UK Attitudes towards Lunch at Home Market Report 2022
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Description
The UK Lunchtime Foods Market Report 2022 identifies consumer attitudes towards lunch trends and lunch at home, the flexitarian health trend, and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the lunch foods industry. This report covers the UK lunch attitude market context, market forecast, market opportunities and food industry trends.
Consumer Behaviour: Work from Home Will Keep Lunch at Home
The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact consumers’ lunch attitude. Hybrid working will keep the number of at-home lunch occasions at above pre-COVID levels. Post-COVID health concerns are also working in favour of at-home and/or home-cooked lunches. This makes it crucial for brands in the food industry to deliver on this aspect and proactively communicate their strengths in this area.
Other aspects impacting lunch trends in favour of at-home meals are the pressures on household incomes that will make retail lunchtime foods or cooking lunch from scratch more appealing as cheaper alternatives to foodservices. Whilst veganism and vegetarianism may remain niche, the wider flexitarian trend continues to gather pace, changing UK lunch attitude.
Lunch Foods Industry: Market Opportunities
Mintel’s lunches market research shows that inflationary pressures on household incomes will boost the appeal of at-home lunches over foodservice. This opens up a number of opportunities for food industry brands with regards to ingredients and meal components to win spend from prepared products.
According to our lunch at home analysis the flexitarian food industry trend remains popular among consumers, offering opportunities for both meat substitutes and legumes and pulses to expand their usage occasions. For the latter, their proposition of affordable nutrition should prove particularly appealing while household incomes are under pressure.
- Lunch Foods Industry Consumer Behaviours: Post-pandemic, health remains a significant factor to consumers – 66% of at-home lunch eaters say it is important to them that their lunch is nutritionally rich.
- Lunch Trends: 47% of at-home lunch eaters are trying to introduce more meat-free lunches into their diet.
- Food at Home Market Share: Vegan/no animal ingredients claims have shot up in lunch foods industry with an increase in share from 6% in 2016 to 21% in 2021.
The Future of Lunch-at-Home Attitudes: Work from Home Will Keep Lunch at Home
The predicted long-term increased interest in health will increase opportunities for food industry brands selling products which help people meet their nutrition targets, and help to create meat-free lunches, catering to the ongoing flexitarian trend.
Once inflationary pressures ease, competition from foodservices, according to our lunch at home analysis, will regain momentum. Nevertheless, the number of lunch occasions at home will continue to be supported by increased flexible working going forward, thanks to the lasting shift brought about by the pandemic.
To discover more about UK Lunch Attitude, read our UK Attitudes towards Lunch Out-of-Home Market Report 2022, or take a look at our extensive Consumer Lifestyles Market Research.
Quickly Understand UK Lunch Attitudes
- Lunch at Home Analysis: Frequency of eating lunch at home in spring 2022 and expected frequency in the autumn.
- Lunches Market Research: What are people eating for lunch at home on everyday occasions?
- Lunch Attitude: Consumer behaviours and attitudes related to lunch at home.
- Lunch product concepts of interest.
Covered in this Report
Products: Wet soup, sandwiches/wraps, salads, instant noodles and instant past, ready-to-eat meals (lasagna, pre-packed sandwiches/salads), delivery services.
Brands: Heinz, Leon, Itsu, Plant Pioneers, Wicked Kitchen, Plant Kitchen, M&S, Tesco, BOL, Morrisons, Press Petit, Sainsbury’s, Cathedral City, Deliciously Ella, SlimFast, Noodl, and more.
Expert Insights on Food Consumption in the UK
This report, written by Alice Pilkington, a leading analyst in the Food & Drink sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current lunch trends in the lunch foods industry, and adds expert context to the numbers.
A permanent shift to more remote working will continue to support the at-home lunch occasion going forward. Pressures on household incomes in 2022 will boost the appeal of home-made lunches as an affordable option, benefiting ingredients and meal components. Products which tick a number of boxes on nutrition will tap into the considerable interest in nutritious lunches, while ideas for meat-free lunches appeal widely and can help brands align themselves with the increasingly significant flexitarian trend.
Alice Pilkington
Research Analyst – Food & Drink
Table of Contents
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Overview
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Market context
- Products covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- The five-year outlook for lunch at home
- Figure 1: Outlook for lunch at home, 2022-27
- The market
- Health continues to be a key focus
- Out-of-home foodservice calorie labelling comes into force
- Responding to growing flexitarian trend will be crucial for brands targeting at-home lunch
- Making lunch at home will appeal as an easy way to make savings during income squeeze
- The lunch interests of older demographics will be increasingly important as population ages
- Companies and brands
- Launch activity ramps up in vegan/plant-based space
- Brands from other categories look to tap into lunch occasion
- The consumer
- Nearly half of people still eating lunch at home 5 times a week or more
- Figure 2: Frequency of eating lunch at home in the last month, 2021 and 2022
- Older people eat lunch at home most often
- Figure 3: How often people have eaten lunch at home in the last month, by age, 2022
- Little change expected in frequency of eating lunch at home
- Figure 4: Expected frequency of eating lunch at home in six months’ time, by age, 2022
- Cooking from scratch is top choice for an everyday lunch at home; tighter household finances are linked with higher usage of leftovers
- Figure 5: Foods eaten for lunch at home on an everyday occasion in the last month, 2022
- Two thirds prioritise nutritionally rich at-home lunches; nearly half of lunch eaters try to reduce meat at lunch
- Figure 6: Behaviours related to everyday lunch at home, 2022
- Minimising washing up appeals to 29%; one in five would like more versatile spice mixes
- Figure 7: Lunch product concepts of interest, 2022
- Budget-friendly lunch ideas appeal to 66%; shelf-stable and frozen products can steal a march during income squeeze
- Figure 8: Attitudes towards everyday lunch at home, 2022
- The five-year outlook for lunch at home
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Issues and Insights
- Budget-friendly lunch ideas appeal to 66%
- Two thirds prioritise nutritionally rich at-home lunches
- Nearly half of lunch eaters trying to reduce meat at lunchtime
- One in five would like more versatile spice mixes
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Market Drivers
- At-home lunch occasion gains significance as working habits change for the long term
- Health continues to be a key focus
- Government launches new Better Health campaign
- Implementation of HFSS volume price restrictions postponed until October 2023
- Out-of-home foodservice calorie labelling comes into force
- On-pack nutrition label consultation proposed
- 2024 salt reduction targets still in place
- Sustainability predicted to be a higher priority going forward
- Responding to growing flexitarian trend will be crucial for brands targeting at-home lunch
- Household incomes under pressure on several fronts
- Making lunch at home will appeal as an easy way to make savings
- Employment has held up better than expected
- Out-of-home lunch options play a role in at-home lunches
- The lunch interests of older demographics will be increasingly important as the population ages
- Figure 9: How often people have eaten lunch at home in the last month, by age, 2022
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- Figure 10: Trends in UK population, by age, 2016-21 and 2021-26
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Launch Activity and Innovation
- Launch activity ramps up in vegan/plant-based space
- Figure 11: New product launches in selected lunchtime foods, by vegetarian and vegan/no animal ingredients claims, 2016-21
- Heinz launches plant-based soup brand
- Figure 12: Heinz Plant Proteinz Moroccan Chickpea & Bell Pepper soup with Beans, 2021
- Grocers expand vegan lunchtime options
- Figure 13: Recent examples of retailer plant-based launches within sandwiches/wraps, 2021-2
- High/added protein claims continue to grow
- Figure 14: New product launches in selected lunchtime foods with high/added protein claims, 2016-21
- Figure 15: Recent soup launches with high/added protein claims, 2021
- Brands from other categories look to tap into lunch occasion
- Leon and Itsu extend their retail offerings
- Figure 16: Recent examples of foodservice brands targeting lunch occasion, 2021-22
- Deliciously Ella expands into chilled soup…
- …whilst Cathedral City launches frozen cheese toastie
- Figure 17: Cathedral City Just Cheese Toastie with cheddar cheese, 2022
- Noodle pots work on health credentials
- Figure 18: Recent examples of noodle pots with health-related claims, 2021
- Launch activity ramps up in vegan/plant-based space
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Frequency of Lunch at Home
- Nearly half of people still eating lunch at home 5 times a week or more
- Figure 19: Frequency of eating lunch at home in the last month, 2021 and 2022
- Older people eat lunch at home most often
- Figure 20: How often people have eaten lunch at home in the last month, by age, 2022
- Flexible working boosts at-home lunches
- Figure 21: How often people have eaten lunch at home in the last month, by working location, 2022
- Little change expected in frequency of eating lunch at home
- Figure 22: Expected frequency of eating lunch at home in six months’ time, by age, 2022
- Nearly half of people still eating lunch at home 5 times a week or more
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What People Eat for Everyday Lunch at Home
- Cooking from scratch and leftovers are top choices for an everyday lunch at home
- Figure 23: Foods eaten for lunch at home on an everyday occasion in the last month, 2022
- Household staples need to make people actively think of them for lunch
- Tighter household finances are linked with higher usage of leftovers
- Figure 24: Ragú for One Old World Style Traditional sauce calls out suitability with leftovers, 2021
- Ready-to-eat and -heat meals play a limited role in the at-home lunch occasion
- Lighter meals and emphasising nutritional completeness could help these foods better tap into at-home lunches
- Figure 25: Recent examples of ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat foods in see-through packaging and emphasising various nutritional aspects, 2021-22
- Sandwiches are top option for at-home lunch
- Figure 26: Types of foods eaten for lunch at home on an everyday occasion in the last month, 2022
- Cooking from scratch and leftovers are top choices for an everyday lunch at home
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Behaviours Related to Everyday Lunch at Home
- Two thirds prioritise nutritionally rich at-home lunches
- Figure 27: Behaviours related to everyday lunch at home, 2022
- Ticking a number of boxes on nutrition will be crucial
- ‘Nutritionally complete’ messaging can help pre-prepared meals compete with cooking from scratch
- Figure 28: BOL chocolate & peanut butter power shake calling out that it is a ‘nutritionally complete meal’, 2021
- Figure 29: Huel providing details of what being ‘nutritionally complete’ means, 2022
- Calling out contribution to recommended daily intakes can also chime
- Figure 30: Hovis Fabulous Fibre bread calls out contribution to daily fibre intake, 2020
- Meal components can provide pairing ideas on how to create a nutritionally rich lunch
- Figure 31: Belvita breakfast biscuits offer suggestions for a balanced breakfast, 2020
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- Figure 32: Maggi 2 minute noodles provides suggestions on how to ‘balance your meal’, 2021
- Importance of nutrition rises amongst those who eat big at lunchtime
- Nearly half of lunch eaters trying to reduce meat at lunchtime
- Calling out suitability for lunch more prominently is warranted
- Figure 33: Recent UK and international examples of meat substitute products calling out suitability for lunch, 2020-22
- Meat-free recipe inspiration from pasta and rice brands will chime…
- Figure 34: UK examples of rice products calling out meat-free recipe suggestions, 2021
- …whilst legumes and pulses can take advantage of their nutritional profile
- Figure 35: BOL Power Pot Creamy Coconut Turmeric Daal calling out nutritional credentials of chickpeas and lentils, 2021
- Two thirds prioritise nutritionally rich at-home lunches
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Lunch Product Concepts of Interest
- Minimising washing up appeals to 29%
- Figure 36: Lunch product concepts of interest, 2022
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- Figure 37: How workers spend their lunch/main break, 2022
- Reminding people of no washing up can benefit ready-to-eat/heat foods
- Figure 38: Examples of ‘no washing up’ call outs, 2019-22
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- Figure 39: Recent examples of lunch-suitable products making ready-to-eat call-out prominent, 2022
- One in five would like more versatile spice mixes
- Spices need to make suitability for lunch more obvious
- Figure 40: Natoora Dukkah calls out suitability for use with various typical lunch dishes, 2022
- Just Spices can offer cues for lunch-orientated spice NPD
- Figure 41: Just Spices spice blends target lunch occasion, 2018-21
- Minimising washing up appeals to 29%
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Attitudes towards Everyday Lunches at Home
- Budget-friendly lunch ideas appeal to 66%
- Figure 42: Attitudes towards everyday lunch at home, 2022
- Providing recipes with cost per serving will boost value perceptions of ingredients
- Shelf-stable products can steal a march during income squeeze
- Calling out suitability and in-store activations can build lunch associations
- Figure 43: Recent examples of shelf-stable products targeting lunch occasion, 2021
- Frozen foods can also capitalise on the interest in budget-friendly lunches
- Calling out quick preparation time is needed to drive relevance at lunch
- Figure 44: Recent examples of frozen products making short cooking time prominent on-pack, 2021
- Budget-friendly lunch ideas appeal to 66%
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Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
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