December 8, 2025 – Around the world, evolving lifestyles are influencing consumption of ready meals. With busier routines and the prevalence of single-person households, consumers’ needs are changing, increasing the reliance on convenient meal formats. Many consumers are also experiencing a shift in their spending, and the affordability of ready meals assists with the balance of cost and practicality. Innova’s “Ready Meals & Side Dishes- Global” report uncovers more on what is driving the global ready meals market.
Honoring Tradition in Modern Formats
Approximately 40% of global consumers point to local ingredients, familiar flavor profiles, and traditional cooking techniques as the three most important elements of traditional food and beverages. As a result, modernizing longstanding recipes and highlighting provenance in storytelling can emphasize authenticity to consumers, while offering them something new. Ready meal trends indicate that novel formats with familiar tastes and traditional flavors with healthy twists are also avenues brands can turn to for innovation.
Integrate the Growing Mental Wellness Trend
The top functional food and beverage products purchased by consumers are those that target stress and anxiety, fatigue, sleep, and insomnia. Innovation in ready meals is beginning to integrate these kinds of functional ingredients into products to support mental wellness, highlighting how convenient foods are evolving to address health and emotional needs. For example, My Choice’s Organic Germinated Hom Mali rice contains fifteen times more GABA than ordinary brown rice, which promotes stress reduction and better sleep.
Interactive and Transparent Packaging
Brands are turning to connected packaging, in order to elevate consumer interaction with products. AR or QR enabled packaging can bolster farm-to-fork traceability as well as storytelling. Packaging that highlights ingredient quality and craftsmanship also helps brands elevate trust and transform ready meal formats into a more connected meal experience. For example, scannable QR codes can offer consumers the opportunity to learn more about the farms or farmers behind their favorite products and create an overall more engaging food experience. Functional packaging formats are also an important ready meal trend, as they boost convenience, promote portion control, and streamline meal preparation. Examples include boil-in-bag rice and multi-component meal kits.
Additionally, advanced packaging techniques present brands with an opportunity to elevate ready meals by investing in solutions that preserve freshness, nutrition, and taste. With these approaches in mind, companies can position themselves as innovators who are delivering premium meal experiences to their consumers.
Real & Functional Ingredients Fuel Consumer Purchases
Across categories, consumer demand is moving toward clean labels and transparency, with 26% of consumers conveying that real ingredients and natural claims most influence their purchasing decisions for ready meals. This emphasis is motivating brands to reformulate their products with natural ingredients that still deliver on taste and functionality. Ultra-processed foods will continue to have a role in the modern food and beverage market, but brands will find success in balancing convenience with simpler and healthier formulations that address consumers’ preferences.
As an extension, embedding functional benefits into ready meals is another step to capture the health-conscious consumer, as 41% of global consumers say they prefer ready meals with added health benefits. For example, leveraging protein, nutrient-rich grains, and natural fortification can help brands position their products as solutions for holistic health. Fiber, essential vitamins, amino acids, and minerals are examples of inclusions influencing ready meal trends. Featuring a low glycemic index can also be attractive to consumers looking for food and beverages that support blood sugar control.
Elevate Plant-Forward Meals
Ready meals trends reveal that 40% of global consumers agree that they would rather see more variety in inherently plant-based offerings than direct replacements to meat or dairy products. As a result, there is an opportunity to incorporate whole foods, such as legumes, grains, and vegetables into new product developments. Brands can underscore the richness of plants in nourishing bowls or globally inspired plant-based dishes that go beyond the mimicry of animal products.
Authentic & Playful Flavors
According to global food trends, new taste discovery is a top driver of enjoyment and pleasure in foods across generations, with Gen Z leading this ready meals trend. Therefore, introducing unexpected flavor combinations will allow brands to not only differentiate their products but also engage with adventurous eaters, such as younger consumers who value playful taste experiences.
Authenticity also plays a key role, and brands should leverage flavors inspired by traditional techniques to reinforce authenticity in ready meals. Familiar, heritage-driven tastes resonate with consumers seeking quality food experiences. Street-food inspired tastes are also reshaping ready meals, and brands can capitalize on everyday formats infused with the vibrancy of global flavors.
What’s Next for Ready Meal Market Trends?
As consumers increasingly expect health or wellness-driven benefits, brands can create opportunities with AI-driven personalization for individualized goals or lifestyle needs. Meals that connect with moods or occasions of indulgence will also build loyalty and enhance the consumer experience. The inclusion of indulgent textures with functional benefits can also capture consumers’ attention by fusing the desire for both flavor and purpose in meals. Finally, adjustable spice levels, seasonings, or mix-in flavor elements can also cater to the adventurous consumer, with customization fueling tailored food experiences that resonate with individual preferences.
This article is based on Innova’s Ready Meals & Side Dishes- Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more