22 August, 2025 — A key area in recent years in the battle against inflation, Canadians have found solace and budget-friendly solutions in ready meals for eating at home. Consumption has increased by 20% in a shift that has seen more people eat at home. While cost is the main factor for this, while happiness and relaxation are also important reasons why consumers find themselves favoring ready meals. Even if health and diet support are not the expectations from this category, the trend across other categories suggests it may become a factor in the near future. To understand these elements fully, Innova Market Insights takes a closer look at what makes Canadian consumers prefer ready meals in the current climate.
Value Perceptions Move in Both Directions
When it comes to purchasing power and user perception, ready meals have notably affected both consumer desire and budgets. This makes the value of the category relative when cost pressures hit their pockets while spending an affordable amount on meals. The aforementioned increase in consumption of ready meals is demonstrated by data that shows 40% of respondents saying they buy more because ready meals are cheaper than eating out, while 52% cited budget pressure as the reason for cutting back.
Where the category struggles though is conveying healthy eating. The perception of ready meals is not strong for healthier living, with only 12% of consumers citing health as a reason for purchasing ready meals. Consumers do not buy these products for their health and this leaves brands finding it hard to strike a balance with marketing ready meals as healthy and cost saving alternatives. So clearly a shift is necessary here, with a transparent indication of nutritional value needed.
It Will Take More Than Price to Drive Growth in Ready Meals
Although price is a key consideration for 56% of consumers in purchasing ready meals, behavioral attitudes of customers are not the only driving force. In fact, 37% felt that because ready meals were cheaper than takeout, they purchased them and a little over half of them claimed that budget pressure was the only reason why they were cutting back on buying them. This split reveals that price sensitivity is contextual. Innova found across the category that consumers are willing to spend in order to save time. Ready meals are replacing takeaways by delivering indulgent flavors with less cost and hassle. Consumers are after more than savings, but instead the ease and instant satisfaction of enjoying meals straight from their own fridge.
The planning and effort required for homemade meals is in direct competition with readily made meals, which often peak as an occasion during midweek. This alleviates the negative experience faced with preparing and cleaning up after cooking a significantly time-consuming meal. Consumers use ready meals as coping mechanisms ingrained in day-to-day life, seeking comfort, reward, or relief. Emotional resonance has the possibility to develop loyalty and justify premium pricing. Brands should tap into the emotional context of ready meal occasions, positioning products as everyday comforts or moments of self-care, not just convenience solutions.
The Need for Speed and Minimal Decision-Making
One type of prepared meal that is facing slightly different obstacles are meal kits. These packs are not routinely integrated in consumers’ lives, and a mix of cost and preparation complexity barring them from replacing scratch cooking. The primary drivers for low-income consumers are convenience and safety, which address affordability issues, although taste, health benefits and emotional gratification are secondary considerations. On the opposite end of the scale, those with a higher income are also drawn to ready meals for a premium, time-saving solution that supports their wellness objectives and social engagements.
Brands Should Work on Messaging Not Just Formulation
Consumers want to feel excited and fulfilled, and brands need to work on aligning consumer perceptions with tastes. Those with a higher salary are noted to be more adventurous with meal kits and semi-prepared solutions, while those on a lower-income remain committed to scratch cooking using fresh ingredients. This is not a competition, and neither should it be played as one for those who enjoy food more, but more about complexity and how it can be removed from meal preparation. If a balance in meal kit products can be made by brands then a gap in the market can be filled. For high income earners time-saving and culinary exploration are key, while meeting the demands of low-income shoppers who want authenticity and maximum value from fresh ingredients are necessary.
Growth Comes From Balancing Needs
Canadians have decreased their consumption of ready meals by up to 66% because it takes more time to prepare than their own meals while 65% feel they are unhealthy. The gap between “just feed me now” and “make it fit my life” is subtle but crucial. It defines how ready meals are framed: as lifelines for some, lifestyle fits for others. Growth opportunities lie in designing tiered product portfolios and marketing that acknowledge, not flatten, these divided priorities
Consumers are aligned on taste – but beyond that, their purchase decisions reveal fundamentally different trade-offs between immediacy, assurance and future-proofing. This isn’t simply about feature preference – it’s about what trade-offs each shopper group is willing or forced to make. Some prioritize immediate return: low cost, quick prep, good taste for their ready meal needs, while others prioritize if it will stay fresh, support their diet, or align with their lifestyle.
A Competitive Landscape Requires Ready Meal Brands to Stay Innovative
Almost 4 in 10 consumers in Canada consume ready meals because they are cheaper than eating out, meaning that while the experience may be lowered, the cost certainly is. Nothing is solely valuated in isolation anymore with competition from restaurant takeout, grocery hot bars, refrigerated meal kits, and even fresh options. Quick preparation and cost-effectiveness are no longer exclusive to ready meals and brands need to see the wood through the trees when it comes to maintaining value without losing sight of providing a fulfilling meal. An example of this would be introducing seasonal flavors or premium line extensions, incentivizing trial while retaining a value message.
Brand is among the top five most important factors influencing ready meal selection, but it influences less than one-third of consumers. Price is identified by 56% of respondents as a crucial factor in the purchase of ready meals. Meaning that while a discount might sound like what consumers want, there is still a large portion who want differentials such as unique flavors, premium ingredients or chef-inspired recipes. Although pricing strategies will continue to be vital for brands, it will be essential to emphasize other attributes to enhance brand loyalty.
What’s Next for Ready Meals in Canada?
Budget-conscious Canadians will consider ready meals more and more with convenience and perceived value driving the category. Health will also be a key consideration among consumers with a demand for increased nutritional value and taste or flavor innovation. Improved nutritional profiles and ingredient transparency will lend itself to these consumers too.
If ready meals are to succeed in avoiding dropout, their brand producers will need to innovate in taste and flavor also. The category as a whole will need to be more than just an occasional getaway with indulgence and develop a perception among Canadians that convenience does not always mean negative consumption or guilty pleasure. It should be a part of a more balanced diet. Leaning toward a focus on versatility and semi-prepared formats that are fresh and good for you.
This article is based on Innova’s Ready Meals in Canada report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more