A 2023 survey revealed that only 22.18% of Chinese consumers expressed strong confidence in the food safety of pre-cooked meals. Despite years of development in the pre-cooked meal industry, consumers' perceptions have not shown significant improvement. So, what consumption settings are most suitable for pre-cooked meals? How can we identify the most compatible consumer groups? This requires a deep understanding of consumers' genuine needs to resolve the current "love-hate" dilemma faced by pre-cooked meals.Bakery China, a prominent player in the baking industry, has been closely focusing on the phenomenon.

I. Macro Insights: Emerging Consumption Trends Among Chinese Consumers

In the current economic environment, Chinese consumers' spending habits exhibit several key characteristics. Firstly, the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) and Consumer Confidence Index reflect consumers' expectations for the future. Although China's economy is gradually recovering, the outlook remains uncertain, leading to consumer instability. This instability is also reflected in consumption trends.

Against this backdrop, Chinese consumers' spending habits have shifted toward rationality, particularly in the realm of diet. Rational Consumption: In terms of diet, Chinese consumers exhibit a different state compared to other consumption categories.Despite years of development in the pre-cooked meal industry, consumers' perceptions have not significantly improved. However, this spending has become more rational.Consumers are becoming disillusioned with certain brands and think more deeply about product value. They prefer cost-effective products over blindly following trends or purchasing items they do not need.

Emotional Well-being: Amid economic uncertainty, consumers have pessimistic expectations for the future, leading to anxiety. Therefore, activities that provide emotional comfort are becoming increasingly popular, such as camping and city walks. These activities require less time and money but allow people to embrace nature and enjoy life.

Investing in Oneself: More and more young people are choosing to attend evening classes to enrich themselves and learn new knowledge. Meanwhile, their emphasis on health is also increasing, with a noticeable trend of younger people prioritizing wellness. Young people's health expenditures are not limited to buying supplements or fitness equipment but also focus on healthy food investments.

Embracing Innovation: Consumers still want to see innovative products and marketing methods. New experiences and products can attract consumers and prompt them to engage in more consumption behaviors.

II. New Scenario Opportunities for Pre-cooked Meals

The pre-cooked meal industry has been growing rapidly in recent years and is expected to reach a trillion RMB scale in the future. However, to further enhance the perception of value and reach a broader audience, new consumption scenarios need to be explored.

Dinner at Home: As the market for consumers cooking at home accelerates, more people want to recreate restaurant dishes at home. Pre-cooked meal manufacturers can handle preprocessing steps such as seasoning and provide ingredient pairing solutions, enabling consumers to quickly prepare a delicious meal. Pre-cooked meals in this scenario should focus on seasoning and ingredient pairing to meet consumers' expectations for a gourmet dinner.

Outdoor Socializing: Outdoor settings are becoming more prevalent, serving as new social and activity venues. Food is an essential social medium in outdoor activities. Pre-cooked meals can provide a more convenient way for campers to cook and enjoy delicious food on-site. Pre-cooked meals in this scenario should emphasize cooking convenience and long-lasting taste to meet outdoor activity demands.

Healing Time at Night: As sleep deprivation becomes increasingly prevalent among Chinese people, late-night snacks are becoming more important. At the same time, more consumers are dining alone. Pre-cooked meals can offer quick-to-prepare snacks or late-night meals to satisfy consumers' needs. Pre-cooked meals in this scenario should focus on controlling calories and sodium to meet health requirements.

Living Room Socializing: With the increase of home entertainment and social devices, family spaces have transformed into one-stop weekend entertainment centers. Living room socializing is becoming more crucial, and pre-cooked meals can meet the demand for a variety of dishes during family gatherings. Pre-cooked meals in this scenario should emphasize dish diversity and delicious taste to satisfy family gathering needs.

Culinary Skill Refinement and Advancement: More and more young people enjoy trying new dishes in the kitchen and continuously improving their culinary skills. However, they dislike preparing ingredients and dealing with complex marinating processes. Pre-cooked meals can align with this scenario by providing semi-finished or marinated ingredients, making it easier for consumers to create delicious meals. Pre-cooked meals in this scenario should focus on ingredient freshness and seasoning accuracy to satisfy consumers' pursuit of gourmet food.

In summary, to resolve the "love-hate" dilemma faced by pre-cooked meals, it is essential to deeply understand consumers' genuine needs and identify the most compatible consumption scenarios. By expanding new consumption scenarios and satisfying consumers' diverse needs, the pre-cooked meal industry has the potential for greater development.

Bakery China 2025 will continue to share more industry professional content with you, so please stay tuned!

Bakery China, organized by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd. was launched since 1997. Bakery China is the Asia Pacific‘s leading event serving the entire value chain for the bakery and confectionery market. The event presents all range of ingredient, equipment, packaging and services, and enables global leading professionals and buyer delegates to meet and share the latest innovations and thinking on manufacturing & distribution, R&D, applications and related services for bakery industry.

The 27th Bakery China would be held on May 19-22, 2025 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Shanghai, covering 330,000 sqm show space. Over 2,200 exhibitors and 400,000 visits are expected.

（source：FoodTalk）