Instant foods continue to be a household staple in Thailand, with standard instant noodle packs leading in popularity. However, fewer than 20% of Thais have expressed an intention to consume more instant foods in the next six months. Growing health consciousness, an expanding variety of alternative food and drink options, and increased scrutiny of ultra-processed products are driving a shift in consumer preferences for the future.
Despite challenges, instant foods continue to thrive due to their convenience and distinctive flavours. For brands, the key is to drive premiumisation and effectively communicate value, particularly to flavour enthusiasts and frequent users who have specific, niche preferences. Read this Report to uncover opportunities for premiumisation, explore key consumption occasions and delves into the profile of ‘flavour explorers’.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Consumption frequency of different types of instant foods
- Occasions relevant to instant foods
- Premium features that will trigger consumption of instant foods
- Behaviours regarding purchase of instant foods
Unlock premium opportunities in instant foods by targeting specific occasions and leveraging bold flavours and hyper-convenience.
Phurisa Phagudom, Research Analyst – Food and Drink, Thailand
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
This report examines instant noodles, self-heating foods, instant rice porridge/soup, and instant soups. Instant noodles include add-hot-water noodles, cook-over-the-hob noodles, dry instant noodles and instant rice noodles or vermicelli. Self-heating foods include self-heating hotpots and self-heating rice. Instant rice porridge/soup includes add-hot-water rice porridge/soup and cook-over-the-hob rice porridge/soup.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- The outlook for instant foods in Thailand
- Consumers are turning to foods and beverages that spark joy, providing a welcome escape from the stresses of urban living
- Tailor products to flavour explorers – the culinary drivers of instant foods
- Graph 1: motivations for instant food consumption, 2024
- Drive premiumisation of instant foods
- Graph 2: claims on/features of instant foods that consumers are willing to pay more for, 2024
- Enhance value by targeting specific occasions
- Graph 3: instant foods consumption occasions, 2024
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KEY TRENDS
- What you need to know
- Awareness of ultra-processed foods
- Global awareness of ultra-processed foods is on the rise
- Thais are linking ultra-processed foods to serious health threats
- Nearly half of Thais have shifted to home cooking in response to concerns about ultra-processed foods
- Graph 4: ‘I’m cooking at home more often than a year ago because I’m concerned about the health effects of ultra-processed foods’, % agree, 2024*
- Processing will factor into food and drink decisions
- Whole food intake and natural ingredients are coming to the fore for Thais
- Graph 5: factors most important when shopping for food, 2024*
- New global instant food launches spotlight whole, plant ingredients
- Quest for new experiences
- Mintel’s 2025 Global Food and Drink Trend: Rule Rebellion
- Breaking the rules: boundary-crossing flavours
- Flavour innovation will be key in going outside the box
- Brands are looking to new horizons to cook up new flavours and excitement
- Exploration of new foods, cuisines and cultures grows as Thais seek new experiences
- Urbanisation and rise in demand for convenience
- Lifestyle shifts warrant convenient meal options
- The call for convenience is pushing category crossovers
- Technology is optimising the eating, shopping and meal-planning experiences
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- Instant noodles lead Thailand’s instant food market
- Graph 6: consumption frequency of instant food types in the last six months, 2024
- Zillennial men are the most regular users of standard instant noodle packets
- Graph 7: frequent users of instant noodles in standard packets in the last six months, by gender, generation and region, 2024
- Tailor products for flavour explorers
- Indulgence motivates instant food purchases
- Graph 8: motivations for instant food consumption, 2024
- Flavour explorers’ demographic profile
- Flavour explorers consider instant foods a convenient way to sample international and local cuisines
- Korean flavours are most popular among international cuisines
- Graph 9: consumption of different international cuisines in instant foods, 2024
- The flavour divide: Gen Z women favour Korean cuisine, while Millennial and Gen X men lean towards Japanese cuisine
- Graph 10: consumption of Japanese cuisine in the past six months in instant foods, by generation and gender, 2024
- Graph 11: consumption of Korean cuisine in the past six months in instant foods, by generation and gender, 2024
- Examples of bold Korean flavours
- Create rich options with Korean flavours and leverage Japanese flavours to offer better-for-you positioning in instant foods
- Graph 12: associations with different international cuisines, 2024
- Tteokbokki, miso and shoyu: rising flavours in Korean- and Japanese-inspired instant food product development
- Drive nutrition and clean-label appeal with Japanese flavours
- Jaew hon, Khao Soi and spicy salad: emerging sour and spicy Thai flavours
- Graph 13: features consumers most prefer when choosing instant noodles, 2022
- Innovations in instant foods with rich, sour and spicy Thai flavours
- Premiumisation opportunities
- Premiumise instant foods beyond standard packets
- Graph 14: frequent users of instant food types, by financial situation, 2024
- Justifying value: brands must showcase value for premium products priced over THB30
- Sweet spot: the ideal price for premium instant noodle packets and cups is THB20
- Meat and seafood pieces drive value in instant foods
- Graph 15: claims on/features of instant foods that consumers are willing to pay more for, 2024
- Drive value with meat and seafood pieces
- Highlight large inclusions and link specific inclusions to specific flavours
- Create toppings and position them as premium product add-ons
- TURF analysis: attract busy urbanites with hyper-convenient packaging
- Think beyond time/speed to enhance hyper-convenience
- Graph 16: instant food launches, by claim, 2021-24
- Innovations in convenient packaging and eating experience enhancements
- No heat required: instant seaweed noodles
- Cater to frequent users with high-end soup bases
- Graph 17: claims on/features of instant foods that consumers are willing to pay more for, by consumption frequency, 2024
- Novel high-end soup bases include crab broth, bonito stock and pork bone broth
- Examples of soup base innovations
- Occasion opportunities
- Quick win: focus on ‘me time’ consumption over ‘we time’ consumption
- Graph 18: instant foods consumption occasions, 2024
- Target niche occasions to resonate with frequent users
- Graph 19: instant foods consumption occasions, by consumption frequency, 2024
- Opportunity lies in cognitive benefits and pre-/post-workout offerings
- Graph 20: share of instant food launches, by claim, 2020-24
- Enhance productivity by innovating with adaptogens for cognitive support
- Cater to physically active consumers with high-protein offerings
- Other innovative products for niche occasions
- Unlock the potential of instant foods for children
- Emphasise nutritional content suitable for children
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APPENDIX
- Report definition
- Generations
- Consumer research methodology
- TURF analysis
- Price sensitivity analysis
- Social data research methodology
- Flavourscape AI: methodology
- Ingredientscape AI methodology
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