The ready-to-eat battle to capture kitchen deserters

As foodservice eats into food retail sales in Europe, particular attention is being paid to ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat options. This raises a socio-demographic challenge: who will feed the generation that doesn't cook?

iStock

A true generational gap. Coupled with a culinary paradox. Consumers aged between 20 and 40 say they want to cook at home (45%), and this is significantly more likely than their elders (30% of baby boomers). Yet, when it comes time to cook, young people are discouraged, revealing the existence of a true "no-cooking generation," as outlined by Eurocommerce, the European retail federation, in its inventory of food distribution in 2025.

Moreover, millennials and Gen Z are clearly showing a taste for on-the-go meals, supporting this growing "no-cook" trend. More than 70% of customers in these age groups buy takeout at least once a month, and nearly 40% opt for ready-made meals at least once a week.

Distribution and catering, the same fight?

It's a fact: on-the-go options are increasingly popular. Bakeries, street vendors, food trucks, and vending machines have even taken market share from sit-down restaurants. More than one in two consumers buy a sandwich, prepared salad, drink, and/or snack at least once a month. Meanwhile, the convenient options of pre-packaged, partially cooked, or frozen meals are becoming increasingly accepted.

The growth of foodservice continues to outpace that of food retail. "Before the COVID-19 pandemic, revenue was growing by 5.3% per year, nearly twice the growth rate of grocery retail for the period 2014-2019," the Eurocommerce study highlights. And, after the decline during the health crisis, the growth rate of foodservice rebounded nearly twice as fast (1.6) as that of modern stores between 2023 and 2024.

As out-of-home food consumption eats into grocery segment volumes in Europe (-0.3% per year), it will be interesting to see how the structure of the ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat offering continues to evolve.