The Tastewise Blog

Explore the rising trend of consumer meal prepping and how consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies can adapt to capitalize on this growing market demand, generating innovative product offerings and profitability.

The growing trends of consumer meal prepping: What CPGs need to know

Consumers continuously seek ways to save time and money while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Meal prepping has surged in popularity as a convenient and efficient method for individuals and families to plan their meals, maintain portion control, and reduce food waste.

This rising demand has brought significant implications for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, with opportunities to tap into this lucrative market and create products catering to these specific consumer needs. In this article, we'll examine the growing trends in consumer meal prepping and share valuable insights that CPGs need to know to stay ahead of the curve.

Understanding the consumer meal-prepping trend

Meal prepping refers to the practice of preparing and portioning meals in advance. These meals are often planned, cooked, and stored for consumption throughout the week, focusing on convenience, nutrition, and cost-effectiveness. This trend has been primarily driven by the following factors:

1. Health-conscious consumers: With increasing awareness of the impact of diet on overall health and well-being, many individuals are turning to meal prepping to maintain a balanced, nutrient-rich diet.

2. Cost concerns: Meal prepping helps consumers stick to a budget by allowing them to control their grocery spending better and reduce impulse buys.

3. Time-saving benefits: Meal prepping enables consumers to save time during the week by cooking and prepping food in bulk instead of preparing a fresh meal daily.

Thus, understanding these drivers can offer valuable insights for CPG brands targeting the meal-prepping market.

Opportunities for CPGs in the meal-prepping space

There are several innovative approaches that CPGs can consider when developing products and services catering to the meal-prepping trend:

1. Develop meal prep-friendly products: Focus on producing products that are easily customizable, portioned, and have a longer shelf life to meet the needs of meal preppers. Examples include pre-cut or pre-cooked ingredients, easy-to-portion grains, and sauces in individual servings.

2. Offer recipe ideas and meal planning resources: Providing consumers with meal-prepping recipes and sample meal plans can help build brand engagement and establish a company as a valuable resource in the meal-prepping community. CPGs can leverage social media, blogs, and websites to disseminate this information and engage with their target audience.

3. Collaborate with meal prep influencers: Partnering with influential figures in the meal-prepping community can provide endorsement and exposure for your brand and help you identify potential gaps in the market for new products and services.

4. Focus on sustainability and eco-friendly packaging: Environmental concerns are increasingly important to consumers. CPGs should consider investing in recyclable, reusable, or biodegradable packaging options to appeal to the eco-conscious meal-prepping market.

Leveraging data to meet consumer demands

Tastewise offers vital insights for CPGs striving to stay updated and informed on consumers' latest trends and preferences, including the growing interest in meal prepping. By using data-driven insights, CPG companies can identify emerging patterns in consumer behavior, allowing them to develop targeted products and marketing strategies that cater to this significant market segment.

Examples of data-driven insights include information on popular meal prep ingredients, trending meals or themes, shifting consumer values, and particular regional preferences or demands.

Leveraging AI for food product innovation

As the meal-prepping trend continues to gain traction among time-conscious, health-focused consumers, CPG companies have a wealth of opportunities to develop innovative products and services tailored to this burgeoning market.

By leveraging data-driven insights from platforms like Tastewise, CPGs can better understand their target audience, capitalize on the growing trends in consumer meal prepping and focus on food product innovation. This ultimately leads to increased brand loyalty, product innovation, and profitability.