United Arab Emirates (UAE) Instant Food Market Overview, 2028

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Instant Food Market Overview, 2028

In recent years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) quick food market has seen extraordinary expansion and transformation. The UAE has seen a dramatic movement in consumer preferences towards convenience, speed, and efficiency as a rapidly rising nation noted for its strong economy and cosmopolitan lifestyle. Instant food products have been a popular choice among UAE residents, responding to their hectic schedules and desire for quick and easy meal alternatives. The UAE's desire for rapid meals has been spurred by an increase in disposable income, urbanisation, and the influx of a diversified expatriate community. The country's population comprises a significant proportion of expatriates from various cultural backgrounds. This diversity translates into a diverse range of dietary preferences and tastes, creating a demand for a wide variety of instant food options to cater to different culinary traditions and preferences. the UAE has a fast-paced lifestyle, with many residents leading busy lives due to work commitments and social engagements. As a result, there is a high demand for convenient and time-saving meal solutions, making instant food products an appealing choice for those seeking quick and hassle-free options. Furthermore, the UAE is known for its cosmopolitan cities, such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which attract a large number of tourists and visitors throughout the year. Instant food products offer a convenient and accessible option for travellers who may not have access to full kitchen facilities or prefer on-the-go meals. Additionally, UAE has a well-developed infrastructure, including modern retail channels, online platforms, and delivery services, which facilitate the easy availability and distribution of instant food products to consumers across the country.

According to the research report UAE Instant Food Market Overview, 2028, published by Bonafide Research, the UAE Instant Food market is projected to grow at 6.12% CAGR from 2023 to 2028. As the UAE experienced an influx of expatriate employees and the formation of multinational firms in the 1970s and 1980s, the need for convenient and easy-to-prepare meals began to soar. This tendency was accelerated by an increase in the number of women entering the labour force, which resulted in a shift in conventional cooking practises and a greater reliance on quick meal alternatives. During this time, instant food goods such as instant noodles, canned soups, and frozen dinners began to emerge on supermarket and grocery store shelves throughout the UAE. These items, which were frequently imported from Japan, the United States, and Europe, provided a quick alternative to conventional home-cooked meals. The popularity of instant meals in the UAE surged in the early 2000s, owing to reasons such as globalisation, shifting demographics, and technological improvements. Consumers' access to and convenience with instant food products have been enhanced by the expansion of e-commerce platforms and food delivery services. Furthermore, the UAE government has influenced the instant food sector by enacting legislation and initiatives aimed at boosting food safety, labelling requirements, and healthier eating habits. As a result, the instant food sector has placed a greater emphasis on transparency, quality control, and nutritional understanding. In recent years, there has been a notable shift in consumer preferences towards healthier and more nutritious instant food options. This has prompted food manufacturers to innovate and introduce products with cleaner labels, natural ingredients, and reduced levels of additives and preservatives.

Based on the report, market is segmented into breakfast cereal, instant noodles & pasta, snacks, instant ready meal, desserts and others. Instant ready meals are widely consumed in UAE is dominating the market as well. Residents of the UAE endure hectic lives, juggling employment, social obligations, and other responsibilities. For those wishing to save time on meal preparation, instant-ready meals offer a quick and easy alternative. These meals involve little effort and may be consumed at home or on the go. The UAE has a large expatriate community with diverse cultural backgrounds and culinary traditions. For expats who are away from home or inexperienced with local cooking practises, ready-to-eat instant meals are a useful solution. These dinners frequently include cosmopolitan flavours as well as familiar foods, appealing to the expatriate community's different tastes and preferences. Throughout the year, the UAE attracts a large number of visitors and business travellers. Instant-ready meals are a useful option for travellers who are staying in hotels or other accommodations that do not have cooking facilities. These meals are easy to transport and store and they provide a quick and fulfilling supper choice for individuals on the go.

Normal packaging is playing significant role in the development of instant food market of UAE and is positively leading the market as well. Normal packaging, which typically includes lightweight and compact containers, enables easy handling and portability of instant food products. This is particularly important in a fast-paced society like the UAE, where individuals often consume meals on the go or require convenient options for office lunches, picnics, or travel. Normal packaging allows consumers to carry their instant meals conveniently without the need for additional utensils or special handling. Normal packaging is particularly suited for the convenience store environment, which is a popular retail format in the UAE. The compact size and easy-to-open nature of normal packaging make it ideal for quick and spontaneous purchases from convenience stores. Consumers can grab an instant meal conveniently, consume it without the need for extensive preparation, and dispose of the packaging easily. Based on distribution channel market is bifurcated into supermarket / hypermarket, departmental /convenience store, online store, and others (specialty stores). The online channel is expected to grow significantly with highest CAGR of the market during the forecast period. Increasing internet penetration, convenient of online shopping and high usage of smart phones are certain key that are gaining popularity for online shopping of instant food in UAE. Some of the main online channels that distribute instant food in UAE include, Deliveroo, Careem Now, The Entertainer and many more.

Considered in this report:
• Geography: UAE
• Historic year: 2017
• Base year: 2022
• Estimated year: 2023
• Forecast year: 2028

Aspects covered in this report:
• UAE Instant Food market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Products:
• Breakfast Cereal
• Instant Noodles & pasta
• Snacks
• Instant ready Meal
• Desserts
• Others

By Packaging:
• Normal
• Frozen

By Distribution Channel:
• Supermarket/Hypermarket
• Departmental/Convenience Store
• Online Store
• Others (Specialty Stores)

The approach of the report
This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and list out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, and annual reports of companies, analyzing the government-generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducting trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers into regional aspects, tier aspects, age groups, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources.

Intended audience:
This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the Instant Food industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.