Ready Meals in Finland

PROSPECTS

Good prospects as ready meals leave the stigma behind

Finns are purchasing ready meals more than ever, embracing them as part of their eating habits. Chilled ready meals is the most popular category.

Healthier ready meals win over consumers

Health-conscious Finns are paying increasing attention to what they eat, and many aspire to reduce their consumption of salt, sugar and unsaturated fats and increase the share of vegetables in their diet. Therefore, it is up to manufacturers to offer ready meals with less salt and sugar, free of artificial additives, more vegetables and more wholesome sources of protein.

Plant-based protein ready meals set to see the next boom

As plant-based meat substitutes saw innovation in the review period, they continued to make their way into ready meals in 2018. For example, the domestic Kokkikartano brand’s selection was expanded with Nyhtökaura kiusaus, a casserole made with the domestic innovation Pulled Oats.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Making products stand out

As the selection of ready meals is impressive in Finland and the competition is very intense, players need to put efforts into making their products stand out. Manufacturers also need to be flexible and regularly update their selection according to consumer demand, needs and trends.

New product development boosting sales

Healthier, ecological, vegetarian and vegan options continued to dominate ready meals product development. For instance, Apetit launched Apetit Punajuuripyörykät, beetroot balls made of domestic, responsibly farmed beetroot in which the flavour and texture are enhanced with pumpkin and flax seeds.

Attention to ecological efficiency

Packaging innovations with new packaging materials and eco-efficient solutions are expected to help to reduce the carbon footprint of ready meals. For example, Saarioinen emphasises that its packaging is recyclable.

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