This report looks at the following areas:
- Category overview
- Frequency of meals occasion
- Typical breakfast food and beverage
- Typical lunch composition
- Typical dinner composition
- Important attributes by meal occasions
- Habits and attitudes toward meals.
Rice and beans continue to be the foundation of a Brazilian lunch, but dinner meals are becoming more diverse. Factors such as cost and convenience are driving changes in eating habits.
Ana Paula Gilsogamo, Senior Analyst Food & Drink, Latam
Market Definitions
This Report addresses dining occasions both at home and away from home, focusing on consumer preferences and habits related to each individual meal occasion. The occasions covered include regular meals, such as breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as special meals.
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Executive Summary
- What consumers want and why
- Challenges
- Opportunities
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THE CONSUMER
- Category overview and consumer profiles
- The typical rice and beans are mainly for lunch
- Graph 1: typical lunch composition, 2025
- Graph 2: typical dinner composition, 2025
- Lunch is the most frequent meal among Brazilians
- Graph 3: frequency of meals occasion, 2025
- Graph 4: frequency of meals occasion, 2025
- Important attributes by meal occasions
- Graph 5: important attributes by meal occasions, 2025
- Typical breakfast food and beverage
- Coffee is the star of Brazilian breakfast
- Graph 6: typical breakfast beverage, by socioeconomic group, 2025
- How to ensure coffee for breakfast even with rising prices?
- Graph 7: national consumer price index – monthly variation by coffee subgroups, April 2023-March 2025
- Now: offer more affordable coffee options in a transparent manner
- Now: help consumers avoid waste and increase yield
- For the future: prepare for the impact on the supply chain and invest in sustainability
- AB consumers lead the consumption of crackers or biscuits at breakfast
- Graph 8: typical breakfast food, by socioeconomic group, 2025
- Light options that boost satiety and energy have a place at AB consumers’ breakfast
- Cheeses, cold cuts and other spreads can go with crackers, providing energy and protein at AB consumers’ breakfast
- Parents of the Alpha generation stand out in the consumption of packaged juice and plant-based drink at breakfast
- Graph 9: typical breakfast beverage, by the generation of children in the household, 2025
- Besides convenience, packaged juice needs to highlight its healthy credentials
- Plant-based drinks should emphasize natural and healthy credentials
- Typical lunch composition
- Rice and beans remain the foundation of the typical Brazilian lunch
- Graph 10: typical lunch composition, 2025
- Brands can facilitate the consumption of rice, beans and protein for lunch for those who work outside the home
- Generation Z: ‘childlike’ taste or transformation in the composition of the typical Brazilian lunch?
- Graph 11: typical lunch composition, by generation, 2025
- Gen Zs focus on indulgence, practicality and affordability
- To keep up with Generation Z, it is essential to invest in practicality and indulgence
- Pasta is more popular at lunchtime in larger families
- Ready-to-eat pasta options are trying to appeal to families of all sizes
- Greater diversification can ensure the relevance of pasta amid ready-to-eat options
- Typical dinner composition
- Eggs stand out in the composition of Brazilians’ dinner
- Graph 12: typical dinner composition, 2025
- Graph 13: typical lunch composition, 2025
- A versatile, practical and nutritious ingredient, eggs have become a more affordable source of animal protein in recent years
- Graph 14: National Consumer Price Index (INPC, in Portuguese), monthly variation for chicken eggs, 2023-25
- Given the rise in prices, eggs must emphasize their versatile, practical and nutritious nature
- Sandwiches and snacks are gaining ground as a dinner option
- Graph 15: consumption of sandwiches or snacks, dinner vs lunch, 2025
- Sandwiches as a light, practical and healthy option for dinner
- The Northeast region stands out in the consumption of soup for dinner
- Graph 16: typical dinner composition, by consumers in the Northeast region, 2025
- Soups can be much more than a light option for dinner
- Flours and farofas can be allies to enhance dinner in larger families
- Graph 17: typical dinner composition – selected item, by the number of people in the household, 2025
- Different types of flours and farofas have different benefits to offer
- Flours and farofas can highlight their nutritional value and increase meal yields
- Important attributes by meal occasions
- Strategies to avoid waste, especially at lunch, can help those with financial difficulties
- Graph 18: important attributes by meal occasions (lunch) – selected item, by financial situation, 2025
- Financial concerns can lead those living alone to skip dinner
- Brands can encourage consumers to reuse leftovers as ingredients in new meals
- Parents of children up to 3 years old are looking for more convenient lunch preparations
- Graph 19: important attributes by meal occasions (lunch) – selected item, by the age of children living in the household, 2025
- Brands can provide safe and practical solutions for child nutrition, in addition to options that cater to the whole family
- On-site workers value homemade dinner more
- Graph 20: important attributes by meal occasions (dinner) – selected item, by work from home status, 2025
- Brands can make dinner preparation a lighter and more practical moment, encouraging socialization
- In search of greater satiety, men may be resorting to supper or snacks after dinner
- Graph 21: frequency of meals occasion – late-night meal, by gender, 2025
- Graph 22: important attributes by meal occasions – dinner, by gender, 2025
- Dinners that promote greater satiety can help men avoid late-night meals or overeating before sleeping
- For those who do not skip a snack after dinner, options created for nighttime consumption
- Habits and attitudes toward meals
- Almost half of Brazilians usually have something sweet after lunch or dinner
- After lunch: energy and extra indulgence in small or individual portions
- Considering the high price, coffee can enhance the value of sweets and desserts, particularly after lunch
- After dinner: light, aid digestion and relaxation
- Packed lunch is part of the daily routine for 1/3 of workers
- Meal prep content is gaining traction and audience on social media
- Hybrid workers stand out in the consumption of ready meals
- Graph 23: habits and attitudes toward meals, by work from home status, 2025
- Besides convenience, some ready meal brands emphasize preparation and flavor with the promise of being ‘like homemade’
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Key Players
- Companies and brands
- JBS enters the egg market
- Knorr announces partnership with Cepêra for the launch of new tomato-based products
- Launches and innovations
- Seara partners with Netflix to launch a line for series lovers
- BR Spices launches a line of air fryer seasonings
- Elefante expands its tomato product line
- Yoki launches a line of farofas with Brazilian flavors like banana and ribs
- Marketing campaigns and actions
- AI audio recipes by Sadia
- Cacau Show launches AI platform to assist consumers with recipes
- Coqueiro responds humorously to accusations that its cans could transfer heavy metals to fish
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THE MARKET
- Prices for most food subgroups continue to rise
- Graph 24: national consumer price index – accumulated over the year, by food subgroups, 2021-24
- Reduction to zero of the import tax on food products may impact breakfast and snacks between meals
- Reduction to zero of the import tax on food products may impact lunch and dinner
- New ‘food basket’ with fresh, minimally processed products and cooking ingredients
- Food security rises again in 2023, but inequality varies according to the profile of the person in charge of the household
- Graph 25: prevalence of food security and mild, moderate and severe food insecurity in permanent private households (%), 2004-23
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APPENDIX – Definition, Methodology and Abbreviations
- Report definition
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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