The legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to resonate across the chilled food sector and is reflected in the latest market data compiled for CFA. While the rise in sales has slowed compared to pre-COVID years, there is still a 3.9 per cent year-on-year increase.
In 2022 consumers spent almost £10.5bn on chilled food with chilled ready meals continuing to grow in popularity – 7.1 per cent in 2022 and 40 per cent above pre-COVID – with a hot summer boosting sales of chilled prepared salad trays by 14 per cent more than pre-COVID. The gradual return to offices reveals some interesting preferences – sales of ‘out of home’ sandwiches, rolls, baps and baguettes increased by 12.7 per cent, but it’s wraps that are proving popular – up by 16.1 per cent and 33 per cent above pre-COVID market sales. This figure reflects the growing trend (reported inthe UK Food To Go Market Report 2023) for so-called ‘snack to go’ purchases, which includes smaller, lower cost food items such as wraps.
A full breakdown of the market data, commissioned from Kantar, is available here.
Image: Greencore
April 2023