
and efficiency is needed.
Weekday
Perceptually, more control applied to diet
(less indulgence during the week)
More time to prepare food from scratch,
Dinner
Weekend
less time demands thereby ready meals
not considered as frequently
Special
Occasion
Snack
Infrequent, ready meals seen as a poor
substitute for take-away or restaurant
Rare and more likely to be a smaller size.
30
Brands and Ready Meals
The supermarket own label brands dominate with their chilled ready meal offering
seen to be on a par, if not superior, to branded options. There is absolute positivity felt
towards private label stems from the stores Masterbrand imagery – if the consumer
likes the supermarket, they typically like their Ready Meal offering. Consumers readily
acknowledge the tiered offering from premium, mid and value range.
31
Supermarket Private labels dominate
Supermarket Own labels, in many instances have the attributes of strong branded
offerings.
Their positive imagery derives from the masterbrand store equity & market presence.
–
–
–
–
–
Appealing packaging, good reputation, available, wide range of cuisines &
formats
Good quality perceptions around the ingredients, source and freshness
Have the spectrum of ranges from premium, mid-range to value
Good cross marketing and meal deals available
National supermarket brands have more ‘local credential’ and therefore the
produce is seen to be sourced locally.
Branded offerings have little discernible advantage over private labels.
Some overspill of Frozen category associations into branded Ready Meal space. Findus,
Aunt Bessie, Birdseye occasionally mentioned in the Ready Meals category
But celebrity chef endorsements or ranges do add some appeal but typically seen as
pricey.
If the consumer likes the supermarket, they will typically like their
produce in Ready Meals.
32
Irish Ready Meals from a UK Perspective
Irish cuisine has even more traditional connation's than UK cuisine and is not
considered motivating in itself. Its seen as Old fashioned, traditional, Meat and two
Veg, hearty
Many British consumers fail to have any clear articulation or understanding of what
Irish food is. But it is not doubt positive: The assumption is our unspoilt environment &
extensive rural landscape will have produce of a high quality.
As such, it does have positive connation's surrounding the provenance of the
ingredients.
However, many UK consumers fail to identify a superiority in Irish food over Scottish;
Welsh or English/British-ness.
Irish ingredients rather than cuisine has potential to be more
motivating to UK consumers
33
Health – ‘Healthy to me is done properly with
good ingredients’
While consumers are aware and broadly conscious of the calories content of Ready
Meals when purchasing and consuming – Calorie content is not a primary driver or
barrier in the purchase decision.
In many instances, lower calories can provoke concerns that the ingredients have
being flavour enhanced.
Lower calorie can mean less taste and consumers who focus on calories typically
gravitate towards the Weight control/Healthy Living/Count on Us Range.
Health and well-being can be typically delivered by reassurance on the other key
dimensions of the Ready Meal category (particularly food provenance and origin).
Once positive messaging is delivered on these dimensions – Ready Meals can deflect
most health concerns by focussing on the cumulative benefits of how and where they
are produced.
Consumers are more interested in hearing about the benefits of
food rather than what has been removed.
34
Health – its not all about Weightwatchers!
Many of the negative category perceptions originate from concerns over Ready
Meals impact on diet and health.
Wider health and food debates surrounding trans fats, sugar, obesity, salt & artificial
sweeteners all converge around Ready Meals and health.
Any form of processed food carries such consumer concerns – however as Ready Meals
typically cater for the main meal (most calorie intake) concerns are amplified.
The lack of consumer control over the preparation of ingredients within Ready Meals
fuel these concerns.
The overwhelming majority of consumers are aware and act responsibly around their
food choices and behaviour around ready meals. An attitude of ‘Everything in
moderation’ and a conscious limiting of the number of ready meals consumed per week
prevails.
Consumers need reassurance surrounding the negative dimensions of ready
meals and establishing TRUST is key to allay these negative perceptions
35
Packaging – containers & outer packaging
Ready Meals like other FMCG’s need to deliver on the fundamentals of good
packaging are required:
– Strong, secure and durable materials
– Good food photography to create appetite appeal
– Good design and branding cues
Packaging
–
–
–
–
should not undermine their convenience. It needs to be:
Easy to store and stack in fridge/freezer,
Easy to open
Easy to prepare for cooking
Easy to dispose of
Inner containers can add increased quality cues by replicating restaurant or cuisine
crockery (bowls, ceramics etc.).
Food presentation and configuration before cooking should be as ordered as possible to
avoid ingredients ‘turning to mush’.
Separate trays/compartments and sauces on the side can appeal in some instances to
deliver more regulated presentation and control (over calories consumed).
While there is no one format of packaging that has a superiority over others –
packaging should deliver the core requirements and deliver:
– Visibility of food – The ability to see what the food looks like
– Good appetite appeal – strong food photography to
As such outer, slide-able packaging with a transparent film tends to be favoured in
many instances.
36
What’s important when buying Ready Meals?
Convenience is the key driver and covers multiple dimensions when choosing a ready
meal. The perceived ease of use, time saving and flexibility elements all need to be
present from product, packaging and messaging of the ready meal offering.
37
What's important for the consumer when
choosing Ready Meals?
Consumers want
reassurance that
counter the
negative
dimensions of
ready meals and
establishing
TRUST is key via
Irishness,
Traceability and
Price
Is it
Convenient?
Price is a delicate
balance between
being too expensive
and undermining
convenience & being
too cheap, so quality
is questioned
Is it (un)
healthy?
Is it
affordable?
Is it of
good
quality?
Is it Tasty?
Traceability is not
actively sought but
expected from the
price paid, packaging
and quality cues
Does it
look
appealing?
Packaging (outer and
inner), food
photography & food
visibility all need to
support Quality,
Irishness and Taste
38
Taste is key – and all
dimensions of the
Ready meal should
focus on delivering
good taste
associations whether
through presentation,
packaging or
messaging.
Chilled Desserts
39
Chilled Desserts
The Chilled Dessert category is readily understood by consumers and covers a widerange of dessert types and flavours from cakes, jelly's, yogurts, puddings and flavoured
creams. The category is typically limited to occasional weekday treats post dinner,
weekend and occasional special occasions. Like any sweet based category consumers
exercise caution on frequency of consumption.
Desserts are not experienced as part of everyday meals and can be readily substituted
by biscuits, yogurts, chocolate etc. While convenience is important, chilled desserts
are seen to offer a high quality and superior offering to home-made variations.
Consumers are typically motivated by treat occasions for themselves and their family.
Unsurprisingly then that there is a higher propensity to purchase among those with
dependent children when it comes to chilled desserts.
While freshness is a feature it is felt that some ingredients can project some processed
associations. Consumers claim that they eat chilled desserts in moderation and they
readily identify the negative health benefits of over consumption. The majority are
buying chilled desserts in the supermarket, with an average of two per week the norm.
There are strong branded offerings with big brands from other sweet and yogurt
categories leveraging their Masterbrand credentials (such as Aero, Cadbury, Danone,
etc). Prompted awareness of key brands is high among shoppers, the front runners
emerging as Muller, Cadbury, Nestle and Ambrosia in the Republic and a similar brand
set for the UK with Aero and Ski cutting through strongly.
40
Who buys Chilled Desserts?
Those living in the Republic with dependent children over index on those who buy
chilled desserts and the category, as a whole, has a more female skew. Directly
targeting these cohorts is recommended.
41
Who are you buying for?
Family purchases of chilled desserts in the Republic are most popular, while the UK
reflects a broader customer target. For manufacturers it is necessary to ensure the
Chilled Desserts offer has a broad appeal and potentially caters for family size serves
in the Republic.
42
Frequency of purchase
It appears that impulse purchasing dominates in the Republic while consumers in the
UK seem to purchase higher quantities of desserts versus ROI and at a lower price
point. There is a clear opportunity to engage and interact with the shopper on a
regular basis within this category.
43
Purchase Behaviour
There is heavy, frequent purchasing of this category with scope and opportunity to
interact with shoppers on a regular basis at the fixture. Need to ensure that the offer
made is one that compels and appears appetising at the fixture - this is critical.
44
Occasions
Unsurprisingly the key moments for when chilled desserts are consumed more so are at
treat times and dinner time. Single serves will play well for indulgent “me-time”
moments, while there is potential scope to offer “family” portions.
45
Brands and Chilled Desserts
It is the confectionary brands that are clearly cutting through in both markets with
Tesco dominating as a point of purchase. A review of what competitors are offering in
this space would serve manufacturers well and to learn from their ranges and variants.
46
What’s important when buying Chilled
Desserts?
Taste and being easier to buy rather than make is a core influence on the purchase of
Chilled Desserts. Good potential to dial up the complexity of desserts a potential here
and those ‘hard to source’ premium ingredients.
47
What's important for the consumer when
choosing Chilled Desserts?
For the majority of
consumers they
trade off health
concerns in light of
a treat or indulgent
moment. Some
desire a healthy/low
cal dessert but few
are seen to deliver
on taste in this
arena
Desserts typically seen as timeconsuming and one of the more
complex meal preparations.
Chilled desserts can outperform
made from scratch variety.
Consumers have confidence in
the bought end product.
Dialling up their complex
artisan and skilled dimension
will promote purchase
Its treat nature and
indulgent cues means
consumers are less price
sensitive compared to
other categories.
Portion size to price will
be a consideration for
families, particularly on
weekday occasions.
Is it
Convenient?
Is it (un)
healthy?
Is it
affordable?
Is it of
good
quality?
Is it Tasty?
Avoiding manufactured,
processed look and feel
is essential – too perfect
or rigid and the home
made feel is lost
Does it
look
appealing?
Hero the product – packaging
needs to dial up sensory cues
that talk to its rich and
indulgent nature. The product
requires some visibility either
through transparent packaging
or high quality imagery.
48
Competitive landscape is
anything sweet so
dessert types need to be
varied and offer a
‘special’ element that
shows its advantage over
other dessert options.
Prepared Salads
49
Prepared Salads
Consumers understand the Prepared Salads category to consist of two key varieties:
Lettuce or other leaf types as pre-prepared salad leaves
Salad with lettuce and other vegetables/fruits/dressings as the component ingredients
Lettuce or other leaf types as pre-prepared salad leaves
Offerings have evolved to include a wide selection of leaf type salads which are readily
available now. Florette is the main brand recalled but shops own brands are frequently
purchased also.
Packaged pre-prepared salad leaves can be viewed by consumers as a cost efficient
alternative to loose, whole heads of lettuce. Although consumers are strongly aware of
preserved gases used in packaging – prepared salads leaves, unsurprisingly, have strong
health associations among consumers.
Prepared salads category is emotionally associated with summer but consumers are
eating this particular category year round (again mainly due to the health
associations). Prepared salads thought, by consumers, to be convenient, a quick
solution to salad preparation, on sandwiches or as meal accompaniments.
Salad with lettuce and other vegetables/fruits/dressings as the component
ingredients
Prepared salads are seen as cost efficient, less wasteful and an alternative to salads
made from scratch. The more packaged variety share some of the characteristics of
Sandwich fillers and consumers have some concerns over the amount of mayonnaise
and dressing used on these.
Visibility of ingredients is key among consumers for assessing the freshness of
ingredients at point of purchase. These type of prepared salads are seen as a
convenient alternative to home prepared salads with the added bonus of portability or
consumption on the go.
One in four consumers purchase prepared salads regularly i.e. more than 2-3 times a
week. This statistic stands true for both markets. More people in the UK claim they
will buy the same amount of salads in the future (79%), this intention is less for those
living in the Republic (64%). However there is a higher future purchase intent in ROI
(25%) compared to 18% in the UK. Both are strong indicators of commitment to the
pre-pared salads category.
There appears to be two different targets across the markets - purchasing for ‘myself
and the family’ is key in the Republic whereas buying for ‘myself’ or ‘myself plus
partner’ is the key target in the UK. Supermarkets are the main outlet for purchasing
behaviour.
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Who buys Prepared Salads
There is a definite skew towards females with family and white collar in the Republic
while in the UK there is a more balanced profile.
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Who are they buying for?
Solo and family purchasing strong in the Republic while the UK steers to more single or
couple purchasing.
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Frequency of purchase
There is a planned routine purchase for the majority of consumers in both regions but
a much lower price point experienced in the UK.
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Purchase Behaviour
The majority of consumers in both regions (over three in four) purchase prepared
salads 2-3 times a week. This is mainly due to the ‘fresh’ nature of the product
providing ample opportunity for interaction at the fixture.
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Occasions
Both dinner and lunch occasions dominate in both markets highlighting the diversity of
the category. However dinner is more dominant in the UK – more likely prepared salads
are a meal accompaniment.
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Brands and Pre-Prepared Salads
Supermarkets dominate due to the routine of ‘planned’ purchase. It is the key brands
that are managing to cut through in both regions ahead of ‘Own Label’ but this is more
prominent in the Republic.
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What’s important when buying Pre-Prepared
Salad?
Convenience of prepared salad is essential for driving purchase, particularly so
in the UK.
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What's important for consumers when choosing
Pre-Prepared Salad?
Seen as convenient alternative
to home prepared salads with
the added bonus of portability
or consumption on the go.
Offers a quick solution to salad
preparation, sandwiches or
meal accompaniments
Although
consumers are
aware of preserved
gases used in
packaging. Preprepared salad
leaves
unsurprisingly have
strong health
associations
Packaged pre-prepared
salad leaves seen as a
cost efficient
alternative to loose,
whole heads of lettuce.
Is it
Convenient?
Is it (un)
healthy?
Is it
affordable?
Is it of
good
quality?
Is it Tasty?
Leaves staying fresh for
longer denotes quality
and stand out as this is
a product issue that
irritates
Does it
look
appealing?
Visibility of ingredients
is key with consumers
assessing the freshness
of ingredients at point
of purchase
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Important that the salad
offers variety (mix of
leaves anticipated) and
basic taste components
need to be fulfilled e.g.
freshness and range.
Sandwich Fillers
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Sandwich Fillers
Sandwich fillers are seen largely as anything that can be placed inside bread including
individual food items such as processed meats to spreadable goods including egg mayo,
coleslaw, hummus etc. This category is a relatively low engagement category within
the chilled food section. The packaging and highly ‘plastic’ containers suggest a more
processed product.
The main driver for consumers buying from this category is convenience where
consumers see the category as an easy means to add variety and flavour to
sandwiches. Similar levels in both markets purchase sandwich fillers more than 2-3
times a week (one in four in ROI and just under 30% in the UK). Primarily used at lunch
occasions but occasionally used as a meal accompaniment. Recall within this category
is low beyond the big brands associated with mayonnaise (Hellmann’s) mustard
(Colman's) and Sauces (Heinz) and Princes cutting through strongly in the UK.
The availability of deli-counter ranges of sandwich fillers and salad accompaniments
compete directly with self contained sandwich fillers. The self service and non-sealed
nature of these products benefits from more perceived healthy associations.
Looking at future purchasing intent there is a considerable difference between the two
markets – a quarter of those in the Republic claim they will buy more sandwich fillers
with 64% continuing to buy same amount whereas in the UK just one in twenty claim
they will buy more. That said there is more momentum in the UK with nearly nine in
ten claiming they will continue to purchase similar levels of sandwich fillers. A definite
growth opportunity identified in ROI.
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Who buys Sandwich Fillers?
There is a definite skew in both markets to those aged 30+, a higher white collar
target in the Republic while UK reflects a higher blue collar bias. This may impact on
taste preferences in the UK and desire for ‘standard’ or ‘traditional’ offer.
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Who are they buying for?
There are differences that emerge across the markets with those in the Republic more
likely to reflect buying for a family cohort while solo purchasing is more evident in the
UK market.
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Frequency of purchase
There appears to be a planned, habitual routine purchase apparent in both markets
with a much lower price point evident in the UK.
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Purchase Behaviour
Frequent purchasing is prevalent, part of a habitual ingrained routine for most
consumers – making it potentially difficult to interrupt this mind-set.
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Occasions
Unsurprisingly lunch dominates within this food category. There is some opportunity to
explore fillers as potential meal accompaniments among the UK consumers.
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Brands and Sandwich Fillers
Little branded offers cutting through with private label dominating in this space. For
that reason it may prove challenging to provide a branded offer that will achieve stand
out.
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What’s important when buying Sandwich
Fillers?
It is convenience that dominates as a key influencer on purchase in this category.
Speed, ease and taste are core metrics that must be satisfied and accessible for
consumers.
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What's important for the consumer when
choosing Sandwich Fillers?
Sandwiches are a
convenient solution
in their own right and
fillers need to
compliment this ease
of use and saving of
time.
Minimising
mayonnaise and
rich dressing in
key. Low fat is an
area of consumer
interest who still
want the taste of a
sandwich without
prohibitive calorie
content
Price is a consideration
as sandwiches are cost
efficient and can’t be
too expensive so as to
be replaced by other
foods such as meat,
cheese or sauces or
dressing.
Is it
Convenient?
Is it (un)
healthy?
Is it
affordable?
Is it of
good
quality?
Is it Tasty?
Deli counter offerings
will compete so
product needs to
deliver clear
advantages e.g. value
for money and
marginally better shelf
life.
Does it
look
appealing?
Needs to have
substance, texture and
some consistency.
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Taste is very important
as it needs to stand
alone or compliment
other sandwich
elements.
Packaging
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Packaging fundamentals for Chilled Foods
Is it
Convenient?
Chilled food like other FMCG’s do need to
deliver on the fundamentals of good packaging,
such as:
Strong, secure
durable
materials
Good design and
branding cues
Packaging should not
undermine their
convenience. It needs to be:
–
–
–
–
Good food photography
appetite appeal
Food
visibility
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Easy to store and
stack in
fridge/freezer,
Easy to open
Easy to prepare for
cooking
Easy to dispose of
Packaging fundamentals for Chilled Foods
Chilled Ready Meals
Chilled Soup
Visibility of food is important
– the ability to see what the
food looks like
Tetra and Pots are the
desired market norms – both
with specific advantages
Good appetite appeal via
strong food photography is
advisable
The use of vibrant colour cues
to reflect health and
freshness of the chilled soup
Separate food compartments
to avoid food mixing is a
consumer preference
Ease of opening and
maintaining freshness is
important to consumers
Look at ‘on the go’ solutions
for consumers
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Sandwich Fillers
Functional and practical
elements need to be adhered
to:
- Ease of opening and reseal
is key
Transparency is also
important so consumers can
assess ingredient quality and
freshness (and levels of
sauce)
Deli cues may appeal – other
premium materials such as
cardboard may add difference
Packaging fundamentals for Chilled Foods
Chilled Desserts
What is important is to highlight the indulgent treat nature of desserts by
allowing total product visibility
Showcase complexity of the chilled dessert by layering, texturing and
decoration
The packaging should reflect restaurant styling so that consumers can see that
they could not replicate such a dessert as easily at home
Ease of serve and presentation should be maintained when out of packaging
Pre-Prepared salad
Visibility of “leaves” and the freshness element is key
Maintenance of freshness after opening is preferably desired
The single serve options can appeal to smaller households to avoid wastage
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