1

Chilled Food Category Overview in Republic

of Ireland and Great Britain

Growing the success of Irish food and

horticulture June 2014

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Table of Contents

• Introduction & Research Objectives 3

• Research Method 4

• Executive Summary 5

• Gaps & Opportunities per category 6

• Category Overview - Snapshot 11

• Chilled Soup 12

• Chilled Ready Meals 22

• Chilled Desserts 39

• Prepared Salads 49

• Sandwich Fillers 59

• Packaging 69

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Introduction & Research Objectives

This report looks at the Chilled Foods sector (or Ready Meals as they are more

commonly known) in the Republic of Ireland and in the United Kingdom.

The growing consumer trend of convenience has accelerated the opportunity for

chilled ready meals. At the same time, there are challenges this food sector is

confronted with, namely: increasing costs of ingredients and rising utilities and

distribution costs. Shelf life is also a challenge for the sector particularly when

exploring export options.

We were particularly interested in exploring the opportunities for chilled food

manufacturers both in Ireland and the United Kingdom under the following

components:

• Ready meals

• Chilled soup

• Prepared salads

• Sandwich fillers

• Chilled Desserts

And to understand the relationship with the category and its role in consumer lives and

identity differences between the Irish and UK consumer.

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Research Method

The research was two-fold with both quantitative and qualitative elements attached.

The quantitative research took place from the 4th to the 15th of April 2014 which

comprised of the following:

• A detailed and comprehensive 20 minute questionnaire across both markets (519

respondents in ROI and 522 in the UK)

• The research was conducted via online methodology

The qualitative research took place in April and May. An online forum in the form of

Ideablog was conducted from April 14th – 18th which comprised of the following across

both ROI and the UK:

• 25 respondents per region

• Aged between 25-55 years

• The forum lasted 5 days

The second phase of the qualitative research was accompanied shops – three shops per

region whereby the moderator accompanied the consumer on a weekly shop and

conducted a one-to-one interview in consumer’s own home after the shop to uncover

actual behaviour versus claimed behaviour.

The research was carried out on our behalf by Millward Brown.

For further information on this study please email info@bordbia.ie or telephone 01

6685155.

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Executive Summary

Chilled Food Category Overview

From a consumer perspective ‘Chilled’ means anything that goes in the fridge when

you get home, including dairy and eggs. The category largely benefits from consumer

trust and has broadly positive associations. Freshness is the most top of mind benefit.

Consumers do recognise the strong advantages of chilled ready foods over frozen foods

in particular taste. Expectations can be high as a consequence making quality,

nutrition and health important underlying factors when choosing chilled good.

From a shopper perspective, the levels of engagement across the chilled sub-

categories do differ and frequency of purchase and occasion can determine consumer

interest. The chilled food aisle is shopped by consumers who are typically shopping by

meal or occasion or generally ‘shopping the aisle’. In general, this food category is

found to be easy to shop with some level of browsing occurs at certain fixtures. This is

usually as a result of price reviewing and for food safety purposes i.e. best before

dates.

For consumers it is evident that the chilled category is an evolving category, with the

range and choice within chilled expanding greatly. New types of cuisines, ingredients

and preparation methods are constantly changing within this food category and as a

result adding dynamism and engagement to the category.

Consumers see retailers improving their own offering in this market i.e. consumers are

seeing an improved shopper experience in the chilled arena from the supermarkets

they shop. Own Label brands are highly visible and appear to offer the best value for

many consumers. As a result there are high levels of promotion evident meaning

products are frequently purchased on promotion.

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Gaps and Opportunities – Ready Meals

• Establishing a standalone brand that will be considered superior to that of the mid-

range/premium own brand offerings will be very challenging for manufacturers. The

need to gain visibility or shelf space versus private label will be difficult but

important in attracting consideration from consumers. Typically consumer

experience and preference is weighted towards the private label offering. What can

your brand provide that is unique and different to the supermarket own brands?

• Mandatories for ready meals must include ease and convenience – this has to be

right and on a par with those of competitor offerings. For consumers taste is critical

and underpins preference and repeat purchase. Delivering on range and variety for

ready meals is key, along with strong taste credentials – all touch points need to dial

up the taste aspect. Price and quality are interchangeable and consumers expect a

certain standard of ready meal at varying price points.

• Focussing on Irish ingredients rather than cuisine will present more of an

opportunity. Irish ingredients, as a core component, will communicate quality,

transparency and health/good food choice.

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Gaps and Opportunities – Chilled Soup

• There is an opportunity for dialling up “Irish” credentials in the chilled soup arena.

The category benefits from many positive associations (e.g. hearty, comforting,

flavoursome) that overlap with Irish food. A distinct Irish positioning may be

motivating for consumers e.g. Irish ingredients that cue to freshness and quality

rather than specific Irish cuisine.

• There is also scope to explore chilled soup as a meal replacement. A more

wholesome offering to substitute for different meal occasions, with the potential to

include hearty filling ingredients that offer more of a mini meal solution.

• Less barriers are apparent in the chilled soup category, the product is seen as the

best “quality” version of the category (i.e. better version of soup versus ambient or

pouch variants etc). This creates an expectation on taste that must be met as a

category mandatory.

• A branded offer can achieve stand-out, however the competitive set are strong in

this arena too and well established. Delivering on taste and good range will be

critical, while also supporting a brand in a cluttered fixture.

• The blended nature of soups means that innovative flavours and different cuisine

types can be tolerated more. Explore how unusual ingredients or soup types can be

developed to meet more adventurous tastes and tap into popular trends?

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Gaps and Opportunities – Chilled Desserts

• A branded opportunity may be limited in larger retailers, where both Private and

established branded offerings are strong. A competitive and cluttered brand

landscape exists here and your brand needs to strongly deliver on the core drivers

to cut through to the consumer. Developing more complicated dessert ranges that

are difficult to replicate at home can be a strong trigger to purchase.

• The Republic of Ireland presents more of an impulse purchase opportunity. Being

disruptive at the point of purchase with engaging ranges, strong packaging and an

appetising product will appeal.

• A key driver for the category is ‘Looks appetising’ so a result packaging and

presentation should and need to deliver on this.

• Puddings and desserts have a strong heritage in the UK – “re-invention” of classics

or traditional pudding may offer a potential opportunity to stand out. The UK have

more solus/partner occasions and ensuring that SKU’s and packaging formats are

tailored to these occasions will be important.

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Gaps and Opportunities – Pre-Prepared Salads

• Look to innovate on pack size for prepared salad leaves may present an opportunity

for single serve portions to combat wastage and optimise freshness.

• It is important to dial up and enhance the health components of pre-prepared

salads. Is there scope to include seeds and superfoods to further boost health

benefits? It is vital that the health credentials of pre-prepared salads is not

undermined by overuse of dressing or mayonnaise.

• Convenience (speed of preparation) is more of a driver in the UK suggesting on pack

communications and packaging/ format will be important here. Is there scope to

review “on-the-go” packs and serves that facilitate speed in this arena?

• Taste and Quality are more to the fore in the Republic and leveraging the proximity

of the ingredients to consumers, thereby enhancing freshness cues, is key. There

could be an opportunity to leverage “interesting” ingredients and different leaf

types / grains / seeds etc… to boost the taste credentials of your brand’s offer?

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Gaps and Opportunities – Sandwich Fillers

• An important question is ‘How can your product deliver advantage over the deli

counter variety and range?’ as this is a strong competitor in situ at most stores. A

need to dial down processed elements by packaging that cues to freshness or artisan

cues.

• Good to address family needs and explore more dedicated offer to children in the

Republic e.g. less salt, preservative, additives and create flavours that will appeal

to younger palates. There is also potential to specifically offer “lunchbox” that

caters to busy family lifestyles.

• Consumers look for variety and choice so developing new flavours beyond

traditional offerings can add a point of difference in what can be a static category.

Move beyond traditional ranges and explore different grains, vegetables, seeds and

herb mixtures.

• Look to increase occasionality of the category by exploring more ‘snack’ solutions

with accompanying ingredients. Provide consumers with a more multi-faceted offer

that can deliver as a “mini-meal” solution with appropriate accompaniments e.g.

baked potatoes, salads and breads that will “bulk-up” the sandwich filler potential.

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Category Overview – Chilled foods at a glance…

The Salad and Sandwich Fillers categories reflect more frequent purchase habits –

not surprising due to their ‘fresh’ credentials. There is habitual frequent purchasing

across chilled food in general with growth in salads and fillers identified.

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Chilled Soup

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Chilled Soup – the best soup in consumers

eye’s

Chilled Soup is perceived as ‘fresh’ by consumers and fits with people’s desires for

nutrition, naturalness and substance. The chilled soup variety changed the rules of the

soup market and put dry and ambient soups in the shade essentially. Relative to other

sub categories of Soup – Chilled Soup is seen as the superior offering.

Consumers see the chilled variety as the same if not better quality than what most

consumers can prepare from scratch themselves. The consumer understanding of how

it is produced at home (‘just blitzed, liquidised vegetables’) mean they see the

production process as less processed than the Ready Meal category. As a result, it is

seen as a largely healthy meal option for multiple meal occasions or as a meal

substitute.

Chilled Soup is a regular, frequent purchase – one in five purchase these more than 2-3

times a week. Future purchase intent for chilled soup is strong – with approximately

eight in ten claiming that they will continue to purchase a similar amount. One in ten

say they intend to buy more than they currently do presently.

Purchasing for ‘myself’ is the key target in the Republic whereas buying for ‘myself and

family’ is the key target in the UK. Supermarkets are the main outlet for purchasing

behaviour. Over half of all respondents plan to purchase chilled soup on their shopping

trips (higher in ROI – 66% plan purchase). Those in the Republic typically paying more

for chilled soup at €3.28 per soup whereas in the UK consumers, on average, spend

£2.13 per chilled soup (paying slightly less on average when looking at current

conversion rates).

It is the branded variety of chilled soup that are coming through most strongly at the

awareness levels for chilled soup. Tesco does best out of Own Label for prompted

awareness – similar trend for recent purchase (i.e. Last 4 weeks). Taste and quality are

the key drivers for preference in the chilled soup category.

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Who buys Chilled Soup?

Strong female, 30+ years of age bias towards Chilled Soup in both markets. An

opportunity presents itself for the 45+ age group in the UK. Soups are potentially used

as a meal replacement in small households.

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Who are they buying for?

Chilled Soups are frequently bought for own personal consumption and can be used

across more than one food occasion. More family bias in the UK is evident – a question

for soup brands “how can your serve size meet these needs?”

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Frequency of purchase

In the Republic of Ireland there is greater tendency for more frequent purchasing and

soup is more likely to be part of a pre-planned purchase in this market. There is a

lower price threshold in the UK. There is little concern over the amount of Chilled

Soup purchased as it is seen as a ‘good/healthy’ choice.

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Purchase Behaviour

Soup is very much a regular part of shoppers purchasing on a weekly basis.

Approximately one in five purchase more than once a week. Those under 35 in the UK

are more likely to purchase chilled soup more than twice a week.

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Occasions: When do people eat Chilled Soup?

Lunch is the key occasion for Chilled Soup consumption. Although eaten frequently

with bread it is seen as a convenient alternative to pre-made sandwiches.

Approximately one in ten consume it as part of a weight management plan – It’s

healthy ‘filling’ credentials see it positioned as a credible alternative for those who

diet.

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Brands and Chilled Soup

Avonmore’s early entry in the Chilled Soup category see’s it emerge as one of the key

players in the Republic. Cully and Sully also experienced by two in five consumers. In

the UK it is Covent Garden which is widely experienced across consumers who shop this

category.

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What’s important when buying Chilled Soup?

Convenience, quick preparation and taste are key drivers to purchase frequency. The

dominance of the lunchtime occasion means that speed and ease of preparation is a

must.

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What's important for the consumer when

choosing Chilled Soup?

Is it Convenient?

Is it affordable?

Is it Tasty?

Does it look

appealing?

Is it of good

quality?

Is it (un) healthy?

Taste descriptors,

ingredients, colours,

size of food

pieces/chunks all

create strong triggers

to purchase

Branded offerings are

strong in the category

which denote quality

and taste advantage

over some shops own

varieties

Less of a

driver/issue – as

chilled benefits

from positive

health

perceptions

Taste, flavours and

ingredients are key

drivers.

Consumers are drawn

to the category due to

the freshness of the

product

More price sensitivity

– as it is not the main

meal – price

thresholds will

prevail. Also seen as

less suitable for

‘feeding ‘ the family

Similar to Ready

Meals –

convenience is

key. With the

dominance of the

lunch occasion;

speed and ease of

preparation is

important

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Ready Meals

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Chilled Ready Meals

Ready meals generally are a regular, frequent purchase, with two in ten purchasing a

couple of times a week – an ingrained habitual purchase. Males and those under 35’s

over-index on frequency. It seems ready meals are here to stay as three in four say

they will continue to buy ready meals as part of their shop and one in ten saying they

will purchase more of them in the future. There is a higher propensity in the UK to

purchase chilled ready meals with one in three buying these 2-3 times a week

compared to one in five in the Republic.

Generally ready meals are a pre-planned purchase for dinner with salad as a popular

accompaniment. Tesco shoppers typically tend to over index as regular ready meal

purchasers – most likely a consequence of the range and variety offered by Tesco in the

ready meals arena.

Prompted awareness of ready meals, unsurprisingly, skews to well known brands (not

all typically known for a ready meal offer and some more salient for frozen meals).

Not surprising to see Own Label perform well in this space as Own Label dominates on

recent purchases vs. branded offers, with Tesco to the fore.

What drives preference is clear – the ready meal needs taste and/or flavour. That said

the core drivers that underpin purchase frequency of ready meals are ease and

convenience.

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Category understanding – What is a Ready

Meal?

• Ready meals are now an established category which has evolved significantly

over the last 10 years

– Moved on from microwaved/TV dinners to more sophisticated restaurant

style offerings

• The category has shed some of its negative associations

– More healthy and fresh options has nullified such negativity. But users are

aware of some negativity among non-users towards the category ‘they get a

bad rap sometimes’

• Evolution and improvement of products in this category means consumers still

want speed and convenience without sacrificing quality (but the price has to be

right)

– Consumers are more food literate, discerning and interested in food;

despite the convenience nature of the category, consumers still have high

expectations

Ready Meals

can have a

broad

definition

• Frozen meal

• TV dinners

• Microwavable/Oven Ready

• Meal for 1/Meal in one pack

• Pre-prepared dinner for I

immediate consumption

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Who buys Ready Meals?

The profile in the Republic of Ireland is spread across the demographics. Looking to

the UK market ready meal purchasers skew to those aged 45+ and without dependent

children.

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Who are they buying for?

Ready Meals are not just the preserve of single unit/couple households. Ready Meals

are purchased for family consumption. There lies an opportunity to develop new serve

size and packaging SKU’s for family orientated Ready Meal occasions.

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Frequency of purchase

The type of purchase experience suggests that Ready Meals can be positioned across all

store types from convenience, multiples and discounters. There is a relatively narrow

window of acceptable price – a price too low is deemed as questionable quality by the

consumers. In the UK region there appears to be more promotional activity which

results in more price sensitivity among the consumers.

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Purchase Behaviour

‘Stocking up’ behaviour is evident, among the respondents, with freezing for later use.

Consumers acknowledge a threshold of consumption and this is primarily due to health

concerns. Looking to the demographics and who is buying more chilled ready meals it

is males who have a higher propensity to purchase across both regions.

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Occasions

People tend to eat chilled ready meals the most at dinner occasions during the week

and they are quite frequently eaten with other accompaniments. For that reason there

is a clear opportunity to develop serving suggestions by offering a more complete meal

solution enhancing their convenience even further.

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Occasionality and Frequency of Purchase

As part of a grocery shop it’s a regular purchase, with some stocking up behaviour

occurring.

Among users –1-2 ready meals per person are typically purchased and consumed

weekly.

Consumers acknowledge they would not consume more frequently, this is mainly due

to health concerns.

As expected dinner consumption dominates but other meals times also experienced.

Lunch: Occasionally eaten for lunch, particularly amongst men looking

for a more substantial meal. Also seen as a cost efficient replacement

for sandwich's

More likely to be part of a calorie controlled diet for females

Dinner

Weekday

More time pressed thereby convenience

and efficiency is needed.

Perceptually, more control applied to diet

(less indulgence during the week)

Weekend

More time to prepare food from scratch,

less time demands thereby ready meals

not considered as frequently

Special

Occasion

Infrequent, ready meals seen as a poor

substitute for take-away or restaurant

Snack Rare and more likely to be a smaller size.

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Brands and Ready Meals

The supermarket own label brands dominate with their chilled ready meal offering

seen to be on a par, if not superior, to branded options. There is absolute positivity felt

towards private label stems from the stores Masterbrand imagery – if the consumer

likes the supermarket, they typically like their Ready Meal offering. Consumers readily

acknowledge the tiered offering from premium, mid and value range.

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Supermarket Private labels dominate

Supermarket Own labels, in many instances have the attributes of strong branded

offerings.

Their positive imagery derives from the masterbrand store equity & market presence.

– Appealing packaging, good reputation, available, wide range of cuisines &

formats

– Good quality perceptions around the ingredients, source and freshness

– Have the spectrum of ranges from premium, mid-range to value

– Good cross marketing and meal deals available

– National supermarket brands have more ‘local credential’ and therefore the

produce is seen to be sourced locally.

Branded offerings have little discernible advantage over private labels.

Some overspill of Frozen category associations into branded Ready Meal space. Findus,

Aunt Bessie, Birdseye occasionally mentioned in the Ready Meals category

But celebrity chef endorsements or ranges do add some appeal but typically seen as

pricey.

If the consumer likes the supermarket, they will typically like their

produce in Ready Meals.

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Irish Ready Meals from a UK Perspective

Irish cuisine has even more traditional connation's than UK cuisine and is not

considered motivating in itself. Its seen as Old fashioned, traditional, Meat and two

Veg, hearty

Many British consumers fail to have any clear articulation or understanding of what

Irish food is. But it is not doubt positive: The assumption is our unspoilt environment &

extensive rural landscape will have produce of a high quality.

As such, it does have positive connation's surrounding the provenance of the

ingredients.

However, many UK consumers fail to identify a superiority in Irish food over Scottish;

Welsh or English/British-ness.

Irish ingredients rather than cuisine has potential to be more

motivating to UK consumers

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Health – ‘Healthy to me is done properly with

good ingredients’

While consumers are aware and broadly conscious of the calories content of Ready

Meals when purchasing and consuming – Calorie content is not a primary driver or

barrier in the purchase decision.

In many instances, lower calories can provoke concerns that the ingredients have

being flavour enhanced.

Lower calorie can mean less taste and consumers who focus on calories typically

gravitate towards the Weight control/Healthy Living/Count on Us Range.

Health and well-being can be typically delivered by reassurance on the other key

dimensions of the Ready Meal category (particularly food provenance and origin).

Once positive messaging is delivered on these dimensions – Ready Meals can deflect

most health concerns by focussing on the cumulative benefits of how and where they

are produced.

Consumers are more interested in hearing about the benefits of

food rather than what has been removed.

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Health – its not all about Weightwatchers!

Many of the negative category perceptions originate from concerns over Ready

Meals impact on diet and health.

Wider health and food debates surrounding trans fats, sugar, obesity, salt & artificial

sweeteners all converge around Ready Meals and health.

Any form of processed food carries such consumer concerns – however as Ready Meals

typically cater for the main meal (most calorie intake) concerns are amplified.

The lack of consumer control over the preparation of ingredients within Ready Meals

fuel these concerns.

The overwhelming majority of consumers are aware and act responsibly around their

food choices and behaviour around ready meals. An attitude of ‘Everything in

moderation’ and a conscious limiting of the number of ready meals consumed per week

prevails.

Consumers need reassurance surrounding the negative dimensions of ready

meals and establishing TRUST is key to allay these negative perceptions

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Packaging – containers & outer packaging

Ready Meals like other FMCG’s need to deliver on the fundamentals of good packaging are required:

– Strong, secure and durable materials

– Good food photography to create appetite appeal

– Good design and branding cues

Packaging should not undermine their convenience. It needs to be:

– Easy to store and stack in fridge/freezer,

– Easy to open

– Easy to prepare for cooking

– Easy to dispose of

Inner containers can add increased quality cues by replicating restaurant or cuisine crockery (bowls, ceramics etc.).

Food presentation and configuration before cooking should be as ordered as possible to avoid ingredients ‘turning to mush’.

Separate trays/compartments and sauces on the side can appeal in some instances to deliver more regulated presentation and control (over calories consumed).

While there is no one format of packaging that has a superiority over others – packaging should deliver the core requirements and deliver:

– Visibility of food – The ability to see what the food looks like

– Good appetite appeal – strong food photography to

As such outer, slide-able packaging with a transparent film tends to be favoured in many instances.

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What’s important when buying Ready Meals?

Convenience is the key driver and covers multiple dimensions when choosing a ready

meal. The perceived ease of use, time saving and flexibility elements all need to be

present from product, packaging and messaging of the ready meal offering.

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What's important for the consumer when

choosing Ready Meals?

Is it Convenient?

Is it affordable?

Is it Tasty?

Does it look

appealing?

Is it of good

quality?

Is it (un) healthy?

Packaging (outer and

inner), food

photography & food

visibility all need to

support Quality,

Irishness and Taste

Consumers want

reassurance that

counter the

negative

dimensions of

ready meals and

establishing

TRUST is key via

Irishness,

Traceability and

Price

Taste is key – and all

dimensions of the

Ready meal should

focus on delivering

good taste

associations whether

through presentation,

packaging or

messaging.

Price is a delicate

balance between

being too expensive

and undermining

convenience & being

too cheap, so quality

is questioned

Traceability is not

actively sought but

expected from the

price paid, packaging

and quality cues

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Chilled Desserts

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Chilled Desserts

The Chilled Dessert category is readily understood by consumers and covers a wide-

range of dessert types and flavours from cakes, jelly's, yogurts, puddings and flavoured

creams. The category is typically limited to occasional weekday treats post dinner,

weekend and occasional special occasions. Like any sweet based category consumers

exercise caution on frequency of consumption.

Desserts are not experienced as part of everyday meals and can be readily substituted

by biscuits, yogurts, chocolate etc. While convenience is important, chilled desserts

are seen to offer a high quality and superior offering to home-made variations.

Consumers are typically motivated by treat occasions for themselves and their family.

Unsurprisingly then that there is a higher propensity to purchase among those with

dependent children when it comes to chilled desserts.

While freshness is a feature it is felt that some ingredients can project some processed

associations. Consumers claim that they eat chilled desserts in moderation and they

readily identify the negative health benefits of over consumption. The majority are

buying chilled desserts in the supermarket, with an average of two per week the norm.

There are strong branded offerings with big brands from other sweet and yogurt

categories leveraging their Masterbrand credentials (such as Aero, Cadbury, Danone,

etc). Prompted awareness of key brands is high among shoppers, the front runners

emerging as Muller, Cadbury, Nestle and Ambrosia in the Republic and a similar brand

set for the UK with Aero and Ski cutting through strongly.

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Who buys Chilled Desserts?

Those living in the Republic with dependent children over index on those who buy

chilled desserts and the category, as a whole, has a more female skew. Directly

targeting these cohorts is recommended.

42

Who are you buying for?

Family purchases of chilled desserts in the Republic are most popular, while the UK

reflects a broader customer target. For manufacturers it is necessary to ensure the

Chilled Desserts offer has a broad appeal and potentially caters for family size serves

in the Republic.

43

Frequency of purchase

It appears that impulse purchasing dominates in the Republic while consumers in the

UK seem to purchase higher quantities of desserts versus ROI and at a lower price

point. There is a clear opportunity to engage and interact with the shopper on a

regular basis within this category.

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Purchase Behaviour

There is heavy, frequent purchasing of this category with scope and opportunity to

interact with shoppers on a regular basis at the fixture. Need to ensure that the offer

made is one that compels and appears appetising at the fixture - this is critical.

45

Occasions

Unsurprisingly the key moments for when chilled desserts are consumed more so are at

treat times and dinner time. Single serves will play well for indulgent “me-time”

moments, while there is potential scope to offer “family” portions.

46

Brands and Chilled Desserts

It is the confectionary brands that are clearly cutting through in both markets with

Tesco dominating as a point of purchase. A review of what competitors are offering in

this space would serve manufacturers well and to learn from their ranges and variants.

47

What’s important when buying Chilled

Desserts?

Taste and being easier to buy rather than make is a core influence on the purchase of

Chilled Desserts. Good potential to dial up the complexity of desserts a potential here

and those ‘hard to source’ premium ingredients.

48

What's important for the consumer when

choosing Chilled Desserts?

Is it Convenient?

Is it affordable?

Is it Tasty?

Does it look

appealing?

Is it of good

quality?

Is it (un) healthy?

Avoiding manufactured,

processed look and feel

is essential – too perfect

or rigid and the home

made feel is lost

For the majority of

consumers they

trade off health

concerns in light of

a treat or indulgent

moment. Some

desire a healthy/low

cal dessert but few

are seen to deliver

on taste in this

arena

Competitive landscape is

anything sweet so

dessert types need to be

varied and offer a

‘special’ element that

shows its advantage over

other dessert options.

Its treat nature and

indulgent cues means

consumers are less price

sensitive compared to

other categories.

Portion size to price will

be a consideration for

families, particularly on

weekday occasions.

Desserts typically seen as time-

consuming and one of the more

complex meal preparations.

Chilled desserts can outperform

made from scratch variety.

Consumers have confidence in

the bought end product.

Dialling up their complex

artisan and skilled dimension

will promote purchase

Hero the product – packaging

needs to dial up sensory cues

that talk to its rich and

indulgent nature. The product

requires some visibility either

through transparent packaging

or high quality imagery.

49

Prepared Salads

50

Prepared Salads

Consumers understand the Prepared Salads category to consist of two key varieties:

Lettuce or other leaf types as pre-prepared salad leaves

Salad with lettuce and other vegetables/fruits/dressings as the component ingredients

Lettuce or other leaf types as pre-prepared salad leaves

Offerings have evolved to include a wide selection of leaf type salads which are readily

available now. Florette is the main brand recalled but shops own brands are frequently

purchased also.

Packaged pre-prepared salad leaves can be viewed by consumers as a cost efficient

alternative to loose, whole heads of lettuce. Although consumers are strongly aware of

preserved gases used in packaging – prepared salads leaves, unsurprisingly, have strong

health associations among consumers.

Prepared salads category is emotionally associated with summer but consumers are

eating this particular category year round (again mainly due to the health

associations). Prepared salads thought, by consumers, to be convenient, a quick

solution to salad preparation, on sandwiches or as meal accompaniments.

Salad with lettuce and other vegetables/fruits/dressings as the component

ingredients

Prepared salads are seen as cost efficient, less wasteful and an alternative to salads

made from scratch. The more packaged variety share some of the characteristics of

Sandwich fillers and consumers have some concerns over the amount of mayonnaise

and dressing used on these.

Visibility of ingredients is key among consumers for assessing the freshness of

ingredients at point of purchase. These type of prepared salads are seen as a

convenient alternative to home prepared salads with the added bonus of portability or

consumption on the go.

One in four consumers purchase prepared salads regularly i.e. more than 2-3 times a

week. This statistic stands true for both markets. More people in the UK claim they

will buy the same amount of salads in the future (79%), this intention is less for those

living in the Republic (64%). However there is a higher future purchase intent in ROI

(25%) compared to 18% in the UK. Both are strong indicators of commitment to the

pre-pared salads category.

There appears to be two different targets across the markets - purchasing for ‘myself

and the family’ is key in the Republic whereas buying for ‘myself’ or ‘myself plus

partner’ is the key target in the UK. Supermarkets are the main outlet for purchasing

behaviour.

51

Who buys Prepared Salads

There is a definite skew towards females with family and white collar in the Republic

while in the UK there is a more balanced profile.

52

Who are they buying for?

Solo and family purchasing strong in the Republic while the UK steers to more single or

couple purchasing.

53

Frequency of purchase

There is a planned routine purchase for the majority of consumers in both regions but

a much lower price point experienced in the UK.

54

Purchase Behaviour

The majority of consumers in both regions (over three in four) purchase prepared

salads 2-3 times a week. This is mainly due to the ‘fresh’ nature of the product

providing ample opportunity for interaction at the fixture.

55

Occasions

Both dinner and lunch occasions dominate in both markets highlighting the diversity of

the category. However dinner is more dominant in the UK – more likely prepared salads

are a meal accompaniment.

56

Brands and Pre-Prepared Salads

Supermarkets dominate due to the routine of ‘planned’ purchase. It is the key brands

that are managing to cut through in both regions ahead of ‘Own Label’ but this is more

prominent in the Republic.

57

What’s important when buying Pre-Prepared

Salad?

Convenience of prepared salad is essential for driving purchase, particularly so

in the UK.

58

What's important for consumers when choosing

Pre-Prepared Salad?

Is it Convenient?

Is it affordable?

Is it Tasty?

Does it look

appealing?

Is it of good

quality?

Is it (un) healthy?

Visibility of ingredients

is key with consumers

assessing the freshness

of ingredients at point

of purchase

Leaves staying fresh for

longer denotes quality

and stand out as this is

a product issue that

irritates

Although

consumers are

aware of preserved

gases used in

packaging. Pre-

prepared salad

leaves

unsurprisingly have

strong health

associations

Important that the salad

offers variety (mix of

leaves anticipated) and

basic taste components

need to be fulfilled e.g.

freshness and range.

Packaged pre-prepared

salad leaves seen as a

cost efficient

alternative to loose,

whole heads of lettuce.

Seen as convenient alternative

to home prepared salads with

the added bonus of portability

or consumption on the go.

Offers a quick solution to salad

preparation, sandwiches or

meal accompaniments

59

Sandwich Fillers

60

Sandwich Fillers

Sandwich fillers are seen largely as anything that can be placed inside bread including

individual food items such as processed meats to spreadable goods including egg mayo,

coleslaw, hummus etc. This category is a relatively low engagement category within

the chilled food section. The packaging and highly ‘plastic’ containers suggest a more

processed product.

The main driver for consumers buying from this category is convenience where

consumers see the category as an easy means to add variety and flavour to

sandwiches. Similar levels in both markets purchase sandwich fillers more than 2-3

times a week (one in four in ROI and just under 30% in the UK). Primarily used at lunch

occasions but occasionally used as a meal accompaniment. Recall within this category

is low beyond the big brands associated with mayonnaise (Hellmann’s) mustard

(Colman's) and Sauces (Heinz) and Princes cutting through strongly in the UK.

The availability of deli-counter ranges of sandwich fillers and salad accompaniments

compete directly with self contained sandwich fillers. The self service and non-sealed

nature of these products benefits from more perceived healthy associations.

Looking at future purchasing intent there is a considerable difference between the two

markets – a quarter of those in the Republic claim they will buy more sandwich fillers

with 64% continuing to buy same amount whereas in the UK just one in twenty claim

they will buy more. That said there is more momentum in the UK with nearly nine in

ten claiming they will continue to purchase similar levels of sandwich fillers. A definite

growth opportunity identified in ROI.

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Who buys Sandwich Fillers?

There is a definite skew in both markets to those aged 30+, a higher white collar

target in the Republic while UK reflects a higher blue collar bias. This may impact on

taste preferences in the UK and desire for ‘standard’ or ‘traditional’ offer.

62

Who are they buying for?

There are differences that emerge across the markets with those in the Republic more

likely to reflect buying for a family cohort while solo purchasing is more evident in the

UK market.

63

Frequency of purchase

There appears to be a planned, habitual routine purchase apparent in both markets

with a much lower price point evident in the UK.

64

Purchase Behaviour

Frequent purchasing is prevalent, part of a habitual ingrained routine for most

consumers – making it potentially difficult to interrupt this mind-set.

65

Occasions

Unsurprisingly lunch dominates within this food category. There is some opportunity to

explore fillers as potential meal accompaniments among the UK consumers.

66

Brands and Sandwich Fillers

Little branded offers cutting through with private label dominating in this space. For

that reason it may prove challenging to provide a branded offer that will achieve stand

out.

67

What’s important when buying Sandwich

Fillers?

It is convenience that dominates as a key influencer on purchase in this category.

Speed, ease and taste are core metrics that must be satisfied and accessible for

consumers.

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What's important for the consumer when

choosing Sandwich Fillers?

Is it Convenient?

Is it affordable?

Is it Tasty?

Does it look

appealing?

Is it of good

quality?

Is it (un) healthy?

Needs to have

substance, texture and

some consistency.

Deli counter offerings

will compete so

product needs to

deliver clear

advantages e.g. value

for money and

marginally better shelf

life.

Minimising

mayonnaise and

rich dressing in

key. Low fat is an

area of consumer

interest who still

want the taste of a

sandwich without

prohibitive calorie

content

Taste is very important

as it needs to stand

alone or compliment

other sandwich

elements.

Price is a consideration

as sandwiches are cost

efficient and can’t be

too expensive so as to

be replaced by other

foods such as meat,

cheese or sauces or

dressing.

Sandwiches are a

convenient solution

in their own right and

fillers need to

compliment this ease

of use and saving of

time.

69

Packaging

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Packaging fundamentals for Chilled Foods

Chilled food like other FMCG’s do need to

deliver on the fundamentals of good packaging,

such as:

• Packaging should not undermine their convenience. It needs to be:

– Easy to store and stack in fridge/freezer,

– Easy to open

– Easy to prepare for cooking

– Easy to dispose of

Strong, secure durable

materials

Good food photography

appetite appeal

Good design and

branding cues

Food visibility

Is it Convenient?

Packaging should not

undermine their

convenience. It needs to be:

– Easy to store and

stack in

fridge/freezer,

– Easy to open

– Easy to prepare for

cooking

– Easy to dispose of

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Packaging fundamentals for Chilled Foods

Chilled Ready Meals Chilled Soup Sandwich Fillers

Visibility of food is important

– the ability to see what the

food looks like

Good appetite appeal via

strong food photography is

advisable

Separate food compartments

to avoid food mixing is a

consumer preference

Tetra and Pots are the

desired market norms – both

with specific advantages

The use of vibrant colour cues

to reflect health and

freshness of the chilled soup

Ease of opening and

maintaining freshness is

important to consumers

Look at ‘on the go’ solutions

for consumers

Functional and practical

elements need to be adhered

to:

- Ease of opening and reseal

is key

Transparency is also

important so consumers can

assess ingredient quality and

freshness (and levels of

sauce)

Deli cues may appeal – other

premium materials such as

cardboard may add difference

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Packaging fundamentals for Chilled Foods

Chilled Desserts

What is important is to highlight the indulgent treat nature of desserts by

allowing total product visibility

Showcase complexity of the chilled dessert by layering, texturing and

decoration

The packaging should reflect restaurant styling so that consumers can see that

they could not replicate such a dessert as easily at home

Ease of serve and presentation should be maintained when out of packaging

Pre-Prepared salad

Visibility of “leaves” and the freshness element is key

Maintenance of freshness after opening is preferably desired

The single serve options can appeal to smaller households to avoid wastage