Among many pre-made foods, aquatic pre-made dishes such as sauerkraut fish, crayfish and grilled fish are the most popular

In recent years, pre-made foods have quickly become a new favorite in the catering market due to their convenience and diverse choices.

The size of the pre-made food market has shown a rapid growth trend in recent years.
According to data, the size of the pre-made food market has reached 516.5 billion yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 23.1%. This trend will continue in 2024, and it is expected that the market size will further expand, exceeding 560 billion yuan, and may reach the trillion level by 2026.

The rapid expansion of the pre-made food market reflects, on one hand, the accelerated pace of modern life and the significant increase in consumer demand for convenient dining; On the other hand, it also reflects the continuous progress and innovation of food industry technology.

The rapid development of the pre-made food market is also due to the rapid development of cold chain logistics and the stimulation of new channels. As one of the fastest growing channels for pre-made food sales, the supermarket platform of e-commerce has achieved a turnover growth rate of 160%.

Among them, signature hard dishes and high-value bulk products are more popular, with the highest proportion of sales revenue. Undoubtedly, this not only reflects the important role of e-commerce platforms in the sales of pre made dishes, but also demonstrates the channel advantages supported by cold chain logistics.

According to data from Tianyancha Professional Edition, as of now, there are nearly 67000 enterprises related to pre made meals. From the annual registration volume of enterprises, it can be seen that the registration volume of e-sports related enterprises has been increasing year by year before 2020, and reached its peak in 2020 with 7914 registrations;

On the one hand, consumers not only pursue the taste of traditional dishes, but also hope to try unique cuisines from around the world. For example, aquatic  pre-made dishes such as pickled Chinese cabbage fish, crayfish and grilled fish accounted for 27.6% of the sales in the C-end market, with a year-on-year growth rate of more than 35%, becoming the fastest growing category of  pre-made dishes.

On the other hand, pre made dishes with health attributes such as low fat, low salt, and high fiber are increasingly favored by consumers. According to data, the market size of pre made beef dishes in China has exceeded 20 billion yuan in 2023, and its high value and high nutritional characteristics have caught the attention of current consumers towards health and balanced nutrition.

The pre-made seafood market will continue to expand in the future, and it is expected that the market size will exceed 230 billion yuan by 2028, with huge development space.