2026
9
UK Attitudes towards World Cuisines: 2026
2026-07-30T08:02:44+00:00
REPD2CC8E48_3323_4765_8C8E_483323076578
2195
195141
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Report
en_GB
Celebrating the intrinsic health credentials of their authentic product will win over new users and buoy usage frequency for world cuisine brands. Authentic dishes healthy by nature would appeal to…
UK
Food
simple

UK Attitudes towards World Cuisines: 2026

"Authentic but healthy products, ones that facilitate tailoring of spiciness and positioning towards breakfast and social occasions will win favour."

Amy Bishop, Analyst UK Food & Drink Reports

Amy Bishop, Analyst UK Food & Drink Reports

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for world cuisines
    • Opportunities
    • Help consumers identify authentic, naturally healthy products
    • Help consumers navigate and personalise world cuisine
    • Expand occasions by bringing world cuisines into breakfast and socialising
  2. THE MARKET

    • Market factors
    • Cautious consumer mindsets will bolster at-home meals, brands must justify purchase
    • Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-26
    • Ready meals face pressure, but premium products can capture spend from foodservice
    • Graph 2: CPI annual rate, selected food categories and restaurant meals, 2021-26
    • HFSS restrictions have mixed effects on world cuisines products
    • NPM defines HFSS status
    • Keen interest in healthy eating
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Usage of world cuisines at home
    • Nine in 10 people eat world cuisines at home
    • Graph 3: world cuisine eaten at home in the last three months and interest in eating world cuisines in future, by cuisine, 2026
    • Families hold the key to making emerging cuisines mainstream
    • Graph 4: selected world cuisine usage at home in the past three months to May 2026, by age, 2026
    • Help consumers identify authentic, naturally healthy products
    • Healthy-by-nature dishes have broad appeal
    • Highlight inherent healthiness to boost usage
    • Healthy positioning can drive engagement and loyalty
    • Combine authenticity and health to stand out
    • Help consumers customise spice levels and offer clear taste cues
    • Help consumers navigate and personalise world cuisine foods
    • Highlight tips for tailoring spice levels to taste
    • Make it easy to customise spiciness
    • Inspire consumers to use world flavours in new contexts
    • Help shoppers navigate unfamiliar flavours with clearer signposting
    • Look to new occasions
    • World cuisines at breakfast and when socialising appeal widely
    • Breakfast is a major whitespace for world cuisine innovation
    • World breakfast favourites can tap key UK trends
    • At-home socialising creates new opportunities for world cuisine food…
    • …and drink
    • Lean into fun to engage consumers
  4. PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • Retailers and brands explore new cuisines and convenient formats
    • Noodles, frozen and kids’ meals attract NPD
    • Launches aiming to bring the restaurant experience home continue in world cuisine retail segment
    • Pulse- and veg-led formats feature in NPD
    • Health-focused ranges expand and target specific consumer needs
    • Snacks explore world flavours for NPD
    • World cuisine brands position themselves as a route to confident cooking
  5. APPENDIX

    • Report scope/Market definition
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology – EMEA
    • UK generation groups
    • Supplementary data
    • Leading rice brands’ sales
    • Leading rice companies’ sales
    • Rice and noodle segment retail sales
    • Abbreviations
    • Abbreviations and terms

Celebrating the intrinsic health credentials of their authentic product will win over new users and buoy usage frequency for world cuisine brands. Authentic dishes healthy by nature would appeal to 80% of users, and healthy dishes would encourage more frequent use for many.

Ongoing pressures on household budgets will continue to curb foodservice spend in 2026 and into 2027, benefiting retail, including world cuisines foods. However, grocery spend too will face close scrutiny. This will favour home cooking, posing a threat for pricier convenience products. It will also keep the pressure on brands to justify their value.

Breakfast offers a clear whitespace opportunity for world cuisine brands. More than half (56%) of world cuisine users would like to see more world cuisine breakfast options, while the retail offering is limited retail. Convenience will be key to unlocking this occasion, with 70% of breakfast eaters prioritising quick and easy preparation. This creates opportunities across products like globally inspired breads and pastries and shortcut or RTE versions of authentic egg-based dishes.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • The impact on the market of ongoing pressures household finances and the outlook for the next five years
  • Key trends in recent launch activity and future opportunities
  • Usage of world cuisines at home
  • Opportunities to tap wider consumer interest in health by highlighting authentic products which are healthy by nature
  • Scope to support usage by enabling consumers to customise foods to taste, offering flavour guidance and showcasing how world cuisine products can play in everyday meals.
  • Untapped potential in at-home socialising and breakfast occasions

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