Surely it has happened to you that you arrive tired from all day and you do not want to start preparing something for dinner. Or you just woke up lazy and you don't want to cook. It has happened to all of us, especially in this pandemic, that tired of being at home and cooking we have ended up pulling food ya list. You can have lids from previous days ready to eat or take a plate out of the freezer. Or, if not, go for the most comfortable option, end up putting one of the most consumed prepared dishes.
Pizza leads, why?
In 2020 the consumption of pizza grew a 7,3%, reaching 134.000 tons, according to data from the Spanish Association of Prepared Dishes Manufacturers (asefapre). This company was established in 1.978 and integrates the main manufacturers at the national level, especially dishes frozen, plus refrigerated and at room temperature. The association is made up of 16 companies, and is part of the Spanish Federation of Food and Beverage Industries (fairy tale).
One of the reasons that have been able to influence the growth in the consumption of elaborated dishes, specifically pizza, has been the obligation that children (and those not so young) had to stay at home during confinement. The prepared pizza is easy y speed boat tour to have ready, which has caused both parents, young people and even children to incorporate it more often into their diet and to be able to do it in less than 15 minutes. Although it is a meal included in the category of fast food, seduces many consumers by its format and suitability in various leisure contexts. And the latter inside the home too, with family or friends.
It is also always a good option for its multiple flavors. From the traditional barbecue, ham and cheese, carbonara or tuna and bacon until more methodologies like vegan or kebab. Then, when it comes to differentiating them, there are those that you keep in the fridge and those that go to the freezer. You have to know that the consumption of refrigerated pizzas has exceeded, in 2020, 90.000 tons (+ 8,3 %) and, the one with pizzas frozen amounted to 43.770 tons (+ 5,4 %).
Other successful ready meals
According to the Nielsen company, sales of dishes prepared for consumption at home grew by 8,7%, reaching 643.990 tons. Those based on fish / shellfish (21%), and based on meat (17%) recorded the highest growth rates. But those who remain the most consumed ready meals and being in the lead, after pizza, are those based on frozen potatoes and meals at room temperature based on vegetables. By category, refrigerated ready meals maintain a 47,5% share, followed by frozen (39,5%) and room temperature (13%).
The pandemic caused the consumption of ready meals to increase considerably. And in addition, it has achieved that this custom is already impregnated in society. Since, since the hospitality sector has been strongly affected as a result of the Covid-19 With a drop of more than 43% in activity, in 2020 the option of eating ready-made dishes was quite good and effective.
The numbers from the previous year
The truth is that already in 2019 the consumption of ready meals was beginning to take a run. Each Spaniard consumed an average of 15,10 kilos of dishes prepared in that year. A figure that represented a 3,05% growth with respect to the previous year, according to the balance that Asefapre presented again. The causes of the previous year were that families have fewer and fewer children and that there is a lot of “single" (single). These reasons, added to those of this year, mean that the consumption of ready meals continues to rise to limits that had not been reached before. In addition, the offer and the novelties have only increased in the supermarkets.
It is evident that we are facing a comfortable and effective solution that fixes our lives on many occasions. In moderation, consume pizza or other types of most consumed ready meals It is the best option for those who are more conformist in the kitchen or for those who want to have a break from cooking more elaborate meals. And you, what is the average weekly amount of ready-to-eat servings that you take?
