The consumption of ready meals is experiencing an explosion in Spain. The promotion of this offer within supermarkets is giving wings to a category that has long been developed in the distribution of the United Kingdom, Northern Europe and the United States, and which is now identified as one of the main growth levers for these operators.
“Our priority is to grow in ready to eat”, said the president of Mercadona, Juan Roig, a few weeks ago, who has already predicted on several occasions that in twenty years kitchens will disappear from homes. Beyond forecasts, the category is growing strongly and chains such as Dia or Consum have publicly identified it as a key axis in their strategies.
According to data on household food consumption from the Ministry of Agriculture, ready meals were the products that grew the most in kilos consumed in 2024, 5.1% more than the previous year, in a food market that contracted by 0.2%. In the seven months to July this year, the last month with data available, growth was even higher, at 5.8%, surpassed only by oil. In value, the increase in this period is 10.3%, for a total of almost 4.7 billion euros, which also shows that, for the moment, the consumer accepts a price increase.
“This is an underlying trend that is accelerating because it is a valid and recurring option for an important part of the population,” explains Enrique Porta, partner in charge of consumer and consumer sectors. see in detail from KPMG. We are talking about demographic factors that are giving impetus to the category: a greater concentration of the population in large cities; less availability of time and resources for time outside of work, which forces us to better choose what to dedicate them to; or the change in the composition of families, with the growth of single-parent and single-person families. According to INE forecasts, in 2039 the latter will represent a third of families and until then they will grow by 40%. “This pushes consumers to look for more affordable and convenient options,” Porta says. María del Carmen, 41 years old, lives alone and admits to consuming these dishes. “They come in handy when I don’t have time to cook and, above all, to avoid wasting food,” he explains.
But in addition there is the commercial component for supermarkets. “They understood that they had the capillarity to go further in their proposal and capture moments of consumption,” says Porta. Something that means competing head-on with the hospitality industry. According to a recent report by KPMG and the Restoration Brands association, 55% of operators already see direct competition in distribution. And again, 63% believe that restaurant traffic will decrease during the main meals of the day. “It’s affecting them, especially in work environments, where there is a move to the supermarket, and also among tourists,” Porta says.
The turning point
In reality, the concept of a prepared meal is not new. Frozen foods, soups or preserves have been on shelves for decades, as have companies that sell take-home menus. The turning point lies in the inclusion of these spaces in the points of sale, also allowing their consumption, and in the evolution of the offer towards refrigerated tableware.
“The technology now exists to make higher quality, more affordable products,” says Raúl Martín, CEO of Familia Martínez, Mercadona’s large supplier of ready meals. Its turnover this year will approach 500 million euros and it has just announced investments of 150 million to expand its industrial capacity. “We have moved from pasteurized products to baked or roasted products, and this is revolutionary in terms of flavor or appearance. The value proposition continues to improve and we are at the beginning of the development,” adds Martín, who emphasizes that this is not an age-discriminating phenomenon. “Quality, affordable prices and convenience is what we are looking for.”
For Blai Escoda, general manager of Bó de Debó, another manufacturer specializing in preparations and which distributes to all supermarket chains, except Mercadona, the journey in the category is long. According to him, the big driver will be the fresh product. «It’s the one with the most outlet because it’s the one that most resembles what we do at home», he adds. The Catalan company expects to increase sales by 15% this year, reaching around 50 million, and to repeat this percentage in 2026. It suffered a fire in its factory in 2020, replaced by a 6,500 square meter one that has now become too small. “We are already planning a new one of between 7,000 and 10,000 square metres,” he says.
Another company that is adapting its industrial structures to demand is Industrias Alimentarias de Navarra (IAN), owner of the Carretilla brand. It has been preparing ready meals preserved at room temperature for 20 years, but it has just opened a factory to make refrigerated ones, after investing 11 million. It is the part of the business with the greatest growth potential. “It is a market that can grow by double digits in the coming years,” anticipates its general director, Alejandro Martínez. “The acceleration will continue. Quality products are being obtained, both from an organoleptic and ingredient point of view, reducing preservatives and additives and being competitive in price”, adds the manager.
This is one of the great challenges of these products, shared by their manufacturers, who recognize consumer demand to reduce the size of ingredient labels. “The trend is in this direction, but we have to find the balance between logistics, product appearance and maintaining quality,” says Raúl Martín, of Familia Martínez. “The new types of packaging allow us to eliminate preservatives. But the logistics chain is so long that the product must have a minimum vitality on its way to the store,” says Blai Escoda, of Bó de Debó.
Today gratin or pasta are the most popular preparations. According to Enrique Porta, from KPMG, these dishes can go from a solution to a consumption habit as long as the offer reaches all types of diets or intolerances. “To the extent that distribution can increase its proposal and add these diversities, the offer will be more attractive”. Even if the disappearance of kitchens is, for the moment, a big word. “We have a very relevant culinary culture in Spain. I don’t think they will disappear, but they will be used less,” concludes Alejandro Martínez, from IAN.
