Lunch or dinner? Now they are found in supermarkets. Fast-paced life, the nuclear family that no longer exists, free time from work increasingly occupied by gyms, spas, beauty treatments, amateur courses: more and more Italians are turning to the supermarket counters to order fresh dishes ready to be eaten during the work lunch break or to take home to find a ready-made dinner. And that things are taking a turn in favor of this choice is demonstrated by a research by IRI, a market research company published on Borsa Italiana according to which in 2108 Italians spent 380 million euros on fresh ready meals. A number that scores a growth of 8,3% compared to 2017, a year which had already seen growth of 11,4%, bringing this market to weigh 3,1% of the total refrigerated segment with imposed weight. Unlike frozen and room temperature ready meals, whose purchases are mostly linked to factors of convenience and storage (and characterized by almost stable or slightly negative performances for some years now), fresh ready meals seem to increasingly satisfy a consumer who, alongside functionality and practical execution, is attentive to quality and has the desire to experiment.
Driving sales in the sector is the supermarket, which develops 70% of volumes and grows by 15,6%. Neighborhood shops and hypermarkets also show a certain dynamism, settling on growth rates of +10,7% and +8,3% respectively (data at the beginning of 2018). As far as the areas are concerned, an important polarization of consumption towards the North West emerges, which collects 45% of the category's turnover and sees the highest growth rates for value sales. The South, on the other hand, is strongly undersized, reaching only 8%. It should be noted that, at the beginning of 2018, the areas of the North East, with 27% of the market, however saw the highest percentage growth in terms of volume (+16%). In the same reference period, the volume trend (+15%) was also important in the central regions and Sardinia.
First courses are worth 187 million euros and have grown in value by 12,7% since 2017 the 2018. The most important segment is that of soups, which is worth over half of the total and at the beginning of 2019 saw a 9,7% growth thanks to the combination of satisfying tastes and increasingly trendy recipes through the use of superfoods. But the most important increases were achieved by risotto (+78,4%), ethnic first courses (+39,5%) and baked pasta (+10,6%). In the second category (168 million euros, +3,3% from 2017 to 2018) we find elaborate dishes, such as stew or vitel tonné, plant-based dishes and hamburgers, which reveal very different trends. The most important category is that of non-breaded dishes with a turnover of over 140 million euros and a growth of 2018% in 5,4. The best trends are those of red meat (+64,9% breaded and +40,6% unbreaded). Fish also did well with +36,8%. On the other hand, the vegetable world recorded a decrease (-10,3%) indicating a saturation of the market. Side dishes are still a small but very dynamic segment (22,5 million euros, +12,8%). The sushi category is increasingly important, with 124 million euros and an increase of 8%. A recent survey by Nomisma for Nielsen includes polenta among the top ready-to-eat products with a +54%, pasta salad (+26,5%). On the other hand, croquettes and vegetable burgers (-25,4%), vegetable meatballs (-16,8%) and tartare and carpaccio (-14,3%) decreased.
The fresh ready meals market, given the interesting trend, is attracting the attention of many companies, which are investing in this segment with the introduction of new brands or with the expansion of existing product lines in order to diversify the offer. Among the most important companies in the sector, Eurochef Italia, recently acquired for 68% by Alcedo. Active in own-brand production (Lo chef a casa), it also produces ready meals on behalf of third parties and has established itself over the years as a partner for the main large-scale retail chains. For fresh vegetables, another company that has established itself in recent times is Dimmidisì of the La Linea Verde group from Brescia (300 million euros in 2018), at the top of the market for fresh salads and vegetables, also present in the sector with soups and special dishes, including the couscous. In this segment we also note the Piedmontese Zerbinati which produces salads and fresh vegetables, but also soups, velvety, side dishes, hamburgers and vegetable flans.
