Today’s consumers are back on the move. Pandemic-era food-in-home sales have broadly normalized over the past two years, ushering in a resurgence in convenience and pre-packaged foods.
Across the many types of convenience food, frozen and canned goods have largely regained their place in consumer pantries, but many of these products have a new look – and new formulations – to meet today’s health-focused households.
Learn more about the importance of ready-to-eat food products for today’s manufacturers and their customers.
Unpacking the Convenience Food Market
Convenience foods are generally categorized into a few key subsectors, including:
- Raw food
- Canned food
- Frozen food
- Ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook
- Snacks
There are additional subcategories and considerable overlap, such as the prevalence of frozen prepackaged foods and basic convenience foods, which are counted in the snack category.
The decades-long shift toward two-income households, combined with the realities of distribution and storage for highly urbanized populations, has made ready-to-eat convenience foods a staple of the global diet.
The EU holds a market share of 40.7% as of 2024, although the US remains a major player, both in terms of consumption and in driving convenience food consumption trends worldwide.
The convenience food industry reached $511.1 billion in 2024, with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.25% through 2033.
The Rise of Ready-to-Eat Foods
The demand for healthy, ready-to-eat food is an extension of the broader trend toward convenience-focused products.
What Is Ready-to-Eat Food?
The ready-to-eat food market includes products that can be enjoyed immediately upon opening, with no further heating or preparation required. Common examples of ready-to-eat food products include canned goods and most fully-cooked products.
Recently, high-protein ready-to-eat foods, such as meat sticks, have been a particular favorite among consumers.
Ready-to-Cook vs. Ready-to-Eat
Ready-to-cook food products require at least some heating, but still deliver significant time savings. Frozen meats, marinated meats, and frozen foods are considered ready-to-cook.
Consider some of the differences between ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products:
| Feature | Ready-to-Eat (RTE) | Ready-to-Cook (RTC) |
| Preparation | May only need reheating, but technically safe to consume | Requires final cooking or heating |
| Examples | Deli meats, packaged salads, canned tuna, and granola bars | Frozen pizza, frozen vegetables, ready-to-bake cookie dough, and marinated meats |
| Safety | Pre-cooked and processed to be safe for immediate consumption | Cooking is a critical step to kill bacteria and parasites; not following instructions can cause foodborne illness |
| Time | Very quick; ideal for on-the-go meals | Takes time and effort to cook, but less than cooking from scratch |
| Customization | Limited customization | More control over final ingredients and flavor |
What’s Driving Ready-to-Eat Food Market Growth?
The answer is a refreshed appetite for healthy convenience foods and prepackaged snacks. Aided by new technology, manufacturers are helping meet that rising demand through innovative frozen food design and other formulation breakthroughs that extend shelf life, among other enhancements.
1. Less time to make meals from scratch
The post-pandemic normal appears to be very much like the old normal, with families balancing busy home lives, return-to-office trends, and increased labor force participation.
The labor force participation rate in the US remains slightly below the pre-pandemic average but has increased by 0.5% since October 2021, reaching 62.3% in October 2025. 2024’s 12-month average was 62.6%, with more than 71% of males over 15 working at least part-time and 41.7% of females in the workforce as well.
Labor participation and other obligations leave little time for preparing meals from scratch. Ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook foods are a staple of the dual-income household, a trend that will likely spread to other regions as urbanization broadens.
By 2050, the United Nations estimates that more than 68% of the world’s population will live in an urban environment. This will further reinforce the long-term demand for healthy convenience foods and prepackaged foods for decades to come.
2. Rising global incomes
Key food and beverage markets, including China, India, and Africa, are experiencing steadily rising disposable income levels. Even moderate increases in disposable income increase the willingness for consumers to spend slightly more on frozen, canned, and other prepackaged foods to save time.
These markets are also enjoying all-new variety levels from top world-renowned brands, often backed by improved food safety standards. Some of the fastest-growing food categories in markets like India include gluten-free offerings, as well as other products marketed as clean and healthy prepackaged foods.
3. Private label sales
In both the US and abroad, the frozen food market is growing faster than the wider category. Led by meat and poultry, frozen foods are beneficiaries of an inflation-conscious consumer seeking foods that last longer. Private label products, which are usually less expensive than national brands, are gaining a larger share of the shelf; sales are up 3.8% year-over-year.
Compared to even fresh prepackaged foods, frozen products offer months of safe storage, ranging from 2-3 months for baked goods to a year for many uncooked meat and poultry products. And consumers know it; 39% of survey respondents said they’re buying more frozen foods because they last longer, and 51% viewed stockpiling frozen foods as an “inflation hack.”
Read more: The Growing Role of Enzyme Ingredients in Food
Processed Foods vs. Convenience Foods
Convenience food trends may seem to fly in the face of consumers’ push toward perceived fresh and healthy foods, but manufacturers are bridging the education – and quality – gap.
Private label and smaller brands are leading innovations in the category, replacing traditional oils with avocado oils and incorporating whole grains, and introducing more fresh, prepackaged foods to balance convenience with consumer priorities.
Those investments reflect a shifting narrative designed to separate convenience foods from processed foods.
To be clear, most foods are processed, but the term has been expanded to mean ultra-processed, doing a disservice to healthy frozen foods, snacks, and prepackaged goods.
Are Frozen Foods Processed?
Yes, most frozen foods are considered processed – freezing is, by definition, a process. Canned foods, even canned fruits and vegetables, are processed, but it’s important to note that these products are generally considered to be as healthy as their fresh counterparts.
One of the underlying drivers of increased convenience food consumption, trends aside, is the recognition that frozen foods can be healthy, cost-effective, and nutritious. Tilley Distribution’s technical team is helping customers deliver on those value propositions with research and development support and consultation.
Expand Your Convenience Food Offerings with Tilley Distribution
The food and beverage market never stands still – and neither do we. Tilley Distribution connects manufacturers with quality specialty ingredients from the world’s most reputable suppliers, improving access and supply chain flexibility. Our technical expertise supports new product development and reformulation, shortening the time from ideation to production. Meet your customers’ evolving needs with a committed partner: contact us to speak with a Tilley representative today
